ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM

COUNTY OF SAN MATEO .

SUBJECT: Voluntary Reduced Work Hours

RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT: Personnel

NUMBER: E-12

DATE: February 1, 1984

The Voluntary Reduced Work Hours Program consists of the following three options:

  1. ” 5% Plan” – 5% less in salary gives an employee an additional 104 hours (13 days) off.
  2. “10% Plan” – 10% less in salary gives an employee an additional 208 hours (26 days) off.
  3. “20% Plan” – 20% less in salary gives an employee an additional 416 hours (52 days) off.

An employee may apply for the Voluntary Reduced Work Hours Program by submitting the appropriate application/agreement to their department head in May. If participation is approved by the department head, the employee is paid a reduced hourly rate during the one-year term of the program. Department heads will be solely responsible for determining the extent, if any, to which employees will participate in the program. This reduced rate is applied to all hours worked as well as all paid time off such as vacation, sick leave, holiday, voluntary reduced time off and compensatory time taken during the program. The time off purchased by this plan is computed at the reduced rate of pay outlined above.

The employee may reduce their work day or work- week or schedule their time off in blocks, or a day or more at a time, as long as it is in accordance with the needs of the department.

Applications and agreements must be submitted annually. Employees are committed to the program for the entire year and may withdraw only if they are promoted, transferred, terminated or if they resign from the county. Any unused portion for time off, or time taken in excess of accrued time acquired under the program, will be computed by the Controller’s Office and the Department, and any necessary pay adjustments will be made.

Participation in the program does not effect:

  1. health, dental or life insurance coverage,
  2. salary continuance,
  3. pay for work out of classification (on the basis of hours actually worked),
  4. step increases,
  5. length of probationary period,
  6. accrual of vacation, sick leave or holiday time, or
  7. accrual of seniority.

Participation in the program does effect:

  1. retirement,
  2. overtime.,
  3. compensatory time,
  4. long-term income insurance, and
  5. supplemental life insurance.

All approved application/agreements must be submitted to Personnel and accompanied by a Personnel Action Form (501) which will be completed in accordance with the instructions issued by the Controller’s Office.

2015-05-21