Using Kronos
Using Kronos (Attendance)
Employment Information and Using Kronos
Kronos Time Entry: Policy 5-401 (links to external site)
Time and attendance records are submitted electronically to the payroll office twice a month using Kronos for staff employees. The employee is responsible for submitting a timely and accurate timecard. UCL has a department-specific policy requiring timecards to be completed by the employee on the 3rd to the last workday of the pay period. Supervisor approvals are due on the last day of the pay period. If either of these days falls on a weekend or holiday, time and attendance will be due the last working day preceding the weekend or holiday. Your supervisor will give you the opportunity to verify all sick, vacation, and personal preference days. Reminders are typically emailed and posted to the UCL General channel on Microsoft Teams to staff on those days.
Non-exempt (hourly) employees enter their start/end times, meal breaks, and leave hours (vacation, sick, personal preference, holiday, University closure days, etc.) into Kronos.
Exempt (salaried) employees enter only non-worked hours (vacation, sick, personal preference, holiday, University closure days, etc.) into Kronos.
All employees are responsible for approving their time in Kronos for each pay period.
Paychecks can be delayed due to missed punches or incorrect time entries. Please review your timecard regularly and make sure it is accurate to avoid delays or over/underpayments.
For more information and online training, please visit the University’s KRONOS (links to external website) webpage.
Kronos Training Videos
To view the list of available Kronos training videos please click 'Bridge Training URL' listed below.
Bridge Training (links to external website) or follow the steps below:
Log into CIS using UNID and CIS (Campus Information System) password
Search for “Bridge LMS” and select
Once in Bridge, search for “Kronos”
Select the approriate “Kronos" training/s videos that you would like to watch
Work Hours
The University’s workweek begins at 12:01am Saturday and ends at midnight the following Friday. The University provides unpaid meal breaks and paid rest periods as appropriate. Meal breaks are unpaid if the employee is completely relieved from duty (uninterrupted by work) for at least 20 minutes. University practice supports paid rest periods (breaks) for non-exempt employees. Rest periods may not be saved for later use or used to compute additional pay. Breaks may not be combined and cannot be utilized to leave early, arrive late, or extend a meal break.
For more information, please visit the University’s Compensation webpage (links to external website).
Types of Leave (Attendance)
Benefits-eligible employees receive paid leave time. Information on the University’s paid leave time benefit is on the HR website below.
Employees also enjoy University holidays. A calendar can be found on the Human Resources Benefits website (website link below). As a note, the department is closed on University Closure Days as well as holidays. If you are a benefits-eligible employee who does not work the standard 6- or 8-hour day, you are required to use vacation or personal preference time to supplement any holiday or University Closure Day. For example, if you work a 10-hour day on Mondays and there is a holiday, you will be paid 8 hours of holiday pay, but you will need to add an additional 2 hours of either vacation or personal preference time into Kronos to equal your 10-hour day.
Human Resources Benefits: Paid Leave Time (links to external website)
As an organization that values community involvement, University Connected Learning also offers all full-time employees 8 hours of volunteer pay each year; part-time employees at .495 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) or less are offered 4 hours per year. More information about our volunteer pay can be found at the UCL Knowledge Base: Volunteer Pay (links to external site).
Vacation (VAC) Policy 5-301A (links to external website)
Employees are eligible if they are in a benefit-eligible position at 75% FTE or greater (expected to work 30 hours per week or more). Faculty with a 12-month contract and an FTE of 75% or greater are eligible. Vacation amounts are pro-rated if the FTE is less than 100%.
Non-exempt staff employees earn 8 hours per month* (at 100% FTE).
Exempt staff employees earn 10 hours per month* (at 100% FTE).
Eligible Academic non-faculty (academic staff) employees receive a lump sum of leave at the beginning of the calendar year.
*Vacation amounts for exempt and non-exempt staff employees increase every five years of service up to a maximum. For additional information on vacation accruals, see the Vacation Accrual Table (links to external website).
Please submit your requests for time off at least five working days in advance. Every effort will be made to grant the dates requested; however, if the vacation time requested will cause undue hardship or interfere with the department's ability to accomplish work, you may be requested to delay or alter vacation plans. It is the employee's responsibility to make sure work is current and responsibilities are covered before vacation time begins.
Part-time employees are asked to give their supervisor advanced notification of the time they will not be available to work.
Sick Leave (SIC) Policy 5-200A, Section III (links to external website)
Employees are eligible if they are in a benefit-eligible position at 75% FTE or greater (30 hours per week or more).
Employees accrue 8 hours per month and may accumulate up to 1040 hours (pro-rated if less than 100% FTE).
Employees may take sick leave for their own illness or injury, or to care for an ill or injured grandparent, parent, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, child, or grandchild. In-laws, foster or step-relatives in the relationships listed, including relatives of an employee's spouse or domestic partner, are also included, as well as someone for whom the employee is next of kin.
It is intended to protect against loss of income from absence due to legitimate illness or injury, it is not intended to be earned time off with pay. Employees should arrange routine healthcare appointments during non-working hours; however, if this is not feasible employees may use sick leave for such appointments, with the supervisor’s approval. Supervisors should be notified 48 hours (about 2 days) in advance of such appointments. Supervisors may request certification of any or all absences.
Abuse of sick leave policy may result in disciplinary action.
Accrued sick leave will not be paid out at time of termination.
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Long-term Medical Leave – Policy 5-200A and 5-200B (links to external website)
If an employee is on sick leave for a period of more than three consecutive days or for a reason that qualifies as a serious health condition, such leave may be designated as FMLA. Human Resources will notify employees, in writing, that such leave is being designated as FMLA leave within five business days of their becoming aware of such sick leave.
*If, after a stillbirth or miscarriage, the employee has a doctor’s recommendation that they stay off work longer due to trauma, grief, depression, etc. The employee could be granted FMLA leave for a longer time. Provided the employee is eligible for FMLA leave.
Holiday (HOL) Policy 5-300 and 5-300A (links to external website)
If a benefited non-exempt employee is required to work on a recognized holiday, they will be paid for the time worked on that holiday in addition to a ½-time premium payment (Rule 5-300A, Section C, Item 3).
Leave Without Pay – Policy 5-201A (links to external website)
Leave without pay is generally prohibited, however, arrangements may be made to take leave without pay under special and urgent circumstances. These circumstances may include, but are not limited to personal rehabilitation, serious health conditions of employees or immediate family (follow attached URL to see a list of eligible individuals Policy 5-200A under ‘Definitions’ (links to external website) and continued education. A written request must be submitted to the employee's Supervisor. The Director will consider the circumstances and how the absence will affect UCL and University operations. Leave without pay may not be granted without the concurrence of the departmental Director, who will follow University guidelines and procedures prior to granting such leave.
Military Leave (MIL) Policy 5-201A (links to external website)
Employees called to military duty or training will be granted a military leave of absence not exceeding 15 working days per year in accordance with the University Policy and Procedures.
Jury Duty (JUR) Policy 5-201A (links to external website)
Available to employees required to be absent from work because of an official requirement to appear for jury service or a subpoena to appear as a witness at a trial, deposition, or other official proceedings, provided certain conditions are met per the University Rule.
Staff who are requested to report for jury/witness duty will be paid the FTE% of the normal workday. To receive this payment, the employee must turn the jury/witness duty payment received to their manager or designee who will then send the check directly to the cashier's office, 150 Student Services Building on campus. The payroll reporter will then add the jury duty hours to the Kronos timecard to cover the time the employee was on jury/witness duty.
This paid leave does not include court appearances on employees' own behalf (e.g. traffic fines or civil lawsuits). All monies received from the court for such duties must be signed over to the University or the employee must take time off as vacation.
Funeral Leave (FNL) also known as Bereavement Leave Policy 5-201A (links to external site)
Employees in benefits-eligible positions at 75% FTE or greater (30 hours per week or more).
Up to three working days, to the extent responsible officer deems reasonable and necessary.
Available in the event of death of a parent, spouse, domestic partner, child (including stillbirth or miscarriage*), sibling, parent-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild (including any family members with a "step-" relationship).
Personal Preference Leave (PPL) Policy 5-300A
Employees in regular, non-temporary positions at 50% FTE or greater (20 hours per week or more).
Do not roll over to the next year and are not paid out when employment terminates.
Two days per year pro-rated based on FTE, and for new hires, on benefit-eligible date:
Eligible on January 1: 2 days
Eligible January 2 through June 1: 1.5 days
Eligible June 2 through November 1: 1 day
University Closure Day (UCD) Policy 1-008 (links to external site)
General Employment Information (Benefits)
The Philosophy
Part of working effectively together as a team is to establish trust between coworkers, and part of establishing that trust is the fundamental knowledge that employees are treated fairly. Most people assume being treated fairly is the same as being treated equally, which may not always be the case. While decisions regarding employment are made fairly, with the University policies and the health of the entire department in mind, they may not always be equal. For example, if you are working at a front desk and are the first line of communication with customers, you may be required to arrive at work at a certain time. Meanwhile, other employees who work night and weekend events may modify their schedules as they will be working frequently outside of normal business hours. This does not mean that one employee is more valued than another, it simply means that within the responsibilities of different jobs, there are different expectations. If you are ever concerned or confused about your role within the department or what the expectations are for your job, please talk to your manager; you are also welcome to speak with someone from our HR team. We want you to understand how important your work is and how it contributes to the success of University Connected Learning (UCL).
Confidentiality is also an important part of building successful teams. UCL management will try to keep employee information confidential and share it only on a need-to-know basis or as otherwise required by the University policy or law.
However, please note that under the University policy, most University employees are required to report situations involving sexual misconduct and discrimination to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO/AA). This includes UCL managers. Some of these situations may be very personal; we respect your privacy and will protect it in accordance with the University of Utah policy and FERPA. If such a situation arises, a Title IX coordinator will reach out to you after the report has been made. For more information regarding the University’s non-discrimination policy and related rules, please refer to University policy 1-012.
Compensation
Many employees have questions about the compensation structure at the University. The compensation goal at the University is to establish pay and classification practices that allow the University to attract and retain high quality employees in support of organizational goals while ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. The University has nine pay grades with associated pay ranges. Job codes then fit into one of the nine grades. Please click here for the University ‘Salary Schedule’ (links to external website). Each range is then broken up into a quartile to assist departments in determining pay. Please click here for ‘Salary Determination Tool’ (links to external site) for the University’s quartile guidelines.
We also encourage employees to review their total compensation, as this figure includes retirement and healthcare contributions the University makes on your behalf. For the Total Compensation Estimator (links to external site).
Additional information can be found on the University’s Compensation Procedures (links to external site) and (Regulation Library (links to external site).
Employee Classifications
University employees are classified into two categories based on job duties and scope of responsibility. While different positions have different attendance expectations, including evening/weekend work, set office hours vs. flexible office hours, etc., UCL applies guidelines and policies in a fair manner.
Hourly Employees (Non-Exempt) Hourly employees earn wages based on the number of hours worked. Hours are tracked in Kronos. Hourly employees input the number of hours that they work each week into the system and paychecks are calculated based on the total hours worked. The expectation for full-time hourly employees is that they will work 40 hours per week excluding lunches; hourly employees at a lower Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) should work their FTE equivalent hours.
Salaried Employees (Exempt) Salaried employees are paid a fixed annual rate for work performed for the University. They do not log the hours that they work for the University. Instead, salaried employees only record their leave time in Kronos. The expectation is that all full-time salaried employees work a minimum of 40 hours per week excluding lunches; salaried employees at a lower FTE should work their FTE equivalent hours.
If you have any additional questions, please contact your manager or one of your HR team members. You can also find more information on the Department of Labor’s Website (links to external website).
Requesting Time Off
Please speak with your manager to confirm their process for requesting time off.
Requests are subject to supervisor approval. While we try to be flexible in granting these requests, we are responsible for ensuring that each office is adequately staffed. Our department uses the following parameters to ensure that our office is operational:
Requests for vacation and personal preference days should be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
Requests for sick time or emergencies need to be communicated as soon as possible. Call or email your supervisor if you are unable to attend work the day you are scheduled.
We cannot authorize leave time that you have not earned. You must have earned sufficient leave time before you will be out of the office. In general, unpaid leave is not acceptable. Any exceptions must be approved by the Director.
Exempt staff must record all full- and half-day absences in Kronos, utilizing vacation, sick, or personal preference time. Absences are reported in full-day or four-hour blocks.
Work Hours
The University’s workweek begins at 12:01am Saturday and ends at midnight the following Friday. The University provides unpaid meal breaks and paid rest periods as appropriate. Meal breaks are unpaid if the employee is completely relieved from duty (uninterrupted by work) for at least 20 minutes. University practice supports paid rest periods (breaks) for non-exempt employees. Rest periods may not be saved for later use or used to compute additional pay. Breaks may not be combined and cannot be utilized to leave early, arrive late, or extend a meal break.
For more information, please visit the University’s Compensation webpage (links to external website).
Overtime or Compensatory Time - Policy 5-401, Section III, Item A-4 (links to external website)
Overtime or Compensatory (Comp) Time pertains to hourly (non-exempt) employees only.
Comp time must be coordinated and approved by your supervisor in advance. If you work more than 40 hours a week, Kronos will automatically calculate overtime payment at a rate of time and one-half of the regular rate for every overtime hour worked. More information can be found on the University’s Compensation webpage (links to external website) and Regulation Library webpage (links to external website).
Employees in exempt positions are not paid for overtime or given compensatory time.
Salaried (Exempt) Employee Expectations
Salaried employees are exempted from overtime provisions and are expected to work the hours necessary to complete duties and assignments. This includes time spent representing the department at events, which often occur outside of normal business hours.
Attendance Abuse
Patterns of attendance abuse will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. Patterns of attendance abuse may include but are not limited to:
Excessive Kronos errors, including missed punches, incorrect timecards, and/or failure to approve timecards.
Excessive absenteeism.
Excessive tardiness.
Use of sick leave as soon as it is accrued.
Use of sick leave before or after a holiday, weekend, vacation, or other scheduled time off.
Rise in use of sick leave by employees who have given notice of resignation.
Absences on shifts previously requested by an employee and denied by the supervisor.
Remote or Hybrid Work
UCL Philosophy on Alternative Work Arrangements
Alternative work arrangements can benefit both UCL and the employee by promoting an effective work/life balance, increasing space utilization, reducing impact on the environment, and increasing employee recruitment and retention. Alternative work arrangements (hybrid/full-time remote) are not a university employee right nor a universal employee benefit and may be modified or discontinued at any time in accordance with the University policy. It is the manager’s responsibility and discretion to determine the work location schedule for their team members based on business needs.
The hybrid work option must be mutually agreed upon by the employee, manager, and upper-level leadership. Decisions are based on business need, position function, etc.
If you feel that a hybrid work schedule would be a good fit for your position, please discuss it with your manager.
For more information, please see University Policy 5-140 or https://workreimagined.utah.edu/ (links to external websites)
Other Employment
Oftentimes, employees have other employment commitments outside of the University. While UCL is supportive of employee opportunities, it is expected that full-time employees will treat the University as their prime employment activity. Additionally, if you have or are considering an additional job that may present a conflict of interest to your university employment, please speak with your manager as soon as possible.
If you are a non-benefited employee, working less than 20 hours per week, please note that you are not eligible to work more than 19 hours per work-week, unless authorized in advance in writing by your supervisor for a temporary and designated period of time. This includes work performed for other departments on campus. If you accept another position on campus, please notify your supervisor immediately.
Please see the University’s Regulation Library (links to external website) for more information.
University Resources
If you have a condition that may qualify under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), contact the benefits department at 801-581-7447. If you believe that you may qualify for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact the University’s ADA Coordinator at 801-213-1346. If you feel that you have been subjected to illegal discrimination, harassment, or sexual misconduct, contact a representative in the Office of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action at 801-581-8365 concerning your rights and obligations or visit oeo.utah.edu. Please see University Non-discrimination Policy 1-012 (links to external website) concerning the University’s policies, processes, and resources related to addressing discrimination. The University offers an Employee Assistance Program. For more information on what is available to you, please visit Employee Assistance Program and Mental Health (links to external website) or contact the program for a confidential consultation at 801-587-9319.