Employees will soon be able to take advantage of a new voluntary time reduction program.

The Staff Temporary Agreement to Reduce Time (START) program will be announced in April, according to Dennis Shimek, senior associate vice chancellor for human resources. 

“It’s a win-win program that gives the campus the flexibility to meet budget demands while also giving valuable time back to employees,” Shimek said.

START would allow career status employees, with the approval of their supervisor, to voluntarily reduce their appointment or time from 10 percent to 50 percent for up to a 12-month period without losing full-time service credits in vacation, sick leave and retirement. The participation of union-represented employees is subject to collective bargaining negotiations.

“We expect to complete the programming needed to implement START during the next month,” Shimek said. “However, the logistics behind all this may result in the program not being available until May 1 or some time thereafter.”

Shimek explained that employees will not be “disadvantaged” if they sign up for START. “They will continue to accrue credits in the UC Retirement Plan, vacation and sick leave at the rate they earned them before joining START. Bottom line — if you participate in START, it won’t be counted against you in any way.”

Shimek said the program gives participants the ability time-wise to pursue educational, avocational or family-oriented interests.

And it is viewed as a “gentler” alternative to involuntary reductions in time or pay.

The advantages of the program for the university include short-term salary savings. And by reducing hours for a set number of employees, the need for layoffs is minimized.

The state of California has entered a difficult budget period. State revenues are down substantially, and many areas of the UC system are bracing for spending reductions in the year ahead.

In January, the UC Board of Regents granted the Office of the President the authority to develop a time-reduction program. “Since then we’ve been working out the details,” said Shimek.

He said time reductions are a popular issue these days. “Many folks would like to work at 80 percent of their current work load.”

Supervisors will need to be able to exercise good judgment in adjusting the workloads of employees who participate in START, Shimek said. It’s critical to be aware of the consequences of shifting work loads to employees who are at their full-time appointment levels.

At the conclusion of their START program, employees will return to the number of hours they worked before.

Shimek said there won’t be any “first come, first served” approach to START. It’s likely that employees will have a time frame, perhaps of 30 or so days, to apply. At the end, supervisors will assess their needs and decide who may participate in START without basing it on the timing of applications.

In the early 1990s, the university also enacted time reduction programs — TRIP I and TRIP II — in the midst of a budget crisis. Estimated salary savings for TRIP I and TRIP II were $10.3 million and $11.6 million, respectively, in today’s dollars, according to Shimek.

In February, Shimek announced other new guidelines including:

• Hiring restrictions with all vacancies needing approval by the relevant dean or vice chancellor;

• Internal recruitment for all staff positions;

• Internal/external recruitment when there is a high likelihood that internal pools may not be sufficiently diverse. However, internal applicants will be given first consideration; and

• Retraining or training for employees who have been laid off and wish to re-enter the campus work force.

“We’re going to stretch ourselves to make sure people are working and protected in their jobs,” Shimek said.