Regulations for Flexible Working Hours

The employer, having regard to Article 5.6 of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO-NU), has adopted the following regulations.

Article 1 Flexible working time

1. Flexible working time entails that the employee makes a written agreement with their supervisor on an annual basis which deviates from the standard working time of 38 hours per week. The deviation on a full-time basis amounts to 2 hours per week. There are two flexible working time options, namely:
   a. the plus option: the employee receives 96 compensation hours on a full-time basis if he or she works 40 hours per week;
   b. the minus option: the employee relinquishes 96 holiday leave hours on a full-time basis if he or she works 36 hours per week.
2. The flexible working time options for part-timers are included in the annex to these regulations.
3. The compensation hours worked additionally are deemed to have been taken in the calendar year in which they arose.

Article 2 Entitlement to flexible working time

Participants in the senior staff scheme or the Vitality Pact, student assistants, standby staff and other employees who work on a reimbursement basis, are excluded from the flexible working time scheme. All other employees within the meaning of the CAO are eligible, subject the provisions of the following articles.

Article 3 Eligibility conditions for the plus option

Entitlement to the plus option of the flexible working time scheme can only be exercised if:

a. as from 31 December of the previous calendar year, there is no holiday entitlement in excess of 80 hours on a full-time basis. This does not include the holiday leave hours saved up by the employee for an extended consecutive leave period. However, the employee needs to have made a written agreement with his/her supervisor regarding this leave period;

b. the employee makes written agreements with his/her supervisor on the implementation of the flexible working time for the forthcoming calendar year. If the employee does not conclude any agreements, the working week will consist of five 8-hour working days. It is not possible to agree on 9-hour working days, unless the employee makes a written agreement with his/her supervisor to that effect and provided the working pattern is also in the department’s interest. In principle, a working day amounts to a maximum of 8 hours.

Article 4 Eligibility conditions for the minus option

Entitlement to the plus option of the flexible working time scheme can only be exercised if:

a. no problems arise in the conduct of business, including capacity problems, work scheduling problems, or problems in the field of security;

b. the employee makes written agreements with his/her supervisor on the implementation of the flexible working time for the forthcoming calendar year. If the employee does not make these agreements, the working week will consist of four 8-hour working days and one 4-hour working day. It is not possible to agree on a working week of four 9-hour working days, unless the employee makes a written agreement with his/her supervisor to that effect and provided the working pattern is also in the department’s interest. In principle, a working day amounts to a maximum of 8 hours.

Article 5 Request, application procedure and decision

1.  The employee will discuss his/her preferred option with his/her direct supervisor.
2. The agreements made between the employee and his/her direct supervisor are recorded in writing on the appropriate form, a copy of which will be sent to the personnel office concerned.
3. The supervisor will ensure that the hours worked more or fewer in the forthcoming calendar year are entered and processed in the leave system at the beginning of that year according to the annex to these regulations.

Article 6 Effective date

These Flexible Working Time Regulations of Radboud University are in effect as of 31 December 2019.