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Department of the Interior

March 12

US

DEPARTMENT 

OF THE 

INTERIOR

HOURS OF DUTY HANDBOOK
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Department of the Interior

Table of Contents

Purpose .....................................................................................................3

Chapter 1 - Definitions ................................................................................3

Chapter 2 - Establishment of Workweeks .......................................................9

Chapter 3- Establishment of Work Schedules................................................ 10

3-1 Variation in Work Schedules for Educational Purposes............................. 11

3-2 Meal Time and Breaks......................................................................... 11

3-3 Travel and Hours of Duty .................................................................... 12

Chapter 4 - Weather Related or Excused Absence in Emergency Situations ...... 12

4-1 Emergencies Occurring During the Normal Work Day.............................. 14

Chapter 5 - Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)............................................. 15

5-1 Performance Requirement................................................................... 15

5-2 Responsibilities .................................................................................. 15

5-3 Types of AWS .................................................................................... 16

5-4 Flexible Work Schedules...................................................................... 16

5-5 Compressed Work Schedules ............................................................... 17

5-6 Credit Hours ...................................................................................... 18

5-7 Core Hours........................................................................................ 18

5-8 Flexible Time ..................................................................................... 19

5-9 Meal Time/Break................................................................................ 19

5-10 Holidays .......................................................................................... 19

5-11 Leave or Other Excused Absence........................................................ 20

5-12 Travel, Training, Meetings and Conferences ......................................... 20

5-13 Time Accounting............................................................................... 20

5-14 AWS Agreement............................................................................... 21

Appendix 1............................................................................................... 22

Appendix 2............................................................................................... 27
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Department of the Interior

Purpose

The purpose of the Hours of Duty Departmental Handbook is to establish

Departmental Hours of Duty procedures. The Hours of Duty Departmental 

Handbook will accompany the DM 370 Chapter 610: Hours of Duty.

Where labor contracts exist, bureaus/offices are cautioned to follow 

negotiated collective bargaining agreements regarding topics covered in this 

handbook.

Chapter 1. Definitions

Administrative Workweek. A period of 7 consecutive calendar days. The 

administrative workweek for Department of the Interior employees is normally 

Sunday through Saturday. Bureau/office heads may establish a regularly 

scheduled administrative workweek which consists of the 40-hour basic work 

week plus such periods of overtime work or standby time as are regularly 

required.

Alternative Work Schedules (AWS). Schedules that allow employees some 

flexibility in the hours worked. 

AWS Days Off. Under an alternative work schedule, the days out of the pay 

period that may be scheduled by the employees and supervisor/manager to be 

non-work days.

Basic Workweek. For full-time employees a 40-hour week that does not 

extend over more than 6 of any 7 consecutive days and that specifies the days 

and hours within the administrative workweek constituting the basic workweek. 

The basic workweek for an employee serving under a first 40-hour tour of duty 

(i.e., a tour without the requirement for specific days and hours within the 

administrative workweek) is the first 40 hours of work performed within a period 

of not more than 6 days of the administrative workweek. Although the first 40-

hour tour of duty may be used in any situation when deemed necessary, it is

typically used for an employee engaged in professional or technical engineering 

or scientific activities who is assigned to perform the duties of a professional or 

support technician position in the physical, mathematical, natural, medical, or 

social sciences or in engineering or architecture. Because a flexible or 

compressed work schedule may provide for a tour of duty that is other than the 

standard 40-hour workweek, an employee on either of these schedules has a 

basic work requirement rather than a basic workweek. For a part-time employee, 
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Department of the Interior

the basic workweek is the specific days and hours the employee is officially 

scheduled to work during the administrative workweek.

Basic Work Requirement. The number of hours, excluding overtime 

hours, an employee must work or otherwise account for by leave, credit hours, 

holiday hours, excused absence, compensatory time off, or time off as an award.

Biweekly Pay Period. The 2-week period for which an employee is 

scheduled to perform work.

Compensatory Time. Paid absence from duty taken by an employee in 

lieu of monetary payment for an equivalent amount of irregular or unscheduled 

overtime worked. Compensatory time may be earned and used in as little as 15-

minute increments. Compensatory time must be used within 26 pay periods or it 

will expire.

Compensatory Time Off for Travel. Compensatory time off for travel is 

earned by an employee for time spent in a travel status away from the 

employee’s official duty station when such time is not otherwise compensable.

Compressed Schedule. For a full-time employee, an 80-hour biweekly 

basic work requirement that is scheduled for a period that is less than 10 work

days. For a part-time employee, a compressed schedule has a basic work 

requirement that is less than 80 hours that is scheduled for a period that is less 

than 10 work days and that may require the employee to work more than 8 

hours in a day.

Core Hours. That part of the schedule of hours during the work day, 

workweek, or pay period that is within the tour of duty and during which 

employees must be present at work, on leave, or other excused absence. 

Credit Hours. Hours in excess of the normal hours worked in a pay period 

that are worked voluntarily (and with supervisor’s approval). A maximum of 24 

credit hours can be accrued and carried over for use in another pay period. 

Members of the Senior Executive Service are prohibited from accruing credit 

hours.

Emergency Employees. Those who occupy critical positions; i.e., those 

jobs that may be vital to public health, safety, welfare, national defense, or the 

operation of essential facilities or functions.
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Department of the Interior

Emergency Situation. A situation where a significant number of 

employees are prevented from reporting for work on time or where responsible 

officials in an area must temporarily shut down part or all of their activities. Areawide emergencies are often announced by State or local authorities in public 

warnings or declarations of an emergency or a disaster; e.g., snow warnings, 

severe icing conditions, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, air pollution, power 

failures, or interruption of public transportation. Some emergencies, such as 

equipment failures, fires, or lapsed appropriations, may affect only a part of an 

area or a limited number of employees in the area.

Excused Absence. Commonly referred to as administrative leave. An 

employee absence approved by a supervisor for which there is no charge made to 

the employee's annual or sick leave account. The appropriate official must charge 

the absence to the appropriate category of administrative leave. See Department

Manual 370 DM 630 and/or bureau/office instructions for policy guidance for the 

limited use of excused absence within each bureau/office.

Exempt Employee. Exempt employees may be allowed to work beyond 

their scheduled 80 hours in a pay period without compensation under the Fair 

Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938, as specified in 5 U.S.C. § 6123 and 6128.

First 40-Hour Tour of Duty. A supervisor will employ this tour of duty 

only in rare instances. When a supervisor finds that there is no other method of 

prescribing a regular schedule of definite hours for each work day of a regularly 

scheduled administrative workweek, they may find it necessary to employ this 

type of work schedule. Because the assignment of this tour of duty exposes the 

bureau/office to the potential of incurring additional premium pay costs, 

supervisors must document in writing the need for assigning this type of work 

schedule. Supervisors should not use this work schedule as a permanent 

arrangement. It is in the best interest of the Department and its employees for 

supervisors to determine, in advance of the administrative workweek, the work 

schedules for all of their employees. In situations where this is not possible, if the 

employee is a full-time employee, the first 40 hours of work performed within a 

period of not more than 6 days of the administrative workweek may be 

established as the basic workweek. All work performed by an employee within 

the first 40 hours is considered regularly scheduled work for premium pay and 

hours of duty purposes. Any additional hours of officially ordered or approved 

work within the administrative workweek are overtime work.

Flexible Time (flexitime). Flexible times are the hours during the 

workday, workweek, or pay period that are within the tour of duty and during 
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Department of the Interior

which employees may choose to vary their time of arrival to and departure from 

the work site. The flexible times will be determined by each bureau/office and 

may be delegated down to individual supervisors as deemed appropriate by the 

bureau/office. For example, in the Office of the Secretary, flexible times are 6:30 

a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The starting and ending times of

alternative work schedules must be consistent with these flexible times; 

therefore, in this example the earliest employees may begin work is 6:30 a.m., 

and the latest they normally may work is 7:30 p.m.

Flexible Work Schedule. A work schedule that: 

(1) In the case of a full-time employee, has an 80-hour biweekly basic 

work requirement that allows an employee to determine their own schedule 

within the limits set by the supervisor in accordance with the requirements and 

guidance set forth in this handbook; or

(2) In the case of a part-time employee, has a biweekly basic work 

requirement of less than 80 hours that allows an employee to determine their 

own schedule within the limits set by the supervisor in accordance with the 

requirements and guidance set forth in this handbook. 

Gliding Schedule. A type of flexible work schedule in which a full-time 

employee who has a basic work requirement of 8 hours in each day and 40 hours 

in each week may select a starting and stopping time each day and may change 

starting and stopping times daily within the established flexible hours.

Intermittent Employee. Employees who serve without a regular 

scheduled tour of duty. Intermittent employees are paid only for the hours they 

actually work when required and requested by their supervisor.

Irregularly Scheduled Overtime. Overtime that is not specific as to the 

employee, day, hour, and time to be worked, or is scheduled later than midnight 

Saturday of the pay period before it is to be performed.

Maxi-flex Schedule. Flexible work schedule with a basic work requirement 

of 80 hours for the biweekly pay period for full-time employees. This type of work 

schedule allows for the establishment of flexible arrival and departure times,

including flexible lunch periods and requires that specific core hours are

established when the employee is required to be present and available during the 

workweek. There is no daily or weekly requirement as long as employees work or 

account for their whereabouts, by leave, credit time, or compensatory time off, to 
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Department of the Interior

meet their bi-weekly work requirement (80 hours for full-time employees). 

Employees may vary the number of hours they work each day and each week for 

a maximum of two days off per pay period.

 Night Pay. Night pay is paid for regularly scheduled work performed at 

night. This generally means work scheduled before the beginning of the 

administrative workweek. However, night pay is also paid for night work on a 

temporary assignment to a different daily tour of duty during the administrative 

workweek. Generally, night work must be performed between the hours of 6 p.m. 

and 6 a.m., including night work under a compressed work schedule.

Non-Core Work Hours. That part of an alternative work schedule (except 

compressed schedules) of working hours during which employees may choose 

their time of arrival and departure from the work site, within limits, consistent 

with duties and requirements of the position as set by a manager/supervisor.

Non-Exempt Employees. Generally administrative, technical and nonsupervisory employees who are covered by the overtime provisions of the FLSA 

of 1938, as specified in 5 U.S.C. §§ 6123 and 6128. Non-exempt employees 

cannot be permitted to work any hours beyond the 80 hours in a pay period 

without proper compensation (overtime or, if elected by the employee, 

compensatory time earned), unless voluntarily waived in accordance with 

alternative work schedule policy.

Overtime. All hours in excess of 8 in a day or 40 in an administrative 

workweek for an employee on a regular work schedule; or 80 hours in a pay 

period for an employee on an alternative work schedule, which are officially 

ordered or approved in advance by a supervisor/manager. Overtime may 

be earned and used in as little as 15-minute increments. Employees ordered to 

work overtime must do so, and management must compensate them with either 

overtime pay or compensatory time. Provisions of the FLSA apply.

Part-Time. Basic work requirements of less than 80 hours in a pay period 

which must be itemized by day and times on Form SF-52 (Request for Personnel 

Action). However, with supervisory approval and as permitted under a Maxi-flex

schedule, a part-time employee can deviate from the hours documented on the 

SF-52, if the total number of hours worked remains the same. If the number of 

hours to be worked changes, a new SF-52 (Request for Personnel Action) must 

be submitted.
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Department of the Interior

Prevailing Rate Employee. Known as Federal Wage employees. 

Employees that are paid under the Federal Wage System. The Federal Wage 

System is a uniform pay system for skilled blue collar employees.

Regularly Scheduled Administrative Workweek. For a full-time employee, 

the period within an administrative workweek that the employee is regularly 

scheduled to work. For a part-time employee, the officially prescribed days and 

hours within an administrative workweek that the employee is regularly 

scheduled to work.

Regularly Scheduled Overtime. Overtime that is scheduled in advance of 

the basic work requirement. To be regularly scheduled, overtime work must be 

specific as to the employee, day, hour, and the time to be worked, and must be 

scheduled no later than midnight Saturday of the period before it is to be 

performed. Overtime which does not meet all above conditions is defined as 

irregular or occasional.

Standby Time. When an employee has a tour of duty that includes a period 

during which they remain at or within the confines of their station in a standby 

status rather than performing actual work, their regularly scheduled 

administrative workweek is the total number of regularly scheduled hours of duty 

a week including time in a standby status except that allowed for sleep and 

meals. For standby employees serving on a rotating shift system, the supervisor 

may adopt the two-thirds rule: two-thirds of each hour on the job to represent 

time in a pay status and one-third as time out for sleeping and eating.

Suffer and Permit. Work that is not requested or ordered by the employer, 

but still allowed, is generally considered hours worked, since the employer knows 

or has reason to believe that the employee is continuing to work and the 

employer is benefiting from the work being done. This work creates an 

entitlement to overtime compensation for employees nonexempt from the Fair 

Labor Standards Act.

Sunday Premium Pay. An employee is entitled to 25 percent of his or her 

rate of basic pay for work performed during a regularly scheduled basic 8-hour 

tour of duty that begins or ends on a Sunday. That is, an employee is entitled to 

Sunday premium pay equal to 25 percent of his or her rate of basic pay for each 

hour of Sunday work. For this purpose, Sunday work consists of non-overtime 

work during an employee's regularly scheduled basic tour of duty (not to exceed 

8 hours) that begins or ends on a Sunday. Notwithstanding the normal 8-hour 

limit, for an employee on a compressed work schedule, all non-overtime hours in 

the employee's regularly scheduled daily tour of duty beginning or ending on a 
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Department of the Interior

Sunday constitutes Sunday work. Sunday premium pay is equal to 25 percent of 

an employee's rate of basic pay.

Time Accounting. A system which requires the supervisor to have a 

personal knowledge that employees are entitled to their pay. The 

manager/supervisor may require that employee keep track of the beginning and 

ending time of each day’s work.

Tour of Duty. Under Flexible Work Schedule, identifies the limits set by an 

agency within which an employee must complete their basic work requirement of 

80 hours per pay period for a full-time employee. Under a compressed work 

schedule or other fixed schedule, tour of duty is synonymous with the basic work 

requirement (set hours per day and set hours per pay period).

Variable Day Schedule. Type of flexible work schedule containing core hours 

on each work day in the week and in which a full-time employee has a basic work 

requirement of 40 hours in each week of the pay period, but in which an 

employee may vary the number of hours worked on a given work day within the 

week within the limits established for the work unit, as authorized in this

handbook.

Variable Week Schedule. A type of flexible work schedule containing core 

hours on each work day in a pay period and in which a full-time employee has a 

basic work requirement of 80 hours for the pay period, but in which an employee 

may vary the number of hours worked on a given work day or the number of 

hours each week within the limits established for the work unit, as authorized in 

this handbook.

Work Day. That part of the day during which customers would expect the 

Department of the Interior and/or bureaus/offices to be “open”. Supervisors must 

ensure that their offices are staffed during the work day.

Work unit. An entity located in one place with a specific mission, with 

homogeneous procedures or technology, and headed by a supervisor or manager 

authorized to certify time and attendance reports and approve leave.

Chapter 2. Establishment of Workweeks

For pay and leave purposes, any period of seven (7) consecutive calendar 

days, Sunday through Saturday, whenever possible, as designated by each 

bureau/office head or their designee. If the business needs of the bureau/office 
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Department of the Interior

require, the administrative workweek need not coincide with the calendar week. 

Assignments to tours of duty shall be made with as much advance notice to 

employees as possible but the advance notice shall not be less than one week.

Chapter 3. Establishment of Work Schedules

Bureau/office heads should follow the general rules contained in 5 C.F.R. §

610.121 when establishing work schedules. On the other hand, if a bureau/office 

head determines that the general rule for establishing work schedules would 

cause a serious handicap in carrying out the work; would inhibit the utilization of 

employee carpools; or would substantially increase costs or reduce efficiency, a 

departure from the rule is authorized. However, records of variations in tours of 

duty, with the exception of staggered tours for normal operations, shall be 

maintained for purposes of leave and pay administration.

 Unless bureau/office heads determine that their mission would be seriously 

handicapped in carrying out the functions or that costs would be substantially 

increased, they shall provide that:

(1) Assignments to tours of duty are scheduled in advance of the 

administrative workweek over periods of not less than 1 week;

(2) The basic 40-hour workweek is scheduled on 5 days, Monday through 

Friday when possible, and the 2 days outside the basic workweek are 

consecutive;

(3) The working hours in each day in the basic workweek are the same;

(4) The basic non-overtime workday may not exceed 8 hours;

(5) The concurrence of holidays may not affect the designation of the basic 

workweek; and

(6) Breaks in working hours of more than 1 hour may not be scheduled in a 

basic workday.

When a bureau/office head or their designee knows in advance of an 

administrative workweek that the specific days and/or hours of a day actually 

required of an employee in that administrative workweek will differ from those 

required in the current administrative workweek, they will reschedule the 

employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek to correspond with 
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Department of the Interior

those specific days and hours. The bureau/office head or their designee will 

inform the employee of the change and record the change on the employee's 

time and attendance report.

All work, including overtime, non-overtime Sunday work, and night work 

that is scheduled is considered regularly scheduled work for purposes of pay and 

leave administration. Failure to schedule a known work requirement as part of an 

employee's administrative workweek may entitle the employee to premium pay 

when the bureau/office head or their designee had:

(1) Specific knowledge of the employee's work requirement in advance of 

the start of the administrative workweek; and

(2) The opportunity to determine which employee needed to be scheduled 

or rescheduled to meet the specific days and hours of that work requirement.

Bureau/office heads or their designee must ensure that all employee 

requests to alter the normal administrative workweek and approvals are fully 

documented. In addition, a copy of the documentation must be maintained for 

record purposes.

3-1. Variation in Work Schedules for Educational Purposes 

A bureau/office head may authorize policy that permits employees to take 

one or more courses in a college, university, or other educational institution, 

provided that: 

(1) The courses being taken are not made available or provided for by the 

bureau/office; 

(2) The rearrangement of the employee's tour of duty will not significantly 

interfere with the accomplishment of the work required to be performed;

(3) Additional costs for personal services will not be incurred; and

(4) Completion of the courses will furnish the employee with skills 

necessary to perform more effective work in the bureau/office. 

The employee may not receive any premium pay solely because the special 

tour of duty authorized under this section causes them to work on a day, or at a 

time during the day, for which premium pay would otherwise be payable.
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Department of the Interior

3-2. Meal Time and Breaks 

Meal time. An unpaid break of no less than 30 minutes and no more than 

one hour is required for each 6 hours or longer of work. The meal time or unpaid 

break may not be taken at the beginning or end of the normal scheduled 

workday. Unless provided for in a labor agreement, an employee has no 

entitlement to a paid break during work hours. Employees must work the number 

of hours appropriate to their work schedule.

Breaks. Agency heads have the authority to schedule “breaks” in an 

employee's workday of no greater than 1 hour. An example of such a break 

would be a break for lunch. During this period, an employee is off duty and in a 

nonpay status unless he/she is required to perform substantial official duties 

during the period. Lunch breaks are provided for either administratively or 

through negotiated agreements between agencies and unions.

3-3. Travel and Hours of Duty. To the maximum extent possible, 

supervisors will not require employees to travel during non-duty hours. When a 

supervisor determines that there is no choice but to require travel outside the 

regularly scheduled workweek, and the result is that the employee will not be 

paid overtime under 5 C.F.R. § 550.112(e), the supervisor will record their 

reasons for ordering travel at those hours and will, upon request, furnish a copy 

of the statement to the employee concerned. Details can be found regarding 

payment of overtime for travel in 5 U.S.C. Chapter 55 and 5 C.F.R § 550. When 

a supervisor directs an employee who is on a compressed work schedule to travel 

or attend training for a period of more than 1 week, they must place the 

employee on a normal work schedule of 8 hours per day, 5 days per week for the 

pay period(s) during which they attend the training or are on travel. When an 

employee is on travel, the supervisor may make an exception to this policy in 

cases where the employee can account for working the scheduled number of 

hours in each work day during the period of travel. For employees on a 

compressed work schedule, this will rarely be the case. In situations where the 

employee is in training, it would be an extremely rare situation in which the 

employee would be able to account for more than 8 hours a day. A supervisor 

may not change the administrative workweek of an employee to compensate the 

employee for travel on a day that would otherwise be a non-work day.

Chapter 4. Weather Related or Excused Absence in Emergency 

Situations
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Department of the Interior

Bureau/office heads may grant absence from duty without charge to leave or 

without loss of compensation under planned or emergency situations where office 

operations must be curtailed. Moreover, bureau/office heads can further delegate 

or assign responsibility for granting administrative dismissals as they deem 

necessary; however, this delegation must be documented in writing. This 

guidance applies to planned or emergency situations where agency operations 

must be curtailed for the following reasons:

(1) Extreme weather conditions;

(2) Interruption of transportation or building services; and

(3) Better utilization of funds or resources. 

Generally, management expects employees to be prepared to cope with 

difficult driving conditions and minor disruptions of public transportation systems. 

However, on occasion, emergency situations that are beyond the control of 

management or employees may arise and prevent the opening of all or some 

Federal offices or activities, prevent employees from reporting for work on time, 

or necessitate the early dismissal of employees. An emergency situation 

occurring at the worksite may also require management to close an office, or 

portions thereof, for short periods. A hazardous/emergency situation may result 

from snow emergencies, severe icing conditions, fires, floods, earthquakes, 

hurricanes, air pollution, power failures, interruptions of public transportation, or 

other conditions that affect significant numbers of employees, depending on the 

specific organization. Supervisors may excuse employee absences (grant 

administrative leave) when such absences are due to hazardous/emergency 

situations that are general rather than personal in scope and impact. Some 

emergencies such as equipment failures, fires, or lapsed appropriations may not 

affect all employees. 

Managers/supervisors should rarely authorize group dismissal or closure and 

only when conditions are severe or where normal agency operations are 

significantly disrupted. 

Managers/supervisors will not normally excuse absences for group dismissal 

for more than 3 work days for any single situation. If the need to curtail or shut 

down operations continues longer, managers/supervisors should consider other 

options, such as details to other duties, working at an alternative work site, or 

furlough.
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Department of the Interior

Officials responsible for approving a group dismissal must: 

(a) Base decisions for dismissal and leave charges on the extent to which 

employees are prevented from reporting to work or performing normal duties;

(b) Coordinate the impact of dismissals with the local governments and 

transit systems; and

(c) Promote equitable treatment of affected employees.

4-1. Emergencies Occurring During the Normal Work day.

(1) Supervisors should grant excused absences (administrative leave) to 

employees on duty at the time of the announced dismissal for the remainder of 

the day, even if they were scheduled to take leave later in the day. 

(2) An employee who leaves (with supervisory approval) after receiving 

official word of a pending dismissal but before the time set for dismissal must 

sign for leave for the period beginning with the departure time approved by the 

supervisor until the employee's official announced dismissal time. 

(3) An employee who leaves before receiving official word of a pending 

dismissal must sign for annual leave, sick leave, or LWOP, as appropriate, for the 

remainder of the work day. In the event the employee refuses to sign for the 

appropriate category of leave, the supervisor will charge the employee with 

AWOL.

(4) An employee who is scheduled to return from leave during the period 

of dismissal must sign for leave from the time of the initial grant of leave to the 

time they were scheduled to return to duty. The supervisor will grant excused 

absence to the employee for any continuing absence beyond the time of the 

employee's scheduled return to duty that is due to the emergency. 

(5) The supervisor of an employee who is absent on previously approved 

annual leave, sick leave, or LWOP for the entire work day must charge the 

scheduled leave for the entire work day. 

(6) The supervisor of an employee who is scheduled to report for work 

before the time set for dismissal, but who fails to do so, must charge the 

employee annual leave, sick leave, LWOP, or other form of leave as appropriate, 

for the entire work day. 
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Department of the Interior

(7) Bureau/office heads should encourage supervisors and managers to 

develop and initiate telework agreements to support Continuity of Operations 

Plans, and continue the work during Continuity events, public health 

emergencies, severe weather situations, and other emergency situations where 

employees may not be able to work from their normal worksite. 

For additional guidance on Dismissal and Closure Procedures in the 

Washington DC Area, see: http://www.opm.gov/oca/compmemo/dismissal.pdf

(If link does not open, please contact your servicing human resources office for 

further details.)

Chapter 5. Alternative Work Schedules (AWS). 

There are multiple options designed to meet both management and employee 

needs. The system's flexibility can improve not only the quality of customer 

service, but also the personal lives of employees. Each bureau/office will 

determine whether implementation of these flexibilities contributes to the 

effective management of an office and what specific types of AWS, if any, will be 

made available to employees. Where AWS is authorized, supervisors are

encouraged to work with individual employees to ensure that all work schedules 

maintain office coverage and achieve performance results and accommodate the 

personal needs of employees to the maximum extent reasonable and practicable.

Officials with the responsibility of approving/disapproving AWS must ensure that 

their decisions regarding individual requests are rational, fair, and based on 

legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons.

5-1. Performance Requirement.

The mission requirements and organizational goals and objectives of the 

Department as well as the established performance objectives of individual 

employees must continue to be met when an office utilizes AWS. If at any time 

organizational effectiveness, productivity, efficiency, or individual performance is 

negatively impacted, AWS arrangements may be restricted or terminated as 

necessary.

5.2. Responsibilities.

Bureau Directors and Equivalent Offices - establish and/or modify AWS programs 

to meet the mission of their organization. The authority may be delegated as 

deemed appropriate.
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Bureau Human Resources Offices - generally establish procedures to facilitate the

provisions of establishing AWS in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, 

Departmental policy, and collective bargaining agreements.

Supervisors and Managers - approve or modify individual employee work

schedules based on their assessment of the needs of the office and each 

employee's conduct and performance, and in order to accommodate, whenever 

reasonable and practicable, the employee's preferred arrival and departure times. 

Supervisors' monitor staff attendance and work practices to determine whether 

abuses are occurring in the use of AWS and will also assess the impact of the 

staff schedules on the functioning of the office. As a result of such monitoring or 

assessments, supervisors may restrict, modify, or cancel an employee's 

participation in AWS.

Employees - must coordinate their work schedules with their supervisors for

approval in advance. Additionally, employees must adhere to the office 

attendance requirements (including the proper and accurate reporting of the 

actual hours they work) and adjust their work schedules, as required by their 

superiors, to ensure that the needs of the office are met.

Timekeepers - will monitor automated time and attendance (T&A) systems, work 

schedule forms and other required time accounting forms. Apparent 

discrepancies, such as unapproved overtime or unreported leave will be brought 

to the attention of the supervisor before the final T&A is submitted. T&A reports, 

T&A logs, and supporting documentation will be retained in accordance with 

regulatory guidance.

5-3. Types of AWS.

The following describes the types of AWS; however, each bureau/office will 

determine which specific schedules are available to their employees and establish 

guidelines/procedures for the implementation of such schedules.

5-4. Flexible Work Schedules.

Flexible Work Schedules have a work requirement of 80 hours within a pay 

period. Each flexible schedule has a designated core time when employees are 

expected to be at work or on approved leave. The core time usually coincides 

with the busiest customer service times.
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Department of the Interior

Management establishes the parameters of employee options. Employees under

flexible work schedules may work more than 8 hours a day as long as they stay

within the established parameters.

Flexitime - commonly referred to as the "gliding schedule," this type of AWS

provides for flexible arrival, departure and lunch periods and has specified core 

hours in each of 10 workdays in the pay period. Full-time employees are required 

to work during their scheduled work hours, or use leave credit time, and/or 

compensatory time off during specified core hours and eight regular hours on 

each often workdays in the bi-weekly pay period. Employees may be allowed to 

earn credit hours under the guidelines in this policy after the bi-weekly work 

requirement is met.

Maxi-flex - this type of AWS allows for the establishment of flexible arrival and 

departure times, and flexible lunch periods and requires that specific core hours 

be established on at least 3 days of the work week. There is no daily or weekly 

requirement. 

Employees must work or account for their whereabouts, by leave, credit time, or 

compensatory time off, to meet their bi-weekly work requirement (80 hours for 

full-time employees). Employees may vary the number of hours they work each 

day and each week for a maximum of two days off per pay period. Employees 

working under this type of AWS should gain approval from their immediate 

supervisor for their "planned" schedule by the beginning of each pay period. 

Credit hours may be earned with supervisory approval, but will not accrue until 

after the biweekly work requirement is met. 

In addition to full Maxi-flex, employees have the option of working schedules 

similar to those under a compressed schedule as follows:

Maxi-flex 5/4-9 - requires the employee to establish a daily schedule of 9 hours 

on each of 8 work days, 8 hours on 1 work day and 1 AWS day off per pay 

period. The AWS day off is established but may be "swapped" for another day 

within a pay period, with prior supervisory approval. Arrival and departure time 

bands and core hours are established for days on which work is scheduled. 

Flexible lunch periods are allowed, with prior supervisory approval. Credit hours 

may be earned, but will not accrue until after the bi-weekly work requirement 

has been met.

Maxi-flex 4/10 - requires the employee to establish a daily schedule of 10 hours 

on each of 4 workdays each week with I AWS day off per week. The AWS day off 
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Department of the Interior

is scheduled on a recurring basis, but may be "swapped" for another day within a 

pay period, with prior supervisory approval. Arrival and departure time bands and 

core hours are established for days on which work is scheduled. Flexible lunch 

periods are allowed with prior supervisory approval.

Credit hours may be earned, but will not accrue until the bi-weekly work

requirement has been met.

5-5. Compressed Work Schedules.

This type of AWS requires a fixed schedule where the employee may fulfill the biweekly work requirement on less than 10 workdays in the pay period. Arrival and 

departure times are fixed. There are no core hours, flexible time bands, or 

flexible lunch periods. Employees are limited to an hour uncompensated lunch 

period. Credit hours may not be earned. 

Employees may select, with supervisory approval, a set arrival time and may 

work one of the following schedules:

Compressed 5/4-9 - under this schedule, employees work 9 hours on

8 workdays in the pay period, 8 hours on 1 day in the pay period and have 1 

AWS day off The AWS day off is fixed at the time the schedule is established and 

may not be "swapped" for another day.

Compressed 4/10 - under this schedule, employees work four 10-hour days each 

week of the biweekly pay period and have 1 AWS day off each week.

The AWS day off is fixed at the time the schedule is established and may not be

"swapped" for another day.

5-6. Credit Hours.

Credit hours, where authorized, are hours an employee works voluntarily, with 

prior supervisory approval, in excess of the normal hours worked in a pay period. 

Credit hours can be carried over for use in another pay period. Supervisory 

approval is generally required to earn and use credit hours.

Credit hours must be earned within the time period established for the length of 

the workday. Credit hours may be earned in 15-minute increments.

Members of the Senior Executive Service are prohibited from accruing credit 

hours under an AWS. (See 5 CFR § 610.408)
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Department of the Interior

Full time employees may only carryover a maximum of 24 credit hours from one 

pay period to the next. Part time employees may only carry over a maximum 

number of credit hours equal to one quarter (114) of their regular bi-weekly work 

requirement. Credit hours in excess of 24 hours are forfeited and do not entitle 

the employee to overtime compensation. Credit hours may not be earned or 

used by employees working under a compressed schedule.

5-7. Core Hours.

Core hours are that part of the schedule of hours during the workday, workweek, 

or pay period that is within the tour of duty and during which employees must be 

present at work or on leave, or other excused absence. Core hours will be 

determined by each bureau/office and may be delegated to individual supervisors 

as deemed appropriate by the bureau/office. For example, in the Office of the

Secretary the core hours are 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a break of either one

half or 1 hour mid-day for lunch. Employees must be present at work during 

core hours, except for their scheduled lunch break, or must account for absent 

time with credit hours, compensatory time off, or appropriate charge to leave, or 

other excused absence.

5-8. Flexible Time.

Flexible times are the hours during the workday, workweek, or pay period that 

are within the tour of duty and during which employees may choose to vary their 

time of arrival to and departure from the work site. 

The flexible times will be determined by each bureau/office and may be delegated 

to individual supervisors as deemed appropriate by the bureau/office. For

example, in the Office of the Secretary, flexible times are 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

and 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The starting and ending times of alternative work 

schedules must be consistent with these flexible times; therefore, in this example 

the earliest employees may begin work is 6:30 a.m., and the latest they normally 

may work is 7:30 p.m.

5-9. Meal Time/Break.

Meal time or an unpaid break of no less than 30 minutes and no more than one 

hour is required for each 6 hours or longer of work. The meal time or unpaid 

break may not be taken at the beginning or end of the workday. Unless provided 

for in a labor agreement, an employee has no entitlement to a paid break during 

work hours. Employees must work the number of hours appropriate to their work 

schedule.

5-10. Holidays.
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Department of the Interior

Normal regulations regarding pay status before or after a holiday apply under 

AWS. Part-time employees will be paid under the appropriate regulations for 

holidays commensurate with their schedule. Employees working under a 

compressed work schedule will be paid the number of hours for which they were 

scheduled to work on the holiday.

For example, an employee who works a compressed 4/10 schedule will receive 

10 hours of holiday pay. If the holiday falls on the AWS day off and that day is a 

Monday, the employee will be scheduled to take Tuesday off in lieu of the holiday 

and will be paid the number of hours they are scheduled to work on that day. If 

the holiday falls on an AWS day off and that day is a Friday, the employee will be 

scheduled to take Thursday off in lieu of the holiday and will be paid the number 

of hours they are scheduled to work on that day.

Full-time employees working under a flexible work schedule shall receive only 8 

hours holiday pay for holidays. Under a flexible work schedule, if the AWS day off 

is the same day as the holiday, the employee and supervisor will determine which

day within the same pay period will be taken as the AWS day off.

5-11. Leave or Other Excused Absence.

AWS has no effect on an employee's right to use annual or sick leave. All 

requirements for the advanced approval of non-emergency leave remain in 

effect. Responsibilities of employees and supervisors with regard to requesting 

and approving or disapproving leave, both annual and sick, remain the same. 

Time off during an employee's basic work schedule must be charged to an 

appropriate leave category, compensatory time off, credit hours, or other 

excused absence. Approved leave taken for the entire day will be charged 

according to the number of hours that would normally have been worked. If an 

AWS employee uses annual or sick leave on a day the employee was otherwise 

scheduled to work, the employee must be charged leave for the total number of 

hours required by the work schedule on that day.

Excused absence may be granted to employees on AWS under the same 

circumstances as with employees on other work schedules.

5-12. Travel, Training, Meetings and Conferences.

Advanced planning is required to ensure that employees are able to attend 

required training, conferences, or temporary duty assignments without overtime 

authorization resulting from schedule conflicts. In cases where the training, 

travel, conference, or temporary assignments do not conflict with the normal 
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Department of the Interior

work schedule, no change is necessary. Employees must work with their

supervisors to amend their schedule as needed to attend conferences, training, 

and report for temporary duty assignments away from the regular duty station. 

The amendment need not require the employee to revert to a normal 8-hour a 

day schedule, but may require switching the AWS day, or in the case of an 

employee working a 4/10 schedule, the employee may be required to work the 

4/10 one week of the pay period and revert to five (5) eight-hour days for the 

week of training, travel or the conference.

5-13. Time Accounting.

With AWS, greater responsibility is placed on both the supervisor and the 

employee for scheduling, recording, and monitoring arrival and departure times. 

It is recommended that sign-in/ sign-out logs are used to record arrival and 

departure times of all employees in offices that implement the flexible work 

schedules

5-14. AWS Agreement.

Where AWS is authorized, an AWS agreement is strongly encouraged for 

participation. Each bureau/office will determine the specific agreement format to 

be used and process employees should use to request an AWS. Bureaus/offices 

are expected to establish a fair and equitable method for resolving schedule 

conflicts among their employees.
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Department of the Interior

Appendix 1

Overview of Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules

Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Work Schedules

Basic Work Requirement

Full-time employees are required to work 80 hours in a 

biweekly pay period. Supervisors may set daily or weekly 

work requirements. Employees may fulfill or complete 

their basic work requirement in less than 10 work days.

Basic Work Requirement

A full-time employee must work 80 hours in a 

biweekly pay period and must be scheduled to work on 

fewer than 10 work days. A part-time employee has a 

fixed schedule of fewer than 80 hours in a biweekly pay 

period and must be scheduled to work on fewer than 10 

work days.

Tour of Duty

The tour of duty defines the limits within which an 

employee must complete their basic work requirement.

Tour of Duty

The tour of duty is defined by the fixed compressed 

work schedule that the supervisor established for the 

employee.

Credit Hours

Credit hours may be accrued if employees worked in 

excess of the basic workweek at the option of the 

employee and supervisor. Not all flexible work schedule 

programs provide for credit hours.

Credit Hours

Employees cannot accrue or use credit hours under a 

compressed work schedule.
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Department of the Interior

Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Work Schedules

Overtime Work

Overtime work consists of hours of work that are 

officially ordered in advance and in excess of 8 hours in a 

day or 40 hours in a week, but does not include hours that 

are worked voluntarily, including credit hours, or hours 

that an employee is "suffered or permitted" to work which 

are not officially ordered in advance.

Overtime Work

For a full-time employee, overtime work consists of 

all hours of work in excess of the established 

compressed work schedule. For a part-time employee, 

overtime work must be hours in excess of the 

compressed work schedule for the day (more than at 

least 8 hours) or for the week (more than at least 40 

hours).

Compensatory Time Off

A supervisor may, at the request of an employee, 

approve compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay for 

non-SES employees. Mandatory compensatory time off is 

limited to FLSA-exempt employees (who are not prevailing 

rate employees) whose rate of basic pay is greater than 

the rate for GS-10, step 10.

Compensatory Time Off

Compensatory time off may be approved in lieu of 

overtime pay only for irregular or occasional overtime 

work by an employee other than an SES member. 

Mandatory compensatory time off is limited to FLSAexempt employees (who are not prevailing rate 

employees) whose rate of basic pay is greater than the 

rate for GS-10, step 10.

f. Night Pay Differential

Employees must receive night pay for those hours that 

are regularly scheduled between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. 

to complete an 8-hour tour of duty. Employees must 

receive night pay for all designated core hours worked 

between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. and for any regularly 

scheduled overtime work between those hours.

Night Pay Differential

The regular rules governing entitlement to night pay 

apply. 
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Department of the Interior

Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Work Schedules

Pay for Holiday Work

Holiday premium pay for non-overtime work is limited 

to a maximum of 8 hours in a day for full-time or parttime employees. A part-time employee scheduled to work 

on a day designated as an "in lieu of" holiday for full-time 

employees is not entitled to holiday premium pay for work 

performed on that day.

Pay for Holiday Work

Holiday premium pay for non-overtime work is 

limited to the number of hours normally scheduled for 

that day. A part-time employee scheduled to work on a 

day designated as an "in lieu of" holiday for full-time 

employees is not entitled to holiday premium pay for 

work performed on that day.

Pay for Sunday Work

A full-time employee who performs regularly scheduled 

non-overtime work during a period of duty, part of which 

is performed on Sunday, is entitled to Sunday premium 

pay (25 percent of the rate of basic pay) for the entire 

period of work up to 8 hours. A part-time employee is not 

entitled to Sunday premium pay for Sunday work.

Pay for Sunday Work

A full-time employee who performs regularly 

scheduled non-overtime work during a period of duty, 

part of which is performed on a Sunday, is entitled to 

Sunday premium pay (25 percent of the rate of basic 

pay) for the entire scheduled period of duty that day. A 

part-time employee is not entitled to premium pay for 

Sunday work.

Holidays

A full-time employee prevented from working on a 

holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday) is entitled to pay for 8 

hours for that day. A part-time employee prevented from 

working on a holiday is entitled to pay for the number of 

hours he or she would have worked but for the holiday, 

not to exceed 8 hours. When a holiday falls on a non-work 

day for a part-time employee, there is no entitlement for 

an "in lieu of" holiday. 

Holidays

A full-time employee prevented from working on a 

holiday (or an "in lieu of" holiday) is entitled to pay for 

the number of hours of the compressed work schedule 

for the employee on that day. A part-time employee 

prevented from working on a holiday is entitled to pay 

for the number of hours of the compressed work 

scheduled on that day. When a holiday falls on a nonwork day of a part-time employee, there is no 

entitlement to pay or an "in lieu of" holiday.
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Department of the Interior

Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Work Schedules

Excused Absence

The amount of excused absence a supervisor may 

grant an employee covered by a flexible work schedule is 

based on the employee's typical schedule.

Excused Absence

All compressed work schedules are fixed schedules. 

The regular practices applicable to administration of 

excused absence apply.

Temporary Duty

The supervisor may allow an employee on a flexible 

work schedule to continue the existing schedule, modify it, 

or require them to follow the schedule used at the 

temporary work site.

Temporary Duty

(Same as Flexible Work Schedules)

Travel

Time spent in a travel status is considered to be hours 

of work only for FLSA exempt employees, and as provided 

in 5 C.F.R. § 550.112(g) or 5 U.S.C. § 5544 and 5 C.F.R. 

§ 551.422 for nonexempt employees. Supervisors must 

determine whether or not they are required to place 

employees on a standard fixed schedule when traveling.

Travel

(Same as Flexible Work Schedules)
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Department of the Interior

Flexible Work Schedules Compressed Work Schedules

Determining Hardships under Flexible Work 

Schedules

Because flexible work schedule programs generally 

provide employees the flexibility to continue to work 

traditional schedules, it is not necessary to consider 

exclusion of an employee from the flexible work schedule 

program for personal hardship.

Determining Hardships under Compressed 

Work Schedules

An employee for whom a compressed work schedule 

program would impose a personal hardship may request 

exclusion from the program. The affected employee 

must submit such a request in writing to their 

supervisor. The supervisor must determine whether a 

personal hardship exists. If so, the supervisor, or other 

appropriate official, must except the employee from the 

compressed work schedule program or arrange for their 

reassignment to the first position that meets the criteria 

in 5 U.S.C. § 6127(b)(2)(B).
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Department of the Interior

Appendix 2

Comparison of Alternative Work Schedule Options

Type of 

AWS

Earn 

Credit 

Hours

Established 

Core 

Time/Hours

Flexible 

Time 

Bands

AWS 

Day Off

FlexiLunch 

with 

Supervisor 

Approval

“Swap” 

AWS 

Day Off

Holidays Leave Admin 

Leave

Flexitime

(Gliding 

Schedule)

Yes Yes Yes None Yes N/A 8 hours 8 hours Up to 8 

hours

Full MaxiflexYes Yes Yes 2 per 

pay 

period

Yes Yes 8 hours Up to 12 

hours

Up to 8 

hours

Maxi-flex

5/4-9

Yes Yes Yes 1 per 

pay 

period

Yes Yes 8 hours Up to 9 

hours

Up to 9 

hours

Maxi-flex

4/10

Yes Yes Yes 1 per 

week

Yes Yes 8 hours Up to 10 

hours

Up to 10 

hours

Compressed 

5/4-9

No No No 1 per 

pay 

period

No No Up to 9 

hours

Up to 9 

hours

Up to 9 

hours

Compressed 

4/10

No No No 1 per 

week

No No Up to 10 

hours

Up to 10 

hours

Up to 10 

hours