1019appd

NIST Administrative Manual, Subchapter 10.19
Transmittal Date - 6/3/02

APPENDIX D

TIME OFF AS AN INCENTIVE AWARD

PURPOSE: To provide a means to grant employees time off as an excused absence without charge to leave or loss of pay for certain accomplishments or contributions (Public Law 101-509, Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, Section 201, and 5 CFR Part 451).

ELIGIBILITY: Any NIST employee except:

A. The NIST Director, as appointed by the President, or positions for which rates of basic compensation may exceed the maximum rate provided in the General Schedule;

B. Employees with intermittent tours of duty;

C. Temporary employees hired solely for the purpose of work on a specific construction project and paid at hourly rates;

D. Employees appointed without compensation;

E. Employees paid on a fee basis;

F. Employees in the Senior Executive Service (SES);

G. Employees covered by PL 3104; and

H. Employees whose current rating of record under one of NIST’s performance appraisal systems is less than Eligible for APMS and Wage System employees.

CRITERIA: Time off awards may be granted to covered employees to recognize achievements such as the following:

Making a high-quality contribution involving a difficult or important project or assignment;
Displaying initiative and skill in completing an assignment or project before the deadline;
Using initiative and creativity in making improvements in a product, activity, program or service; or
Ensuring the mission of the work unit is accomplished during a difficult period by successfully competing additional work or a project assignment while maintaining the employee’s own workload.

NOMINATION/APPROVAL PROCEDURE:

A. Time Off Awards must be recommended and approved in writing on Form CD-326, “Recommendation for Recognition”. Complete all blocks except 7,13, and 14. Form CD-326 must then be signed in the appropriate box by the recommending official and submitted to the appropriate division/OU office for approval.

B. The responsible division/OU must review the award recommendation as soon as possible to ensure that all technical requirements are met and notify the recommending official of its disposition of the case. An employee may not be granted time off until the authorized official (a division chief or above) has approved the award.

C. The administrative officer must forward the approved Form CD-326 to the Human Resources Management Division, for documentation of the award with an official SF-52, Notification of Personnel Action.

D. The time off taken by the employee must be documented on the Time and Attendance Report as excused absence. Transaction Code 66 with prefix 61 records the number of time off award hours used without charge to leave or loss of pay. Detailed instructions for timekeeping are in the Department of Commerce Time and Attendance Manual.

USE OF TIME OFF:

A. Time off granted as an incentive award must be scheduled and taken within one year after the date the award is made; i.e., the date of the SF-50 effecting the award. If the time is not taken off within one year, it is lost and may not be restored. No other award or compensation may be substituted for it.

B. Time off is considered excused absence. Scheduling of time off is subject to supervisory approval.

C. If an employee is incapacitated for duty during a period of time off as an incentive award, that period of absence may be recorded as sick leave, and the time off scheduled for another time, within the limits of paragraph A of this section.

LIMITATIONS:

A. The total amount of time off granted to a full-time employee as an incentive award during a leave year (the 26 pay periods designated as nearest a calendar year) may not exceed 80 hours. The total amount of time off granted to a part-time employee as an incentive award during a leave year may not exceed the number of hours of work in the employee’s biweekly scheduled tour of duty.

B. Time off granted as an incentive award for any single contribution by a full-time employee may not exceed 40 hours. For part-time employees the limit for any single contribution is one half the maximum number of hours of work in the employee’s biweekly scheduled tour of duty.

C. The minimum time off award is a half day (half of the scheduled work hours for the employee on the day of the excused absence). If the employee’s workday is not an even number of hours, the half day must be rounded up so that the amount of leave granted is in multiples of one-hour units.

D. The amount of time off granted must be proportionate to the value of the contribution being recognized. The Incentive Awards Program scales for awards based on tangible or intangible benefits are available by accessing the following website: http://hr.commerce.gov/Practitioners/PerformanceManagementandAwards/DEV01_006331. These scales need not be rigorously followed, but serve as broad benchmarks for setting award amounts.

RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ACTIONS:

A. Time off is an award independent of other types of awards, to be given when it is more appropriate than monetary or honorary awards. Managers and supervisors who grant time off as an incentive award must ensure that the total recognition granted for any single achievement or period of performance is proportionate to the contribution being recognized.

B. Since a time off award is not a monetary award, its converted monetary value does not count against the limitations on performance awards stated in Department of

RECORD KEEPING: Form CD-326 must be filed in the Employee Performance File and retained for two years, and a copy must be attached to the certified Time and Attendance Report as supporting documentation.

DUE DATE: Anytime

TYPE OF RECOGNITION: Honorary - excused absence.

PRESENTATION OF AWARD: The recommending supervisor should advise the employee of the award as soon as possible after approval.