Operating trains does not lend itself well to allowing comp time, she says, because schedules have to be kept. The issue of comp time, Duncan says, has never come up in negotiations with unions. The state personnel system has the flexibility to match the needs of employees with the needs of state government. The state requires most overtime to be compensated with time off, but agencies may apply to the Alabama Personnel Board for permission to pay for overtime. The Health Department recently received permission to pay home health aides for overtime because much of their work is covered by Medicare or Medicaid payments, and replacement workers are not available to fill in for comp-time users.
Comp time does work well for school system employees and their summer vacations.
George Mathes, PHR, director of human resources for the Campbell County School District in Wyoming, says 75 percent of the district employees choose comp time rather than cash for overtime work. In today's society, most people want time off so they can do things as a family. In Casper, the solid-waste division does not allow comp time, but because other employees clamored for it, as many as 16 hours are allowed for water, snow removal and construction workers, says Cynthia Suigel, SPHR, city human resources director. The city had to change its overtime policies for the police department because officers found it difficult to get time off and were accruing hundreds of hours of comp time in addition to their vacation time. The city cut the accrual cap to 300 hours and paid cash to officers with more hours in the bank.