Employee Handbook
CHAPTER FOUR - EMPLOYMENT
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Compensating Non-Exempt Employees for Out of Town Travel and/or Conference/Meeting
Attendance
Flextime
Payroll Schedules
Direct Deposit
Time Off
Identification Cards
Parking
Changes in Personal Information
Job Vacancies
Transfers and Promotions
Employment of Family Members
Personnel File
Performance Management
Additional Employment at PBA
Outside Employment
Staff Members Teaching as Adjuncts
Leaving Palm Beach Atlantic University
Employee Benefits
Tuition Benefit Policy
Employee Learning Center (ELC)
Campus Store
Greene Sports Complex
Library Services
ATM
Chapel Attendance
Dining on Campus
Admission to Campus Events
Employment at Will
Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) is an “Employment At-Will” university. This means
that once hired, an employee serves at the pleasure of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Discontinuance of employment may occur at any time, without cause, at the discretion
of PBA. Palm Beach Atlantic University’s policies and procedures:
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Are subject to change;
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Do not in any manner constitute the terms of an employment agreement, express or implied;
and
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Do not create property rights.
Supervisors and all other PBA managers involved in the hiring process are not authorized
to make any statement providing any assurance of job security or continued employment
to present, prospective, or newly hired workers. Similarly, in their dealings with
employees, managers, and supervisors are not authorized to make any promises or assurances
of continued employment in the event of satisfactory performance.
Only the President or his/her designee is authorized to enter into an employment agreement
with any employee. In the event of such a contract, it shall be in writing. No oral
agreements shall be binding on PBA.
Palm Beach Atlantic University is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action,
Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, employer.
See Chapter Six, Faculty Appointments, for detailed information regarding faculty
employment.
Non-Exempt and Exempt Employees
The Fair Labor Standards Act regulates wage payment and requires payment of a specified
minimum wage and overtime compensation to employees. Certain employees are “exempt”
from the minimum wage and overtime requirements. Exempt employees do not receive overtime
pay, and PBA does not recognize the practice of granting compensatory time off for
exempt employees.
Non-exempt employees who work extra hours on a given workday may be permitted or required
to take an equal number of hours off within the same workweek. Taking time off in
lieu of overtime pay must be approved by the employee’s supervisor and be taken within
the same workweek. If the time off within the same workweek is not taken, overtime
pay must be given. The collection and management of non-exempt employee hours is administered
through electronic time-keeping software.
Work Schedules and Overtime
Normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. However,
the hours an employee is expected to work will be determined by the need and established
schedule in each department. Departments offer different services and work hours may
vary. An employee’s supervisor will inform him/her of the schedule and will give as
much advance notice as possible when changes must be made.
Overtime is defined as any hours worked in excess of a 40-hour workweek. No overtime
will be permitted unless approved in advance by the appropriate Cabinet Member. Hours
over 40 worked will be paid at 1-1/2 times the regular hourly rate. In calculating
when overtime begins, the total of hours worked does not include paid time off.
PBA’s defined workweek begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday and ends at midnight Saturday.
Compensation
See Chapter Six, Faculty Appointments, for information about Letters of Agreement,
Letters of Intent, and Multi-Year Letters of Agreement.
Compensating Non-Exempt Employees for Out of Town Travel and/or Conference/Meeting
Attendance
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a non-exempt employee must be paid for
all hours the employee is “suffered or permitted to work.” To describe under what
circumstances time spent traveling is considered compensable and additional information,
please click HERE to see the Compensating Non-Exempt Employees for Out of Town Travel policy, on myPBA
under “University Policies.”
Flextime
Purpose: The purpose of flextime is to accommodate the personal needs of employees
and/or to enable university departments to provide services for more hours each day.
A department may use flextime when it would help an employee better accommodate personal
needs and where the arrangement would not adversely affect the productivity of the
employee’s department or the ability of the department to provide service.
Criteria for authorizing Flextime: Criteria applied in evaluating requests for flextime
include: 1) the effect on productivity of the employee, 2) the ability of co-workers
to accomplish their work, 3) the effect on the productivity of the department, and
4) the degree to which the accommodation is necessary in order to allow the employee
to retain his or her job. Requests are approved on a temporary basis and, as such,
schedules may be returned to the norm at the discretion of the departmental administrator.
Flex Hours: The flex hours enumerated below apply to employees working in departments
that operate on a typical business office schedule. All university departments that
provide business or student services are open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00
p.m. Monday through Friday. Such departments are expected to be staffed during these
hours, except for the noon hour in small departments. The services they provide and
the needs of faculty, staff, and students influence hours of operation for other departments.
Flex hours/core hours: Core hours are designated as those from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(offices are open for business during these core hours) while flexible hours are those
from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. and from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Flex hours cannot involve
a reduction in work hours below 40 hours per week.
Procedure for obtaining approval for flextime: An employee’s flextime schedule arrangement
is expected to be individually approved in writing and in advance by the departmental
administrator and approved by the appropriate Cabinet Officer or President in accordance
with procedures of the university. A flextime schedule must be set at the beginning
of each academic year and remain in effect until the end of the academic year.
Vacation, sick and other University paid time off will be approved up to your regular
work week of 30 or 40 hours.
Call Back Pay
Click HERE for information.
Payroll Schedules
Employees are paid semi-monthly. Employees will receive their paychecks on the 15th and last day of the month, or the last working day prior to the pay date.
Direct Deposit
Employees are encouraged to have their paychecks directly deposited to any bank or
credit union in the continental United States. An Authorization Agreement for Direct
Deposit must be signed and sent to the Office of Human Resources. The Office of Human
Resources must be notified of any changes to a direct deposit no later than five (5)
days prior to a payday.
Time Off
- Vacation Leave Policy ( See PDF )
- Sick Leave Policy ( See PDF )
- Federal Medical & Family Leave ( See PDF )
- Spiritual Retreat Day ( See PDF )
Identification Cards
All PBA employees are required to have a Palm Beach Atlantic University photo identification
card. The card will be used for University identification, swipe access to campus
buildings, and for entrance into the parking garage. Monetary value may be added to
the card for use in vending and copier machines, campus dining locations, and for
athletic and event ticket purchases.
The PBA Card Office issues an identification card once an employee completes new employee
orientation. Employees may be asked to present the PBA ID card upon request by the
Office of Campus Safety and Security and/or management of the University. All vendors
are required to register with the Office of Campus Safety and Security.
Lost or stolen cards must be reported immediately to the Office of Campus Safety and
Security. Replacement cards are issued for a fee. Cards will be returned at the time
of the termination of employment with PBA.
Parking
A parking permit may be obtained from the Office of Campus Safety and Security. All
vehicles on campus must be registered and have a PBA parking permit displayed. Lost
or stolen permits must be reported immediately to the Office of Campus Safety and
Security.
Parking is provided for employees and students at their own risk. PBA is not responsible
for damage, theft, or vandalism to vehicles or their contents. Palm Beach Atlantic
University does not have liability for damages that may occur on its property.
Changes in Personal Information
Contact the Office of Human Resources for personal information changes, such as address
and telephone numbers. Human Resources should be contacted for changes affecting such
things as income tax withholding, name, dependents, and beneficiaries.
Job Vacancies
The Office of Human Resources posts job vacancies immediately upon approval by the
administration. Job vacancy information is also available by visiting the Office of
Human Resources or by going to pba.edu.
Transfers and Promotions
Employees may apply for reassignment or promotional opportunities by submitting the
appropriate application and/or a resume and a cover letter listing the title for a
vacant position to the Office of Human Resources. Employees may apply for a transfer
after they have been in their present job for one full-time continuous year.
A transfer may be a lateral move or a promotion. A transfer may or may not involve
a change in base pay. Promotions involve taking a new job with a higher level of responsibilities,
challenges, and skill requirements. Promotions typically include a change in base
pay.
To receive full consideration, employees should respond within five (5) working days
from the date of posting a position. The employee must inform his or her current supervisor
before an interview is scheduled.
The prospective supervisor can request an appointment with the Office of Human Resources
to view attendance records, performance evaluations, and any disciplinary notes from
the employee’s personnel file for the last two years.
See Chapter Six for information on the process by which faculty may apply for promotion.
Employment of Family Members
Related employees may not work within the same organizational unit of the University
where one has supervisory jurisdiction over the other. This policy shall apply to
all family members with the first, second, and third degrees of consanguinity (descended
from the same ancestor) and affinity (relationship by marriage).
Personnel File
Official personnel files are located in the Office of Human Resources. Personnel Files
are the property of Palm Beach Atlantic University. The employee or anyone in a supervisory
position over the employee may view this file by appointment with the Office of Human
Resources. This file is open to the legal counsel of the University when needed for
official legal matters relative to the University.
If the employee applies for a transfer to another position at PBA, the hiring supervisor
may be allowed to view attendance records, performance evaluations, and any disciplinary
note for the previous two years of employment.
Performance Management
Palm Beach Atlantic University values the contributions of all employees and strives
to provide an environment where those contributors can be acknowledged. All full-time
employees will receive performance appraisals. The employee’s immediate supervisor
is responsible for conducting at least one annual appraisal. The appraisal provides
a planned opportunity for the employee and supervisor to meet, discuss, and document
accomplishments, expectations, and overall job performance. During the performance
review, the supervisor may consider, but is not limited to, the following areas:
- Attendance, initiative, and effort;
- Knowledge of the employee’s work;
- The employee’s ability to work as part of a team;
- Quality and quantity of the employee’s work;
- The employee’s communication skills
A Professional Improvement Plan (PIP) is a formal document expressing any continuous or recurring behavioral or performance issues as well as
planning measurable goals for a given employee. At times, if an employee appears to
be struggling or needs assistance in performing in the position, a PIP review will
be conducted.
Regular and open communication between employees and supervisors is necessary to provide
the information and tools to ensure that each employee has opportunity for success
on the job.
See the section on faculty evaluation in Part Three, Chapter Six, Faculty Appointments,
for the process by which faculty performance is evaluated.
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Additional Employment at PBA
The responsibility of an employee is the full and competent performance of all duties
pertinent to his/her employment with the University. Activities or additional employment
which may interfere with the primary obligations and responsibilities, or may create
a conflict of interest with those responsibilities and obligations are prohibited.
University staff members may receive compensation for additional employment within
the University, beyond full-time equivalent (FTE) established for the staff member’s
regular or primary employing position. Compensation for university employment that
exceeds 1.00 FTE must be paid by the secondary employer.
All hourly (non-exempt) staff members are subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor
Standards Act which requires compensation at time and one-half for combined workweek
hours in excess of forty. Additional employment and pay rates for these staff members
must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Human Resources prior to engagement.
Definitions:
Primary Employment – an employee’s regular employment department or unit in which the employee received
an assignment, evaluation, and salary based on the certification of performance of
regularly assigned duties.
Secondary Employment – the department or unit requesting the employee’s services in addition to those regularly
assigned by the primary employer.
Outside Employment
Palm Beach Atlantic University employees may accept employment outside of the University,
provided it does not interfere with the full performance of the employee’s assigned
duties and responsibilities and does not constitute a conflict of interest.
It is assumed that full-time employees are engaged in responsibilities that require
their major energies and reward them with an adequate salary. It is nevertheless recognized
that supplemental income is sometimes desired. This employment may take various forms:
consulting, part-time work at another institution, (provided there is no conflict
of interest) self-employed business ventures, and interim responsibilities with churches.
- Approval
Prior approval of the appropriate Cabinet Member by completing the Approval for Outside
Employment is required in all cases in which the outside venture extends over more
than a regular semester. Click Here for Request for Approval for Outside Employment. Permission may be revoked if, in the discretion of the University, the outside employment
appears to interfere with the performance of University duties. Permission must be
renewed if responsibilities continue beyond the semester’s close.
- Restrictions
In gaining or engaging in outside employment, employees must refrain from the following:
- Using University stationery, business cards, campus address, telephone number, email
address, or any other University identifier in conjunction with personal business;
- Meeting clients relative to personal business in a campus office, studio, laboratory,
or other locations on campus;
- Exposing the University to any liability in connection with such personal employment;
and
- Working or teaching for certain proprietary institutions in direct competition with
Palm Beach Atlantic University. Teaching a class for a competitor institution that
is also offered at PBA will not be approved. Unauthorized teaching for a competitor
institution may be grounds for non-renewal.
Employees must exercise extraordinary precautions to ensure that no reference or representation
connecting the University with personal professional activity is given or implied.
Staff Members Teaching as Adjuncts
Any PBA staff member who is not expected to teach as part of his or her job description
must obtain approval, in advance, from his or her supervisor, Cabinet Member, dean
of the school in which the teaching will occur, and the Provost. The approval form
may be obtained from the Office of Human Resources and should be processed starting
with the staff member’s supervisor before offering the course or duties to the staff
member. Particular attention in the approval process will be the extent to which such
work will impact the staff member's ability to perform his or her primary job responsibilities.
Staff members approved to teach will be limited to teach no more than one class (four
load contact hours) at a time, not to exceed three courses in one calendar year, and
must abide by all other policies and procedures for PBA adjuncts. Exceptions to the
teaching limit must be reviewed by the Dean and Provost on a case-by-case basis and
must be approved by the staff member’s primary supervisor. These exceptions should
be considered only for staff who hold a terminal degree in the discipline or are meeting
a temporary critical need.
Full-time employees who teach as adjuncts are required to work 40 hours/week and adjunct
pay will then be in addition to their normal pay. Explicit permission must be given
to work less hours in lieu of adjunct pay for teaching. Only personnel classified
by Human Resources as “exempt” may be assigned teaching duties; hourly staff may not
teach for the University. Click HERE for Request for Approval of Additional employment at PBA form.
Leaving Palm Beach Atlantic University
Although it is not required, PBA asks that staff employees planning to leave PBA’s
employment give a minimum of two weeks’ written notice. Giving notice allows supervisors
to plan for a replacement. An exit interview will be scheduled with the Office of
Human Resources for the employee’s last workday. All University resources including,
but not limited to laptop computers, purchasing cards, identification cards, keys,
etc, are to be submitted to Human Resources at this time. If applicable, the exiting
employee may receive a final disbursement of wages and accrued vacation leave in accordance
to the Vacation Leave Policy.
In consideration of the time required for responsible staffing procedures by the University
to replace a faculty member who chooses not to return, it is requested that a faculty
member give notice of intent not to return as soon as possible. The letter of resignation
should be addressed to the Provost with copies to the School Dean, and to the Vice
President of Human Resources. Faculty who give notice of intent not to return should
contact the Office of Human Resources for information related to final compensation
and benefits as their employment with PBA comes to a close.
See the section on retirement and separation in Chapter Six, Faculty Appointments,
for further information.
Employee Benefits
Employee Benefits Programs
The University provides benefits programs for employees and their immediate dependents.
The University attempts to provide plans that offer the best benefits at a reasonable
cost to employees. Programs offered include but are not limited to health, dental,
life, retirement, and an Employee Assistance Program.
Tuition Benefit Policy
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Employee Learning Center (ELC)
Employees may take advantage of training opportunities offered through the Office
of Human Resources. Through the ELC, employees learning experiences will include,
free of charge, a diverse menu of professional development courses to develop skills,
change behaviors and keep up with current trends in management, technology and best
practices. See the Human Resources’ website for the ELC calendar of events and registration
guidelines.
Campus Store
The Campus Store carries a variety of hard and softbound educational texts and trade
books, University souvenirs, stationery, clothing, and sundries. Employees receive
a 10% discount on many items offered by the Campus Store, excluding educational materials,
supplies, and books. Employees may also take advantage of special discounts offered
by the Campus Store.
Greene Sports Complex
Full-time employees receive membership to the Greene Sports Complex as a benefit of
employment. Employees may use the University athletic facilities during posted recreational
hours. The PBA ID card is required for entrance to the Greene Sports Complex and the
Rinker Athletic Complex.
Annual memberships are available for immediate family members and may be purchased
in the Greene Sports Complex. Retirees and their spouse are eligible for lifetime
membership in the Greene Sports Complex.
Library Services
Employees are extended library privileges and may use the services offered in the
library. The PBA ID card is required for entrance to the library.
ATM
An automated teller machine is located at the south entrance to the Lassiter Student
Center and is operational year round. Employees are responsible for any associated
fees.
Chapel Attendance
Chapel attendance is an important component of who we are as a Christian university.
Employees are expected to be spiritually responsible in the matter of chapel attendance.
There are numerous chapel choices throughout the week to facilitate fulfillment of
this expectation. We believe this is consistent with our stand as a Christian university
and can even enhance our position with those with whom we interact.
Dining on Campus
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s dining facilities include:
- Fraser Dining Hall, located in the Lassiter Student Center, offers a variety of dining
alternatives, where you can watch your food being prepared, with accommodations for
people with food allergies.
- The Market, including Jack’s Coffee, also located in the Lassiter Student Center,
combines the corner store with the style of a modern market, featuring grab ‘n go
dining options for breakfast, lunch, or any time of day.
- Einstein Bros. Bagels, located in the Warren Library, offers bagels, sandwiches, soups,
salads, coffee and other beverages.
- Chick-fil-A, located in the Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation, is a quick-service
chicken restaurant chain serving sandwiches, salads, additional entrees, and side
dishes.
Employees may purchase or make arrangements for payroll deduction of discount meal
plans at Sailfish Services. Employees may also participate in specials offered by
the Fraser Dining Hall and pay at the front desk.
Admission to Campus Events
All PBA employees are admitted to all Sailfish Athletics home events for free with
the exception of post-season events (i.e., Sunshine State Conference Tournament and
NCAA Regional and/or National Tournaments). Complimentary admission to many music
programs and reduced cost tickets for certain events such as theatre productions are
available.
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