06/15/2007 Local Hire Employee Guidebook - Qatar

Local Hire Employee Handbook

VCU Qatar's Local Hire Handbook is a resource guide to policies and procedures, as well as benefits and services for new and continuing staff. VCUQatar makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of information at the time of publication; however, this material is subject to change. Current procedures and practices prevail over guidebook contents. Employees should direct questions and requests for information to their supervisors.

This publication creates no contractual rights between VCUQatar and its employees. It supersedes all prior employee handbooks and will be revised and updated as necessary. Effective August 1, 2014

General Information about VCU Qatar

VCU Arts in Qatar was established by Virginia Commonwealth University and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to provide the highest level of design education and training for the citizens of Qatar, the Arabian Gulf region and beyond. The degree programs combine contemporary approaches to design adapted to the cultures of the region. Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the leading Research Universities in the United States with one of the nation's great schools of the arts and design.

Established in 1998 through a partnership with Qatar Foundation, students have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fashion design, graphic design, interior design and painting & printmaking, a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and a Master of Fine Arts degree in design studies. Through experienced teachers and comprehensive curriculum, the college nurtures creativity and innovation and develops the technical skills necessary for demonstrating that creativity and to help graduates assume careers and leadership roles in the professional field of their choice.

Employees at VCUQatar, generally, fall into two broad categories: VCUQatar Academic Faculty and Administrative Staff ? These employees are contracted through the VCU

School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Teaching faculty have a 9 month contract and do not accrue any annual leave. Administrative staff have a 12 month contract and accrue leave. Adjunct faculty with Richmond contracts do not receive any benefits such as annual or sick leave, health and insurance coverage or retirement benefits. VCUQatar Local Hire Employees ? These are employed by VCUQatar to provide administrative and support services to the VCUQatar. Some are paid on a salaried basis, some are paid by the hour, and some are employed for defined periods (DP) of time.

This guidebook has been prepared to provide employment information to those local hires who are paid on a salaried basis.

1

Benefits, Pay Classification and Compensation

The term "local hire" indicates that employees in this category are employed from the local environment, and not through employment searches which are managed from the University's main campus in Richmond, VA. Local hire employees are employees of VCU in Qatar, and not employees of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

Health Benefits

Local hire employees will be provided local health insurance coverage. Qatari nationals and local hire employees sponsored by VCUQatar can avail local insurance coverage for their spouse and children.

Pay and Pay Allowances

To the greatest extent possible, all VCUQatar local positions are classified and compensated in accordance with the Qatar Foundation job classification and compensation system. Currently, the position classification system is under review. VCUQatar will provide the following allowances to each of its Local Hire employees, some of which are based on position and marital status. Employees on hourly or temporary contract are not eligible.

A. Housing: All employees receive a monthly housing allowance1 based on marital status and job position. B. Utility: Full-time or part-time annual contract employees receive a utility allowance2 C. Internet: Full-time or part-time annual contract employees receive an internet allowance per month. D. Air fare or Equivalent Allowance:

? All employees (and dependents3) are provided round trip economy annual airfare from his/her home of record (see airfare allowance guidelines), at the initiation of duties.

? Qatari employees are given one-month basic salary in lieu of the airfare allowance. ? Locally hired employees who hold travel documents instead of a passport are given one-month basic salary in

lieu of the airfare allowance.

E. Transportation: All employees receive a monthly transportation allowance based on their job classification. F. Dependent School Tuition: All full-time or part-time annual contract employees receive full tuition payment for up to

four children that are enrolled in a K-12 school or pre-school (with an accredited curriculum) in Qatar4. G. Social (Qatari Citizens Only): Qatari citizens employed by VCUQatar are, by law, members of the Qatari National

Pension Fund. Deductions and matching funds are based on their marital status.

These are general provisions. For specific benefits, exceptions and restrictions, see the appropriate policy or guideline. Emoluments are subject to change and are reviewed annually.

Notes:

1. Married employees whose spouse receives a housing allowance will receive 30% of the single rate for housing, as a housing supplement. Employees whose spouse works for a facility under Qatar Foundation or HBKU will not receive duplicate allowances.

2. Qatari citizens are not eligible for this benefit. 3. Maximum number of dependents authorized is spouse plus four children age 18 or below (up to 23 if engaged in

a full time course of study in Qatar). 4. Final values will be determined following admission. 5. 5% of each Qatari citizen's base salary and social allowance are deducted each pay period. VCUQatar provides

10% of the employee's base salary and social allowance in matching funds.

The allowances are paid directly into the employee's account on the 1st and 16th of every month unless otherwise noted.

2

Qatari National Pension Fund

Qatari citizens employed by VCUQatar are, by law, members of the Qatari National Pension Fund. Deductions and matching funds are sent monthly to the Qatar Pension Authority based on the salary and social allowance as follows:

? 5% of each Qatari citizen's base salary and social allowance are deducted each pay period. ? VCUQatar provides 10% of the employee's base salary and social allowance in matching funds.

Accidents and Injuries

VCUQatar strives to maintain a safe workplace. Employees should report any safety concerns to the VCUQatar Human Resources Director, Ms. Linda M. Carter at lmcarter@vcu.edu or 4402-0549.

VCUQatar employees receive full pay and allowances for absences due to injuries or illnesses caused by, or arising out of employment. Workplace injuries / illnesses should be reported immediately to your supervisor and HR representative.

General Work Hours, Overtime, Leave and Holidays

Full-time local hire employees are generally required to work 0800 through 1600, Sunday through Thursday with 30 minute lunch breaks. Ramadan duty hours are 0800 through 1400, Sunday through Thursday.

Work hours, meal breaks and rest breaks can be modified with prior approval from supervisor. Full-time employees are accountable for working or for having appropriate leave to cover time away from work. Hours worked and leave taken for each pay period is reported to the supervisor in accordance with the Absence Guidelines.

Circumstances occasionally may require an employee to work beyond regular work hours. Overtime must be approved by the supervisor in advance and is compensated accordingly. VCUQatar business procedures prohibit tracking overtime "off the record".

Absence Guidelines

Tardiness

Employees will be considered tardy if they fail to report to their assigned work area at their scheduled start time, including returning from breaks and lunch. Tardiness is considered an unexcused absence.

A fifteen (15) minute grace period is allowed for employees to report to their work area. An employee who is tardy three (3) or more times, will be subject to disciplinary action.

Absenteeism

An employee is considered absent when he/she is not present for work as scheduled, without prior supervisor approval and regardless of the reason. Frequent absences are subject to progressive corrective action and may lead to termination. Examples of absences include, but are not limited to:

? Not reporting to work on a scheduled day without a signed time off request from at least the day before the absence.

? Leaving work before your shift ends without a signed time off request from at least the day before.

3

? Reporting to work more than one (1) hour after your scheduled start time without a signed time off request from at least the day before or without notifying the supervisor through other means of communication.

? Use of sick time as quickly as it accrues, especially if used one day at a time and without appropriate medical documentation;

? Repeated or patterned absence on a specific day of the week; during periods of heavy workloads; before and after holidays, vacation, or after the end of annual/ sick leave, without prior supervisor approval.

Excessive absenteeism is having two (2) or more unscheduled absences within six (6) consecutive pay periods and may be subject to disciplinary action.

Leave Guidelines

It is the policy of VCUQatar to provide annual and sick leave to all salaried local hire full-time and designated part-time employees, in order to:

o Maintain continuity of pay during absences from work o Provide for the morale and welfare of employees o Provide an opportunity for mental and physical relaxation away from the work environment

Full details of the local hire leave policy, including accrual rates, maternity, Hajj and extended leave rules, can be found at local hire leave policy.

Please note that local hire employees are obligated to report leave usage (annual or sick) to the Human Resources Department via HRonCall and in a timely manner. Repeated failure to comply with leave processing deadlines may result in disciplinary action.

Holidays

The number of approved paid holidays is determined by VCU Richmond and the Governor of Virginia and will include National Sports Day, December 18 (Qatar National Day), Eid Al Fitr workdays, and Eid Al Adha workdays, and other days determined and announced by the Dean. An employee will not receive holiday pay if he/she is on an unpaid leave when the holiday occurs.

Additional holidays, including floating holidays declared by the Commonwealth of Virginia, will be announced and observed as scheduled.

Job Descriptions and Performance Management

Every VCUQatar local hire employee should have a detailed and accurate description of his/her current job. The employee's performance should be discussed on a periodic basis between the employee and manager, focusing on strengths, weaknesses, training needs and areas of improvement. To the greatest degree possible, these discussions should be collaborative, with the employee doing self-evaluation before meeting with the manager.

The job description plays a vital role in assessing the job performance of the employee and can be explained as follows:

1. Job description: Each employee and his/her manager document a job description for the employee. This document is most effective when it is an accurate job description and includes performance measures that are developed collaboratively by the employee and his/her manager. Job descriptions for the employees

4

are formalized at the beginning of their employment with VCUQatar or/ and when the employee is given additional job responsibilities or gets promoted to a new job position.

2. Employee performance is then monitored through a performance evaluation system which consists of 2 reviews; a mid-year and an annual review.

Mid-year review: At the beginning of the new academic year, each employee, regardless of position, sets performance objectives based on goals of the department. Each employee then discusses their objectives with their immediate supervisor for input and/or approval. Initial objectives should be submitted by July 31 each year. The mid-year review starts with an evaluation of the initial objectives that were laid out by the employee and the supervisor in July. This consists of a series of meetings between the employee and manager, where performance is discussed and documented; and to see if the employee is on target with the set objectives and goal. The supervisor should assist the employee in attaining the target if the employee is not on target. If the employee is on target, the supervisor documents the progress by December each year and proceeds accordingly.

Annual review: This is the formal evaluation phase and is done at the end of the academic year in May. The objectives set for that year are reviewed and discussed between the manager and employee. Again, employee self-evaluation is an effective part of the process. Objectives that were set during the year are reviewed, where the employee and the supervisor discuss the review and document the progress to determine if the targets that were set were met or not.

Sample job description and performance evaluation forms are provided in Appendix A & B.

General Policies and Guidelines

Conditions of Employment

VCUQatar will advise a prospective employee of the following conditions of employment as appropriate:

salary and allowances (quoted to and accepted by applicant in an offer letter),

pay periods and pay days,

employee holidays and benefits.

job responsibilities

VCU code of ethics

Dress code and conduct

Discrimination and Harassment Statement

VCUQatar does not discriminate against its employees and applies all policies and procedures without regard to age, race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, veteran's status, political affiliation, or disability. All employees have the right to work in an environment free from all forms of discrimination and conduct which can be considered harassing, coercive, or disruptive, including sexual harassment. Anyone engaging in discriminatory or harassing conduct will be subject to discipline, up to and including possible termination.

Please click on VCU policies for the university guidelines on Sexual Misconduct & Gender Discrimination.

5

Those with discrimination or harassment concerns should confidentially discuss them with the VCUQatar Human Resources Director, Ms. Linda M. Carter at lmcarter@vcu.edu or 4402-0549.

Misuse of VCUQatar Property and Resources

This policy is intended to cover all types of university property and services, including cars, supplies, telephones, typewriters and computer hardware and software, equipment, campus mail, electronic mail and copying facilities, products from the university, and food, drugs or chemicals available from university activities. No one shall be permitted to remove for personal use from the buildings or grounds any property belonging to the university, even though it may seem to be of no value. This includes use of university equipment such as machinery, or other equipment during off-hours when it is not needed for university operations. Telephone service and electronic mail is provided for the purpose of conducting university business.

Office, work areas, files and materials (either in written or electronic form maintained or stored on university premises or in university computers or servers) may be entered, opened or reviewed without prior notice by authorized university personnel either as part of maintenance or servicing procedures, in order to conduct university business or when there is a question about the use or misuse of university property. It is expected that due care shall be taken of university property so that full expected use is obtained.

Personal Use of Telephones

Whether local or long distance, personal calls from university telephones must not adversely affect the performance of the employee or the organization and must be of reasonable duration and frequency. Local personal telephone calls without additional cost to the university may be made and received by employees on an incidental or emergency basis as long as they are not detrimental to the interests of the university.

Long distance calls include any calls that are not local or free of charge to the university. Personal long distance calls cannot be charged to university extensions. Charging personal long distance calls is strictly prohibited and may subject the faculty, staff or student employee to disciplinary action. Any personal long distance calls are to be made at employees' own expense; e.g., charged to personal calling or credit cards, personal cell phone, pay phone, etc. Should a personal long distance call occur by accident or be necessary in the case of a personal emergency, the employee must notify their supervisor of the occurrence and promptly reimburse the expense by personal check.

Departmental offices should review monthly long distance bills for all departmental staff and take appropriate action if unauthorized use of university telephones occurs.

University Computers and E-mail

Personal use of university computers, facsimile, internet and electronic mail should be restricted to incidental and emergency use. With the increasing use of electronic communications, staff members should keep in mind that these messages and materials may be accessed as public records if located in university facilities or equipment. All communication should be done in a professional and non-discriminatory fashion.

Using the VCUQatar distribution list of VCUQ faculty and staff information for purposes other than VCUQatar business activities and VCUQatar sponsored events is strictly prohibited. Please do not use this email distribution list for personal solicitations, patriotic well wishes, sale of goods of any sort, personal invitations, holiday cheers, thank you notes, etc.

Other University Property

Departmental offices should review operating procedures and remind staff that university facilities are not to be used for personal activities. Departmental offices are also responsible for strict supervision of stamps and other office supplies. Office supplies and stamps purchased with university funds are for use for university purposes only, and are not for resale or for use for private purposes.

6

If you are aware of any abuse of resources, please notify the VCUQatar Human Resources Director, Ms. Linda M. Carter, at lmcarter@vcu.edu or 4402-0549.

Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Policy

VCUQatar intends to protect the health, safety and welfare of members of the University community and the public being served by the University.

Employees are strictly prohibited from engaging in the following acts:

Unlawful or unauthorized manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of alcohol or other drugs in the workplace, on university property, or as part of any university activity;

Impairment in the workplace from the use of alcohol or other drugs (except the use of drugs for legitimate medical purposes); and

Arriving to work under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Any employee who commits a prohibited act under this policy shall be subject to the full range of disciplinary actions, including discharge, and may be required to participate satisfactorily in an appropriate rehabilitation program.

Professional Work Ethics / Progressive Disciplinary Procedure

VCUQatar wants to encourage a safe, respectful and pleasant work atmosphere. This can happen when everyone cooperates to maintain high standards of work performance and professional conduct. VCUQatar has a progressive discipline policy that is designed to give an employee the opportunity to correct and resolve issues as they arise.

VCUQatar reserves the right to bypass progressive steps and base its disciplinary action on the severity, frequency, or combination of offenses when circumstances warrant immediate action.

An employee found engaging in the behaviors listed below will be subject to disciplinary actions up to and including termination. These examples are not all-inclusive, but are intended as examples of conduct for which specific disciplinary actions may be warranted.

Level I offenses: Abandonment of position Excessive absenteeism/ tardiness Refusing or failing to carry out any instructions of a supervisor. Ignoring or not performing work duties during working hours. Using abusive language or behavior towards a fellow employee or customer. Inappropriate use of sick/ medical leave Unacceptable quality of work Unauthorized distribution of written of printed material of any kind Violation of smoke-free environment policy Failure to adhere to the law during the holy month of Ramadan Violation of written rules, regulations, policies and procedures set by VCUQatar

Level II offenses: Using VCUQatar resources or equipment in an unauthorized, neglectful, or abusive manner. Willfully damaging, destroying, or stealing property belonging to students, employees or VCUQatar. Threatening or fighting anyone in the workplace Engaging in unlawful work stoppages, slowdown or strike Working in VCUQatar without a valid police clearance/ residence permit Working for VCUQatar while being sponsored by another company/ institution/ organization

7

 Falsification of information on the application for employment Falsifying official records Failure to maintain satisfactory or harmonious relationships with employees or supervisor (s) Impeding / Interfering with an official investigation Inappropriate interactions with student of VCUQatar/ fellow employee / visitor Malicious use of profane or disrespectful language to students of VCUQatar/ fellow employee / visitor Willfully or habitually violating safety or health regulations Possessing firearms or weapons of any kind on VCUQatar property Breaking laws of the host country Fraternizing / Proselytizing with students/ fellow employees/ other people not associated with VCUQatar in a

manner offensive to the cultural norms of the host country Coming to work under the influence of alcohol or illicit drug, or using alcohol or illicit drugs on VCUQatar

property. Intentionally giving any false or misleading information Gambling during work hours Sleeping or conducting other business not related to VCUQatar while on duty

Level I offenses may include an oral reprimand, written counseling, formal written warning and can also lead to suspension or dismissal depending on the degree of the offense and its consequences and/or the progress or improvement of the situation.

Level II offenses generally subject an employee to immediate suspension or termination, again depending on the severity of the consequences caused.

VCUQatar reserves the right to bypass progressive steps and base its disciplinary action on the severity, frequency, or combination of offenses.

When it becomes necessary to terminate an employee from VCUQatar under the progressive discipline procedures, the supervisor will notify the employee of the reason for the action and provide him/ her with an opportunity to respond before proceeding further.

Office Closing Guidelines

In the event of inclement weather or some other issue that may cause the VCUQ building to close (e.g., loss of electricity), you should contact your supervisor to find out whether to report to work. You are expected to make every effort to report for work. VCUQatar does not follow Virginia Commonwealth University or state announcements for closings. The Dean of VCUQatar makes a separate announcement if VCUQatar regular working hours are to be modified due to inclement weather or other emergency.

Professional Attire Guidelines

The professional image our employees project begins with their appearance. Staff are expected to be clean, well groomed and dressed in a manner appropriate to their position and public contact. Sensitivity to local cultural norm should be considered in the selection of dress. It is recommended that all female employees cover from shoulders to knees. Your supervisor will make final decisions about what is appropriate based on your job responsibilities. Questions regarding appropriate professional attire should be directed to your supervisor.

Layoff Policy

In the event that a VCUQatar local hire position must be eliminated, the policy is that the employee will be notified in writing, and given at least 3 months notice.

VCUQatar reserves the right to provide less or no notice when circumstances warrant immediate action.

8

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download