HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 03-06-1996 - VIII-F 1
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ORANGECOUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: March 6, 1996
Action Agenda
Item #_V= F
SUBJECT: Personnel Ordinance Revision- Shared Leave
DEPARTMENT: Personnel PUBLIC HEARING: _Yes.X No
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
Draft New Personnel Ordinance Elaine Holmes, Extension 2550
Article IV, Section 22, Shared Leave
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough-732-8181
Durham-688-7331
Mebane- 227-2031
Chapel Hill -967-9251/9684501
PURPOSE: To consider adding a new section to the Orange County,Personnel
Ordinance providing for a Shared Leave policy for permanent County
employees.
BACKGROUND: The Personnel Department has regularly received requests from County
employees who wish to donate hours of leave to another County
employee who has exhausted all earned leave due to a serious health
condition. Department Heads and members of the Employee Relations
Consortium also have requested that the County consider implementing a
Shared Leave policy.
The purpose of a Shared Leave policy is to allow an employee with a
serious medical condition to receive Vacation Leave hours from a co-
worker who chooses to transfer a specified number of his or her leave
hours to the employee in need. Several area local governments as well as
the State of North Carolina currently have a Shared Leave policy.
The proposed policy is the result of extensive discussion by the Employee
Relations Consortium and review with department heads. Highlights of
the proposed policy include the following:
► An employee who has exhausted all earned Sick and Vacation
Leave and is unable to work due to an accident,chronic illness or
w
major medical condition may request participation in the Shared
Leave Program.
► Request for participation in the program is based upon
documentation of the need for leave by a physician and is reviewed
by the Personnel Director for eligibility.
► An eligible employees receiving shared leave hours may receive a
total of 80 hours during each calendar year.
► An employee donating leave may elect to donate a minimum of
four hours of Vacation Leave(Sick Leave may not be donated)up
to the amount which would not drop his or her leave balance below
80 hours of leave.
► An employee's donation of Vacation Leave to a participant in the
Shared Leave Program is voluntary.
As a result of the Employee Relations Consortium discussions about the
recommended structure of this policy,the Consortium suggested that the
policy be started on a relatively limited scale with participants eligible to
receive a maximum of two weeks (80 hours)of leave and then the
program be evaluated after a period of time to assess the participation level
and the needs. This is the approach reflected in the proposed Ordinance
section.
RECOMMENDATION: The Manager recommends the Board adopt the proposed new Personnel
Ordinance section providing for Shared Leave effective April 1, 1996.
f:\p^rs\abstract\SHRDLV.wPD
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Attachment
Draft New Personnel Ordinance
Article IV, Section 22, Shared Leave
22.0 SHARED LEAVE (Effective April 1, 1996)
22.1 General
22.1.1 Shared Leave provides an employee the opportunity to donate a specified
number of Vacation Leave hours to help another employee who has
exhausted all Sick and Vacation Leave and is in need of leave to cover
periods of missed work time due to a serious medical condition.
22.1.2 An employee donating leave may elect to donate a minimum of four hours
of Vacation Leave up to the amount that would not drop his or her
Vacation Leave balance below 80 hours of leave.
22.2 ibility
22.2.1 Any permanent employee with one year of Orange County service as a
permanent employee is eligible to donate or request leave.
22.2.2 An employee who is unable to work due to an accident, chronic illness or
major medical condition is eligible to request participation in the Shared
Leave program upon documentation of the need for leave by a physician.
The following situations are not eligible for Shared Leave:
• Elective surgery
• An employee receiving Workers' Compensation benefits.
22.23 An employee requesting leave through the Shared Leave program must
first exhaust all earned,unused Sick and Vacation Leave.
22.2.4 An employee may receive a maximum of 80 hours of donated leave each
calendar year through the Shared Leave program. Shared Leave may not
be used to extend an employee's time in leave status beyond one year from
the last date worked.
22.3 Process
223.1 An employee who wishes to request leave through the Shared Leave
program provides to the Personnel Department a letter requesting
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participation in the Shared Leave program and a physician's statement r
documenting the need for leave. Requests for Shared Leave are reviewed
by the Personnel Director for eligibility.
22.3.2 Once a Shared Leave request is approved,the Personnel Department
communicates to all County employees a description of the employee's
request for Shared Leave,releasing only the information authorized in
writing by the employee. The Personnel Director may elect to release the
description first to employees in the requesting employee's department
before communicating the request to all County employees.
22.3.3 Any employee's donation of Vacation Leave to a participant in the Shared
Leave program is voluntary. Direct solicitation of employees for Shared
Leave donations is not permitted.
22.34 An employee who wishes to donate Vacation Leave to an employee
requesting Shared Leave completes a "Shared Leave Donation" form and
submits this to the Personnel Department within the time period specified
for request. (Sick Leave may not be donated.)
22.3.5 Donations of leave must be a minimum of four hours.
22.3.6 Donated Vacation Leave hours up to a total of 80 hours are transferred as
Vacation Leave from the employees donating the Vacation Leave to the
employee receiving the Shared Leave. Once leave is donated and
transferred to the employee receiving the leave, it may not be returned to
the donating employee.
22.3.7 During the period an employee is using Shared Leave,the employee
continues to be in a leave earning capacity, be entitled to holidays, receive
any salary increase for which otherwise eligible, and be eligible to receive
benefits offered under the County's group insurance policies.
FAPERS\ELEANOR\SHAREL V.WPD
February 22, 1996