(a) The head of each agency, with respect to each full-time employee to whom this subpart applies, shall establish by a written agency policy statement:

(1) A basic workweek of 40 hours which does not extend over more than 6 of any 7 consecutive days. Except as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the written agency policy statement shall specify the days and hours within the administrative workweek that constitute the basic workweek.

(2) A regularly scheduled administrative workweek that consists of the 40-hour basic workweek established in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this section, plus the period of regular overtime work, if any, required of each employee. Except as provided in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section, the written agency policy statement, for purposes of leave and overtime pay administration, shall specify by days and hours of each day the periods included in the regularly scheduled administrative workweek that do not constitute a part of the basic workweek.

(b) When it is impracticable to prescribe a regular schedule of definite hours of duty for each workday of a regularly scheduled administrative workweek, the head of an agency may establish the first 40 hours of duty performed within a period of not more than 6 days of the administrative workweek as the basic workweek. A first 40-hour tour of duty is the basic workweek without the requirement for specific days and hours within the administrative workweek. All work performed by an employee within the first 40 hours is considered regularly scheduled work for premium pay and hours of duty purposes. Any additional hours of officially ordered or approved work within the administrative workweek are overtime work.

(c) (1) When an employee is paid additional pay under section 5545(c)(1) of title 5, United States Code, his regularly scheduled administrative workweek is the total number of regularly scheduled hours of duty a week.

(2) When an employee has a tour of duty which includes a period during which he remains at or within the confines of his station in a standby status rather than performing actual work his regularly scheduled administrative workweek is the total number of regularly scheduled hours of duty a week, including time in a standby status except that allowed for sleep and meals by a written agency policy statement.

(d) When the head of an agency establishes a flexible or compressed work schedule under section 6122 or section 6127 of title 5, United States Code, he or she shall establish a basic work requirement for each employee as defined in section 6121 of title 5, United States Code. A flexible or compressed work schedule is a scheduled tour of duty and all work performed by an employee within the basic work requirement is considered regularly scheduled work for premium pay and hours of duty purposes.

This subpart applies to each employee to whom subpart A of part 550 applies and to each employee whose pay is fixed and adjusted from time to time under section 5343 or 5349 of title 5, United States Code, or by a wage board or similar administrative authority serving the same purpose.

In this subpart:

Administrative workweek means any period of 7 consecutive 24-hour periods designated in advance by the head of the agency under section 6101 of title 5, United States Code.

Agency means an Executive agency and a military department as defined by sections 105 and 102 of title 5, United States Code.

Basic workweek, for full-time employees, means the 40-hour workweek established in accordance with § 610.111.

Employee means an employee of an agency to whom this subpart applies.

Head of agency means the head of an agency or an official who has been delegated the authority to act for the head of the agency in the matter concerned.

Regularly scheduled administrative workweek, for a full-time employee, means the period within an administrative workweek, established in accordance with § 610.111, within which the employee is regularly scheduled to work. For a part-time employee, it means the officially prescribed days and hours within an administrative workweek during which the employee is regularly scheduled to work.

Regularly scheduled work means work that is scheduled in advance of an administrative workweek under an agency's procedures for establishing workweeks in accordance with § 610.111.

Tour of duty means the hours of a day (a daily tour of duty) and the days of an administrative workweek (a weekly tour of duty) that constitute an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek.

(a) Except when the head of an agency determines that the agency would be seriously handicapped in carrying out its functions or that costs would be substantially increased, he or she shall provide that—

(1) Assignments to tours of duty are scheduled in advance of the administrative workweek over periods of not less than 1 week;

(2) The basic 40-hour workweek is scheduled on 5 days, Monday through Friday when possible, and the 2 days outside the basic workweek are consecutive;

(3) The working hours in each day in the basic workweek are the same;

(4) The basic nonovertime workday may not exceed 8 hours;

(5) The occurrence of holidays may not affect the designation of the basic workweek; and

(6) Breaks in working hours of more than 1 hour may not be scheduled in a basic workday.

(b)(1) The head of an agency shall schedule the work of his or her employees to accomplish the mission of the agency. The head of an agency shall schedule an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek so that it corresponds with the employee's actual work requirements.

(2) When the head of an agency knows in advance of an administrative workweek that the specific days and/or hours of a day actually required of an employee in that administrative workweek will differ from those required in the current administrative workweek, he or she shall reschedule the employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek to correspond with those specific days and hours. The head of the agency shall inform the employee of the change, and he or she shall record the change on the employee's time card or other agency document for recording work.

(3) If it is determined that the head of an agency should have scheduled a period of work as part of the employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek and failed to do so in accordance with paragraphs (b) (1) and (2) of this section, the employee shall be entitled to the payment of premium pay for that period of work as regularly scheduled work under subpart A of part 550 of this chapter. In this regard, it must be determined that the head of the agency: (i) Had knowledge of the specific days and hours of the work requirement in advance of the administrative workweek, and (ii) had the opportunity to determine which employee had to be scheduled, or rescheduled, to meet the specific days and hours of that work requirement.

(a) Notwithstanding § 610.121, the head of an agency may authorize a special tour of duty of not less than 40 hours to permit an employee to take one or more courses in a college, university, or other educational institution when it is determined that:

(1) The courses being taken are not training under chapter 41 of title 5, United States Code;

(2) The rearrangement of the employee's tour of duty will not appreciably interfere with the accomplishment of the work required to be performed;

(3) Additional costs for personal services will not be incurred; and

(4) Completion of the courses will equip the employee for more effective work in the agency.

(b) The agency may not pay to the employee any premium pay solely because the special tour of duty authorized under this section causes the employee to work on a day, or at a time during the day, for which premium pay would otherwise be payable.

(c) OPM may from time to time request an agency to report on the use of this authority.

Insofar as practicable travel during nonduty hours shall not be required of an employee. When it is essential that this be required and the employee may not be paid overtime under § 550.112(e) of this chapter the official concerned shall record his reasons for ordering travel at those hours and shall, upon request, furnish a copy of his statement to the employee concerned.