Employees of the Village of Glenwillow may donate paid sick leave to a fellow employee who is otherwise eligible to accrue and use sick leave. This section applies to full-time employees of the Village. The intent of the leave donation program is to allow employees to voluntarily provide assistance to their coworkers who are in critical need of leave due to a serious illness or injury of the employee or a member of the employee's immediate family. The definition of immediate family as provided in rule 123:1-47-01 of the Ohio Administrative Code shall apply for the leave donation program.
(a) An employee may receive donated leave if:
(1) The employee or a member of the employee's immediate family has a serious illness or injury;
(2) The employee has no accrued leave;
(3) The employee has not been approved to receive other Village or state-paid benefits; and
(4) Has applied for any leave, workers' compensation, family medical leave act or benefits program for which the employee is eligible and is approved.
(b) Employees may donate leave if the donating employee:
(1) Voluntarily elects to donate leave and does so with the understanding that donated leave will not be returned; and
(2) Retains a sick leave balance of at least eighty (80) hours if donating sick leave time and retains a balance of at least eighty (80) hours of vacation time if donating vacation time. Leave shall be donated in the manner as ordinarily used.
(c) The leave donation program shall be administered on a pay period by pay period basis. Leave accrued by an employee while using donated leave shall be used, if necessary, in the following pay period before additional donated leave may be received. Donated leave shall not count toward the probationary period of an employee who receives donated leave during his or her probationary period. Donated leave shall be considered sick leave, but shall never be converted into a cash benefit.
(d) Employees who wish to donate sick leave and/or vacation time shall certify:
(1) The name of the employee for whom the donated leave is intended;
(2) That the employee will have a minimum sick leave balance or vacation time balance of at least eighty (80) hours as applicable; and
(3) That the leave is donated voluntarily, and the employee understands that the donated leave will not be returned.
(e) Department heads shall ensure that no employees are forced to donate leave. Department heads shall respect an employee's right to privacy, however department heads may, with the permission of the employee who is in need of leave or a member of the employee's immediate family, inform employees of their co-worker's critical need for leave. Department heads shall not directly solicit leave donations from employees. The donation of leave shall occur on a strictly voluntary basis. (Ord. 2021-09-30. Passed 9-1-21.)