Summer Hours

Option 1: Starting workday early 

For this option, supervisors may approve an earlier starting time for their staff and/or a 30-minute lunch break. For 40-hour per week employees options could include: 

  • 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a 1-hour lunch break 

  • 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break 

Option 2: Working four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day.

For this option, supervisors may approve 9-hour shifts on Monday-Thursday with a four-hour shift on Friday. For 40-hour per week, a typical schedule might be::

  • 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a 1-hour lunch break Monday-Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. – noon

  • 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break Monday-Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. – noon 

Supervisors have the discretion to approve other schedules based on the needs of the department.  

 

Either option can work in conjunction with a staff member’s hybrid work agreement.

If you are a 35 or 37-hour employee, contact HR to discuss your options for work schedules. In rare instances, the nature of a staff member’s work may not suit either summer hours option.

Staff Recognition 

Planning is underway to celebrate the excellent staff who work at Whitman. The Staff Recognition event will begin with an all-staff breakfast and presentation of the Janice Abraham Award on [date changes from year to year - typically the first Monday in June] followed by a half-day campus closure on the afternoon of [date changes from year to year - typically the first Friday in June].

Additional Afternoons Off

In addition to the Staff Recognition afternoon, we will also bring back the three additional discretionary half-day campus closures on the following Fridays:

  • Friday #1 Date

  • Friday #2 Date

  • Friday #3 Date

  • Friday #4 Date

On these days, campus offices will be closed beginning at noon, allowing staff to disconnect as a community without the pressure of knowing work, meetings, and emails are piling up in their absence. We hope staff will use these afternoons doing whatever recharges them without the pressure of being in-contact with the college. We also ask that supervisors do not plan or require any meetings or work to happen on these afternoons if possible. Staff who choose summer hours option 2 (four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day) will get the morning off instead of the afternoon, resulting in a full day off.

As you think about what summer might look like for your schedule, work with your supervisor to communicate what you are thinking and what might make the most sense for your department.

Summer Hours FAQ’s

What can you do to support summer hours? 

As you schedule meetings this summer, be mindful that some staff will be taking advantage of flexible hours. In particular you may want to avoid after 4 pm weekdays and Friday afternoons.

How will your office communicate the summer hours to the campus community?  Will you be closed Friday afternoons?

Depending on your department, a sign on the door, an update on your website, or an announcement in Whitman Today (email hours to whitmantoday@whitman.edu) might suffice.

How should I fill out my timesheet?

Non-exempt employees should complete their timesheet with actual hours worked.  For example, if you work four 9-hour days and one 4-hour day, your week should reflect those hours.

On the four discretionary half-days, the discretionary hours will be recorded for you just like holiday hours.  You do not need to enter those hours. 

What about holidays?  Do I get 9 hours of holiday pay on those days?

No, holiday pay will still be 8 hours on your timesheet (for full-time non-exempt employees).  If you are working the four 9-hours and one 4-hour schedule, you will need to make up that hour somewhere in that week, or use one hour of vacation.

If I want to take vacation on one of the discretionary half-days, how do I report that on my timesheet?

The discretionary hours should automatically show on your timesheet, so you will only need to record four hours of vacation (for full-time employees).

Please reach out to human resources at hr@whitman.edu with additional questions. 

Working Remotely and Meeting in ‘the Zoom Room’: A Note from Dr. Johnson (June 2023)

“Some colleagues have indicated on their calendars that they are working virtually on Mondays and Fridays, and invite people to enter your zoom room. I appreciate the intent in this action in creating pathways of connection during telework days, but I don't think this is an effective strategy. Only those people with access to your full calendar details can see what you have indicated there. It also blocks off a large segment of your calendar and while you are still technically "free" during those blocks it makes it difficult to imagine individual virtual meetings. I suspect someone might see the blocked time and assume it means you are not available that day - even if they had access to the details, or see the common zoom link and imagine that anyone could pop into the zoom room at any time.

I would encourage you to move away from this calendaring approach. I'm happy to provide guidance on how you can set your work location in Google calendar. It's not the best system for capturing a change in work location for a specified time period (mid-June to mid-August), but you could set it to indicate that you are working from home Mondays and Fridays for now, and adjust that setting in mid-August when we return to fully on campus.”