Staff Voluntary WorkShare Program

Brown continues to work to sustain employment for regular faculty and staff as part of a commitment to keeping the University community intact as much as possible during the global public health crisis. As part of these efforts, the Staff Voluntary WorkShare Program (SVWP) is a program for eligible staff who would welcome additional flexibility in their work schedules to meet the ongoing demands of both home and work through the second semester. 

The SVWP will support staff by allowing them to request to participate in a voluntary, partially paid furlough for one or two days per week over a duration of a eight week furlough period beginning on April 4, 2021, and ending on May 29, 2021. This program creates cost savings for the University through the reduction of total salary expenditures and payroll costs while also giving eligible staff the opportunity to be partially compensated for taking time out of their work week for personal time to address life priorities. 

This opportunity comes from a unique WorkShare program offered by the State of Rhode Island that provides supplemental pay for reduced hours worked. Staff who participate in the furlough program cannot work during the approved furlough days. This program will facilitate flexibility for staff who seek time away from Brown while retaining their active status and continued access to their Brown enrolled benefits. 

Furlough days should remain consistent throughout the eight week furlough period and will be set by the requesting employee’s department based on operational needs and business continuity for the department and the University. 

The RI Department of Labor (RI DLT) will supplement the furlough days with a percentage of eligible unemployment benefits. In addition to the state unemployment insurance, participants will also be eligible for any available federal unemployment benefits as part of their participation in this program. 

Labor (RI DLT) will supplement the furlough days with a percentage of eligible unemployment benefits. In addition to the state unemployment insurance, participants will also be eligible for federal unemployment benefits as part of their participation in this program. 

Program Eligibility

This program will be available to Brown staff members who meet all of the following criteria:

  • Active non-union staff member of grade 13 or below, or authorized union staff;
  • Hold a regular position (not seasonal, temporary, grant-funded, contract or fixed-term), with a full-time equivalent of 100%; 
  • Have an essential designation of “remote” or “essential-limited” (see the University Human Resources FAQ for more information about designations);
  • Is eligible for RI unemployment benefits; and
  • Actively being paid (e.g., the employee is not currently on unpaid leave).

Request Process

Eligible staff will submit requests through Workday, and these requests will be routed to a staff member’s manager for review in consultation with the department head prior to being finalized by University Human Resources. During the request process, staff applying for the program will be required to acknowledge their compliance with program requirements, including tracking of time worked and furlough days and identifying preferred furlough day(s). Requests must be submitted by March 25, 2021. 

Managers will review requests and provide approval based on departmental needs, operational necessity and business continuity requirements. Requests may be denied if operational needs cannot be sustained during the eight week program period. Staff members’ furlough day preference should be reviewed and accommodated whenever possible. Managers have until March 31, 2021 to review, approve or deny requests. Staff will receive confirmation of approval and next steps via [email protected] by April 1, 2021. 

Payroll Impact and Workshare Furlough Pay

Participants of the program will be paid by two separate entities during the eight week furlough period. Participants of the SVWP will continue to be paid by Brown for the three or four days a week in which they are working (during the non-furlough work days), and the State of Rhode Island will supplement the furlough days with a percentage of eligible unemployment benefits. In addition to state unemployment insurance, participants will also be eligible for federal unemployment benefits as part of their participation in this program. Unemployment benefits are paid on a bi-weekly basis by the State of Rhode Island. More information about the Rhode Island WorkShare program can be found on the  Department of Labor and Training’s WorkShare website.  

Approved participants will need to apply for the WorkShare unemployment benefits through the Department of Labor and Training. Details on how to apply will be provided to approved program participants. 

Compensation Impact

Exempt staff compensation will be reduced by 20% (for the one-day furlough) or 40% (for the two-day furlough). Non-exempt staff with a standard schedule of 37.5 hours will reduce their hours worked to 30 hours or 22.5 hours respectively (40 hours will reduce to 32 or 24 hours respectively) and be paid for hours worked.

Continuity of Benefits

Staff participants in the program will retain all of their Brown enrolled benefits:

  • Employees will continue to accrue time off at full time equivalent rate.
  • Brown’s employer and the employee 403b elections will be based on Brown’s paid wages.
  • Employee health insurance contributions will continue at the full-time equivalent rate.
  • Life insurance will be based on actual Brown-paid annual salary (not including furlough benefits).

Time Tracking

To comply with Rhode Island’s WorkShare program requirements, the University must furnish reports to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) substantiating that participants are working reduced schedules commensurate with those for which the WorkShare plan is approved. 

For exempt (salaried) employees participating in the SVWP, the University expects that they will work no more than 30 hours or 22.5 hours per week (40 hours will reduce to 32 or 24 hours respectively), depending on whether one or two furlough days are approved. This is what the University intends to report to the DLT, unless notified otherwise by the employee.  

Non-exempt staff will need to enter their time through Workday time tracking for days worked and approved furlough days. Time is required to be entered and submitted on a weekly basis to ensure time for the proper approvals. In addition, any time off taken should also be entered weekly. Staff who are participating in the program are expected to adhere to the furlough days and only work on the approved days. Staff who do not adhere to this and who do not report time worked or time off in a timely manner as described above, may be removed from the program.

Responsibilities of Managers/Department Heads

In addition to reviewing and taking action on requests for their applicable staff, managers and/or department heads will need to review and submit the approved furlough day/s for each of their staff members approved to participate. Staff members’ furlough day preference should be reviewed and accommodated whenever possible. Furlough days cannot be changed without approval by the department and University Human Resources and without adequate notice (five business days). 

Staff Program Requirements

  • All non-exempt staff who participate in the program will need to track their time worked in Workday as well as furlough days and any additional time off on a weekly basis. Tracking of time for the current week must be submitted and approved by 11 a.m. Monday for time worked, furloughed or time off for the prior weekly period. Time entry for furlough days should be recorded using the Workshare Hours time entry code. Time worked, furlough days and time off in any week can not exceed the scheduled hours (37.5 or 40 hours). 
  • Exempt employees commit to notifying [email protected] no later than Monday at 11 AM if the actual hours that they work in the previous week during the Program deviate from this estimate. In the event the University identifies that an exempt employee has failed to give such notice, the employee may be subject to discipline. Nothing in this application or the workshare program shall change the fact that salaried employees are exempt and not entitled to overtime pay.
  • Participants changing any eligibility requirements will be removed from the program.
  • Participants with a qualifying life event can request to be removed from the program. These include:
    • marriage or divorce of employee 
    • birth, adoption or death, or acquiring new dependent
    • the beginning or ending of your spouse’s employment
    • a change from full-time to part-time employment 
    • a change in employment status for you, your spouse or your covered dependent, including a strike or lockout, or commencement 
    • return from an unpaid Family/Medical Leave or RI Parental and Family Medical Leave of Absence (FML or RIPFML)
       

Workshare Weekly Wage Samples 
 

Please email questions regarding this program to [email protected]