(A) Attendance, generally.
(1) Punctual and regular attendance is an essential responsibility of each employee of the county.
(2) Employees are expected to report to work as scheduled, on time and prepared to start working. Employees also are expected to remain at work for their entire work schedule.
(3) Late arrival, early departure or other absences from scheduled hours are disruptive and must be avoided.
(B) Normal work periods. Most full-time employees are expected to work eight hours a day, 40 hours per week. Each work-week begins at 12:00 a.m. on Monday and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. Due to Road Department and Sheriff’s office shift schedules, variations in the hours worked per week may occur which shall be managed according to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
(1) Hours of operation in the County Courthouse and Public Safety Building (not including Sheriff’s Office operations) are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All offices are expected to maintain these core hours to maximize services to the public. Extended hours of operation during certain periods of time are the responsibility of the department head/elected officials.
(2) Hours of operation for the County Road Department are Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Extended hours of operation may be necessary and are the responsibility of the department head.
(3) Hours of operation for the County Landfill are Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm.
(4) (a) Department heads and elected officials do not have the authority to authorize changes to department hours even on a temporary basis.
(b) All changes to open hours of any department must be pre-approved through the Board of County Commissioners and be in accordance with UCA § 17-16-9.
(C) Absence. ABSENCE is defined as the failure of an employee to report for work when he or she is scheduled to work. The two types of absences are defined below. Due to full-time hour requirements for benefit eligibility, employees must take earned leave time for every absence.
(1) Excused absence occurs when all the following conditions are met.
(a) The employee provides to his or her supervisor sufficient notice at least 48 hours in advance of the absence.
(b) The absence request is approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor.
(c) The employee has sufficient accrued leave time to cover the absence.
(d) Employees are allowed three excused absences, without notice in a year, provided they have sufficient accrued leave time to cover the absence. Employees must state it is one of their three excused absences.
(2) Unexcused absence occurs when any of the above conditions are not met.
(a) If it is necessary for an employee to be absent from work because of an illness or an emergency, the employee must notify his or her supervisor no later than the employee’s scheduled starting time on that same day. If the employee is unable to call, he or she must have someone make the call.
(b) Any response to this notification does not excuse the absence only serves as acknowledgment of the notification
(3) Employees with three or more consecutive days of absences because of illness or injury may be required provide the county with proof of physician’s care.
(4) (a) Leave without pay will only be authorized for reasons required by law, medical reasons or extenuating circumstances when acceptance of donated leave is not an option.
(b) All leave without pay must be pre-approved by the County Administrator.
(c) Any full-time regular employee who falls below full-time hours will no longer be eligible for benefits.
(D) Employees are expected to report to work and return from scheduled breaks on time.
(1) If employees cannot report to work as scheduled, they must notify their supervisor no later than their regular starting time.
(2) This notification does not excuse the tardiness but simply notifies the supervisor that a schedule change may be necessary.
(3) Any response to this notification does not excuse the tardiness only serves as acknowledgment of the notification
(E) Excessive absenteeism. Three or more unexcused absences or tardies in a one-year period may result in disciplinary action.
(F) Authorized break periods.
(1) Non-paid lunch breaks are to be provided no longer than five hours after the beginning of the work day and are not to be less than 30 minutes or longer than one hour in length.
(a) For those offices working from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., a one-hour lunch break is authorized. It is intended that full-time employees in these offices will work an eight-hour day.
(b) For county employees working from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., a 30-minute lunch break is authorized. It is intended that those employees will work a ten-hour work day.
(2) (a) Two daily, compensable 15 minute rest periods are granted by the county.
(b) One rest period may be used in the middle of the half of the work day and one may be used in the middle of the second half of the work day.
(c) Unused rest periods may not be used to lengthen a lunch hour or shorten the work day.
(3) (a) The county will comply with the requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (“PPACA”) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) by providing break times during the work day for nursing mothers to express breast milk for her nursing child. Break time and a designated location shall be available to employee nursing mothers for one year following the child’s birth. Employees shall not be compensated for breaks taken for the purpose of expressing breast milk, although nothing herein shall prevent employee mothers from expressing during their normal employee break times and being compensated in the same way that other employees are compensated for the same break times.
(b) Consistent with the requirements of the PPACA and FLSA, the county will provide a designated location other than a bathroom, wherein employee mothers can express breast milk in a space that is sufficiently sized, shielded from view, and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public.
(Ord. passed 6- -2019; Ord. 2021-08, passed - -)