How do I account for hours worked in Kronos while in travel status?

Not all travel time and time spent in travel status is considered as hours worked. Reference the "Travel Time" section of North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (NC OSHR) Policy, Hours of Work and Overtime Compensation for additional details.

  1. When a non-exempt employee travels away from their home overnight (i.e., is in overnight travel status per the University’s Travel Manual), they will need to determine Time Worked vs. Time Earned.
  2. Time Worked is any travel time when it occurs during the employee's regularly scheduled work hours.
    1. This includes corresponding hours on nonworking days. For example, if an employee regularly works from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm from Monday through Friday, any travel time during these hours on Saturday and Sunday is work time as well.
    2. Time spent while in travel status (travel away from home community) outside of regular work hours as a passenger on an airplane, train, bus, or automobile is not considered as work time.
  3. Any travel time (i.e., time spent traveling to a valid alternate work location) outside of an employee’s regularly scheduled work hours is considered Time Earned.
  4. The regular meal period is not counted.
  5. For time spent not physically traveling but in travel status (i.e., away from the employee’s normal duty station), employees should calculate time worked the same way they calculate time worked while at their duty station. (See Examples 2 and 3 below.)

    Example 1 - Travel Time

    An employee whose duty station is UNC Charlotte's main campus leaves for work in Raleigh, NC on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. and arrives in Raleigh at 6:30 p.m (their regular scheduled work hours are 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.).

    • The 1 hour traveled between 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. are hours worked and must be included in the total hours worked within the workweek.
    • The 1-1/2 hours traveled between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. are not considered as time worked to determine total hours worked. However, those hours will be considered as time earned and may be given as time off on a straight-time basis.

    Example 2 - Attending a conference while in travel status

    An employee is attending a conference that starts at 8:30 a.m., includes lunch and ends at 4:00 p.m. There is also an optional reception from 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Their regular working hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

    • In general, time worked should be calculated the same way it is calculated when the employee is working at their regular duty station.
    • The 7-½ hours attending the conference between 8:30-4 are hours worked and must be included in the total hours worked within the workweek.
      • If the lunch is part of the work conference, then the lunch may be considered as time worked, dependent on facts and circumstances.
      • If the lunch period is not part of the work conference and/or the employee left the conference premises for lunch, the lunch break should be recorded.
    • The 3 hours attending the reception are not considered as time worked since the reception is optional and there is no penalty for not attending. Note:  If they are required to attend the reception, and it is not optional, then the 3 hours would be considered time worked.

    Example 3 - Attending a partial-day conference or training

    An employee travels for a conference or training, which is scheduled from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Their regular scheduled work hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

    • If the employee is traveling home after 2:00 p.m., the hours spent physically traveling between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. are considered hours worked. Any hours spent physically traveling after 5:00 p.m. would be considered as time earned and may be given as time off on a straight-time basis.
    • Any time not spent working or traveling home after the conference ends is considered personal time, and the employee must use leave time.
  6. Using example 2 above, record the employee's time in Kronos, as follows:
    1. Time Worked - the employee should submit a Timesheet Change Request to Add Time Entry and include the In and Out times worked before the meal period and Out and In times after the meal periods.
    2. Time Earned - the supervisor should calculate the time earned hours, to be given as straight-time off, and email the Payroll department at PayrollDept@charlotte.edu to have those hours manually added to the employee’s COMPGAP time off.

NOTE:

  • Employees are expected to account for 40 hours per week.
  • Conferences often don't coincide with an employee's normal work schedule, and employees can flex their hours on conference days when schedules differ from their normal work hours.
  • If a manager requires an employee to attend an after-hours networking event at a conference, then it extends the workday and the hours are considered time worked.
  • If, after adding travel and conference time, an employee has fewer than 40 hours of time worked for the week, they would need to use leave and/or work additional hours to account for 40 hours that week.
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