6 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA OFFICE

CATCGC2 PAGE 7 UNITED NATIONS CAT CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE
EC12GC20 PAGE 11 ADVANCE UNEDITED VERSION UNITED NATIONS E
ECETRANSWP15AC1201023 PAGE 2 UNITED NATIONS E ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

HRIGEN1REV9 (VOL I) PAGE VII UNITED NATIONS HRI INTERNATIONAL
TRANS PAGE 0 UNITED NATIONS E ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
TRANSWP120018 PAGE 9 UNITED NATIONS E ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

- 6 -


UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA

 6  UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA OFFICE

OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME




UNOV/OI.6

ODC/OI.6

31 October 2002




Office instruction



Arrangements for the 80 per cent part-time option



1. The 80 per cent part-time option is an arrangement that allows staff members to work a regular four-day working week. The 80 per cent option is being introduced on a pilot basis in the United Nations Office at Vienna and the Office on Drugs and Crime.

2. The 80 per cent option must be seen in the broad context of the work-life agenda of the Secretary-General’s reform of human resource management in the United Nations. The 80 per cent option is subject to the following guiding principles for flexible working arrangements:

(a) The policies being introduced are intended to facilitate flexible working arrangements, but do not create an entitlement to such arrangements;

(b) The introduction and operation of flexible working arrangements should not represent additional costs to the Organization;

(c) Continuation of flexible working arrangements is subject to confirmation by management that the productivity level of staff is consistent with the level established under the traditional structures. In the context of flexible working arrangements, the staff member’s presence in the workplace during a specific period of time becomes less important, but not an irrelevant factor. Work planning between the supervisor and the staff member becomes critical and specific, realistic output targets must be established.

3. The administrative arrangements for part-time employment under the 80 per cent option are generally based on those described in administrative instruction ST/AI/291/Rev.1 of 18 July 1994, applicable to staff working on a half-time basis.


Applicability


4. The 80 per cent option is being introduced on a pilot basis and shall be available to staff of the United Nations Office at Vienna and the Office on Drugs and Crime in both the Professional and the General Service categories.

5. Requests to exercise the 80 per cent option are subject to approval by the staff member’s immediate supervisor and by the respective programme manager (usually the Director of the Division).


Duration of service under the 80 per cent option


6. Requests to exercise the 80 per cent option must be for periods of at least six complete calendar months. If the request is approved, the change in working hours becomes effective on the first day of the following month.

7. Staff who wish to revert to full-time employment before completing the approved period under the 80 per cent option shall inform the Human Resources Management Section in writing by memorandum through their immediate supervisor and programme manager. Staff are normally expected to have completed at least six complete calendar months under the 80 per cent option before reverting to full-time service.

8. Staff who are exercising the 80 per cent option may be obliged to revert to full-time employment at any time if the exigencies of service so require.

9. Staff whose terms of appointment upon recruitment restrict their service to 80 per cent part-time status because of budgetary constraints shall have no right to conversion to full-time status.


Impact of the 80 per cent option on working hours


10. Staff members who exercise the 80 per cent option shall be required to work 80 per cent of the scheduled workweek as specified in appendix B to the Staff Rules for Vienna (i.e. 32 hours during winter working hours and 30 hours during the summer), on four full days per week. Appropriate arrangements for the regular working schedule must be made by the staff member concerned and his or her immediate supervisor. Part-time staff are normally not expected to work overtime, nor on weekends or official holidays; part-time staff are normally not entitled to night differential. Staff in 80 per cent status may also work flexible working hours.

11. A staff member who exercises the 80 per cent option shall be granted official holidays only when such holidays fall on a regular working day in the staff member’s agreed schedule. A staff member may not change his or her regular work schedule in order to take advantage of an official holiday.


Impact of the 80 per cent option on workload


12. The workload of a member staff who is authorized to exercise the 80 per cent option shall be adjusted proportionately.

13. Programme managers who approve the 80 per cent option for their staff are responsible for taking measures to ensure that their programme’s mandate and delivery of outputs and services are not adversely affected.


Impact of the 80 per cent option on the conditions of service of staff


14. Exercising the 80 per cent option shall not affect the staff member’s contractual status.

15. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option shall benefit from the same privileges and immunities and shall be subject to the same obligations and standard of conduct as full-time staff. In particular, staff who exercise the 80 per cent option are subject to the restrictions on outside activities specified in staff regulation 1.2 (o) and (p) and staff rule 101.2 (p).

16. The salary, allowances and other benefits of staff who exercise the 80 per cent option shall be modified as described below.


Salary and allowances


17. The salary of staff in the General Service category shall be 80 per cent of that paid to full-time staff at the same grade and step. That prorated salary shall be the basis for the determination of payments while the staff member is on annual leave, special leave with pay, sick leave and maternity leave.

18. The base salary, post adjustment and mobility and hardship allowance (including the non-removal element) payable to staff in the Professional category and above shall be 80 per cent of that paid to full-time staff at the same grade and step.

19. Staff members who exercise the 80 per cent option shall be entitled to allowances and benefits under the terms and conditions applicable to full-time staff, modified as described below. The amount payable shall be prorated at the rate of 80 per cent:

(a) Dependent child allowance. In cases where the staff member or his or her spouse is in receipt of a government grant in respect of a dependent child, the total amount of the grant shall be deducted from the prorated amount of the dependency allowance. In cases where the government grant exceeds the amount of the prorated dependency allowance, the child shall nevertheless be recognized as dependent;

(b) Dependent spouse allowance. The earnings limit for determination of dependency shall not be prorated;

(c) Mobility and hardship allowance. Service credits towards the qualifying period (five years) shall be prorated. Fifteen months of service shall count as one year;

(d) Education grant. The education grant shall be paid to eligible staff at 80 per cent of the amount paid to full-time staff in similar circumstances. Staff who are entitled to education grant travel for their children shall receive 80 per cent of the lump sum. In cases where the staff member does not exercise the lump sum option, 20 per cent of the actual cost of the education grant travel shall be recovered from the staff member’s salary. Notwithstanding, the rate of reimbursement for the first education grant travel following conversion to the 80 per cent option shall be established on the basis of the staff member’s status during the majority of the school year, for example, if the school year is 10 months and during that period the staff member was in full-time status for more than five months, the full amount of the education grant travel would be payable;

(e) Rental subsidy. The individual threshold amount shall not be prorated; that is, it shall be determined as if the staff member were in full-time status. The subsidy payable shall be prorated at the rate of 80 per cent.


Within-grade increments


20. Staff shall receive within-grade increments under the same conditions and with the same periodicity as full-time staff.


Annual leave


21. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option shall accrue two full days of annual leave per month. A maximum of 48 full days of annual leave may be carried forward on 1 January of each year.

22. Staff who intend to exercise the 80 per cent option should first bring their accrued annual leave balance to 48 full days or less. Accrued annual leave cannot be used to remain in full-pay status following conversion to 80 per cent status.


Home leave and family visit travel


23. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option and who are entitled to home leave and/or family visit travel shall receive 80 per cent of the lump sum payable for such travel. In cases where the staff member does not exercise the lump sum option, 20 per cent of the actual cost of the home leave or family visit travel shall be recovered from the staff member’s salary. Notwithstanding, the rate of reimbursement for the first home leave or family visit travel following conversion to the 80 per cent option shall be established on the basis of the staff member’s status during the majority of the period since the last exercise of the entitlement.


Sick leave


24. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option shall continue to receive 80 per cent of their salary and allowances during periods of sick leave.

25. Staff who are in 80 per cent status shall be entitled to a maximum of 156 days of sick leave with full pay (at 80 per cent rate) and 156 days of sick leave with half pay (at 80 per cent rate) in any period of four consecutive years, in accordance with staff rule 106.2.

26. Account shall be taken of the staff member’s status during any given four-year period to prorate the overall sick leave entitlement. Sick leave “revival” days shall be determined on a case-by-case basis.

27. Staff shall be entitled to 5.5 days of uncertified sick leave per calendar year.


Maternity leave


28. The normal 16-week period of maternity leave shall not be prorated for staff in 80 per cent status.

29. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option may not convert to half-time status during weeks 35-38 of the pregnancy as specified in paragraph 10.3 of administrative instruction ST/AI/1999/12.


Participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund


30. Part-time staff are entitled to participate in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund in accordance with supplementary article A of the Regulations of the Fund. Exercising the 80 per cent option shall therefore not interrupt the continuation of participation. The Organization and the participant shall pay the approved percentages (at present 15.8 and 7.9) of 80 per cent of the staff member’s pensionable remuneration.

31. For the purpose of calculating benefits payable by the Pension Fund, the pensionable remuneration for part-time staff members shall be the same as for full-time staff at the same grade and step. The entitlement to and the amount of benefits resulting from part-time employment shall, however, be reduced in the ratio that part-time employment bears to full-time employment: in this case the ratio shall be 80 per cent (e.g. one year in 80 per cent status counts as 9 months and 18 days of contributory service).

32. A part-time participant who is granted special leave without pay shall be entitled to accrue contributory service in the Pension Fund during that period provided contributions are paid concurrently with such leave. The total amount of such contributions would be the same as that which would have been payable by the participant and the Organization had the participant continued in part-time employment during such period. In accordance with article 25 (b)(i) of the Regulations of the Fund, those contributions shall be payable by the participant in full or by the Organization in full, or in part by the participant and in part by the Organization.


Medical insurance


33. Staff who exercise the 80 per cent option shall continue to carry the previously held medical insurance coverage. The total amount of the premium to be paid to the insurer(s), that is, the staff member’s contribution plus the Organization’s subsidy, shall be calculated on the basis of the staff member’s actual insurance emoluments.

34. The amount of the subsidy paid by the Organization shall be 50 per cent of the total premium.


Compensation for death, injury and illness attributable to service


35. The compensation benefits payable under appendix D to the Staff Rules in the event of death, injury or illness shall be the equivalent of 80 per cent of the amounts determined in accordance with articles 10.2 and 11.1 (c), respectively, except that in the event of death such benefits shall be so established as to take into account on a pro rata basis the staff member’s status during his or her entire period of service.

36. Any additional lump-sum payment made in case of injury or illness resulting in permanent disfigurement or permanent loss of a member or function shall be the full amounts as indicated in articles 11.3 (c) and the full amounts determined in accordance with article 11.3 (d).


Termination indemnity


37. For the calculation of termination indemnities, periods of service under the 80 per cent option shall be prorated; that is, 15 months shall be counted as one year of service.


End-of-service allowance


38. For calculation of the end-of-service allowance payable to staff in the General Service and related categories, periods of service under the 80 per cent option shall be prorated; that is, 15 months shall be counted as one year of service.


Repatriation grant


39. For calculation of the repatriation grant, periods of service under the 80 per cent option shall be prorated; that is, 15 months shall be counted as one year of service.


Commutation of accrued annual leave


40. Staff who separate while in 80 per cent status may be paid up to a maximum of 48 days of unused accrued annual leave.


Last day for pay purposes in the event of death


41. For calculation of the death benefit provided for in staff rule 109.10 (vi), periods of service under the 80 per cent option shall be prorated; that is, 15 months shall be counted as one year of service.


Post incumbency limits


42. The post incumbency limits described in paragraph 4.2 (d) of administration instruction ST/AI/2002/4 of 23 April 2002 shall not be prorated to reflect the period in 80 per cent status.


Applications for vacant posts


43. The eligibility criteria to apply for a vacant post that are set out in paragraph 5.1 of administration instruction ST/AI/2002/4 shall not be prorated.

44. If the staff member is selected to fill a vacant post, he or she must revert to full-time status. A subsequent request to exercise the 80 per cent option shall be subject to approval by the new supervisor and programme manager.




Official travel


45. Staff who are in 80 per cent status and who are required to travel on official business shall continue to receive their salary and allowances at the 80 per cent rate irrespective of the hours worked while in travel status.

46. Staff in the General Service category may claim up to eight hours per week of paid overtime at the straight-time rate for additional hours worked while in travel status.

47. Staff who are required to work significantly more than 40 hours per week while in travel status may request a reasonable amount of compensatory time off.


Procedure for requesting the 80 per cent part-time option


48. Requests to exercise the 80 per cent part-time option must be submitted in writing, through the staff member’s immediate supervisor and programme manager, to the Chief of the Human Resources Management Section for approval. The approval of such a request shall be based, inter alia, upon the exigencies of work in the organizational unit concerned. If the request is approved, the initial period under the 80 per cent option shall be for six months.

49. Requests to extend the 80 per cent option must be submitted to the Human Resources Management Section at least one month prior to the end of the approved period. Extension of the 80 per cent option may be for periods of 6-18 months. Requests to extend the 80 per cent option are also subject to approval by the staff member’s immediate supervisor and by the respective programme manager.


Effective date


50. The present office instruction will enter into effect on 1 November 2002.

51. The arrangements for 80 per cent option during the pilot phase will be evaluated in two years’ time.




 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR
0 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA OFFICE
2 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT VIENNA OFFICE


Tags: office at, present office, office, nations, vienna, united