HELEN PLUM LIBRARY
P-4 Hours of Work & Schedules
Approved by the Library Board of Trustees December 20, 2022.
Work week definition
For the purpose of adherence to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the defined work week runs from 12:00:01 a.m. Sunday to 12:00:00 a.m. Sunday
Public service desk staff are expected to work some Sundays.
Record of Hours Worked
For the purpose of adherence to the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, employers must keep “true and accurate records of the name, address and occupation of each employee, the rate of pay, and the amount paid each pay period to each employee, and hours worked each day in each work week by each employee.”
Full-time salaried employees
Salaried exempt employees are typically expected to work 37.5 hours per week or more.
Salaried non-exempt employees are expected to work 37.5-hours per week as scheduled by their manager, excluding unpaid meal breaks. Typical full-time shifts are 8 hours with a 30-minute unpaid meal break. There may be shift variations with the department manager’s approval, depending on the needs of the department.
Regular Part-time employees
Regular part-time employees are non-exempt and are paid on an hourly basis.
Eligible part-time employees (working 1000 hours or more annually) will be scheduled to work an average of at least 20 hours per week, but in any given pay period, not more than an average of 29.5 hours per week.
Non-eligible part-time employees (working less than 1000 hours annually) will be scheduled to work an average of less than 20 hours per week.
Part-time shifts may be part-day or full-day shifts as scheduled by the department manager. Typical full day shifts are 8 hours with a 30-minute unpaid meal break.
Substitute and Seasonal employees
Substitute and Seasonal employees are scheduled by their manager to fill-in as needed. Substitute and seasonal employees may work more than 29.5 hours per week on a limited basis, but less than 1000 hours per calendar year, as scheduled by their manager.
Employees are allowed a 15-minute paid break as scheduled by their manager for each 4- or 6-hour shift they work. Employees working a 7.5-hour shift are allowed a 15-minute paid break for each half of their full-day shift. These breaks may not be taken at the beginning or end of an employee’s daily schedule, joined to the beginning or end of an unpaid meal break, joined across shifts to make a longer break, or used to make up lost time. At times, the scheduling needs of the Library may not allow for a 15-minute break period.
Illinois law requires employers to permit non-exempt employees who are to work 7.5 continuous hours or more to take a meal period of at least 20 minutes. The meal period must be given to an employee no later than 5 hours after beginning work. Meal breaks are unpaid and are typically 30 minutes for employees working a full-day shift.
Illinois law requires that an additional meal break be given to an employee for each additional consecutive 4.5-hour period worked after an initial 7.5-hour period.[1] A non-exempt employee working a 12-hour shift (7.5 plus 4.5 hours) must take a second meal break of at least 20 minutes. The Library does not typically schedule employees for shifts of this length, but if unique scheduling circumstances occur, meal breaks will be provided consistent with this requirement.
One Day Rest in Seven
Illinois law requires that non-exempt employees be provided one day of rest in every consecutive 7-day period.[2] One day of rest is defined as at least 24 consecutive hours. Non-exempt employee schedules will be set consistent with the legal requirement to provide for one day off in every rolling 7-day period.
Emergency Closings
The Library may suspend operations or release employees due to power outages, hazardous weather conditions, loss of heating or air conditioning, or other special circumstances as determined by the Library Director or the Board of Trustees.
At the discretion of the Director, employees may be requested to report to work or remain at work even if the Library is closed to the general public.
If employees are dismissed or asked not to report to their scheduled shift because the Library is closed due to an emergency, they will be paid for their scheduled time during the closure. Pay for closures over five days will be subject to Board approval.
If an employee is taking vacation, personal, sick, or paid leave of absence time off when the closure occurs, their time off will be paid as vacation, personal, sick, or paid leave of absence as originally requested.
If the Library is open and an employee needs to arrive late or leave early due to severe weather conditions, the employee may have the option to make up the time or take unpaid time off. A personal day or vacation day may be used for this time off with the approval of the department manager.
[1] [820 ILCS 140/] effective January 1, 2023.
[2] [820 ILCS 140/] effective January 1, 2023.