Nine, Ten and Eleven-Month Employment Program

Flexible Work Arrangement Proposal Form
What is the Nine, Ten and Eleven-Month Employment Program?
Payroll and Benefits Information
Guidelines for implementation
Questions and Concerns

Flexible Work Arrangement Proposal Form

FWA Proposal Form (Word)

What is the Nine, Ten and Eleven-Month Employment Program?

The University’s Nine, Ten, and Eleven-Month Employment Program is designed to promote flexibility within the work environment.

An Officer of Administration or the Libraries, or Non-Union Support Staff member, in a regular full-time position may apply for the Nine, Ten, or Eleven-Month Employment Program. 

• Staff in an eleven-month employment program maintain full-time employment status and receive regular full-time benefits such as health insurance and vacation.
• Staff in a nine or ten-month employment program maintain full-time employment status but certain benefits may be modified as per the benefits schedule detailed below.

The department is responsible for reviewing the request to participate in the Nine, Ten, or Eleven-Month program and determining whether the arrangement is operationally feasible. All flexible work arrangements (FWAs) must be approved in advance by the department. Academic departments should check with their respective Dean’s Office to ensure that they are following their school’s processes for granting FWAs.

Staff members should be advised that not all tasks are appropriate for the Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month Employment Program. Departments will determine whether to allow a staff member to participate in a Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month Employment Program case by case, and in accordance with the needs, requirements, and constraints of both the unit and the staff member.

When operationally feasible, departments may ask to designate a newly created or vacant full-time regular position as a nine, ten, or eleven-month position.

Any Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month Employment Program agreement, or any other FWA, made as a condition of employment, cannot be revoked without approval of the department head and/or Human Resources.

Payroll and Benefits Information

Salary

• Staff are paid their salaries on their regular payroll cycles over a 12-month period.

Time Off

• Vacation benefits and personal days for Nine, Ten and Eleven-Month positions will be prorated based on vacation eligibility status. Please refer to applicable policies and guidelines on paid vacation and time and attendance.
• If a University holiday falls on a day when the employee is scheduled to work the holiday will apply. If a University holiday falls on a day when the employee is not scheduled to work, the holiday will not apply and not be made up in any other way.

Retirement

• If an employee is currently receiving contributions from the University into a Columbia University Retirement Plan account before accepting a Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month salary position, he or she will continue to receive contributions in accordance with the plan rules.  If an employee is not receiving contributions prior to accepting a Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month position, retirement plan eligibility will vary.  Please contact the HR Benefits Service Center at 212-851-7000 for any questions or concerns about retirement benefits prior to hiring or placing someone into the program.

Health and Welfare

• Eleven-Month Employment Program - An employee in an eleven-month employment program maintains full-time employment status and benefits.
• Nine and Ten-Month Employment Program - For nine and ten-month programs, benefits change as follows:

Columbia University reserves the right to change, amend or terminate any benefit plans as it deems appropriate.

Please contact the HR Benefits Service Center at 212-851-7000 if you have any questions regarding benefits.

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Guidelines for implementation

Once a position has been designated a Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month position, it cannot be reverted to a regular twelve-month position:

• Within a year of being filled, if it is a newly created or vacant position; or
• Within a year of the date of agreement with an incumbent officer.
• However, a position can be reverted if business or operational needs dictate such a change, as determined by management, with Human Resources approval.

Staff on a Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month Employment Program must work the minimum number of days described below, before taking the 30, 60 or 90-day time-off period. 

• Eleven-Month Program: One complete working month
• Ten-Month Program: Two complete and consecutive working months
• Nine-Month Program: Three complete and consecutive working months

Please note: The time away from work must be taken in 30-day increments.

A Letter of Agreement must show the Nine, Ten or Eleven-Month salary, identify the payroll schedule, and identify the designated and agreed-upon 30, 60, or 90 days to be taken off.

Please be advised that in some situations, if an agreement ends prematurely, the employee may owe a portion of salary received to be determined at the time of termination. Supervisors should consult with your HR Client Manager immediately.

The department manager must submit the signed agreement, along with a job description and any relevant documentation, to the HR Client Manager for review. Upon approval, the department must forward a Personnel Action Form (PAF), along with all supporting documentation, to the existing department or school approval process.

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Questions and Concerns

If a staff member has a dispute regarding a decision under this policy, they should bring it as soon as possible to the attention of the next level of management and ultimately, if necessary, to the department head. The department and the staff member should pursue all efforts, including consultation with Human Resources, and focus on resolving concerns. Final approval and arrangements for situations covered by this policy are at the department’s discretion.

The Office of Work/Life and CUHR are responsible for administering, training and consultation for faculty, staff and others regarding FWAs.

The University strongly encourages departments to consult with their HR Client Manager during decision-making, and before responding to the staff member's request for FWAs – especially when a department is considering denying a FWA request.

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