Work Schedule and Regular Business Hours
This webpage is designed to help orient employees to the terminology, policies, and expectations surrounding work schedules and service/operation hours.
Fall 2025 Business Hours
The Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees has approved a revision to Policy 402: Regular Business Hours. The policy establishes standard regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Beginning in September 2025, all Seattle Colleges units and operations are expected to offer in-person service Monday through Thursday during regular business hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Fridays, units and operations may, where appropriate, offer virtual services during regular business hours in lieu of in-person services.
The appointing authority for each college (the president) can direct offices to schedule additional service/operating hours to support students, the community, and other units. The appointing authority for Siegal Center is the chancellor.
Supervisors will determine the number of employees required to meet the adequate level of service, both in-person and virtual. Supervisors will also work with employees to determine their individual work schedule.
Please note:
- Classes may be offered before, during, or after regular business hours. Faculty work schedules will continue to be determined by the class sections they are assigned to teach.
- Fall 2025 business hours and work schedules will begin on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and be in effect until further notice. (Note: Monday, September 1, is the Labor Day holiday.)
- Approval to telecommute remains the purview of the unit supervisor.
- Any virtual-only services and services beyond Friday require the approval of the chancellor/president.
- Work schedules with more than two remote working days require the approval of the chancellor/president. (For more info, refer to Policy 447 for the telecommuting policy and related procedure.)
Terminology and Definitions
Per Policy 402, Seattle Colleges’ regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. These are general, baseline times we offer to the community.
Service/operation hours are the time departments are available to support students, the community, and other units.
- Example: campus grounds and certain buildings are often open beyond regular business hours to accommodate classroom instruction and community use.
An employee schedule is different from service hours. Employees work with their supervisor to determine their schedule. The supervisor balances an employee’s work mode (telecommuting, in-person, and virtual), their work schedule, and the need to fulfill a department’s service hours.
- Example: if a business is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., it does not mean all employees work those hours. Rather, the supervisor assigns shifts to ensure that the open hours are staffed adequately.
In-person services are when offices are open for face-to-face interaction on campus.
Virtual services are when offices are available for phone, email, chat, and Zoom, Teams, etc.