POLICY GUIDE

Q Status and Layoff Issues

Covered employees may be either full-time or part-time. Full-time employees may be in either F ( full time classified, 100% employee working 9, 10 or 11 months ) or Q ( full-time classified 80% to 99.99% employee working 12 months ) status. For most purposes, F and Q employees are treated the same; full state contribution to health insurance is a major example of the same treatment. In a few situations, however, such as annualized salary, employees in Q status are not identical to F employees.

Q employees are considered full-time in applying the layoff sequence that affects first wage employees, then least senior part-time restricted employees and on through least senior full-time employees . Thus, in this sequence (detailed in Policy 1.30, Layoff), F and Q employees are both treated as full-time classified employees.

However, in making placements to employees who may face layoff, Q employees may be offered viable F positions. There is no guarantee that another Q position will be available.

Employees may decline placement opportunities that negatively impact salary. For example: A Q employee at 80% is paid $32,000 per year. His/her annualized salary is $40,000. An offer of an F position with a salary of $35,000 would be considered a reduction in annualized salary.

Accordingly, if the Q employee declines an F position that does not negatively impact salary or require relocation, that employee forfeits further layoff and severance benefits and is placed on separation-layoff.

Agencies wishing to change an existing, filled F position to Q status for budgetary or other reasons are reminded that such a change requires the consent of the employee in the position . Q status must either be stated in the position posting as a condition of employment or offered as an option to an existing employee. If the agency changes a position from F to Q without the employee's consent, the employee (if otherwise eligible) will qualify for layoff and severance benefits.

Liberal Leave Terminology Discontinued

The term “liberal leave” has been used in several past DHRM communications in connection with potential or perceived threats to employee safety (e.g., September 11, 2001) and during hazardous weather conditions that caused concern but did not necessitate the closure of state offices. Although this term never appeared in state human resource policy, it was formally interpreted by DHRM in a 2003 Policy Guide to mean that supervisors should be “generous” in approving unplanned annual leave requests in the event of identified potential or perceived threats to employee safety. While “Liberal leave” did not create an additional type of paid leave, some confusion resulted from the use of this term.

Accordingly, the term “liberal leave” will no longer be used in advisory communications of this nature. Instead, DHRM will reference appropriate policies to ensure that employees who leave work under these circumstances are treated consistently within and across agencies. As with any leave request, the employee's supervisor should approve the request unless there are compelling business reasons why the leave cannot be approved.

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