Pay Practices & Guidelines

For Non-Exempt Staff Members

A supervisor must approve a staff member’s request to be released from regular duties in order to be re-assigned as a volunteer at Slope Day. Given the re-assignment, hours spent at Slope Day that coincide with the staff member’s regularly scheduled work hours will be considered time worked and should be recorded in Workday as “Regular” time. Hours spent volunteering at Slope Day that fall outside of scheduled work hours (and thus are not a re-assignment of duties) are unpaid and do not need to be recorded in Workday.

Nonexempt staff members who are required to work the Slope Day event must be paid for all hours worked during the event, even if such hours do not coincide with their regularly scheduled work hours. Such time should be recorded in Workday as “Regular” time. If you are unsure whether your assignment at Slope Day is a voluntary one (see above paragraph), or a required assignment, please contact either your supervisor, or your college/unit Human Resources representative for clarification.

For Exempt Staff Members
Exempt staff members who provide assistance during Slope Day in either capacity above will receive their usual compensation.

Paid Time-Off Guidelines for Volunteers at the 2024 University Commencement Ceremonies and PhD Recognition Event

The Commencement Committee acknowledges volunteers who help at the University PhD Recognition Ceremony on Friday, May 24, 2024, and the two (2) University Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday, May 25, 2024, and provides them with the following guidelines to ensure that staff volunteers are appropriately recognized.

Volunteer Eligibility

All Cornell employees, retirees, and alumni are eligible to volunteer along with their family and friends, (18 or older) as well as Cornell Cooperative Extension employees.

Paid Time Off Eligibility

All regular full-time or part-time non-exempt and exempt staff, including benefits-eligible temporary staff are eligible to receive paid time off for volunteering at University Commencement ceremonies.

Paid time off guidelines do not apply if the volunteer is not a Cornell University employee, this includes volunteers who are an affiliate, a retiree, a Cornell Cooperative Extension employee.

Volunteer Time and Paid Time Off (PTO)

Eligible employees who volunteer* at the University Ceremonies in May will be granted paid time off equivalent to one (1) day of their standard workday, the maximum amount even if volunteering for more than one university event.

Non-exempt volunteer staff should not record any time in Workday for their volunteer hours on May 24 or May 25 at the University Commencement events, as this is not paid time. If you have questions about time collection, please contact your payroll representative. This PTO time is not reflected in Workday when it is earned.

ALL volunteers should inform their immediate supervisors of their decision to volunteer.

*Non-exempt employees who are not assisting in an entirely voluntary capacity must be paid for all hours worked during the May University Commencement Ceremonies and PhD Event, whether those hours fall outside their normal work schedules and/or result in overtime. Such work hours must be accurately reported in Workday. In this case, a non-exempt employee will not receive one (1) paid day off.

Use of Paid Time Off (PTO) and Workday Procedure

The paid time off should be scheduled so as not to disrupt normal work activities and must be approved by the volunteer’s immediate supervisor. May Commencement PTO must be used by December 31, 2024.

Staff should request “Volunteer – Commencement Time Off” via a time off request in Workday when the day off is used.

Exempt staff should use the paid time off according to the procedure established within their department to track time off, as there is no method for recording the one (1) day as Commencement paid time off for exempt staff in Workday.

Additional Recognition

As an additional thank you to our staff volunteers who help with the May Commencement ceremonies, university leadership is offering the following recognition.

• Two movie tickets per university event up to six total movie tickets.
• Awardco points via the Cornell Appreciation portal in the amounts of,
  • 40 Awardco points for volunteering at only the PhD Recognition event, or
  • 75 Awardco points maximum for volunteering at one university Commencement ceremony or any combination of two or three of these university events.

Awardco points do not apply to Cornell Cooperative Extension employees, Cornell affiliates, retirees or friends and relatives of staff who volunteer. However, they will receive two (2) movie tickets for every event where they volunteer and other thank you items.

College/Department Commencement Events

These guidelines apply to the University Commencement ceremonies and the PhD Event, not to college/school or department-level commencement events.

Non-exempt employees who are not assisting in an entirely voluntary capacity must be paid for all hours worked during any of the May 2024 Commencement Ceremonies be it the University-wide events or any of the individual college/school or department events, whether the hours fall outside their normal work schedules and/or result in overtime. Such work hours must be accurately reported in Workday. For any questions, please consult the appropriate college contact (e.g. supervisor, college registrar, HR or Payroll representative) for further information.

Time-Off Policy for Volunteers at University Recognition Ceremony for December Graduates

The Commencement Committee acknowledges volunteers who help at the University December Recognition Ceremony on Sunday, December 22, 2024, and provides them with the following guidelines to ensure that staff volunteers are appropriately recognized.

ALL volunteers should inform their immediate supervisors of their decision to volunteer.

Please contact hrpolicy@cornell.edu with any questions.

Eligibility

All regular full-time or part-time non-exempt and exempt staff, including benefits-eligible temporary staff.

If volunteer is not a Cornell University employee or is a County Extension Association employee, time-off guidelines do not apply. However, all may receive a thank you gift from the Commencement Office for volunteering.

Volunteer Time and Paid Time Off (PTO)

Non-exempt volunteer staff should not record any time in Workday for their volunteer hours on December 22 at the Commencement Event as this is not paid time. If you have questions about time collection, please contact your payroll representative.

Eligible employees who volunteer at the University Recognition Ceremony in December will be granted paid time off equivalent to one-half (1/2) their standard work day. Note that this PTO time is not reflected in Workday as time earned. 

Non-exempt employees who are not assisting in an entirely voluntary capacity must be paid for all hours worked during the December 2024 University Commencement Ceremony whether those hours fall outside their normal work schedules and/or result in overtime. Such work hours must be accurately reported in Workday. In this case, a non-exempt employee will not receive the one-half (1/2) paid day off.

Use of Paid Time Off (PTO) - Workday Procedure

December Commencement PTO must be used by June 30 of the following calendar year, i.e., for December 2024 commencement, paid time off must be used by June 30, 2025.

The paid time off should be scheduled so as not to disrupt normal work activities and must be approved by the volunteer’s immediate supervisor.

Staff should request “Volunteer – Commencement Time Off” via a time off request in Workday when the day off is used. 

Exempt staff should use the paid time off according to the procedure established within their department to track time off, as there is no method for recording the ½ day as Commencement paid time off for exempt staff in Workday.

Additional Recognition

As an additional thank you to our staff volunteers who help with the Commencement ceremony, university leadership will offer 40 Awardco points.

Awardco points do not apply to Cornell Cooperative Extension employees, Cornell affiliates, retirees or friends and relatives of staff who volunteer.

Applicability
All regular full- and part-time nonacademic staff members, and benefits-eligible temporary employees, are eligible to receive holiday pay.

Please follow University Policy 6.9, Time Off and Leaves, regarding holiday pay for staff, or the relevant bargaining unit contract for bargaining unit employees. 

Recording Time

For eligible employees holiday time will auto-generate on all designated holidays over winter break. 

If non-exempt staff work on a holiday, please reference this job aide: How to Record Time Worked on a Holiday.

Applicability
Non Academic Staff

One Day Work Assignment in Another City
When a nonexempt staff member travels to another community for a one-day work assignment, all traveling is counted as time worked except travel time between home and airport, bus depot, or railroad station.

Example
A nonexempt staff member who works in Ithaca with regular working hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is given a special assignment to be in Albany at 10:00 a.m. for a meeting. The staff member leaves home at 6:00 a.m. and rides or drives to Albany. The meeting concludes at 4:00 p.m. and after eating supper, the staff member leaves for Ithaca, arriving at 10:00 p.m.

The travel time in this case is counted as time worked. In addition to the normal working hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the staff member must be paid from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., less time for meals. (If the staff member had traveled to the bus station or airport for transportation to Albany, the travel time between home to the depot [and return] would not be counted as time worked).

Travel Away from the Home Community Overnight
Travel that keeps a nonexempt staff member away from home overnight is treated differently than travel on one-day assignments, from the standpoint of identifying hours worked. Travel time (involving a required overnight stay) is viewed as work time only when it cuts across the staff member's work day. However, travel time that is outside of normal working hours is not considered work time.

Example
A nonexempt staff member who works in Ithaca with regular working hours from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. is given a special assignment to be in Rochester for two days to attend a meeting. The staff member leaves home at 6:00 a.m. on the first day and arrives at the meeting which begins at 9:00 a.m. The meeting concludes on the second day at 4:00 p.m. and the staff member leaves Rochester immediately and arrives in Ithaca at 7:00 p.m.

In this case, the travel time which is outside of the regular work hours (for the first day from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and for the second day from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) is not counted as hours worked. The staff member would be paid only for the regular number of hours worked while at the two-day meeting: from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Special Considerations
Travel on a Non-work Day: Travel time that is required of a nonexempt staff member which occurs during the normal working schedule (e.g. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) is work time even though the travel may take place on a day, such as Sunday, other than the normal work day.

Performing Required Work While Traveling: When a nonexempt staff member does any work or is otherwise subject to the university's control and supervision while traveling, all such time is considered work time. Thus, travel time is work time when a staff member is required to drive a car, transport equipment to a worksite, or report into work before traveling. However, normal travel from home to work before the regular work day begins, and from work to home after the work day is over, is not time worked.