ABBREVIATED SCHEDULE - A work schedule of more than 20 but less than 40 hours per week.
COBRA (CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT) - An act added to the Internal Revenue Code in 1985 allowing for specific staff and their dependents to continue health and dental insurance, and reimbursement accounts for a specified period of time after termination from Duke's group health plans.
COMPARABLE PAY - Pay that is no more than a 10 percent reduction in current base salary.
COMPARABLE POSITION - A position is considered "comparable" if there is no more than a 10 percent reduction in current base salary. This is the primary consideration in determining whether or not a position is comparable. Secondary considerations - which will not define comparability, but will be factors in placing staff - include job level and job family.
CONTINUOUS SERVICE DATE - The most recent date of hire used to determine certain benefits including paid time off, vacation accrual rates, seniority status, and eligibility for certain programs.
DIRECT DEPOSIT - An agreement for staff pay to be directly deposited into a bank or credit union account.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS - A process and procedure used for the fair, orderly, and prompt resolution of policy disputes.
DUKE - An umbrella term referring to the entire Duke community that includes Duke University and Duke University Health System.
ENTITY OR DEPARTMENT HUMAN RESOURCES REPRESENTATIVE - The primary Human Resources administrator for the entity, school, or department.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION - A policy of affirmative action for equal opportunity in employment without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. This policy applies to all personnel actions - including compensation, benefits, transfers, promotions, layoffs, recalls, demotions, and terminations. It also pertains to Duke-sponsored training programs - including social, educational assistance, and recreational programs and the use of Duke facilities.
EXEMPT STATUS - Staff performing "exempt work" are not eligible for overtime pay and are not covered by the overtime pay provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Staff performing "exempt" work are compensated on a salary basis and are paid monthly. This term is used interchangeably with "monthly" and "salaried."
FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT (FLSA) - A federal statute with several provisions governing employment status - including stipulations regarding types of work for which overtime compensation must be paid and a minimum wage provided.
FULL-TIME SCHEDULE - A work schedule of not less than 40 hours per week. (And for benefits eligibility purposes, a work schedule of no less than 30 hours per week).
HARASSMENT - Any unwarranted and/or unwanted behavior that creates a hostile or intimidating environment in which verbal or physical conduct is severe or persistent enough to cause significant interference with a staff member's work, education, or onsite living conditions. Duke policy prohibits harassment.
HEALTH SYSTEM - An umbrella term referring to the entities and units including Duke University Hospital, Durham Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke HomeCare & Hospice, DUHS Clinical Labs, Duke University Affiliated Physicians, Patient Revenue Management Organization, Corporate Services, Duke Center for Living, and Duke Ambulatory Surgical Center.
JOB CLASSIFICATION - A group of positions with the same title, typical duties and responsibilities, classification description, and position code number.
LAYOFF - A loss of employment due to economic and/or operational factors requiring a workforce reduction. A layoff can be either temporary (when loss of employment is expected to be of a short duration - i.e., 30 calendar days or less) or permanent (when loss of employment is more than 30 days).
NON-EXEMPT STATUS - Duke is required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to pay staff performing "non-exempt" work a regular hourly wage. Duke is also required to pay staff performing "non-exempt" work overtime at the rate of one-and-one-half times his or her regular hourly rate based on a specified overtime method. Staff performing "non-exempt" work also fall under the minimum wage requirements of the law. Staff performing "non-exempt" work are required to account for all time worked as well as the use of PTO, sick, vacation, and other leave time on an hourly basis and are paid biweekly.
ORIENTATION AND EVALUATION - The first 90 calendar days after employment in a regular position at Duke. Its purpose is to provide new staff the time to develop familiarity with their department, colleagues, and job responsibilities. Newly hired Duke staff cannot use PTO, vacation, or sick leave during this period.
PART-TIME SCHEDULE - A work schedule of less than 20 hours per week.
REDEPLOYMENT - Placing Duke staff into another comparable position at Duke within a 60-day notification period of a position elimination.
REDUCTION-IN-FORCE - The elimination of a work position for more than 30 calendar days in duration and, in some cases, a permanent phasing out of positions.
REGULAR POSITION - A job in which expected work will last more than 999 hours a year.
REGULAR STAFF - An individual who maintains continuous, regular employment status at Duke - as opposed to those classified as temporary, student staff.
RETRAINING - The "training" or "retraining" that can be reasonably provided during the 60-day notification period to qualify staff for redeployment.
SCHEDULED TIME OFF - Any work period absence that has been approved in advance by a supervisor.
SENIORITY - A length of continuous service with Duke as defined by date of latest hire.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT - Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Duke also understands that "sexual harassment" includes any instance in which submission to a sexual favor or conduct is made - either implicitly or explicitly - as a term or condition of employment as well as when submission to or rejection of a sexual favor or conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions. Duke policy prohibits sexual harassment.
SIXTY-DAY (60) NOTIFICATION PERIOD - The period of time given to staff who have been notified that their position will be eliminated for more than 30 days. During the 60 days, staff will continue working in their position on regular payroll. The 60-day notification is given to staff in order to urge the active pursuit of other employment opportunities both within and outside Duke.
STAFF - Throughout this handbook, Duke-employed individuals are referred to as "staff " - regardless of the (exempt or non-exempt) status of their work or whether they are paid by the hour or salaried.
SUPERVISOR - This handbook often refers staff to their "supervisor." Regardless of title, a "supervisor" is an individual to whom staff report. "Supervisors" have the responsibility and authority to direct, evaluate, and support the effective operation and performance of their staff.
TARDINESS - Any period(s) of time in which staff are not at their designated workstations, are not prepared to work at their scheduled start time, or return late from breaks or leave work early. Tardiness that extends to more than half of a staff member's designated shift becomes automatically considered as "unscheduled time off."
TRIAL PERIOD - The first 90 calendar days following a staff member's transfer to another position at Duke. Its purpose is to provide staff the time to develop familiarity with their department, colleagues, and job responsibilities. Transferring staff can use accrued and unused PTO, vacation, and/or sick leave during this period.
UNIVERSITY - An umbrella term referring all of Duke's academic schools - including Arts and Sciences, Law, Business, Engineering, Environment, Medicine, Nursing, Divinity and Graduate School - as well as Duke's academic research, academic support units, and administrative functions.
UNSCHEDULED TIME OFF - Any work-period absence that is not approved in advance by a supervisor. Examples of unscheduled time off include instances in which staff report to work halfway through scheduled shifts or when staff are absent due to illness.
WORK SCHEDULE - Duke's "work schedule" is defined as the many functions that must be performed or fulfilled by members of the Duke community 24-hours-a-day, seven-daysa- week. The majority of work schedules are based on an 8-hour, 10-hour, or 12-hour workday, or on a 40-hour workweek or through an 80-hour biweekly pay period. Supervisors arrange staff work schedules when staff begin their service at Duke. Supervisors must provide staff with 30 days advanced notice before permanently changing existing schedules.
WORKWEEK - Duke's "workweek" is the seven consecutive 24-hour periods or workdays beginning at 12:01 a.m. on a Monday and ending at 12:00 midnight on the following Sunday.