C. Daily and weekly work schedules can be modified at the City s discretion to meet changing operational needs.

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1 City of Winder Personnel Policy Manual Title: Attendance and Leave Date Issued: 3/13, 10/18 Policy: Purpose The purpose of this policy is to ensure that employees are properly informed of attendance and leave requirements and are compensated when following proper protocol Hours of Work A. Standard hours of work shall be set by each department head and shall be dictated by the nature and volume of the work to be performed to provide satisfactory service to the public. B. Buildings and locations open to the public shall be staffed Monday through Friday from the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. unless authorized by the City Administrator and excluding City holidays. C. Daily and weekly work schedules can be modified at the City s discretion to meet changing operational needs Attendance A. All employees shall be provided standard work hours or an assigned shift at minimum of one (1) week in advance. If an employee is uncertain of their assign work schedule, it shall be the responsibility of the employee to contact their supervisor. B. Employee attendance is critical for the effective delivery of City of Winder services to our citizens and absenteeism may affect the ability to meet department or City objectives. Therefore, employees are relied upon to attend scheduled work on time or provide a minimum of one (1) hour of notice when they are not able to attend work. C. Excessive tardiness is defined as being late to work, coming back late from breaks, or lunch, more than six (6) times in any ninety (90) day period. D. Excessive absenteeism is defined as three (3) or more instances of unexcused absence in a ninety (90) day period. E. An employee s absence will be deemed unexcused when an employee fails to notify their immediate supervisor, department head, or department designee beyond thirty (30) minutes of their scheduled start time. An employee reporting to work one (1) hour or more following the employee s scheduled start time may be sent home by the supervisor without pay.

2 F. An employee shall provide notice to their immediate supervisor prior to leaving work before their scheduled time or extending any meal/break periods. Failure to obtain approval shall be deemed as an unexcused absence. G. An employee absent from the job without notification for three (3) consecutive workdays may be considered to have resigned their position, unless exigent circumstances are presented in writing to the Personnel Officer. 1) The employee may be placed on suspension without pay until a determination regarding exigent circumstances is made by the Personnel Officer. 2) If the exigent circumstance request is granted, the employee may be allowed to use sick or vacation time for missed work. H. Employees must receive advanced approval from their supervisor prior to reassigning any shifts or scheduled work days to another employee or working an alternative schedule. I. Each department head shall be responsible for the attendance of all employees in the department and shall assist the Human Resource Department in keeping complete attendance records including vacation leave, sick leave, overtime, etc. J. Employees while out on workers compensation, sick leave, family medical leave, or unpaid leave for at least 50% of the scheduled work month shall not accumulate sick leave Sick Leave Accrual A. Eligibility All permanent full-time employees, after three (3) full months of continuous employment are eligible to earn vacation leave as outlined in this policy. Sick leave will be earned on the fourth (4 th ) month of service. Temporary, contracted, and part-time employees are not eligible for sick leave. Length of Service Monthly Accrual Annual Accrual 4 months plus 6 hours 72 hours Maximum carryover 2,160 Fire Department employees assigned 2,756 annual hours Length of Service Monthly Accrual Annual Accrual 4 months plus 8 hours 96 hours Maximum carryover 2,880 hours 10/3/2018 Page 2 of 12 City of Winder

3 B. Change in status - When an employee changes permanent status from a fire department employee on a 2,756-hour schedule to an administrative schedule, the City will adjust the amount of sick leave transferred to the new position and vice a versa if an employee moves from an administrative position to a 2,756 schedule. C. Sick leave shall be accrued on the last day of each month Granting of Sick Leave A. An employee eligible for sick leave shall be granted leave for the following reasons: 1. Medical appointments, dental appointments, personal illness, or physical incapacity of an employee. 2. Enforced quarantine of the employee in accordance with community health regulations. 3. Care of an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, grandparent, or grandchild). 4. Documented closure of a day care facility due to inclement weather or exigent circumstance. Not applicable to scheduled holidays, normal teacher workdays or teacher conferences. 5. The City Administrator and/or the Personnel Officer may grant sick leave for other purposes on a case by case basis. B. Sick leave shall be taken on an hour for hour basis in accordance with the scheduled work period for which the leave is granted. Employees are not authorized to use a greater amount of sick leave than what is considered needed to supplement (make whole) their standard pay shift (i.e. 8, 12, 24 hours). C. Blackout Periods - Department heads, managers or assigned supervisors have the right to identify blackout periods where sick leave requests shall not be permitted for scheduled medical or dental appointments. Supervisors shall notify all employees in writing of designated blackout periods ninety (90) day in advance Reporting Sick Leave A. For unscheduled sick leave, all employees who intend to be absent from work, must contact their immediate supervisor no later than one (1) hour prior to the commencement of the scheduled shift. B. Department heads shall contact the City Administrator and a member of their staff of any unscheduled sick leave no later than one (1) hour prior to the commencement of the schedule shift. 10/3/2018 Page 3 of 12 City of Winder

4 C. Failure to report as required herein, may be cause for denial of sick leave with pay for the period of absence Reporting to Work while Sick A. It s not good for the employee s health to attend work when showing signs of the flu or other potential airborne illness. Exposure to others when contagious may place customers, other employers and visitors at risk who may come into contact with a sick or infected employee. B. If an employee reports to work with visible symptoms of a cold or flu to include but not limited to: runny nose, fever, sneezing, excessive coughing, or chills the supervisor shall request that the employee leave work in order to maintain the wellness of the other employees and the public. C. Employees in a first responder role that report to work while showing symptoms of an infectious disease or airborne illness or knowingly has been diagnosed as contagious shall be subject to disciplinary actions. D. In the event the employee disputes the supervisors finding of illness, the employee shall immediately obtain a medical certificate/note indicating that the employee is not contagious and in good health. If a medical certificate/note clears the employee of illness, the employee shall not be charged for missed time Physician s Certificate A medical certificate/note signed by a licensed physician may be required by the department head or the Personnel Officer to substantiate a request for sick leave for: 1. Any period of absence consisting of three (3) or more consecutive work days. 2. Sick leave of any duration, if absence from duty recurs frequently or habitually, provided the employee has been notified in writing that a certificate/note will be required upon return to work. 3. To support the use of time away from work when sick leave has been exhausted Sick Leave on Termination of Employment A. Employees who retire from active City employment may receive retirement benefits for any accrued sick leave in accordance with City Council approved retirement sick leave exchange guidelines. B. Employees separated from City employment for reasons other than retirement, shall not receive payment or other benefits for accumulated sick leave. 10/3/2018 Page 4 of 12 City of Winder

5 65.19 Donating Sick Leave A. An employee granted FMLA to care for a spouse, child, parent, or any dependent family member may receive a maximum of 120 hours of sick leave from employees. B. All requests shall be made in writing to the Personnel Officer when requesting FMLA paperwork. Employees donating and receiving time shall be required to complete a donation form. C. All donations shall be voluntary. Employees wishing to donate hours must retain a minimum of eighty-four (84) for personal illness Release to Duty Verification A. An employee returning to duty after being out for the following health condition: 1) FMLA, 2) surgery, 3) birth of a child, 4) worker compensation claim, 5) where the employee was prescribed narcotics/pain medication, 6) or other condition requiring a medical release from work, must provide a written release from the treating physician indicating the employee's ability to return to duty, stipulating any type of restrictions, and the date of the employee's release from medical care. B. If no restrictions are specified, the supervisor is to send a copy of the release to the human resources department. C. If restrictions are specified, the employee must contact the human resources department to determine if accommodations can be made. The department head shall consult with the Personnel Officer to determination if the employee can perform essential duties assigned. D. An employee who is unable to perform all essential duties after being out of work for an extend period of time, should inquire about selected/provided Disability Insurance (if applicable) Holidays Holidays observed by the City of Winder shall include: New Year s Day MLK Birthday Labor Day Independence Day Memorial Day Thanksgiving Day Day after Thanksgiving Christmas Eve* Christmas Day A. Full-time employees shall receive a standard 8 hours of pay per holiday. 10/3/2018 Page 5 of 12 City of Winder

6 B. Full-time non-exempt employees scheduled to work on a City holiday will be paid an additional hour of holiday pay for every hour worked over eight (8) hours. 1. When scheduled to work on the actual holiday. For holidays that follow a fixed date (i.e. 4 th of July) when the 4 th of July falls on a Saturday and the City observed the holiday on Friday, only employees who actually work on the 4 th of July will be paid additional hours of holiday pay. 2. Holidays are based on the employees start time. Example: if an employee is scheduled to work a twelve (12) hour shift starting on Christmas Day/Dec. 25 th at 7:00 p.m. and ending the shift at 7:00 a.m. on Dec. 26 th that employee would receive twelve (12) hours of holiday pay. C. Exempt employees required to work on-site on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day will receive eight (8) hours of administrative leave in lieu of the lost holiday pay. Received administrative leave will be required to be used within ninety (90) days or be forfeited. D. Employees wishing to observe a religious holiday not observed by the City shall notify their supervisor and request vacation leave. E. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, it will typically be observed on the following Monday; holidays falling on Saturday will typically be observed the preceding Friday. Holiday schedules may be altered by City Council. * When Christmas Eve naturally falls on a Sunday, the holiday may be observed the Tuesday following a Monday Christmas Day Vacation Leave A. Eligibility All permanent full-time employees, after three (3) full months of continuous employment are eligible to earn vacation leave as outlined in this policy. Vacation will be earned on the fourth (4 th ) month of service. Any eligible employee who terminates prior to completing (4) months of continual service is deemed to have accrued no vacation leave. Temporary, contracted, and part-time employees are not eligible for vacation leave. B. Accrual Carryover - Unused but accrued vacation may be carried over to the subsequent year up to the defined maximum carryover. Vacation leave more than the maximum amounts will not be accumulated. C. Accrual of Vacation Leave Full-time, eligible employees are eligible to accrue in accordance to one of the three schedules based on assigned annual hours and years of service. Vacation leave shall be accrued on the last day of each month. 10/3/2018 Page 6 of 12 City of Winder

7 Length of Service Monthly Accrual Annual Accrual 0 9 years 7 hours 84 hours 10 years and over 10 hours 120 hours Maximum carryover 240 hours Police Department employees assigned 2,184 annual hours Length of Service Monthly Accrual Annual Accrual 0 9 years 8 hours 96 hours 10 years and over 12 hours 144 hours Maximum carryover 288 hours Fire Department employees assigned 2,756 annual hours Length of Service Monthly Accrual Annual Accrual 0 9 years 12 hours 144 hours 10 years and over 18 hours 216 hours Maximum carryover 432 hours D. Change in status - When an employee changes permanent status from a fire department employee on a 2,756-hour schedule to an administrative schedule, the City shall pay out any balance above the 120 hours at the prior ending rate of pay. E. Pay in lieu of Vacation Leave Employees with a minimum of two (2) years of service may sell forty (40) hours of vacation during the first pay period in November, provided they have taken a minimum of one week of vacation during the prior twelve (12) months. Employees assigned a 2,756-hour annual schedule may sell seventy-two (72) hours. F. Using Vacation Leave Vacation leave assignments will be made in accordance with the preference of the employee where possible; however, leave must be taken at the convenience of the City. 1. The immediate supervisor will approve all requested leave; however, the department head if involved will have the final decision as to when leave may or may not be taken. All absences outside of leave documented in this policy will be deducted from vacation leave. 2. Employees shall provide a minimum of fourteen (14) days of notice when requesting vacation. It is the supervisor s sole discretion to allow or deny request received less than fourteen (14) days in advance. 10/3/2018 Page 7 of 12 City of Winder

8 3. Seniority and the amount of leave taken throughout the year will be a factor when preparing leave schedules of multiple employees. 4. Employees are not authorized to use a greater amount of vacation leave than what is considered needed to supplement (make whole) their standard pay shift (i.e. 8, 12, 24 hours). 5. Paid vacation time is accrued during periods of active employment and may not be used before it is earned. G. Mandatory Vacation - All employees off probation are required to take a minimum of forty (40) hour of vacation per year (72 hours for those assigned a 2,756 schedule). The employee s supervisor may designate this time if an employee has not scheduled time off within the prior ten (10) months. 1. Employees in a management position or those that have access to financial or secure records shall be required after their second (2 nd ) year of service to take a minimum of five (5) consecutive (uninterrupted) work days off per fiscal year. During this observed leave, essential weekly duties should be performed by other personnel. It is important for auditors and senior management to recognize that the benefits of this policy, would be substantially, if not totally ineffective if the duties performed by an absent individual are not assumed by someone else during the leave period. 2. When a holiday occurs during the period an employee is on authorized vacation leave, leave shall not be charged for the holiday. 3. If an employee is called in to work during authorized vacation leave, the employee will be credited back the amount of vacation leave worked, and regular time will be authorized to perform the work for the City. H. Blackout Periods - Department heads, managers or assigned supervisors have the right to identify blackout periods where vacation requests shall not be permitted. Supervisors shall notify all employees in writing of designated blackout periods ninety (90) day in advance. I. Pay for annual vacation leave shall be at the employee s regular rate of pay and will not be counted towards overtime. J. If extenuating work-related circumstances prevent the employee from taking scheduled vacation leave, and such circumstances result in total time accrued exceeding the vacation carryover maximum, this excess vacation leave shall be paid out to the employee based on the approved amount of time requested but untaken. An extenuating work payout shall only apply to an employee once per twelve (12) months. K. Separation - Within thirty (30) days of separation, the employee will be paid for accrued, but unused vacation if at least a two-week notice is provided. It 10/3/2018 Page 8 of 12 City of Winder

9 65.23 Maternity Leave shall be the discretion of the department head to allow vacation leave to be used in lieu of time worked once a two-week notice is provided. A. Employees are eligible for FMLA if they worked for at least one year, 1,250 hours over the previous twelve (12) months. 1. Maternity leave shall begin when the employee, with the approval of her doctor, deems she is no longer able to carry out the essential duties and responsibilities of her position. 2. Maternity leave shall terminate when the employee s doctor certifies that she is able to return to work without any restrictions. B. Employees performing public safety essential duties may be required to take maternity leave or be assigned to administrative duties if any safety equipment cannot be worn in accordance with department guidelines or the manufacture s recommendations Paternity Leave A. Employees are eligible for FMLA if they worked for at least one year, 1,250 hours over the previous twelve (12) months. B. FMLA is not required for fathers requesting up to two (2) weeks of sick leave, vacation leave, or other available leave in order to care for an infant. C. The employee would need to request in writing thirty (30) days prior to starting FMLA, unless the decision is due to an emergency complication Military Leave A. Full-time employees who are off probation and who are members of the National Guard or military reserves of the United States will be allowed leave of absence with pay, not to exceed one normal pay period during any fiscal year, to attend mandatory training (upon presentation of official orders). B. Paid military leave will not be granted if the orders are noted as a voluntary assignment. C. The City will follow and apply all applicable Federal guidelines when administering military leave Civil Leave A. Notification of potential jury duty must be made to the employees supervisor within one business day of receipt of summons or subpoena to be considered for time off with pay. 10/3/2018 Page 9 of 12 City of Winder

10 65.27 Voting B. Employees shall be given time off with pay up to forty-eight (48) hours per fiscal year, when performing jury duty or when subpoenaed to appear before any court of law. C. If such employee receives payment for service while receiving civil leave, such payment shall be endorsed over to the City. Employees performing services on a scheduled day off, shall not be required to endorse such earnings to the City. D. Civil leave will not count towards overtime and will not exceed the hours of a normal pay shift. If the actual time in court is less than the employee s actual shift, the employee will only be paid for the number of hours required by the subpoena. If there are questions regarding actual time served, the City may require documentation from the court before leave is granted. E. Travel time is not counted towards civil leave. On election days, employees are encouraged to vote before or after the start of their assigned shift or during their lunch period. Employees are not permitted to vote while on-duty Funeral Leave A. Full-time employees shall be eligible after ninety (90) days of employment. B. Funeral leave of up to three (3) consecutive working days, shall be granted to an employee in the event of a death in the family which is defined as a spouse, child, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother, sister, or any relative who is domiciled in the employee s household. C. A total of six (6) days of funeral leave shall be granted per fiscal year. D. This leave will be paid at the regular employee rate and will not count towards overtime. E. Employees will be granted up to eight (8) hours of funeral leave to attend a funeral for the passing of a City of Winder employee or an immediate family member of an active City of Winder employee Administrative Leave A. Administrative leave is a general leave status, initiated by a department head with the approval of the City Administrator for the following reasons: 1. A work area must be closed for repairs and no other areas are available for the employee to conduct general essential duties. 2. In order to provide time to make a determination in an internal review or criminal investigation. 10/3/2018 Page 10 of 12 City of Winder

11 3. When an employee is the subject of allegations of misconduct, particularly when a formal investigation or management inquiry is initiated, or during the notice period preceding a decision on formal discipline. 4. To relieve an employee of duties until the Personnel Officer can receive conclusive results of a test for alcohol and/or drugs when the results come back inconclusive or a retest is required. 5. To relieve an employee of duties until the Personnel Officer can obtain the results of a medical examination concerning the ability of an employee to perform the essential job functions of a position. 6. When recommended by the City Attorney. B. Supervisors shall consult with the Personnel Officer before placing an individual on administrative leave to coordinate the appropriate paperwork and payroll processing. C. The City Administrator shall notify the Mayor of any employee placed on administrative leave for more than five (5) business days or due to a criminal investigation Discretionary Personal Leave At the discretion of the Mayor or City Administrator, an exempt employee may be granted up to five (5) administrative days of leave per fiscal year. Administrative leave may be grant for a partial day Leave of Absence Without Pay A. Employees are eligible to request a leave of absence without pay provided they have been employed for twelve (12) consecutive months and off of probation. B. An employee may be granted a leave of absence without pay for up to eight (8) consecutive weeks. Requests for leave will be considered based on the employee's length of service, performance, responsibility level, the reason for the request, and the expected impact of the leave on the City. C. Accrued vacation must be used prior to the start of a leave of absence without pay. D. It is understood that following a leave of absence without pay, except for military leave or FMLA, there is no guarantee of any kind of re-employment offered to the employee after the granted leave without pay period has expired. E. Holidays will not be paid while an employee is on a leave of absence without pay. F. City provided benefits to include retirement contributions and leave accruals will be frozen. 10/3/2018 Page 11 of 12 City of Winder

12 G. Medical, dental and life insurance may be continued while on leave without pay provided the employee has completed the necessary forms and has made arrangements to pay their portion of the cost of the coverage prior to their absence. Non-payment will result in the termination of medical, dental and other benefits. Based on benefit/insurance provisions, not all benefits may be granted while out on leave of absence without pay Telecommuting A. Telecommuting is defined as working a specified period from home or an alternate work area instead of commuting to the City worksite where the employee would be required to work if they did not telecommute. B. Not all City jobs lend themselves to telecommuting. Employees may be considered on an individual basis for their telecommuting eligibility. A primary consideration for administering telecommuting is that it does not interfere with services provided to the public during business hours. An employee s work must be of a nature that face-to-face interaction with other employees, external customers, or project workgroups is minimal and the employee s tasks can be performed successfully away from the office. Telecommuting agreements are entered for the good of the City and the services provided. C. All telecommuting employees are required to maintain in-office periods, to attend staff meetings and interact as necessary with other staff, both within and outside of the department. D. Telecommuting employees shall not hold business meetings with citizens, vendors, or colleagues at their residence. E. Telecommuters shall be available during normal business hours via phone and City . F. Telecommuting shall not be granted for more than fifty (50) percent of the employee s standard work week unless granted for medical reasons. G. Employees shall hold the City harmless for any and all injuries that occur while working off-site. Working off-site is a voluntary assignment in an environment beyond the control of the City. H. The City Administrator will have the final authority in the applicability of telecommuting for each situation and shall have the right to terminate the telecommuting agreement with a notice of twenty-four (24) hours. 10/3/2018 Page 12 of 12 City of Winder