Sick leave is a benefit provided to eligible employees to aid them in offsetting the financial burden of an illness. Employees are expected to be in attendance daily, and sick leave is only to be used in cases of illness or recovery from an injury. Sick leave is a form of insurance, and is not intended to be extra days off.
(A) An employee may request sick leave for absence resulting from illness or injury as described below:
(1) Illness or injury of the employee or a member of his or her immediate family: mother, father, brother, sister, child, step-child or spouse.
(2) Exposure of an employee or a member of his or her immediate family to a contagious disease, that would have the potential of seriously jeopardizing the health of the employee or the health of others.
(3) Death of a member of the employee's immediate family or extended family (family of spouse), in excess of what is permitted under funeral leave in § 38.606. This extended leave is at the discretion of the department head.
(4) Medical, dental, optical, or psychological examinations or treatment of employee or a member of his or her immediate family, requiring the employee's presence.
(5) Pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of the employee or member of his or her immediate family.
(B) Sick leave accrual. All eligible employees of the village shall earn sick leave at a rate of six hours per month that are actually worked, which time may be accumulated to a maximum of 960 hours.
(C) Transfer of sick leave. Employees who transfer from another public agency, or who are reappointed to the workforce may be credited with a negotiated amount of sick leave. The words "public agency" as used above include the state, counties, municipalities, all boards of education, libraries, townships, and other public appointing authorities within the State of Ohio.
(D) Notification. In the event that the employee is unable to work due to unforeseen personal illness or injury, or for other unforeseen reasons, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) If unable to report for work for any reason, employees shall communicate this fact to the supervisor or his/her designee, as early as required by the individual operating department but not less than one-half hour before the start of your shift. Such notification shall be made each time a scheduled work shift will be missed unless authorization has been granted by the supervisor covering a prolonged absence of specified duration. Employees failing to comply with this provision (except for a showing of good cause to the appropriate supervisor, and if approved for pay by the department head), shall not be paid for an unscheduled absence. Furthermore, absences not reported in accordance with these provisions shall be subject to disciplinary action.
(2) Three unscheduled occurrences without medical documentation in a six-month period could result in disciplinary action. All consecutive workday absences due to the same illness shall be considered as one occasion for the purpose of this policy.
(3) Any employee of the village who shall miss more than three consecutive days of regularly scheduled work without written prior notice and written approval by the Mayor, Administrator or Chief of Police or without a reasonable and verifiable excuse may be subjected to immediate termination.
(E) Medical assessment prior to return to work. In the case of any unscheduled use of general leave due to personal illness or injury, the supervisor or department head may require, at the expense of the employee, medical confirmation that the employee was unable to perform work during said leave. The village reserves the right to require that such confirmation is obtained from the village's health care provider. If the employee is required to obtain confirmation from the village's health care provider, said confirmation shall be at the village's expense.
(F) Transitional work.
(1) The village recognizes that in particular circumstances of an employee's injury or illness, an employee is not able to return to work in a full duty work status; but is capable of performing limited job assignments. Such assignments are temporary, and are not to be considered an accommodation to a permanent illness or injury.
(2) The determination of placing an employee on transitional work status shall be made by the Village Administrator and Mayor. The village is not required to provide transitional work.
(Ord. 49-2017, passed 11-21-2017; Ord. 42-2018, passed 10-16-2018)