Author: Rachel Spence

The Staff Senate has received questions, comments, and concerns from constituents about changing circumstances with federal support for higher education.

As we continue to navigate this dynamic environment, more messages from University senior leadership will be coming in the days and weeks ahead to help our community navigate the emerging landscape. There is also a new web page called Federal Compliance Updates on our University News site where the latest university guidance and verified federal government instruction on compliance are being posted.

We encourage you to monitor this site for news and timely updates from University leadership.

In addition to constituent questions that were presented to the President, some of the pre-submitted questions for our February meeting were passed on to representatives from HR for their response.

Could the university expand the number of tuition exemption credits for staff to take courses at the university? 

We offer a robust and competitive tuition exemption program for employees. The program and the number of tuition exemption credits employees can take per semester are designed to consider various factors, including workload, departmental needs, and overall employee well-being. We understand that flexibility and support are key to fostering a positive work environment, and we strive to balance these elements. We are always committed to staying informed about current trends and best practices, and we appreciate your feedback and suggestions as we continue to enhance our offerings.

Could the university offer an hour lunch break for staff instead of 30 minutes?

Department of Human Resources Management Policy 1.25 (pdf) “Hours of Work,” states that a 30-minute unpaid lunch break shall be afforded for employees who work at least 6 consecutive hours.  Employees seeking to extend their lunch break are encouraged to talk to their supervisor about flexible work options, with the following key points in mind:

• • Discretionary breaks (two fifteen-minute breaks) may be granted to employees who work an eight-hour day or longer.
  • The lunch period is not counted as hours worked.
  • Discretionary breaks cannot be added to the 30-minute lunch break.

An example of how this could work, with supervisor approval, might be:

• • Begin work at 8:00 am
  • Break 10:15 am
  • Lunch 12-1 pm (30 minute unpaid + 30 minute flextime)
  • Break 2:15 pm
  • End day at 5:00 pm

A reminder that employees with flexible work agreements must have a flexible work agreement on file.

Will more vacant Classified positions be filled? Some employees are taking on the job responsibilities for employees who have left George Mason and doing the work on top of their current roles. This is not sustainable in the long run.

We understand this is an ongoing challenge across the university. We continue to encourage employees and supervisors to have conversations about workload, prioritization, and strategies for streamlining or making processes more efficient. Please check MasonLEAPS for learning opportunities related to holding 1:1 conversations, self-advocacy, and change management. For support in discussing workload with your supervisor, please reach out to Employee Relations at [email protected].

In lieu of larger pay increases than what we currently receive, is offering additional time off/holiday pay something the administration has considered?  

Each year, our senior leadership team works with HR to review the Commonwealth’s holiday calendar with the goal of providing a 2-week winter break where possible. In order to create the winter break we enjoy at the university, certain holidays (such as President’s Day) are shifted to be observed in December. There are times where administration supplements the holidays granted by the Commonwealth to extend winter break by granting additional holiday leave; this leave comes at an operating cost to the university, so this decision is made based on complex factors, but please know this suggestion is part of the decision-making process at George Mason.

Additional questions were raised about the tuition benefit and subsequent tax implications. These concerns will be passed on to Payroll and we hope to have feedback to share at either the March meeting or the next newsletter.