Hours of Work Directive

1. Purpose

To specify the authority and responsibilities that ensure each employee works the prescribed hours of work.

2. Application and scope

This directive

• applies to all public servants employed in ministries or Commission public bodies under s.32 of the Public Service Act of Ontario, 2006, except those in the Senior Management Group and Deputy Ministers' Compensation Plan;
• covers hours of work applicable to a regular working day as prescribed in the Hours of Work Schedules under the Hours of Work section of the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive; applicable collective agreements on hours of work and all additional authorized hours of work;
• does not cover other work scheduling provisions such as days off, rest periods. [see applicable collective agreement for the respective bargaining units]

3. Principles

Hours of work shall be arranged to facilitate the achievement of organizational objectives and serve the convenience of the public, while accommodating employee needs wherever possible.

4. Mandatory requirements

All employees must be assigned the hours of work prescribed for their position’s class as set out in the hours of work schedules in the Hours of Work Section of the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive and any applicable collective agreements.

All employees must be advised of the regular hours of work designated for their positions.

Where an employee’s regular hours of work differ from those specified for the class, the employee’s salary must be prorated. [see the Hours of Work Section of the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive.

Compensation for authorized work in excess of the regular working hours must be in accordance with premium payment entitlements.

For bargaining unit employees see the applicable collective agreement.

For management and excluded employees see the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive.

Where an employee is reassigned and the reassignment involves a change to the hours of work schedule, special pay treatment shall apply (see the Pay on Assignment Operating Policy or the applicable collective agreement).

5. Responsibilities

All responsibilities in the Human Resource Management Directive and the Human Resource Management Delegation of Authority Directive apply to this Directive. Additional responsibilities that are specific this to Directive are set out below.

Ministry of Government Services

• recommending to the Public Service Commission, the Hours of Work Schedule assignment of each class;
• developing policies and providing consultation to human resources.

Ministries

• determining the number of hours of work for each position;
• negotiating, where applicable, and determining variable work arrangements; [see the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive and any applicable collective agreements].
• approving and assigning hours of work which differ from those prescribed for the class, providing appropriate notification to employees and, where applicable, their bargaining agent including:
  • the transfer of positions from one schedule to another; [see the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive and any applicable collective agreements]
  • the increase or reduction of hours of work. [see the Management Board of Cabinet Compensation Directive and any applicable collective agreements].

Appendix A – Guideline revisions