Office Guidelines

NOTE: The following guidelines are to be followed by all employees (excluding faculty) of the College of Business Administration at all locations.

Office Hours and Staffing

• Each program/departmental office should be staffed at all times from 8:00AM to 6:00PM, Monday thru Thursday while classes are in session; and 8:00AM to 5:00PM Fridays and when there are no classes. Staff lunches and breaks should be staggered to accommodate this. • Foregoing lunches or breaks to leave work earlier are strictly prohibited, unless the college’s Human Resources representative receives prior approval. • All staff should ensure that their Temporary (formerly OPS) staff works only the hours that have been agreed upon. Staff (formerly USPS) employees, who are non-exempt and “at-will”, must work 8 hours per day, with their exact hours being set by their . • Administrative (formerly A & P) employees, who are exempt and “at-will”, do not receive pay or time-off due to working more than the required 40 hours per week. • There must be coverage at all times in all CBA locations during regular office hours. All managers of staff must collaborate so their staff rotates their responsibility.

Time-at-Workplace

Purpose:

To define the meaning and requirements of time-at-workplace, as it applies to all employees.

Guideline:

Prior supervisor approval is required if there is any time away from your regular work site that is not Leave Taken, in excess of four consecutive hours, or that takes place for any length of time on two or more consecutive days or more than twice a week, based on a Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. time or a like-type schedule previously established. This means that each employee must be here at the (University) workplace for the majority of each day Monday thru Friday, working a 40-hour week, unless prior approval has been obtained. If pre-approved time away from the workplace is to occur on a regular basis, the supervisor has the option of setting parameters or expectations of production, which are measurable for the time away. This practice is to be considered a condition of within our organizational unit.

** NOTE **: This guideline is separate from the University’s Alternative Work Site (Flex Place) Policy.

Rev. 08/17/2009 by R.G.

Dress Code

The CBA’s primary objective is to have employees project a professional image while taking advantage of more casual and relaxed . offers an alternative to the business attire of , , ties, and dress shoes.

There are times when traditional business attire is to be worn. Take your day’s schedule into account when you are dressing. If you have a meeting scheduled with visitors, or if you are advised that others in the College will have visitors with whom you will come in contact, you will want to dress in business attire. And, of course, business attire is always acceptable if that is your preference.

Listed below is a general overview of acceptable business as well as a listing of some of the more common items that are not appropriate for the office. Neither group is intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, these items should help set the general parameters for proper casual business wear. However, please make sure that your attire is not overly snug/loose/revealing so as to be consistent with this guideline. A good rule of thumb is that if you are not sure if something is acceptable, choose something else or inquire first.

Slacks—Cotton slacks are acceptable provided they are clean and wrinkle-free. Inappropriate items include sweatpants, pants with any type of picture/design on them, wind suits, shorts of any kind, bib overalls, leggings, spandex or other form-fitting pants.

Shirts—Casual shirt, golf shirt, sweaters and turtlenecks are acceptable. Inappropriate items include tank tops, tube tops, sweatshirts, shirts with large lettering, logos or slogans, halter- tops, and t-shirts unless worn under another blouse, shirt, jacket, or jumper. At no point in time are shirts/blouses with plunging necklines to be worn. Lastly, t-shirts with inappropriate comments should not be worn.

Dresses and Skirts—Casual dresses and skirts, and split skirts at or below the knee are acceptable. Dress and skirt length should be no shorter than four inches above the knee. Mini- skirts, skorts and spaghetti-strap dresses should not be worn to the office.

Footwear—Loafers, boots, flats, dress sandals, open-toed shoes, clogs and leather deck shoes are acceptable. No stockings are acceptable if it’s appropriate for the rest of the outfit. Flip- flops, athletic shoes, thong sandals and slippers are not acceptable.

Jewelry—Should be conservative with no visible body piercing other than pierced ears.

Hats & Head Covering—Hats are not appropriate in the office. Head covers that are required for religious purposes or to honor cultural tradition are allowed.

Casual Friday has been established to allow for comfortable attire. However, good taste is expected and required. Some of the basics are defined below.

Rev. 08/17/2009 by R.G.

• Jeans, denim dresses, jumpers and skirts are acceptable. • No shorts, skorts (split skirts) or extremely short skirts are permitted. • No leggings, stirrup pants or sweat pants are permitted. • Men are required to wear socks.

With the prior approval of the Executive Dean, jeans are acceptable on certain days, such as casual Fridays. However, jeans cannot be ripped, faded, frayed or cutoff.

If an item of clothing is deemed inappropriate for the office by the employee’s supervisor and the Human Resources representative, the employee may be sent home to change clothes and will be given a verbal warning for the first offense, and progressive disciplinary action will be taken for further violations.

Any questions regarding the Attire policy should be directed to the Human Resources representative.

Office Appearance, Working Lunches and Cleanliness

• Each employee is responsible for keeping their own area clear of clutter, as well as cleaning up after themselves in the public areas of all FIU/CBA properties. The goal is to present a neat and professional environment to all visitors, employees and students. • Eating lunch at your desk is strictly prohibited if your workstation is located in a public area (reception area, etc.), a cubicle or if any wall in your office is a clear pane of glass. Lunch must be eaten at your designated eating area or outside of the building. • It is everyone’s responsibility to keep the kitchen areas clean. Please make sure that if you use the kitchen area for any reason, you leave it cleaner than how you found it.

Requesting Leave

Any employee requesting , must request the time off in advance from their supervisor via email and cc [email protected]. Once the supervisor decides whether or not to approve the leave request, they must “Reply To All” on the email. If the supervisor approves the leave request, then the employee must log into the ADP TimeSaver system to enter their leave into the system.

If an employee needs to use their , they must contact their immediate supervisor on the day the leave is taken to notify them. Once the employee returns to work, they must immediately enter their sick leave taken into the ADP TimeSaver payroll system. Sick leave should be used on an “as-needed” basis and does not require prior supervisor approval. If an employee is out sick at the close of a pay period, the supervisor is responsible for entering their sick leave into the ADP TimeSaver system.

Rev. 08/17/2009 by R.G.

The University manages two different types of medical leaves. FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) and Non-FMLA medical leave of absences. HR handles and processes those employees who take four or more consecutive days off for medical reasons (anything less is considered "sick" leave and is handled directly through the department). FMLA is a federally mandated legislation (Department of Labor), and as such, the University is obligated to determine if an employee’s medical condition is a FMLA "qualifying event" or not. If you have any questions or would like more information regarding these forms of medical leave, please send your request to [email protected].

Nepotism Procedures

1. Hiring supervisor who considers hiring a related employee, whether it is a new hire or a current employee, must complete a Nepotism Disclosure Form and submit to Executive Dean for prior approval. 2. If approved, hiring supervisor must work with the Human Resources Manager to complete the necessary paperwork. 3. Paperwork must be submitted to the department of Employee Relations for approval, and also for approval by the Vice President of Human Resources. 4. If approved, paperwork will be routed to the department of Workforce , who will generate a letter of offer. 5. Offers of employment to new employees may be rescinded if they fail to disclose a relationship with an FIU employee, which results in a nepotic relationship.

Note: It is each hiring supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that they avoid creating nepotic situations in their work areas. Exceptions will only be considered and approved by Executive Dean Elam.

Nepotism Definition: For the purpose of the Nepotism Policy, “relationship” is defined as individuals related by blood, marriage, adoption [e.g.. father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, husband, wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother or half-sister, Florida Statute Section 112.3135(1)(d)]; a person a public employee intends to marry, or with whom the public employee intends to form a household, or any other natural person having the same legal residence as the public employee, Florida Statute Section 112.312, Code of Ethics; domestic partnership, dating, or other personal relationship in which objectivity might be impaired. “Line of authority” is defined as authority extending vertically through one or more organizational levels of supervision or management.

Confidentiality

Please review the guidelines for this policy as stated below.

• Information about students or employees is confidential and should not be discussed with anyone inside or outside of the University.

Rev. 08/17/2009 by R.G.

• Any CBA or University business/issues, which could be deemed confidential, should not be discussed with anyone outside or your work unit. If you are uncertain about whether information is confidential or not, you should discuss the matter with your direct supervisor or your Human Resources representative. • Information regarding students or employees may be released only in accordance with University policy (each situation should be discussed with your Human Resources representative before doing so). • As common courtesy, it is suggested to always knock before entering a room, even if the door is open.

Office Etiquette Guidelines

In an effort to respect our fellow colleagues, we ask that you follow these etiquette guidelines:

• When entering someone’s office, cubicle, or desk, please either knock or stand at the entrance to make your presence known until the person is unoccupied and prepared to address you. Many times someone is concentrating on a task and walking in unannounced may disrupt their thought process. • Please keep conversation volume at a normal level whether it be on the telephone or face-to- face. • If a conversation or meeting is confidential it should be conducted in a private office or conference room with the door closed. • Please refrain from using a speakerphone unless you have a private office and your door is closed. • Due to the expansive open area in the buildings, please refrain from having extensive conversations in the hallways or open work areas because noise travels and will disrupt others who are trying to concentrate. • Please keep cell phones on vibrate during work hours. • All social gatherings must be approved in advance by the Executive Dean or her representative. If approved, these gatherings must be held in a conference room or pantry with the door closed and must take place during lunch or after hours. • We understand the concerns and pressure created by the University budget cuts and added responsibilities many of us are facing. Due to these harsh realities, please remember that all of us are working towards the common goal of making the College of Business Administration a great environment to work in. Please make sure that your interactions with your internal customers (coworkers, students, faculty, etc.) are pleasant, professional and positive at all times.

Rev. 08/17/2009 by R.G.