I l l i n o i s S t a t e U n i ve r s i t y
POSITIVE TIME REPORTING
FAQ
Q:
What is “positive time reporting”?
A:
Pursuant to The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (SOEEA) employees are required to
submit monthly data reports documenting the time they spent on official University business
rather than list the time the employee was off work due to illness, vacation, or other types of
leave.
Q:
What University employees are required to participate in positive time reporting?
A:
Only administrative professional (AP) and exempt civil service (those not eligible for over-time)
employees are required to participate. Faculty are not required to participate. Hourly civil
service employees’ timekeeping is already compliant with the SOEEA.
Q:
How does someone positively report their time?
A:
Starting July 1st, employees required to positively report their time will utilize the iPeople
electronic reporting tool to report time spent on University business. The link to the reporting
website is https://tools.illinoisstate.edu. This link includes an online training tool to assist
you in learning the iPeople positive time reporting system.
Q:
If I am currently reporting leave time and benefits usage in another system, should I continue to
do so?
A:
Yes. The positive time reporting system is a stand-alone system created for the sole purpose of
bringing the University into compliance with the SOEEA. The positive time reporting system
does not replace the vacation and sick leave time reporting system nor any reporting activities
associated with grants and contracts. The system is independent of other mandated reporting
systems. Each pay period you will need to complete two reports: (1) a positive time report representing the amount of time spent on official University business, and (2) a report indicating
the use of your vacation and/or sick-leave time.
Q:
What is “official University business”?
A:
Official University business is the amount of time you spend each day that represents your workrelated contributions to Illinois State University. Beyond the 7.5 hours an employee spends on
“official University business” in the office, an employee may spend additional time on “official
University business” by reading/responding to email and/or telephone calls at home or other off
campus locations as well as the entire time spent traveling on University related business.
Q:
What documentation do I need to demonstrate I was working on official University business out
side of the office?
A:
None. Employees are asked to use their best judgment and make a good-faith effort to identify
the amount of time they spend on official University business on a given day. No
documentation is required to demonstrate time spent on official University business. Accurate
time reporting is each employees’ individual responsibility.
Q:
How will the data that is collected be used?
A:
Data collected in the positive time tool will be used by the Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics,
and Access to affirm that Illinois State University is in compliance with the SOEEA.
Q:
Will my supervisor have access to the positive time reporting data?
A:
Supervisors will not have access to the data collected in the positive time reporting system. The
University Ethics Officer will only share employee data with a supervisor in the event an
employee is not complying with the positive time reporting requirement.
Q:
As a supervisor, will I be responsible for verifying my employee’s time?
A:
No.
Q:
How often am I required to report my time?
A:
A time report must be submitted at least once for a pay period, however, an employee may
submit their time on a daily, bi-weekly, or weekly basis should they prefer.
Q:
How do I report my time if I am out of the office or on leave?
A:
If you will be off work for an extended period of time you are encouraged to report your time as
soon as possible upon your return.
Q:
What happens if I make an error and inaccurately report my time?
A:
So long as the employee is demonstrating a good faith effort to comply with the positive time
reporting requirement there will be no sanction, discipline, or cause for concern. Should an
error be detected please make the corrections necessary to accurately reflect the time spent on
official University business and resubmit your time.
Q:
How long will positive time reports be kept?
A:
The State Records Act requires this data to be kept for two years.
Q:
Is this data subject to Freedom of Information Act requests?
A:
Yes.
Q:
When reporting time, how do I report a portion of an hour?
A:
According to the SOEEA, time should be reported in quarter-hour increments. Of that quarter
hour, 8 minutes or more shall be rounded to the next quarter hour. For example, an employee
works from 8:00AM to 4:53PM taking a one hour lunch break. The employee should report 8
hours worked that day.
Q:
Should time spent commuting from home to work be reported as time spent working on official
University business?
A:
No, unless during the commute time the employee is engaged in official University business
such as responding to email messages and/or making phone calls regarding official University
business.
Q:
Should time spent traveling to work-related functions such as meetings, conferences, and
official office functions be reported as working on official University business?
A:
Yes.
Q:
Should exempt civil service employees record contractual or department approved rest periods
as time worked?
A:
Yes.
Q:
Should meal periods such as a lunch hour be included in the amount of time I record spent on
official University business?
A:
Generally no. However, should you work on official University business while on your lunch
break or attend a work-related meeting where lunch is served then the hour should be recorded
as work.
Q:
Should employees record time designated as University holidays, administrative closure days,
or paid/unpaid leave days?
A:
No, unless an employee spends any of that time conducting official University business.
Q:
If I am using leave time (sick/vacation/workers compensation/FMLA) should I still report my
time in the iPeople Positive Time Reporting system?
A:
Yes. However, rather than reporting positive time you would report 0 hours for the day you
conducted no official University business.
Q:
What if I have a question that wasn’t listed on this FAQ?
A:
Questions regarding the iPeople reporting tool should be directed to the Enterprise Services
Desk at 8-3308. All other questions should be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity,
Ethics, and Access at [email protected] or 8-3383.