Table of Contents
Employee Acknowledgment of Receipt of Employment Policies Manual (Amended November 5, 2013)	3
Section 1 	5
1.1 Foreword	6
1.2 Introduction and Purpose of the Manual  (Amended March 26, 2013)	7
1.3 Applicability and Authority 	8
Section 2  Being a Public Sector Employee	9
2.1 Code of Ethics  (Amended March 26, 2013)	10
2.2 Political Activity	15
2.3 Outside Employment	17
2.4 Dress Code	18
2.5 Parking Garage 	19
Section 3  Personnel Management	21
3.1 Equal Employment Opportunity	22
3.2 Classification and Pay Plan (Amended March 26, 2013)	24
3.3 Employee Status (Amended March 26, 2013)	26
3.4 Management Employees	28
Section 4  Workplace Policies 	29
4.1 Work Hours and Overtime 	30
4.2 Corrective Action	37
4.3 Drug Free Workplace (Amended March 26, 2013)	41
4.4 Harassment (Including Sexual Harassment)  (Amended March 26, 2013)	43
4.5 Sexual Misconduct (Amended March 26, 2013)	47
4.6 Workplace Violence (Amended March 26, 2013)	50
Section 5  Safe and Healthy Working Environment	53
5.1 Safety Policy	54
5.2 Use of Tobacco Products	56
5.3 Workers’ Compensation and Property  and Liability Programs	57
Section 6  Types of Leave and Assistance	59
6.1 Leave Accruals (Amended November 5, 2013)	60
6.2 Holidays	68
6.3 Sick Leave Bank 	70
6.4 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)	73
6.5 Leave of Absence (Amended March 26, 2013)	77
6.6 Other Types of Leave 	80
6.7 Educational Assistance (Amended March 26, 2013)	87

Employee Acknowledgment of Receipt  of Employment Policies Manual (Amended November 5, 2013)
This will acknowledge that I have received my copy of the Lake County Employment Policies Manual (Manual).
I understand that the official version of the Lake County Employment Policies Manual will be maintained in electronic form by Human Resources and be available on the County intranet and internet.
I understand that this Manual represents County policies, does not create a contract of employment, and that the County may make changes in it from time to time.
I understand that I have the right to terminate my employment at any time with or without cause, and that the County has the same right.
I agree to comply with all policies, procedures, and practices now or hereafter adopted by the County.
I understand that this acknowledgment will become a part of my official employee file.
Print  	full name:
Signature:
Date:
This is a copy of the form you signed when you received this Manual.  The original has been placed in your personnel file.
Section 1
1.1 Foreword
The “Employment Policies Manual” (Manual) has been developed for the benefit of all employees under the jurisdiction of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners (County). The Lake County Board of County Commissioners appreciates and supports the efforts of all County employees. Employees are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Manual, which includes employment policies, guidelines and expectations. Consistent application of the Manual’s principles will foster accountability, promote a positive working environment, and assist employees in better understanding their rights and responsibilities. Awareness of the County’s expectations, as well as the consequences if the requirements are not met, offers a framework for success in employment with the County.
As Lake County employees, we are customer-driven, striving to meet and exceed expectations in the way that we develop and provide our services to Lake County’s citizens, businesses and communities. The delivery of these services at the highest level of performance and professionalism will enable us to succeed in meeting the County’s mission of excellence in service, thereby offering Lake County’s citizens an unsurpassed quality of life.
Board of County Commissioners Lake County
1.2 Introduction and Purpose of the Manual (Amended March 26, 2013)
The information contained herein addresses and promotes employment-related policies, standards for professionalism, respectful employee conduct, and a commitment to high quality service. Specific goals of the documents are:
To provide a uniform personnel management system throughout the County.
To assist management in the development of sound policies, procedures and practices.
To ensure effective and consistent management of the County’s workforce.
To promote effective communication and expectations among management and staff.
To clarify the rights and responsibilities of both the County and its employees.
To comply with federal and state employment laws.
The Manual is not intended to be part of a contract between the County and any of its employees. None of the provisions contained within these policies shall be deemed to create a vested contractual right in any employee and the County reserves the right to repeal or modify these documents at any time. These policies are not to be interpreted as promises of specific treatment. They provide guidance with respect to the policies which have been developed pursuant to federal, state and local laws and regulations governing employment matters, and consistent with the County’s vision, mission and values. The official version of this Manual will be maintained in electronic form by Human Resources and be available on the County’s intranet and internet.
1.3 Applicability and Authority
These policies are applicable to all employees and may be modified over time by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). Employees may be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination, for violation of the policies included in this Manual.
All provisions of this Manual shall apply to employees of the County Attorney’s Office as regular employees of the County, including Assistant County Attorneys and other County Attorney staff who work under the direction of the County Attorney. Where there are references in this Manual to approvals required of the County Manager or actions to be taken by the County Manager with regard to employees of the County Attorney’s Office, such reference shall be to the County Attorney, except that the normal grievance policy shall apply to non-attorney staff of the County Attorney’s Office.
These policies do not apply to the members of Lake County Board of County Commissioners, to members of Lake County boards who are not County employees, and depending on an employee’s particular Employee Status (e.g., Regular versus Temporary) some of the policies in this Manual may not be applicable. For example, a temporary employee would be subject to the ethics and workplace standards sections of the Manual; however the annual or sick leave sections would not apply. County volunteers may be subject to these policies when specifically stated herein. Where specific provisions of a collective bargaining agreement apply to certain employees, the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement shall control.
The County Manager is charged with developing, implementing and updating procedures to implement the policies in this manual. The County Manager shall have the authority to interpret those practices not specifically covered in this Manual or in a separate County Procedure.
Section 2  Being a Public Sector Employee
2.1 Code of Ethics  (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to prescribe a general code of conduct for employees, who shall maintain certain standards of conduct.
DIRECTIVES
Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes, Code of Ethics, applies to all employees. While there are other key provisions under Chapter 112, Florida Statutes that apply to County employees, some of the provisions of the statute include but are not limited to the following and are summarized below.
Unauthorized Compensation: No employee, or his/her spouse or minor child shall accept any compensation, payment or thing of value when such employee knows, or with the exercise of reasonable care, should know that it was given to influence the vote or official action of such employee. (For reference, see Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes)
Doing business with one’s agency: No employee who is empowered with the authority to purchase on behalf of the County in an official capacity shall directly or indirectly purchase, rent, or lease any realty, goods or services for the County from a business entity in which the employee, or the employee’s spouse or child is an officer, partner, director or proprietor, or in which the employee, the employee’s spouse or child (or any combination of them) has a material interest. No employee, acting in a private capacity, shall rent, lease or sell any realty, goods or services to the County or any of its agencies. (For reference, see Section 112.313(3), Florida Statutes)
Misuse of public position: No employee shall corruptly use or attempt to use their official position or any property or resource within their trust, or perform their official duties to secure a special privilege, benefit or exemption for themselves or others. (For reference, see Section 112.313(6), Florida Statutes)
Disclosure or use of certain information: No employee shall disclose or use information not available to the general public and gained by reason of their official position for their personal gain or benefit or for the personal gain or benefit of any other person or business entity. (For reference, see Section 112.313(8), Florida Statutes)
Conflicting employment or contractual relationship: No employee shall have or hold any employment or contractual relationship with any business entity or any agency which is subject to the regulation of, or is doing business with the County. No employee shall have or hold any employment or contractual relationship that will create a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between their private interests and the performance of their public duties, or that would impede the full and faithful discharge of their public duties. (For reference, see Section 112.313(7), Florida Statutes)
The following provisions apply to all employees and are more stringent than the requirements of Section 112.313, Florida Statutes:
Gifts: No employee may solicit or accept a gift from any person or entity (or agent or lobbyist of such person or entity) doing business with or regulated by the County or which is given based upon any understanding that their official action would be influenced. (For reference to corresponding section, see Section 112.313(2), Florida Statutes)
Uncompensated service on boards, committees and commissions: The Florida Commission on Ethics has ruled that uncompensated service on a board, committee or commission (including not-for-profit corporations and unincorporated associations) doing business with or regulated by the County does not constitute a violation of the conflict of interest rules under Section 112.313(7), Florida Statutes. However, no County employee shall hold such a position unless he/she has been appointed thereto by the BCC or has obtained approval from the County Manager.
Any employee who wishes to serve on any committee, board or commission which is subject to the regulation of, or is doing business with the County, must first seek approval from the County Manager or designee. When making a decision pursuant to this provision, the County Manager shall consider the following:
Whether service on the board, committee or commission creates an appearance of impropriety or conflict.
Whether a unity of interest exists between the outside board, committee or commission so that it is in the best interests of the County to have the employee serve on the board, committee, or commission.
Whether service on the board, committee or commission would create a continuing conflict of interest.
Whether service on the board, committee or commission would prevent the employee from performing a full and faithful discharge of their public duties.
The County Manager or designee shall not give approval of such service which would be in violation of the provisions of Section 112.313, Florida Statutes.
Solicitation of Funds
Selling of commercial products, such as make-up and jewelry by County employees or outside individuals, is prohibited on County time or on County property. An employee who engages in this type of selling may post their business on the intranet or employee bulletin boards (other than employment law bulletin boards) with a personal phone number or personal e-mail address for contact.
Selling and distributing products such as cookies and cards for charitable purposes which benefit schools, non-profit organizations, etc. is prohibited on County time and in work areas open to the public. However, books and sign-up lists may be left in break areas, or in areas that are not in view of customers. It is incumbent on employees to ensure that sales of this nature do not supplant work productivity and are not conducted in a manner that could be construed as obligatory.
A request by a department or employee for countywide aid or assistance to benefit an employee or a member of an employee’s family in the event of need or tragedy should be made to the County Manager’s established employee forum. The employee forum will convene and recommend to the County Manager an appropriate response. Final approval will be made by the County Manager.
Vendor solicitations for sales or donations for any purpose are prohibited unless approved by the BCC.
Countywide campaigns for charitable giving through established non-profit organizations must be approved by the BCC.
The Lake County Clerk of Circuit Court’s Internal Audit Department is charged with receiving any citizen or employee concerns regarding fraud, waste, or abuse within Lake County government operations. Concerns regarding Code of Ethics violations can be reported to Supervisors, Human Resources Director, Department Directors, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, County Attorney, or the Lake County Clerk’s Internal Audit Department.
For additional information and definitions relating to the Code of Ethics, see Chapter 112, Florida Statutes.
2.2 Political Activity
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to promote more efficient public service by regulating the political activities of employees and volunteers during regularly scheduled work hours or while performing duties for the County.
DIRECTIVES
Employees are encouraged to vote in elections. However, to avoid conflicts of interest or public misunderstanding, employees are prohibited from playing an active role in partisan political affairs during work hours.
No employee may take part in political management or political campaigns during duty or when functioning in an official capacity on behalf of the County.
No employee shall solicit verbally, electronically, by letter or in any other manner any assessments, contributions or services for any political party from any employee or the public during duty hours or when functioning in an official capacity on behalf of the County.
Political candidates may be greeted and political campaign material accepted for personal information, but should be removed from public viewing immediately. No campaign material will be displayed on counters or desks at any time.
Nothing herein shall be construed to restrict the right of employees to hold membership in and support a political party, to vote as they choose, to express their opinions on all political subjects and candidates, to maintain political neutrality and to attend political meetings after working hours or to campaign actively during off-duty hours in all areas of political activity.
No employee may be a candidate for or hold the office of Lake County Commissioner. No employee shall hold or be a candidate for any other public office while in the employment of the County unless approval is obtained from his/her Department Director and the County Manager as involving no interest which conflicts with or interferes with County employment.
An employee who has been granted approval to become a candidate for public office pursuant to this section, excluding that of Lake County Commissioner, may, at the discretion of the employee’s Department Director, be granted a leave of absence without pay to campaign for the office, or may be allowed to use accrued annual leave.
2.3 Outside Employment
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to require prior approval before engaging in outside employment.
DIRECTIVES
Employees wishing to engage in any outside employment, including direct selling and self-employed businesses, must submit a request in writing to their immediate supervisor and Department Director on forms provided by the County. Department Directors are authorized to direct an employee to discontinue outside employment if it is later found to be inconsistent with the guidelines below. The request will be approved by the Department Director, and if approved by the Department Director, will also require the approval of the County Attorney, if the following criteria are met:
Such employment will not cause the employee to be late to work, leave early or cause any reduction in the employee’s efficiency when on duty with the County. The County desires each employee to be available for overtime when necessary.
Such employment will not involve a conflict of interest or conflict with the employee’s duties.
Outside employment will not occur during assigned working hours unless the employee is on approved leave, excluding sick leave.
The outside job must be one that will not bring disfavor or disrespect upon the employee, his/her department or the County.
2.4 Dress Code
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to establish criteria for employees and volunteers regarding appropriate work clothing.
DIRECTIVES
Employees should verify with their supervisor to determine their department’s policy on uniforms. If uniforms are provided, they must be worn at all times.
Safety equipment, when needed and provided, must be worn  as appropriate.
Upon an employee’s termination, the employee is responsible for the surrender of all uniforms, safety equipment, name tags, and/or identification badges.
The County expects all employees to dress in a manner which is appropriate to the type of work performed and have a neat and orderly appearance.
Employees who are issued identification badges or name tags shall wear them while at work and/or conducting County business.
No employee whose duties involve the use of a badge, card, or clothing insignia as evidence of authority or for identification shall permit such badges, cards, or insignia to be used or worn by anyone who is not authorized to use or wear them nor permit them to be out of his/her possession without good cause or approval of the Department Director. Such badges, cards, and insignia shall be used only in the performance of the official duties of the positions to which they are related.
2.5 Parking Garage
OBJECTIVE
It is the policy of the County to require employees to use the parking garage to access County buildings in downtown Tavares.
DIRECTIVES
The Lake County Parking Garage is the primary location designated for employee and public parking in the downtown Tavares area.
The County Manager has the authority to designate the appropriate floors on which employees may use to park their personal and/or County vehicles in order to accommodate daily operational needs, any special events or circumstances, emergency situations, City of Tavares’ events, and building maintenance/repairs. Employees shall park their personal vehicles on the higher parking levels to facilitate and give consideration to public parking.
Employees are expected to drive courteously and at a safe speed when driving in the parking garage.
Employees shall not, in any way, restrict the movement of another vehicle parked in the garage.
Employees are not permitted to park their personal or work vehicles on the streets in the Downtown Tavares area, or in any other area not designated as employee parking, unless the employee’s  work hours differ from the parking garage hours of operation.
The parking garage will be open and available for parking by employees, the public and downtown patrons.
Parking in the parking garage is free of charge to both employees and the public, however the City of Tavares may charge and retain a special event parking fee for its patrons.
The County is not responsible for any loss or damage to vehicles parked on County property.
See applicable Lake County Code, Section 15-14, Parking Garage Regulations for additional guidelines.
Section 3  Personnel Management
3.1 Equal Employment Opportunity
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to ensuring that all applicants, employees, and volunteers are afforded equal opportunities in the workplace.
DIRECTIVES
All applicants and employees shall be afforded equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, age, gender (including pregnancy status), religious creed, national origin, disability status, marital status, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable law.
Employment actions shall not be based upon race, color, age, gender (including pregnancy status), religious creed, national origin, disability status, marital status, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable law. Employment actions include, but are not limited to, new hire, job assignment, retention, opportunities for training and development, pay, benefits, promotion, demotion, transfer, layoff, termination, and ethics and standards of personal conduct.
Applicants and employees who meet all necessary employment standards, and are otherwise qualified, shall be provided reasonable accommodation(s) and access for known disabilities, providing that the accommodation will not create an undue hardship on the employer and/or prevent the proper performance of the essential duties and responsibilities of the job.
It is the County’s intent to promote equal employment opportunities through positive continuing programs. It is the responsibility of the County Manager or designee to develop and implement procedures and programs to meet this objective.
It is the responsibility of County supervisors and management staff to ensure that policies, procedures, management practices and other supervisory activities are in full compliance with the intent of this policy.
Current employees are encouraged to apply for posted  positions for which they meet the minimum qualifications. Internal applicants who meet the minimum qualifications for the position for which they have applied will generally be invited  for an interview by the hiring department.
The County provides employment preference to eligible veterans in accordance with Florida’s Veterans Preference laws, as outlined in the County’s Veterans Preference in Employment Procedure.
Employees with life-threatening illnesses and/or communicable diseases shall be afforded the same equal employment opportunities as other employees so long as they are able to perform the essential functions of their position, and medical or other evidence indicates that their condition is not a threat to others. Employment decisions regarding employees with life-threatening and/or communicable diseases will be based on certified medical judgment and potential risk to others.
See the following federal laws for additional guidelines: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), and The Civil Rights Act of 1991.
3.2 Classification and Pay Plan (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to ensuring that employees receive fair compensation for work performed on behalf of the County. The County seeks to proactively manage the classification and pay plan to ensure that positions are correctly classified and that corresponding rates of pay are appropriate and sufficient to attract and retain a qualified workforce to best serve the citizens of Lake County.
DIRECTIVES
Changes shall be made to pay grade structures with the approval of the BCC.
The County Manager is responsible for maintaining the classification and pay plan to reflect the duties performed by each employee in County service. The County Manager shall periodically review and make necessary amendments to the classification and pay plan with input from the Department Director and Human Resources.
The County Manager shall cause to be performed an analysis of each new position as it is created and on the basis of such analysis, place the position into the appropriate pay grade within the classification plan.
Changes in the duties and responsibilities of a position involving either the addition of new assignments or the taking away or modifying of existing assignments shall be evaluated by the Department Director and Human Resources. If the changes are determined to be permanent and substantial, reclassification of such position shall require County Manager approval. It is the responsibility of the County Manager to develop methods for moving employees within the pay structures.
No employee may be employed in more than one (1) position with the County unless authorized by the County Manager.
Employees and volunteers who are required to operate motor vehicles while conducting County business or as a requirement of their job description are required to hold a “valid” Florida Commercial Driver’s License or a “valid” Florida Driver’s License. They shall also comply with the County’s Acceptable Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Record Procedure and/or the County’s Acceptable Driving Record Procedure.
3.3 Employee Status  (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to facilitate the selection and appropriate placement of employees.
DIRECTIVES
All employees will be classified into status categories to clarify benefits and pay practices for different types of employment.
Employees in positions scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week are eligible for County benefits including such insurances as group health, dental, vision, life, etc. The County’s benefits package may periodically be modified with BCC approval. All regular and management employees are enrolled in the Florida Retirement System (FRS), which is regulated by Chapter 121, Florida Statutes. Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call, as defined in the Types of Work Status Procedure, shall be ineligible to receive benefits.
Each employee shall be assigned into a status category such as new hire probation, regular, management, temporary/seasonal, limited-term, etc. Additionally, each employee is designated as full or part-time. Full-time employees are scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis. Part-time employees are scheduled to work less than thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis. It is the responsibility of Human Resources, under the direction of the County Manager, to assign employees and positions into appropriate status categories.
At no time shall any employee be assigned to a status category that in any way creates a contract of employment, with the exception of appointed officials who have an employment contract with the BCC such as the County Manager and County Attorney. All employees of the County have the right to terminate their employment at any time, with or without cause, and the County has the same right subject to the applicable provisions set forth elsewhere in the Types of Work Status Procedure.
Employment separations shall be categorized to clarify administrative processing (e.g., resignation, termination, and retirement).
Employees who resign, are laid-off, or retire are eligible for rehire. Employees who retire are eligible for re-hire subject to FRS reemployment restrictions. Employees who have been involuntarily terminated or who resign in lieu of termination are not eligible for rehire.
The County Manager has the authority to initiate procedures for reduction in force.
3.4 Management Employees
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that management employees are evaluated annually and that a record is made of any disciplinary action administered.
DIRECTIVES
Management employees are assigned in the following job titles: County Manager, Deputy County Manager, County Attorney, Deputy County Attorney, Assistant County Attorney, Department Director, Division Director/Division Manager, and any other at-will position/employee designated by the County Manager in writing.
Management employees shall be evaluated at least once annually to assess job performance.
Documentation regarding disciplinary action imposed on the management employee shall be placed in the employee’s personnel file.
Management employees are covered by all other standards of employment outlined in employment policies and procedures, with the exception of the County’s Corrective Action Policy and Procedure, Layoffs Procedure, and any other policy or procedure as deemed appropriate.
Management employees serve at will, except as otherwise noted.
Section 4  Workplace Policies
4.1 Work Hours and Overtime
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to establish standards for work hours and overtime compensation for all employees.
DIRECTIVES
Business Hours and Timekeeping
The County will maintain regular hours of business operations as required by workload, productivity, customer service needs, the efficient management of human resources and any applicable laws. Regular hours and changes to regular hours of operations will be posted and announced to the public.
The County establishes the standard work week to run from 12:01 a.m. on Sunday through 12:00 midnight on the following Saturday of each week. Pay periods shall be established for each two-week period. The standard work week shall typically consist of a total of forty (40) hours. Depending on work requirements, the normal workweek may include weekend and/or evening work. In general, administrative offices shall be open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though specific office hours may vary based upon the function or operational demands of each office.
Employees may conduct County business from remote locations with Department Director or designee approval.
Non-exempt employees are required to complete time-sheets or make entries into a time-keeping system each day to record actual time worked to the nearest quarter of an hour. Actual employee arrival time must be documented on the non-exempt employee’s timesheet. Exempt employees are required to complete an accurate report of leave used each pay period. Timesheets must be completed for each two (2) week pay period. Exempt employees will comply with the same time keeping procedure as non-exempt employees during workweeks in which a furlough day is scheduled.
Meal Periods and Breaks
Meal periods and breaks are neither required nor governed by law and are therefore at the discretion of the County.
Each non-exempt employee must take a minimum of one-half hour for a meal break during each shift that exceeds six (6) hours. Supervisors are responsible for determining meal schedules subject to operational demands.
Each non-exempt employee may also take one (1) fifteen (15) minute break for each four (4) hour block of work scheduled per work day. Availability of breaks is subject to operational demands. Supervisors are responsible for fairly administering breaks. Example: An employee scheduled to work an eight (8) hour day may take a fifteen (15) minute break mid-morning and another fifteen (15) minute break mid-afternoon.
Lunch periods and breaks may not be accumulated for use as leave time on any given day, week or pay period.
The County supports the practice of lactation by accommodating the needs of nursing mothers, ensuring that  employees are provided with an adequate facility, and allowing a flexible schedule for expressing breast milk for one year after the child’s birth. The time allowed may exceed a normal lunch or break period. Any time in excess of a normal lunch or break period will not be paid as regular work time but with supervisory approval, non-exempt employees can use sick leave, annual leave, or establish a flexible work schedule.
Tardiness and Reporting Procedures
Employees are expected to be ready to work promptly at the start of their assigned shift and depart from work promptly at the end of their assigned shift. Failure to do so may result in corrective action in accordance with the County’s Corrective Action Administration Procedure.
Supervisors shall establish call-in procedures for employees who anticipate being tardy to or absent from the worksite. Such procedures shall be distributed to all subordinate employees. Employees who are scheduled to work must call in prior to the start of the scheduled work day to report an unscheduled absence. Failure to call-in or promptly report absences in accordance with departmental call-in procedure may lead to corrective action.
An absence of two (2) or more consecutive work days without notification and/or approval is considered job abandonment.
Overtime
It is the general policy of the County not to require overtime work by employees who are subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (non-exempt employees), although it may be required if necessary.
Non-exempt employees shall receive overtime compensation at a rate of one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay for any hours worked in excess of forty (40) productive hours per work week, or as designated by the BCC, in accordance with the applicable provisions of the FLSA.
Department Directors, Division Directors/Division Managers, or other management staff may schedule overtime when it is necessary (i.e., it is not feasible to handle operational demands through flexible scheduling or other schedule modifications). Employees required to work overtime will generally be given at least forty-eight (48) hours of advance notice when practicable.
Non-exempt employees are not permitted to work overtime without express prior supervisory approval. Employees working overtime without appropriate prior authorization will be paid appropriately for the overtime hours, but will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.
To the greatest extent operationally feasible, flexible scheduling within the pay week will be used to avoid incurring of overtime in accordance with the County’s  Flexible Scheduling Procedure.
Time worked (i.e., productive hours) for the purposes of overtime calculation shall include regular hours worked, holidays, annual leave scheduled in advance, and/or education hours. All other types of pay, including sick leave, administrative leave, jury duty, bereavement, anniversary leave, annual leave substituted for sick leave only because sick leave has been exhausted, or furlough hours will be considered non-productive hours and will not be considered when calculating overtime compensation.
Non-exempt employees required to come to work during off-duty hours due to an emergency or other urgent situation shall be paid in accordance with this policy (i.e., at the time-and-one-half rate for actual hours worked exceeding the forty (40) productive hour threshold).
Non-exempt employees required to be “on call” shall be paid two (2) hours of their regular pay for each twenty-four (24) hour period they are on call, regardless of whether or not they are called in during that time. On call hours are not considered to be hours worked for purposes of overtime.
Hours worked while on call will be considered productive work hours.
Exempt Employees
Exempt employees are compensated based on the total job rather than the number of hours worked. As such, exempt employees are expected to allocate whatever amount of time is necessary to accomplish the tasks assigned to them and to successfully execute the duties and responsibilities of the position. Although forty (40) work hours is the typical standard, exempt employees are often required to work extended or irregular hours above the forty (40) hour work schedule to perform successfully. Exempt employees do not earn overtime pay for these hours over and above the standard work schedule.
Exempt employees who are absent from the workplace due to personal reasons or sickness for less than a full day but more than half of their scheduled work day (e.g., 4 hours for 8 hour day, 5 hours for 10 hour day) are required to use accrued leave (annual or sick, as applicable) for the number of hours equal to half of the work day. However, exempt employee salary will not be reduced for partial day absences if no accrued leave is available. In such case, leave will be advanced to the exempt employee and used prospectively to avoid having unpaid time for a partial day absence. Exempt employees are not required to use accrued leave for workday absences of less than half of their regularly scheduled hours.
Supervisors are responsible for setting work schedules, allowing or denying partial-day absences, optionally requiring that the absences be for the full scheduled day, and for monitoring the performance of exempt employees. Abuse of this privilege and/or substandard job performance by an exempt employee will lead to corrective action, up to and including termination.
When an exempt employee’s absence is protected under the Family/Medical Leave Act (FMLA), partial day accrual use and FMLA entitlement may be used in increments of fifteen (15) minutes in accordance with the County’s FMLA Policy and Procedure.
Safe Harbor under the FLSA
It is the policy of the County to accurately compensate employees and to do so in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. To ensure that employees are paid properly for all time worked and that no improper deductions are made, employees are responsible for recording all work time in accordance with the provisions above and for reviewing paychecks promptly to identify and report all errors. Non-exempt employees are prohibited from engaging in off-the-clock or unrecorded work.
Non-exempt employees are responsible for recording actual time worked each day. Hours must be accurately recorded on a time sheet or time tracking system to which employees will have ready access. Each employee must sign his/her time sheet (whether paper or electronic) to verify that the reported hours worked are complete and accurate and that there is no unrecorded or “off-the-clock” work. The time sheet must accurately reflect all regular and overtime hours worked, any absences, early or late arrivals, early or late departures and meal breaks. Upon receipt of paychecks, employees should immediately verify that pay was provided appropriately.
Exempt employees will be paid a full salary for any workweek in which they perform work, regardless of the number of days or hours worked, subject only to pay deductions permitted by law, including the following:
Full day absences for personal reasons, including vacation.
Full day absences for sickness, since the County has a sick leave plan.
FMLA absences (either full or partial day absences).
Unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days for significant infractions of major workplace conduct or safety rules (including those that could cause serious harm to others) set forth in the County’s policies and procedures.
The first or last week of employment in the event that an employee works less than a full week.
Full furlough days taken in accordance with applicable County policy/procedure.
Any amounts received by the employee as jury fees, witness fees, or military pay.
Employees who have questions regarding deductions from their pay, believe that their wages have been subject to any improper deduction, or believe that pay does not accurately reflect all hours worked should contact their Supervisor immediately. Each report will be appropriately addressed and rectified in a timely manner.
Willful violations will subject the offending employee to corrective action, up to and including termination.
4.2 Corrective Action
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to establishing an equitable and consistent administration of discipline.
DIRECTIVES
This policy applies to all County employees with the exception of the County Manager, Deputy County Manager, County Attorney, Deputy County Attorney, Assistant County Attorneys, Department, and Division Directors/Division Managers and any other management or at-will employees designated in writing by the County Manager.
The County adheres to the concept of Progressive Corrective Action. Progressive Corrective Action is the process of using increasingly severe steps or measures to address employee performance or behavior issues. The underlying principle of sound progressive action is to use the least severe action necessary to correct the undesirable performance or behavior. If the performance/behavior does not improve after being provided reasonable opportunity, management may then progress to the next/higher level of corrective action.
The levels of progressive corrective action shall consist of verbal counseling, written warning, and formal discipline. Formal discipline includes suspension, involuntary demotion  and termination. The County’s formal discipline process provides for employee due process through a Pre-Determination Conference (PDC).
In addition to being progressive in nature, it is important that the degree of corrective action be directly related to the seriousness of the offense and the employee’s record; therefore, it is possible for steps to be skipped or repeated.
Progressive corrective action stresses coaching, counseling, and problem solving, but preserves the right of management to immediately suspend, demote or discharge an employee for what may be deemed serious misconduct.
Corrective Action should be administered when there is legitimate reason to do so. Reasons such as an employee failing to live up to his/her responsibility to the County, whether willful or not, based on work-related conduct action or inaction, or reflecting willful disregard for the County’s interest, or any conduct which falls short of what an employer may reasonably expect and require of an employee, would all be considered legitimate reasons for corrective action.
The County provides employees with a process for which grievances (appeals) may be heard. The grievance process is to be used only to address actions affecting a term or condition of employment (i.e., formal disciplinary action is taken). A term or condition of employment is any adverse monetary action resulting from involuntary demotions, suspensions (including immediate suspensions) and terminations, with the exception of layoffs or furloughs or any changes in pay as a result of economic or budget conditions.
In the event of a possible incident of serious misconduct that would potentially lead to termination, an employee may be placed on Corrective Action Administrative Leave with pay during the investigation period and time leading up to the PDC. In addition, immediate suspension without pay may be imposed to remove an employee from the workplace when the presence of the employee is not in the best interest of the County.
Applicants and employees who are found to have supplied false information on their employment application (falsified the application), may be terminated from County employment and will be deemed ineligible for applying for positions with the County for a minimum period of one (1) year. After the one-year period, employment with the County will be considered on a limited, case-by-case basis with the determination made by the County Manager or designee.
Responsibilities
The goal of Corrective Action is to correct improper behavior, maximize productivity, and promote efficient and effective delivery of services. To accomplish this goal, the Corrective Action process requires both employees and management to fulfill the following duties and expectations.
All employees shall:
Adhere to the policies, procedures and expected standards of performance and behavior established for their position and work unit.
Ensure that they do not deviate from or arbitrarily modify policies, procedures and standards without prior consent and approval of management.
Request clarification if they do not clearly and completely understand the policies, procedures and expected standards of job performance and behavior.
Communicate to management in a timely manner any difficulties encountered in following established policies, procedures, or standards.
Immediately notify their supervisor and/or management if they have engaged in serious misconduct as defined in the applicable procedure including, but not limited to, being arrested, having a suspended driver’s license, etc.
Managers and supervisors shall:
Ensure that employees adhere to the County’s policies and procedures.
Communicate policies, procedures and standards in a consistent manner and ensure that employees are afforded every opportunity to obtain clarification.
Communicate changes in policies, procedures and standards in a timely manner.
Coach and guide employees in their performance and behavior to successfully accomplish job requirements and responsibilities, and utilize a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) when appropriate.
Consistently and objectively observe and document employees’ performance and behavior. Employees should receive timely feedback regarding their performance and behavior.
Ensure that the level of Corrective Action imposed is appropriate for the violation.
4.3 Drug Free Workplace (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to maintaining a workplace that is free from the presence and effects of drugs and/or alcohol, providing the highest level of service to its citizens, and minimizing the risk of accidents and injuries. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
The County prohibits employees from using, selling, dispensing, distributing, possessing, or manufacturing illegal drugs and/or alcoholic beverages while on County premises, work sites, or in a County vehicle. In addition, employees are prohibited from off-premise use of alcohol and possession, use, and/or sale of illegal/prescription drugs, when such activities adversely affect job performance, job safety, or interferes with the County’s ability to carry out its mission.
Employees must notify their supervisor if they have been prescribed a drug for a medical or other condition which could impair their ability to perform their job. If it is determined that the employee is unable to perform his/her job due to impairment caused by the medication, the employee should apply for appropriate leave and discuss the situation with his/her supervisor.
Pursuant to Drug Free Workplace regulations, the County conducts drug and/or alcohol tests for the following reasons: reasonable suspicion, post-accident, routine fitness for duty, and follow-up. Safety sensitive and high-risk positions are also subject to pre-employment and random drug/alcohol tests.
Employees and/or supervisors shall report immediately (during that working shift) to their Department Director and/or Human Resources Director any action by any employee who demonstrates an unusual behavior pattern. An employee believed to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol will be required to submit to a drug and/or alcohol test.
County supervisory and managerial employees have the right to enter or search County property with or without notice, including desks, lockers, computers, phones and e-mail. Generally, there shall be no expectation of privacy while on any County property or of any property brought onto County premises.
An employee will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination, for violation of this policy.
4.4 Harassment (Including Sexual Harassment) (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to maintaining a working environment for employees (including applicants and County volunteers) that is free from any form of harassment, including sexual harassment. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
The term Harassment includes, but is not limited to, slurs, jokes, epithets, negative stereotyping, threats, intimidation, hostile acts; denigrating or hostile written or graphic material posted or circulated in the workplace or; any other graphic or physical conduct relating to an individual’s race, color, age, gender (including pregnancy status), religious creed, national origin, disability status, marital status, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable law.
Any form of harassment, including sexual harassment, related to the race, color, age, gender (including pregnancy status), religious creed, national origin, disability status, marital status, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable law shall not be tolerated.
The term sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, verbal statements such as jokes, innuendo, intimidation and/or physical conduct of a sexual nature; unwelcome sexual advances, propositions and/or innuendos that create hostile working conditions; display in the workplace of sexually suggestive or explicit objects, pictures or drawings and/or denigrating written or graphic material posted or circulated in the workplace; and any other graphic or physical conduct relating to a person’s gender.
Verbal statements or physical conduct of a sexual nature is unlawful if such behavior creates a hostile or offensive environment, or submission to such conduct is either explicitly or implicitly made a term or condition of employment or a basis of any employment decision affecting the individual.
The County does not condone harassment of its employees in connection with their work by non-employees (e.g., general public, vendors, and customers.)
Reporting
An employee who feels that they are being harassed by any other employee or non-employee, or any employee who becomes aware of any harassment of an employee should at once report the alleged act to any one or more of the following: his/her immediate Supervisor, the Human Resources Director, any Department Director, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, or the County Attorney.
Employees should not assume that the County is aware of any employee harassment problems. Employees should immediately bring all complaints and concerns to the County’s attention so that the concerns can be resolved. Employees will not be penalized in any way for making a report, in good faith, under this policy and procedure.
The Human Resources Director, County Manager, and County Attorney shall be notified of all harassment complaints unless the complaint involves the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney. The matter will be thoroughly investigated, and when appropriate, corrective action will be taken. It is emphasized that employees are not required to file a complaint first with their Supervisor.
Retaliation
No management personnel, supervisor or other employee shall place an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against an employee for having reported a complaint of harassment under this policy. Employees must report retaliatory actions directly to the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney as soon as possible after the incident occurs, then follow up with a written statement. Any retaliation exhibited by or directed toward management, supervisors, or other employees will result in corrective action, up to and including termination.
Investigation and Confidentiality
Employees who become aware of any harassment of an employee by another employee or a non-employee should report such harassment to their Supervisor, Human Resources Director, any Department Director, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney who shall be responsible for investigating all such incidents. Appropriate action will be taken to remedy the situation.
All complaints of harassment will be given a full, impartial and timely investigation and the employee will be advised of the findings. During such investigation, every effort will be made to protect the privacy rights of all parties, although confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
Corrective Action
Any employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation, to have engaged in harassment of another employee will be subject to appropriate corrective action, up to and including termination.
False accusations regarding harassment will not be tolerated, and any person knowingly making a false accusation will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.
Maintenance of Records and Documents
Human Resources shall maintain records and documentation related to this policy, including documents related to procedures for hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training, acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinary action under the BCC.
See the following federal laws for additional guidelines: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), and The Civil Rights Act of 1991.
4.5 Sexual Misconduct (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to maintaining a working environment for employees, County volunteers and citizens that is free from any form of sexual misconduct. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
The County will not tolerate any behavior by its employees (and volunteers) which constitutes Sexual Misconduct. “Sexual Misconduct” means any actual or attempted sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, indecent or sexual solicitation, or public indecency, as defined by state and local laws. Sexual Misconduct by non-employees toward County employees shall also not be tolerated.
Sexual misconduct can occur during interactions and/or relationships between individuals of the same gender or different gender, and between adults and minors. “Sexual Misconduct” does not include “Sexual Harassment”.
Reporting
It is the expressed policy of the County to encourage individuals alleging Sexual Misconduct to come forward with such claims. In order to conduct an immediate investigation, any incident of Sexual Misconduct must be reported as quickly as possible.
Employees are required to report any known or suspected incidents of sexual misconduct to their immediate Supervisor, Human Resources Director, any Department Director, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney. Employees are not required to report known or suspected cases to their immediate supervisor first. If the supervisor to whom an employee reports is the offending person, the report should be made to the next higher level of management or individuals listed above. In all cases, the Human Resources Director, County Manager, and County Attorney shall be notified, unless the complaint involves the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney.
Employees should not assume that the County is aware of any incidents of sexual misconduct. Employees will not be penalized in any way for making a report, in good faith, under this policy and procedure.
Incidents of alleged sexual misconduct shall also be immediately reported to local law enforcement in accordance with Section 794.027, Florida Statutes, Section 753.05, Florida Statutes, and/or Chapter 39, Florida Statutes.
The supervisory/management representative receiving the initial report (as described above) shall be responsible for contacting local law enforcement, if not done so already.
Retaliation
No management personnel, supervisor or other employee shall place an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against an employee for having reported a complaint of sexual misconduct under this policy. Employees must report retaliatory actions directly to the Human Resources Director, County Manager,  or County Attorney as soon as possible after the incident occurs, then follow up with a written statement. Any retaliation exhibited by or directed toward management, supervisors, or other employees will result in corrective action, up to and  including termination.
Investigation and Confidentiality
Employees who become aware of any sexual misconduct of an employee should report such incidents to their Supervisor, Human Resources Director, any Department Director, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney who shall be responsible for investigating all such incidents. Appropriate action will be taken to remedy the situation.
All complaints will be given a full, impartial and timely investigation. During such investigation, every effort will be made to protect the privacy rights of all parties, although confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
Corrective Action
Any employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation, to have engaged in sexual misconduct in violation of this policy will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination. False accusations regarding sexual misconduct will not be tolerated, and any person knowingly making a false accusation will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.
Maintenance of Records and Documents
Human Resources shall maintain records and documentation related to this policy including documents related to procedures for hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training, acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinary action under the BCC.
See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 794.027, Florida Statutes; Section 753.05, Florida Statutes; Chapter 39, Part II, Florida Statutes.
4.6 Workplace Violence  (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to protecting employees, volunteers, and members of the public, and minimizing the risk of violence in the workplace. The purpose of this policy is to maintain a workplace that is free from violence and to prevent the potential presence of violence. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
The County does not permit, tolerate or condone any physical or non-physical acts of violence in the workplace that result in threatened or actual harm to a person or threatened or actual damage to property. Workplace violence includes any threatening words or actions whether verbal or non-verbal, which create in the mind of any reasonable person the belief of receiving immediate or future harm to any person or property.
All employees are responsible for maintaining a safe and secure work environment that is free from the presence of violence by reporting threats or acts of violence in the workplace, refraining from exhibiting behavior or actions that could be interpreted as violent, and fully cooperating in the investigation of threats or acts of violence.
To the extent permitted by law, the County prohibits the possession of weapons on County premises or properties, including housing/carrying a weapon in a private vehicle on County owned or leased property. For the purpose of this policy, “weapon” includes all firearms, ammunition, knives and cutting utensils, clubs, brass knuckles, explosives or destructive devices, chemical weapons and devices, stun guns, or other  objects that may be considered weapons as defined by Section 790.001, Florida Statutes.
The only exceptions to the preceding prohibition on possession of a weapon shall be where the use of a weapon is a necessary and approved requirement of the employee’s job or where the individual is specifically authorized to maintain a firearm in a locked personal motor vehicle by Section 790.251,  Florida Statutes.
Reporting
Employees have a “duty to warn” their Supervisors, Human Resources Director, Department Directors, County Manager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney of any potentially violent situations, or suspicious workplace activities, situations or incidents that they observe or that they are aware of that involve other employees, former employees, customers or visitors. The Human Resources Director, County Manager, and County Attorney shall be notified of all reports under this section unless the report involves the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney. To the extent possible, such reports will be handled confidentially.
An employee will not be penalized in any way for making a report in good faith under this policy. Employees should not assume the County is aware of any employee violence problems and should immediately bring all complaints and concerns to the County’s attention so that they can be appropriately addressed.
Retaliation
No management personnel, supervisor or other employee shall place an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against an employee for having reported a workplace violence incident. Employees must report retaliatory actions directly to the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney as soon as possible after the incident occurs, then follow up with a written statement. Any retaliation exhibited by or directed toward management, supervisors, or other employees will result in corrective action, up to and including termination.
Corrective Action
Any employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation, to have committed threatening or violent acts in violation of this policy may be removed from the workplace, and will be subject to corrective action up to and including termination, criminal prosecution, or both.
False accusations regarding acts of workplace violence will not be tolerated, and any person knowingly making a false accusation will be subject to corrective action, up to and including termination.
Maintenance of Records and Documents
Human Resources shall maintain records and documentation related to this policy including documents related to procedures for hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training, acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinary action under the BCC.
See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 790.001, Florida Statutes, Section 790.053, Florida Statutes, Section 790.06, Florida Statutes, and Section 790.251, Florida Statutes.
Section 5  Safe and Healthy Working Environment
5.1 Safety Policy
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to ensuring that employees have safe and healthy conditions in which to work. This obligation is owed to each employee and citizen of Lake County, since there is a direct relationship between the personal and monetary cost of accidents and the County’s ability to provide reliable cost-effective services. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
Identification and correction of all safety hazards and issues must have immediate and decisive action. Effective implementation of a comprehensive safety program depends upon a commitment of all employees. In order for a safety program to be effective, all employees must understand what is expected of them and safety must be an ongoing and essential part of every work day.
The County’s Safety Program consists of several key elements:
Responsibilities of Management, Supervisors, and Employees - Safety responsibilities at every level of the County must be clearly defined in writing and relayed through training.
Written Procedures and Training Programs - Specific written safety procedures and training programs clearly define safety expectations that are necessary to prevent exposures, fatalities and serious injuries.
Safety Meetings - Safety meetings are held and provide an opportunity to discuss a variety of safety topics.
Safety Action Team (SAT) - The SAT’s main function is to facilitate and improve the safety of all employees.
Corrective Action Administration Procedure - The County’s Corrective Action Administration Procedure defines how safety rules shall be fairly and consistently addressed when individuals fail to adhere to them.
See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Chapter 440, Florida Statutes.
5.2 Use of Tobacco Products
OBJECTIVE
Due to the acknowledged hazards arising from exposure to tobacco products, this policy shall serve to protect the public and employees’ health, safety, comfort and environment by prohibiting tobacco use in any County owned or leased buildings, properties and vehicles not identified as designated tobacco use areas.
DIRECTIVES
Use of a tobacco product is prohibited in any County-owned or leased buildings, properties and vehicles. Tobacco products include both smoke and smokeless tobacco.
Use of a tobacco product is only permitted in designated tobacco use areas, which will be determined by the County Manager or designee. Areas not designated for tobacco use include, but are not limited to, main entrances and exits to and from County buildings.
Supervisors will discuss the issue of tobacco use breaks with their staff. Together, management and staff will develop effective solutions that do not interfere with the productivity and services provided by the County.
See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 386.204, Florida Statutes.
5.3 Workers’ Compensation and Property  and Liability Programs
OBJECTIVE
The County is committed to providing employees with procedures guiding employees and management through the Workers’ Compensation and Property and Liability programs. This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.
DIRECTIVES
The County’s Workers’ Compensation and Property and Liability programs will identify procedures that will provide for adequate and timely reporting, treatment, compensation, restoration and recovery.
The County recognizes the need to protect its assets and to preserve operational continuity from risks and hazards that may arise from business activities or from other activities or events that may affect the County.
The County is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment to protect employees and other members of the public to whom the County has such a responsibility.
All employees are required to immediately report on-the-job injuries/illnesses or damage to County property immediately to their supervisor.
Employees covered under the County’s Workers’ Compensation Program must go to the Healthcare Provider authorized by the County, unless the injury/illness requires emergency treatment at an urgent care facility/hospital or the injury/illness occurs after the Healthcare Provider’s hours of operation.
Light duty work assignments, if available, may be provided to employees who experience an on-the-job injury and/or illness, to accommodate restrictions established by the Workers’ Compensation Physician. Employees who refuse light duty work assignments will not receive Workers’ Compensation pay, and such employees may use their sick and annual leave, in that order, until released to regular work duty. Light duty work assignments are not provided for non-Workers’ Compensation-related injuries and/or illnesses.
Employees involved in an automobile accident while conducting County business shall contact law enforcement and, if found to be at fault, will be required to submit to a drug and alcohol screening.
See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 768.28, Florida Statutes.
Section 6  Types of Leave and Assistance
6.1 Leave Accruals  (Amended November 5, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to provide eligible employees with paid annual and sick leave.
DIRECTIVES
Annual Leave
All employees who are filling regularly established positions and who are regularly scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week shall be eligible to earn annual leave with compensation. Employees hired prior to July 5, 2009, and who are regularly scheduled to work at least twenty-two and a half (22.5) hours per week shall be eligible to earn annual leave with compensation. Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call, as defined in the County’s Types of Work Status Procedure, as well as employees hired after July 5, 2009, who work less than thirty (30) hours per week, shall be excluded from earning annual leave. Employees shall request authorization to use annual leave as far in advance as practical to allow sufficient time for the employee’s department to plan for adequate coverage.
Accrual Schedules
Annual leave shall be earned on an hour-by-hour basis commencing on the employee’s first day of employment. An employee must be in a pay status to earn annual leave (e.g., regular hours, vacation hours, sick hours, paid administrative leave hours, etc.). Annual leave hours will not be accrued for unpaid hours or any hours worked over the regularly scheduled hours (e.g., overtime).
Employees other than Fire Rescue shift employees earn leave on an hour-by-hour basis as follows:
Length of  Continuous Service | Accrual  Rate
0 through 3 completed years of service | .0462 x Hours*
More than 3 completed years of service through 15 completed years of service | .0585 x Hours*
More than 15 completed years of service | .0769 x Hours*
*Hours = Regularly scheduled paid annual hours
For employees other than Fire Rescue shift employees, “regularly scheduled paid annual hours” are defined as the number of scheduled hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks.
Example: An employee who has been employed by the County for 2 years and works 40 hours per week will accrue 96.096 annual leave hours per year (40 hours per week x 52 weeks = 2080 annual hours x .0462 = 96.096 hours  accrued annually).
Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift earn leave  as follows:
Length of  Continuous Service | Accrual  Rate
0 through 3 completed years of service | .081 x 2756 Hours*
More than 3 completed years of service through 15 completed years of service | .0932 x 2756 Hours*
More than 15 completed years of service | .1115 x 2756 Hours*
*Hours = Regularly scheduled paid hours
For Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift, “regularly scheduled paid hours” are defined as the number of scheduled hours per pay period multiplied by twenty-six (26) pay periods.
Example: A Fire Rescue employee on a 24-hour shift who has been employed by the County for 2 years and works 2756 regularly scheduled paid annual hours will accrue 223.24 annual leave hours per year (2756 annual hours x .081 = 223.24 hours accrued annually).
For Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift, the annual leave above includes four (4) shift days accrual (96 hours) in lieu of holiday compensation.
Accrual Limits
In order to encourage employees to take their leave each year for their health and well-being, the following annual accrual limits are established:
Length of  Continuous Service | Annual Accrual  Limit
0 through 4 completed years of service | 200 hours
More than 4 completed years of service through 9 completed years of service | 240 hours
More than 9 completed years of service | 300 hours
Employees may accumulate leave in excess of these limitations during the calendar year; however, accrued leave in excess of the above limits shall be forfeited if not used by the employee by the last paycheck date in September of each year unless written approval is obtained from the County Manager or his/her designee to carry over the excess amount. Employees may not receive pay in lieu of taking annual leave days (i.e., no annual leave sell-back). For purposes of this paragraph, the last paycheck date in September shall be the last payroll period which results in pay being received in the month of September.
Payout Options
Upon separation from employment, employees who have completed six (6) months of continuous service may elect to receive payment for accrued, but not used, annual leave subject to the annual leave limits above in one of the following manners:
The eligible accrued annual leave hours will be paid into the employee’s deferred compensation 457(b) plan account. The employee must already have an established 457(b) account to elect this option. Amounts in excess of the annual limit as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the year in which the payout is made will automatically be paid out in accordance with Option b (below).
OR
The eligible accrued annual leave hours will be paid as a lump-sum cash distribution.
Annual leave payouts cannot be divided among these options, except as noted above for IRS annual limits. Applicable taxes will be withheld. No employee shall receive payout for annual leave in excess of the accrual limits above. Hours in excess of the amounts in the “Accrual Limits” section above shall be forfeited.
Employees who elect to enroll in the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) through the Florida Retirement System (FRS) are eligible to receive payout of accrued, but not used, annual leave upon enrollment in DROP and again at separation from employment; however, the combined payouts shall not exceed the limits established above.
Sick Leave
All employees who are filling regularly established positions and who are regularly scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week shall be eligible to earn sick leave with compensation. Employees hired prior to July 5, 2009, and who are regularly scheduled to work at least twenty-two and a half (22.5) hours per week shall be eligible to earn sick leave with compensation. Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call,  as defined in the County’s Types of Work Status Procedure, as well as employees hired after July 5, 2009, who work less than thirty (30) hours per week, shall be excluded from earning sick leave.
Use of Sick Leave
Employees are eligible to use sick leave for the illness, accident, injury or dental or physician’s appointment for the employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family.
Immediate family is defined as current spouse, parents, parents-in-law, children, step-children, grandchildren, grandparents, brothers, sisters or persons living in the employee’s household.
Upon exhaustion of bereavement leave, employees shall be entitled to use sick leave for the immediate family members identified in the Bereavement Leave section of the County’s Paid Leave of Absence Policy.
Employees shall request authorization for scheduled sick leave absences as far in advance as practical to allow sufficient time for the employee’s department to plan for adequate coverage.
Sick leave is extended to employees as a privilege, not as a benefit. Abuse of sick leave is considered unwillingness to perform job functions and may constitute grounds for corrective action, up to and including termination. Abuse is determined on a case-by-case basis. Sick leave used under the provisions of the FMLA is exempt from being defined as abuse.
Accrual Schedule
Eligible employees shall accrue sick leave at the rate of .0462 times their base regularly scheduled paid bi-weekly hours per pay period. For example, an employee who is scheduled to work 40 hours per week will accrue 96.096 sick leave hours per year (.0462 X 2080 annual hours = 96.096 annual sick leave hours). There is no limit to the number of sick leave hours that may be accrued.
Sick Leave Payout Eligibility
Upon separation from employment, employees may elect to receive payment for accrued, but not used, sick leave subject to the following criteria:
Employees hired on or after July 5, 2009 are eligible for sick leave payout upon completion of five (5) years of continuous service with the County. Payouts shall be limited to twenty five (25) percent of the employee’s accrued sick leave balance, and shall not exceed 480 hours.
Employees hired between July 2, 1999 and July 4, 2009 are eligible for sick leave payout upon completion of twelve (12) months of continuous service with the County. Payouts shall be limited to twenty five (25) percent of the employee’s accrued sick leave balance, and shall not exceed 480 hours.
Employees hired on or before July 1, 1999 are eligible for sick leave payout upon completion of twelve (12) months of continuous service with the County. Payouts shall be limited to fifty (50) percent of the employee’s accrued sick leave balance, and shall not exceed 960 hours.
Payout Options
Eligible separating employees may elect to receive their applicable sick leave payout amount in one of the following manners:
The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paid into the employee’s Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP) Account. The employee must already have an established PEHP account to elect this option.
OR
The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paid into the employee’s deferred compensation 457(b) plan account. The employee must already have an established 457(b) account to elect this option. Amounts in excess of the annual limit as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the year in which the payout is made will automatically be paid out in accordance with Option c (below).
OR
The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paid as a lump-sum cash distribution.
Sick leave payouts cannot be divided among these options, except as noted above for IRS annual limits. Applicable taxes will be withheld. All sick leave hours not paid out shall be forfeited.
Prior to any payout being made to an eligible employee, all County property and/or equipment in possession of the employee must be returned to the employee’s Supervisor or designee.
Employees terminated for serious misconduct as defined in the County’s Corrective Action Administration Procedure shall not receive annual or sick leave payouts, unless specifically recommended by the Department Director and approved by the County Manager.
Incentive Days
In order to provide an incentive for employees to make conservative use of their sick leave privileges, the County provides additional benefits in the form of sick leave conversion to annual leave.
Employees who have been employed from the first payroll period in each calendar year through the last day of the last payroll period in the calendar year shall be eligible for incentive days. Following the end of the last payroll period of each year, the eligible number of sick leave hours will be converted to annual leave hours (i.e., deleted from the sick leave balance and added to the annual leave balance) based on sick leave hours used during the previous twenty-six (26) pay periods unless the employee specifically requests otherwise. For purposes of this paragraph, the last payroll period in the calendar year shall be the last payroll period which results in pay being received in the month of December and the first payroll period in the calendar year shall be the first pay period which results in pay being received in the month of January.
Scheduled Work Day | Maximum Number of Converted Hours
4.0 | 20.0 minus hours used
5.0 | 25.0 minus hours used
7.5 | 37.5 minus hours used
8.0 | 40.0 minus hours used
10.0 | 40.0 minus hours used
24.0 | 53.0 minus hours used
6.2 Holidays
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to establish holidays with compensation for employees.
DIRECTIVES
All employees, other than Fire Rescue employees on 24-hour shift, who are scheduled to work thirty (30) hours per week or more on a regular basis will be granted a day off with a regular scheduled day’s pay on County designated holidays. Part-time employees whose schedule would have normally called for them to work on the day of the County-designated holiday will be granted a day off with pay for the hours they would have otherwise worked.
When required to work on a holiday, an employee will receive holiday pay and be paid for the hours worked on the holiday at the appropriate rate. When this occurs, management may adjust an employee’s work schedule for the remainder of the week containing the holiday to avoid overtime liability or to meet operational needs.
The annual leave accrual rate for Fire Rescue employees who are classified as 24-hour shift personnel includes four (4) shift days (96 hours) in lieu of holiday compensation.
In order to receive holiday pay, an employee must be in an approved pay status both the work day before and the work day after the holiday. Pay status includes employees on paid annual or paid sick leave but does not include employees on Workers’ Compensation.
Employees working an alternate workweek (such as four 10-hour days, or flexible scheduling) will observe the holiday with an alternate day off during the same workweek when the County-designated holiday falls on their scheduled day off.
Holidays may not accumulate and may not carry over to the next calendar year.
Temporary/Seasonal employees hired for a specific project or Casual/On-Call employees are ineligible for holiday pay.
County holidays include:
(1)	New Year’s Day | (7)	Veteran’s Day
(2)	Martin Luther King’s Birthday | (8)	Thanksgiving  Day
(3)	President’s Birthday | (9)	Day after Thanksgiving
(4)	Memorial Day | (10)	Christmas Day
(5)	Independence Day | (11)	Employee’s Birthday*
(6)	Labor Day | (12)	Designated Floating Holiday**
* Employee’s Birthday shall be taken on the birthday or within thirty (30) calendar days following employee’s birthday. The Department Director may grant an extension not to exceed an additional thirty (30) calendar days.
** Designated Floating Holiday: the day before or the day after Christmas, or the day before or the day after New Year’s Day.
Holidays that fall on a Saturday, will be observed on the preceding Friday. Holidays that fall on a Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.
6.3 Sick Leave Bank
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to establish a plan to allow regular employees of the County, who are scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis, to participate in a sick leave bank which may be used upon depletion of their sick and other leave credits.
DIRECTIVES
The Sick Leave Bank Program is a voluntary program designed to provide participating employees with additional leave credits in the event of personal life-threatening or catastrophic illness and/or injury.
Life-threatening or catastrophic illness and/or injury is defined as requiring in-patient hospitalization, surgery, or extended medical treatments and rehabilitation which will result in periods of incapacity expected to be greater than seven (7) calendar days.  Periods of incapacity may be continuous or intermittent.
For purposes of this policy, life-threatening or catastrophic illness and/or injury does not include: (1) short term ailments such as flu, colds, or routine medical or dental appointments; (2) elective, cosmetic, or reconstructive surgery unrelated to another major illness, accident or injury; (3) job-related illnesses or injuries which may be covered by workers’ compensation; or (4) intentional self-inflicted injuries.
Enrollment can occur within thirty (30) calendar days of an employee’s completion of the initial six (6) month probationary period or during the month of January each year. To be eligible to enroll, an employee must be a regular employee scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis with six (6) months of continuous service, and have a combined balance of forty (40) hours of sick and/or annual leave in order to enroll in the Sick Leave Bank for the first time.
A maximum of 240 hours per year, per participating member, will be considered. A second withdrawal in the amount of 240 hours will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Employees must use sick bank time within six months from the date on which they start using time. Payment for hours granted from the Sick Leave Bank will be at the receiving employee’s hourly rate of pay earned on the last day of active/paid County service. If leave granted to a participating employee is not used, it will revert back to the Sick Leave Bank.
A participant requesting Sick Leave Bank hours must have exhausted any entitlement to Family Medical Leave or must use any remaining Family Medical Leave entitlement concurrent with Sick Leave Bank hours.
The granting of any Sick Leave Bank hours does not guarantee an individual continued employment for any period of time.
Requests for sick leave bank withdrawal must be accompanied by documentation from a physician or healthcare provider justifying the need for the leave. In addition, each occurrence of intermittent use of approved sick leave bank withdrawal must be documented by the employee’s attending physician or health care provider.
When an employee has a change in his/her medical status, he/she is responsible for informing and providing the County with updated information regarding such change.
The denial of a Sick Leave Bank Withdrawal Request shall not be grievable, however the employee may submit additional information should he/she feel the denial was an error.
6.4 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
OBJECTIVE
It is the policy of the County to comply with the U.S. Department of Labor Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations. The County is committed to ensuring that all “eligible employees” are granted up to twelve (12) workweeks (480 hours) of job protected leave during a 12-month period for any FMLA qualifying reason. In addition, eligible employees may be granted additional leave for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness.
DIRECTIVES
The term “eligible employee” means an employee who has been employed with the County at least twelve (12) months or fifty-two (52) weeks which need not be continuous and worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12-month period.
The term “job protected leave” means that upon an employee’s return from FMLA leave, he/she will be reinstated to the same or an equivalent job with the same pay, benefits and terms and conditions of employment.
The term “parent” means the biological parent of an employee or an individual who stood in place of a parent to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter.
The term “son” or “daughter” means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under eighteen (18) years of age, or eighteen (18) years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.
A “key” employee is a salaried “eligible employee” who is among the highest paid ten (10) percent of employees.
The County will measure the twelve (12) months on a rolling 12-month period. The rolling 12-month period is measured backward from the date an employee intends to use any FMLA leave. Holidays occurring during a full week of FMLA leave count toward FMLA leave. If an employee works any part of a work week during which a holiday falls, the holiday does not count toward FMLA leave unless the employee was scheduled to work on the holiday.
To qualify as FMLA leave under this policy, the eligible employee must be taking leave for one of the following reasons:
The birth of a son or daughter of the employee and in order to care for such son or daughter.
The placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care.
The serious health condition (as defined by the FMLA Regulations) of the employee that makes him/her unable to perform the functions of his/her job.
The employee is needed to care for a family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition (as defined by the FMLA Regulations).
A qualifying exigency (as defined by the FMLA Regulations) arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, child, or parent is a covered military member in the Armed Forces on active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty) in support of a contingency operation.
To care for a member (or veteran who was a member) of the Armed Forces (including the National Guard or Reserves) who is a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin and has incurred a qualifying (as defined by the Secretary of Labor) injury or illness in the line of duty while on active duty in the Armed Forces (or a qualifying injury or illness that existed before the beginning of the member’s active duty and was aggravated by service in line of duty on active duty in the Armed Forces). Employees may be entitled to 26 weeks of FMLA, pursuant to Federal Law. See the County’s applicable FMLA Procedure.
The County does not have light duty for personal illness or injury.
When an employee plans to take leave under this policy, the employee must provide the County thirty (30) days’ notice. If it is not possible to provide thirty (30) days’ notice, the employee must give as much notice as is practicable when he/she learns of the need for leave.
It is the County’s right and obligation to determine whether an employee’s leave is eligible for FMLA. If an employee is taking time off from work and the County has reason to believe that such time off falls under the FMLA provisions (e.g., the employee has a known serious health condition), the County can count the leave toward the employee’s 12-week entitlement.
An employee who takes leave under this policy will be returned to the same position or a position with equivalent status, pay, benefits and other employment terms. Leave extending beyond the 12-week FMLA allotment does not carry the return rights under FMLA.
Employees may take FMLA leave intermittently (e.g., leave of periods from an hour or more to several weeks as certified by a health care provider) or on a reduced work schedule.
If an employee takes available leave for a health condition that progresses into a serious health condition and the employee requests FMLA leave, the County may retroactively designate as FMLA leave all or some portion of the earlier leave taken, to the extent that the earlier leave meets the necessary qualifications.
The County will continue the employee’s health benefits while an employee is on approved FMLA leave during the leave period at the same level and under the same conditions as if the employee had continued to work. If the employee chooses not to return to work for reasons other than a continued serious health condition of the employee or the employee’s family member, or a circumstance beyond the employee’s control, the County will require the employee to reimburse the County the amount it paid for the employee’s health and/or dental coverage during the leave period.
Employees who fraudulently obtain FMLA leave from the County are not entitled to job restoration or continuation of employee benefits and may be subject to progressive corrective action up to and including termination.
See the following Federal laws for additional guidelines: Part 825, Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations, The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA).
6.5 Leave of Absence  (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to grant full-time and part-time regular and management employees a leave of absence under allowable conditions. An approved leave of absence runs concurrently with all available forms of compensation (e.g., sick, annual, short term disability, long term disability, or workers’ compensation) and may be unpaid if leave accruals are exhausted or disability compensation payments discontinued.
DIRECTIVES
A leave of absence is defined as an approved paid or unpaid period of thirty (30) calendar days or more away from work for personal or medical reasons.
An employee may request a leave of absence, which may be approved in thirty (30) day increments.
To be eligible for a leave of absence, an employee must have completed their initial probationary period. Additionally an employee must have exhausted his/her 12 week FMLA entitlement or be absent from work for non-FMLA reasons.
Employees must request leave under this policy as soon as practicable when he/she learns the need for leave. Written requests for leave must include a Leave of Absence Request Form and must be approved by the County Manager or his/her designee in coordination with Human Resources. All requests for a Leave of Absence for an employee’s own medical condition must include necessary medical documentation supporting such leave.
Any initial leave of absence requests shall be approved at least two (2) weeks prior to the leave being taken, except in the case of an emergency. If an absence is taken in excess of two (2) consecutive work days without notification and/or approval, the employee may be considered to have abandoned his/her position with the County.
While on an approved leave of absence, the employee may continue his/her group insurance benefits. The County will continue to make employee-authorized payroll deductions for all benefits while the employee is receiving sufficient pay from sick or annual leave to cover these deductions.
If an approved leave of absence extends beyond thirty (30) days, and the employee has exhausted all of their sick and annual leave, the employee may continue his/her group insurance benefits at the applicable premium equivalent/retiree rate. Employees out on leave due to a workers’ compensation injury are responsible to continue to pay the employee portion of their benefit premiums.
The approved leave of absence does not entitle an employee to any County position. Depending on the length of the leave and the operational needs of the Department, a position may or may not be held, and the employee may be required to apply for a position should they become able to return to County employment. The employee will be extended preference for positions at or below his/her current pay grade and for which the employee meets the minimum requirements before the leave of absence expires.
An employee returning from a leave of absence before the expiration of a leave period shall be required to give reasonable notice and obtain Department Director approval. If the leave was taken for their own medical reasons, employees will be required to present a completed Fitness for Duty Report, which must be approved by their Department Director in collaboration with Human Resources.
An employee shall not earn annual or sick leave credits while on an unpaid leave of absence.
6.6 Other Types of Leave
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this policy is to establish leave for eligible employees under certain allowable conditions with proper documentation. Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call are not eligible for leave under this policy unless specifically provided for by applicable law in the case of Military Leave.
DIRECTIVES
Paid Leave
Court and Jury Duty
An employee who is summoned as a member of a jury is granted leave of absence with pay. Employees summoned for jury duty, but not selected, must report back to the job site the same day. When the employee is compensated by the court system for their service as a juror, any stipend received must be returned to the County Finance Office.
Employees who are subpoenaed or required to appear in court relating to County business are paid at their regular rate if called away from their work site. Since the County is continuing to pay employees their regular wages, any witness fees or stipends received must be returned to the County Finance Office.
Employees who are absent from work due to personal litigation or court cases may be allowed to utilize annual leave with Department Director approval.
Employees will not be reimbursed for meals, lodging or travel expenses incurred while in service as either a juror or witness, unless travel is out of the County and related to County business.
Conferences
Paid leave may be granted to employees who attend conferences that are job related and contribute to the effectiveness of the employee’s position.
Paid leave for conferences that require travel for short or day trips and do not require overnight absence from official headquarters may be approved by the  employee’s Supervisor.
Paid leave for conferences requiring travel outside of Lake County may be approved by the Department Director, County Manager, or his/her designee.
Paid leave for conferences requiring overnight absence from official headquarters and/or out of state travel must be approved by the County Manager or his/her designee.
If the conference occurs outside of scheduled work hours, the employee’s attendance must be required by the County in order to be paid.
Examinations
An employee may be granted leave with pay, upon Department Director approval, for the purpose of taking job-related examinations, provided such examinations are pertinent to their employment.
Military Leave
Training
In accordance with Section 115.07, Florida Statutes, an employee who is a member of the National Guard, or in an organized military reserve of the United States, will be granted a leave of absence with pay not to exceed a maximum of two-hundred and forty (240) working hours during each calendar year when they are engaged in training ordered under the provisions of the United States military or naval training regulations for such personnel when assigned to active or inactive duty.
Active Service
In accordance with Section 115.09, Florida Statutes, an employee who is a member of the National Guard, or in an organized military reserve of the United States, will be granted a leave of absence with pay not to exceed a maximum of thirty (30) days when they are called to active military service. The normally scheduled work days within the first (30) day period of any such leave of absence may be with full pay, and thereafter, the County shall supplement the difference between an employee’s military compensation and their regular rate of County pay for up to one year or until released from active duty, whichever comes first (provided the amount of military compensation does not exceed their regular County pay).
In accordance with Section 250.48, Florida Statutes, an employee who is a member of the Florida National Guard will be granted a leave of absence with pay not to exceed a maximum of thirty (30) days at any one time for periods of active State duty pursuant to Section 250.28 or 252.36, Florida Statutes.
All other military leave shall be unpaid and granted in accordance with the provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA) and the County’s policy regarding Other Types of Leave. Additionally, employees returning from approved military leave may be eligible for job reinstatement in accordance with USERRA.
Administrative Leave
The County Manager has the authority to grant administrative leave to manage special circumstances and/or certain other work-related activities, as deemed appropriate by the County Manager.
Administrative Leave for Re-examination or Treatment by Veterans’ Administration with Respect to Service-Connected Disability
As defined by Section 110.119, Florida Statutes, employees who have been rated by the Veterans Administration to have incurred a service-connected disability and have been scheduled by the Veterans Administration to be re-examined or treated for the disability shall be granted administrative leave for such re-examination or treatment without loss of pay or benefits. In no event shall the paid leave under this section exceed six (6) calendar days a year. A leave request and appropriate documentation for the leave should be submitted to the Department Director as far in advance as possible.
Bereavement Leave
Employees, upon request, and on approval of the Department Director, shall be granted up to two (2) days of bereavement leave with pay in the event of a death in their immediate family or up to three (3) days of bereavement leave with pay if the employee must travel out of state for absences relating to the death of an immediate family member.
Immediate family is defined as current spouse, parents, children, current step-children, grandchildren, grandparents, brothers, sisters, and employee’s aunts or uncles. Immediate family member, for purposes of bereavement leave, shall also include parents-in-law, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, or persons currently living in the employee’s household.
If additional time is needed, sick and/or annual leave may be used with Department Director approval. The Department Director and/or Supervisor may request additional information or documentation as deemed necessary to determine the eligibility of the employee for leave with pay.
Mentoring Program
Employees are provided opportunities to participate in the County’s Mentoring Program.
BCC employees will be allowed one contact hour per week, not to exceed five (5) hours per calendar month, to participate in mentoring activities, as defined by the Governor’s Mentoring Initiative.
Activities approved under this policy include, mentoring, tutoring, guest speaking, and when participating in an established mentoring program serving a school district, and providing related services at the direction of the program.
A contact hour is defined as time spent “face to face” with a student. A total of thirty (30) minutes of travel time per session will be allowed. Any time utilized above the contact hour will be charged to the employee’s accrued leave.
Employees are required to obtain supervisory approval to participate in this program. In granting leave under this policy, the supervisor shall take into account the impact of such leave on the employee’s work unit.
Employees are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the Employment Policies Manual. Employees are subject to corrective action, up to and including termination, for inappropriate use of this leave.
Leave under this policy will fall within an employee’s regularly scheduled hours and will be considered as paid time, but will not be considered as hours worked when calculating overtime compensation.
Unpaid Leave
Domestic Violence Leave — In accordance with Section 741.313, Florida Statutes, the County grants up to three (3) unpaid working days of domestic leave in a twelve (12) month rolling calendar period to employees who have been employed by the County for a period of three (3) months and have exhausted all annual and sick leave. The County’s Domestic Violence Procedure outlines qualifying reasons for taking this leave, as well as terms and conditions for using this leave.
6.7 Educational Assistance (Amended March 26, 2013)
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this policy is to establish criteria for employees to obtain educational assistance applicable to the employee’s field of work or of such nature and quality to directly contribute to the employee’s value and potential growth. This program is subject to funding restrictions.
DIRECTIVES
An employee will be considered for participation in the Educational Assistance Program if they have been a full-time employee of the Board for one (1) continuous year or more and are recommended by their Supervisor.
Employees may request participation in the plan by submitting an application to their supervisor prior to the start of the term, stating the title and description of the course, the teaching institution, the duration of the course and the cost of tuition and lab fees.
Human Resources will review the application for employee eligibility and availability of funds, and approve/disapprove  the application.
Qualified employees will be permitted time off from work with pay to attend required classes which are not available during non-working hours, if approved by the Supervisor and Department Director.
Tuition reimbursement shall be limited to a maximum dollar value of ten (10) credit hours per fiscal year, at the cost per undergraduate semester hour at the University of Central Florida at the time the employee registers and pays for the class(es).
Upon successful completion of approved course(s), with a grade of “C” or better, the employee may be eligible for reimbursement of tuition. The employee must present a copy of their grades or certification of successful course completion to receive reimbursement. If the course is completed with a grade of “A”, the employee may be eligible for reimbursement of books. To receive reimbursement for books, a receipt showing cost must be included. Reimbursement for tuition, lab fees and books will be made only to employees who are on the active payroll at the time of successful completion of the course.
The County will require the employee to sign an agreement to work for the BCC for a minimum of twelve (12) months after the completion of the course(s). If the employee elects not to fulfill the agreement, the cost of the educational assistance will be deducted from any monies due the employee.