Effective Date:

The University provides unpaid meal periods for all employees. Meal periods are typically one (1) hour in length. Non-exempt employees who are required to work during a meal period must be paid. Meal periods which are less than thirty (30) minutes shall be considered as time worked (applicable to non-exempt employees).

An employee (exempt or non-exempt) shall not be required to take a meal period any sooner than three (3) hours after his/her work shift begins nor any more than five (5) hours from the time his/her work shift begins.

All employees are authorized to take a fifteen (15) minute rest period for every four (4) hours worked. For full-time employees, one fifteen (15) minute rest period may be taken in the morning work hours and one fifteen (15) minute rest period in the afternoon hours. Rest periods shall be determined and scheduled by the supervisor/department head to maintain efficient departmental operations and serve the needs of employees.

Employees may not use break periods to offset late arrival or early departure from work, to extend the meal period, or to accumulate paid time off from one day to the next.

Exceptions to this policy may be made when mutually agreed to by the employee and supervisor/department head.