BRIEF

Policy Summary

This policy describes the use of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) funds designated for division activities and employee activity clubs that promote employee morale and support recreational, cultural, educational, and social activities.

Who Should Read This Policy

This policy applies to Berkeley Lab management and staff who use employee morale funds.

Contact Information

EAA Administrator

[email protected]

POLICY

A. Purpose

This policy describes the use of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) funds designated for division activities and employee activity clubs that promote employee morale and support recreational, cultural, educational, and social activities.

B. Persons Affected

This policy applies to Berkeley Lab management and staff who use employee morale funds.

C. Exceptions

Requests that exceed what is allowed under current policy or that are not expressly addressed by current policy are considered exceptions to policy. A request for an exception to policy requires, at a minimum, the approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

D. Policy Statement

1. General. Under the terms set forth in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and University of California Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 (Contract 31), Berkeley Lab may support certain programs designed to enhance morale. These programs may include athletic, cultural, and family activities.
2. Types of Employee Morale Funds. Berkeley Lab manages two programs in this area:
   1. Division Morale Funds. Berkeley Lab may pay for or reimburse costs for meals or light refreshments associated with division-wide morale-building and appreciation activities that serve a Berkeley Lab business purpose. Examples of such occasions include annual division-wide staff picnics and holiday gatherings.
   2. Employee Activity Clubs
      1. Berkeley Lab may provide funds to form and support employee activity clubs for athletic, cultural, and recreational interest activities.
      2. All club activities must be conducted outside of normal working hours.
      3. Clubs may have conditional and limited access to the following Berkeley Lab resources for the purpose of announcing meetings and events of Employee Activities Association (EAA)-supported activities, and may not be used for other nonwork-related purposes. Violations of the above provisions may result in revocation of a club's supported status.
         • Meeting rooms
         • Internal mail system
         • E-mail system
         • Local phone system
         • Department copy machines
         • Berkeley Lab Events Calendar
         • Open bulletin boards
         • Official bulletin boards (when space is available)
3. Employee Activities Association. The EAA, under the direction of the Human Resources Division, will authorize and manage the funding for employee morale activities. For more information on the EAA, see the EAA website.
4. Use of Employee Morale Funds
   1. Authority. Spending of employee morale funds must comply with Appendix A of Contract 31 and EAA Spending Guidelines.
   2. Budget. Employee morale activity costs must be limited to the annual authorized budget established by the EAA. If annual costs exceed the authorized budget or the approved expenditure request, the overage must be reimbursed to Berkeley Lab using private funds. If annual activity costs are below the authorized budget, the remaining fiscal year funds will be returned to the institutional employee morale fund. Remaining funds may not be transferred to another project ID or used for future activities.
   3. Cost Allowability. Divisions/clubs will not be reimbursed for any unallowable items. Individuals who purchase unallowable items will be personally responsible for any costs incurred. If a division/club purchases unallowable or restricted items, it may affect the distribution of current and future funding allocations. See the Procurement & Property Department Web site and/or the Cost Allowability policy for specifics on unallowable and restricted items.
   4. Under no circumstances may employee morale funds be used for occasions such as employee retirements, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, or other occasions of a personal nature.
   5. Although employee morale activity participants may include family members and guests, employee morale funding may be used only for current Berkeley Lab employees.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

None

H. Implementing Documents

See the EAA website.

I. Contact Information

For more information, contact the EAA Administrator at [email protected]
Feedback on HR policies is welcomed. Send comments to [email protected].

J. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

Contract 31, Attachment J.1, Appendix A, Advance Understandings on Human Resources, Section IX – Employee Programs, (e)(1)

Implementing Documents

See the EAA website.