Impact of Employee Workshare Program on Your Pension Benefit

June 3, 2020 / Updated June 26, 2020: The Rhode Island Department of Administration (DOA) and some municipalities have announced that it will implement a voluntary WorkShare program for employees to assist in closing budget deficits. The program connects employees with the Unemployment Insurance WorkShare program to replace wages lost due to a reduction in work hours.

A participating employee will work at their regular job 3 days per week, or 60% of their regular schedule. They will be paid 60% of their normal pay. At the same time, the employee can enroll in the WorkShare program, which will provide compensation for the other 40% of the employee’s time.

Employees can learn more about this program by contacting their manager, or by going to the DOA website.

Note: Municipal employees should contact their employer for details. For State employees, the WorkShare program is scheduled to take place over 12 weeks, from June 14, 2020 - September 5, 2020 (6 pay periods). The maximum number of unworked days will be 24.

For some employees, participating in the WorkShare program may affect your pension benefit.  You can find more information at ERSRI's 2020 WorkShare page or by downloading this information sheet.