FAQ - Basic Information About Participating in ERIT

ERIT is a program that allows employees to voluntarily reduce their time in exchange for a commensurate reduction in pay. Like similar programs previously offered, it is an optional tool the University can use during the current budget crisis to save salary costs.

ERIT is being offered as a means to assist the University with salary savings in response to the current budget crisis. It is an option that locations and organizational units may or may not choose to offer employees. Interested employees should check with their appropriate HR representative to find out if ERIT will be offered in their department.

Senior managers are not eligible to participate in ERIT because their efforts are needed full time to guide the University through the current budget crisis. Academic appointees are not eligible because alternative options are being considered for them.

You should have the same reduction in time and pay in each pay period of your ERIT contract. However, with your department head’s approval, your work schedule within a pay period may be flexible from week to week as long as the total time reduced during the pay period is the same as the percentage time reflected in your ERIT contract.

Yes, based on a 40-hour week, 5% of full-time would be 2 hours per week, regardless of whether your previous appointment was 100% or some other percentage.

Yes, if you have a temporary voluntary reduction in time commencing on or after January 1, 2012 and prior to the starting date of ERIT, you may request to participate in ERIT prospectively. If your request is granted, you may enter into an ERIT contract and you need not increase to your regular appointment prior to ERIT in order to reduce your time under ERIT. However, your appointment percentage under ERIT may not be less than 50%. In such case, the department will need to adjust the appointment to its prior FTE before submitting the ERIT request.

Yes, you may participate in ERIT by reducing your time at least 5% of full-time. However, your appointment percentage under ERIT may not be less than 50%.

Department heads may offer ERIT any time between July 1, 2012 and June 30, 2014. Some departments may elect to offer the program for the entire period; others may elect to offer the program only during certain months (such as the summer months); while some may elect to not offer ERIT at all. Check with your department head regarding the availability of the program in your department during the period of time you are interested in reducing your time.

For employees who are paid monthly, an ERIT contract must begin on the first day of a month and end on the last day of a month. For employees who are paid semi-monthly, an ERIT contract would begin on the first day of the month and terminate at the end of the month.

For contracts to be effective July 1, 2012, contract forms for employees paid semi-monthly or monthly must be received by HR-Records Management unit by 5:00 pm on July 9, 2012. For subsequent months, contract forms for all pay schedules must be received by HR-Records Management unit by the 1st of the month in which the ERIT schedule is to be effective. For example, ERIT contracts to be effective on August 1st must be received by 5:00 pm on August 1st.

If the relevant department head approves, and your new position is covered by the ERIT program, you may continue your participation in ERIT for the term of your ERIT contract when you accept another position in the same or a different department.

ERIT participants should review their assigned workloads with their supervisors to work out a corresponding reduction in workload or assignments.

An exempt employee may reduce his or her time and corresponding pay from 5% to 50% of full-time under ERIT. An appropriate workload reduction and a focus on working to meet job responsibilities rather than working a specified period of time are the intended approaches to ERIT for exempt employees. Because time records for purposes of pay cannot be kept for exempt employees who receive the same salary each pay period regardless of hours worked, exempt employees who participate in ERIT may find a schedule involving full days off useful. However, this would not preclude occasionally working some time on those days if necessary to meet a deadline.

No, unfortunately variable appointments by their nature are flexed according to departmental need and is not aligned with this program.

Yes, employees who work these alterative schedules can participate in ERIT.  For example, an employee on a 4/10 schedule who wants to reduce to 90 percent time could work a 4/9 schedule by reducing each work day by 10% (an hour each day); while an employee on a 9/80 schedule can work a 9/72 schedule by working 8 hours per day (a 10% reduction).