Employment Policies Manual - Lake County

Employment Policies Manual 1Table of ContentsEmployee Acknowledgment of Receipt of Employment PoliciesManual (Amended November 5, 2013) 3Section 1 51.1 Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.2 Introduction and Purpose of the Manual(Amended March 26, 2013) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.3 Applicability and Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Section 2Being a Public Sector Employee 92.1 Code of Ethics(Amended March 26, 2013) 102.2 Political Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152.3 Outside Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172.4 Dress Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182.5 Parking Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2 Lake County Board of County CommissionersSection 3Personnel Management 213.1 Equal Employment Opportunity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223.2 Classification and Pay Plan (Amended March 26, 2013) 243.3 Employee Status (Amended March 26, 2013) 263.4 Management Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Section 4Workplace Policies 294.1 Work Hours and Overtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304.2 Corrective Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374.3 Drug Free Workplace (Amended March 26, 2013) 414.4 Harassment (Including Sexual Harassment)(Amended March 26, 2013) 434.5 Sexual Misconduct (Amended March 26, 2013) 474.6 Workplace Violence (Amended March 26, 2013) 50Section 5Safe and Healthy Working Environment 535.1 Safety Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 545.2 Use of Tobacco Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565.3 Workers’ Compensation and Propertyand Liability Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Section 6Types of Leave and Assistance 596.1 Leave Accruals (Amended November 5, 2013) 606.2 Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686.3 Sick Leave Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 706.4 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 736.5 Leave of Absence (Amended March 26, 2013) 776.6 Other Types of Leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 806.7 Educational Assistance (Amended March 26, 2013) 87

Employment Policies Manual 3Employee Acknowledgment of Receiptof Employment Policies Manual(Amended November 5, 2013)This will acknowledge that I have received my copy of the LakeCounty Employment Policies Manual (Manual).I understand that the official version of the Lake CountyEmployment Policies Manual will be maintained in electronicform by Human Resources and be available on the Countyintranet and internet.I understand that this Manual represents County policies, doesnot create a contract of employment, and that the County maymake changes in it from time to time.I understand that I have the right to terminate my employmentat any time with or without cause, and that the County has thesame right.I agree to comply with all policies, procedures, and practicesnow or hereafter adopted by the County.I understand that this acknowledgment will become a part ofmy official employee file.Printfull 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.

4 Lake County Board of County Commissioners

Section 1Employment Policies Manual 5

6 Lake County Board of County Commissioners1.1 ForewordThe “Employment Policies Manual” (Manual) has been developed forthe benefit of all employees under the jurisdiction of the Lake CountyBoard of County Commissioners (County). The Lake County Board ofCounty Commissioners appreciates and supports the efforts of allCounty employees. Employees are encouraged to familiarize themselveswith the Manual, which includes employment policies, guidelines andexpectations. Consistent application of the Manual’s principles will fosteraccountability, promote a positive working environment, and assistemployees in better understanding their rights and responsibilities.Awareness of the County’s expectations, as well as the consequencesif the requirements are not met, offers a framework for success inemployment with the County.As Lake County employees, we are customer-driven, striving to meetand exceed expectations in the way that we develop and provideour services to Lake County’s citizens, businesses and communities.The delivery of these services at the highest level of performance andprofessionalism will enable us to succeed in meeting the County’smission of excellence in service, thereby offering Lake County’s citizensan unsurpassed quality of life.Board of County CommissionersLake County

Employment Policies Manual 71.2 Introduction and Purpose of the Manual(Amended March 26, 2013)The information contained herein addresses and promotes employmentrelatedpolicies, standards for professionalism, respectful employeeconduct, and a commitment to high quality service. Specific goals of thedocuments are:• To provide a uniform personnel management systemthroughout the County.• To assist management in the development of sound policies,procedures and practices.• To ensure effective and consistent management of theCounty’s workforce.• To promote effective communication and expectations amongmanagement and staff.• To clarify the rights and responsibilities of both the County andits employees.• To comply with federal and state employment laws.The Manual is not intended to be part of a contract between the Countyand any of its employees. None of the provisions contained withinthese policies shall be deemed to create a vested contractual right inany employee and the County reserves the right to repeal or modifythese documents at any time. These policies are not to be interpretedas promises of specific treatment. They provide guidance with respectto the policies which have been developed pursuant to federal, stateand local laws and regulations governing employment matters, andconsistent with the County’s vision, mission and values. The officialversion of this Manual will be maintained in electronic form by HumanResources and be available on the County’s intranet and internet.

8 Lake County Board of County Commissioners1.3 Applicability and AuthorityThese policies are applicable to all employees and may be modifiedover time by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). Employees maybe subject to corrective action, up to and including termination, forviolation of the policies included in this Manual.All provisions of this Manual shall apply to employees of the CountyAttorney’s Office as regular employees of the County, including AssistantCounty Attorneys and other County Attorney staff who work under thedirection of the County Attorney. Where there are references in thisManual to approvals required of the County Manager or actions to betaken by the County Manager with regard to employees of the CountyAttorney’s Office, such reference shall be to the County Attorney, exceptthat the normal grievance policy shall apply to non-attorney staff of theCounty Attorney’s Office.These policies do not apply to the members of Lake County Board ofCounty Commissioners, to members of Lake County boards who arenot County employees, and depending on an employee’s particularEmployee Status (e.g., Regular versus Temporary) some of the policies inthis Manual may not be applicable. For example, a temporary employeewould be subject to the ethics and workplace standards sections of theManual; however the annual or sick leave sections would not apply.County volunteers may be subject to these policies when specificallystated herein. Where specific provisions of a collective bargainingagreement apply to certain employees, the provisions of the collectivebargaining agreement shall control.The County Manager is charged with developing, implementing andupdating procedures to implement the policies in this manual. TheCounty Manager shall have the authority to interpret those practices notspecifically covered in this Manual or in a separate County Procedure.

Employment Policies Manual 9Section 2Being a Public Sector Employee

10 Lake County Board of County Commissioners2.1 Code of Ethics(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to prescribe a general code of conductfor employees, who shall maintain certain standards of conduct.II.DIRECTIVESA. Chapter 112, Part III, Florida Statutes, Code of Ethics, applies to allemployees. While there are other key provisions under Chapter112, Florida Statutes that apply to County employees, some ofthe provisions of the statute include but are not limited to thefollowing and are summarized below.1. Unauthorized Compensation: No employee, or his/her spouseor minor child shall accept any compensation, paymentor thing of value when such employee knows, or with theexercise of reasonable care, should know that it was givento influence the vote or official action of such employee. (Forreference, see Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes)2. Doing business with one’s agency: No employee who isempowered with the authority to purchase on behalf ofthe County in an official capacity shall directly or indirectlypurchase, rent, or lease any realty, goods or services for theCounty from a business entity in which the employee, or theemployee’s spouse or child is an officer, partner, director orproprietor, or in which the employee, the employee’s spouseor child (or any combination of them) has a material interest.No employee, acting in a private capacity, shall rent, lease or sellany realty, goods or services to the County or any of its agencies.(For reference, see Section 112.313(3), Florida Statutes)

Employment Policies Manual 113. Misuse of public position: No employee shall corruptly useor attempt to use their official position or any property orresource within their trust, or perform their official dutiesto secure a special privilege, benefit or exemption forthemselves or others. (For reference, see Section 112.313(6),Florida Statutes)4. Disclosure or use of certain information: No employee shalldisclose or use information not available to the generalpublic and gained by reason of their official position for theirpersonal gain or benefit or for the personal gain or benefitof any other person or business entity. (For reference, seeSection 112.313(8), Florida Statutes)5. Conflicting employment or contractual relationship: Noemployee shall have or hold any employment or contractualrelationship with any business entity or any agency whichis subject to the regulation of, or is doing business with theCounty. No employee shall have or hold any employmentor contractual relationship that will create a continuing orfrequently recurring conflict between their private interestsand the performance of their public duties, or that wouldimpede the full and faithful discharge of their public duties.(For reference, see Section 112.313(7), Florida Statutes)B. The following provisions apply to all employees and are morestringent than the requirements of Section 112.313, FloridaStatutes:1. Gifts: No employee may solicit or accept a gift from anyperson or entity (or agent or lobbyist of such person or entity)doing business with or regulated by the County or which isgiven based upon any understanding that their official actionwould be influenced. (For reference to corresponding section,see Section 112.313(2), Florida Statutes)

12 Lake County Board of County Commissioners2. Uncompensated service on boards, committees andcommissions: The Florida Commission on Ethics has ruledthat uncompensated service on a board, committee orcommission (including not-for-profit corporations andunincorporated associations) doing business with orregulated by the County does not constitute a violation ofthe conflict of interest rules under Section 112.313(7), FloridaStatutes. However, no County employee shall hold such aposition unless he/she has been appointed thereto by theBCC or has obtained approval from the County Manager.a. Any employee who wishes to serve on any committee,board or commission which is subject to the regulationof, or is doing business with the County, must first seekapproval from the County Manager or designee. Whenmaking a decision pursuant to this provision, the CountyManager shall consider the following:• Whether service on the board, committee or commissioncreates an appearance of impropriety or conflict.• Whether a unity of interest exists between the outsideboard, committee or commission so that it is in the bestinterests of the County to have the employee serve on theboard, committee, or commission.• Whether service on the board, committee or commissionwould create a continuing conflict of interest. • Whether service on the board, committee or commissionwould prevent the employee from performing a full andfaithful discharge of their public duties.

Employment Policies Manual 13b. The County Manager or designee shall not give approval ofsuch service which would be in violation of the provisionsof Section 112.313, Florida Statutes.C. Solicitation of Funds1. Selling of commercial products, such as make-up and jewelryby County employees or outside individuals, is prohibitedon County time or on County property. An employee whoengages in this type of selling may post their businesson the intranet or employee bulletin boards (other thanemployment law bulletin boards) with a personal phonenumber or personal e-mail address for contact.2. Selling and distributing products such as cookies and cardsfor charitable purposes which benefit schools, non-profitorganizations, etc. is prohibited on County time and in workareas open to the public. However, books and sign-up listsmay be left in break areas, or in areas that are not in view ofcustomers. It is incumbent on employees to ensure that salesof this nature do not supplant work productivity and are notconducted in a manner that could be construed as obligatory.3. A request by a department or employee for countywideaid or assistance to benefit an employee or a member of anemployee’s family in the event of need or tragedy should bemade to the County Manager’s established employee forum.The employee forum will convene and recommend to theCounty Manager an appropriate response. Final approval willbe made by the County Manager.

Employment Policies Manual 152.2 Political ActivityI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to promote more efficient public serviceby regulating the political activities of employees and volunteersduring regularly scheduled work hours or while performing dutiesfor the County.II.DIRECTIVESA. Employees are encouraged to vote in elections. However, to avoidconflicts of interest or public misunderstanding, employees areprohibited from playing an active role in partisan political affairsduring work hours.B. No employee may take part in political management or politicalcampaigns during duty or when functioning in an officialcapacity on behalf of the County.C. No employee shall solicit verbally, electronically, by letter or inany other manner any assessments, contributions or servicesfor any political party from any employee or the public duringduty hours or when functioning in an official capacity onbehalf of the County.D. Political candidates may be greeted and political campaignmaterial accepted for personal information, but should beremoved from public viewing immediately. No campaignmaterial will be displayed on counters or desks at any time.

16 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. Nothing herein shall be construed to restrict the right ofemployees to hold membership in and support a political party,to vote as they choose, to express their opinions on all politicalsubjects and candidates, to maintain political neutrality and toattend political meetings after working hours or to campaignactively during off-duty hours in all areas of political activity.F. No employee may be a candidate for or hold the office of LakeCounty Commissioner. No employee shall hold or be a candidatefor any other public office while in the employment of theCounty unless approval is obtained from his/her DepartmentDirector and the County Manager as involving no interest whichconflicts with or interferes with County employment.G. An employee who has been granted approval to become acandidate for public office pursuant to this section, excludingthat of Lake County Commissioner, may, at the discretion of theemployee’s Department Director, be granted a leave of absencewithout pay to campaign for the office, or may be allowed to useaccrued annual leave.

18 Lake County Board of County Commissioners2.4 Dress CodeI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to establish criteria for employees andvolunteers regarding appropriate work clothing.II.DIRECTIVESA. Employees should verify with their supervisor to determine theirdepartment’s policy on uniforms. If uniforms are provided, theymust be worn at all times.B. Safety equipment, when needed and provided, must be wornas appropriate.C. Upon an employee’s termination, the employee is responsiblefor the surrender of all uniforms, safety equipment, name tags,and/or identification badges.D. The County expects all employees to dress in a manner which isappropriate to the type of work performed and have a neat andorderly appearance.E. Employees who are issued identification badges or name tags shallwear them while at work and/or conducting County business.F. No employee whose duties involve the use of a badge, card, orclothing insignia as evidence of authority or for identificationshall permit such badges, cards, or insignia to be used or wornby anyone who is not authorized to use or wear them nor permitthem to be out of his/her possession without good cause orapproval of the Department Director. Such badges, cards, andinsignia shall be used only in the performance of the officialduties of the positions to which they are related.

Section 3Personnel ManagementEmployment Policies Manual 21

24 Lake County Board of County Commissioners3.2 Classification and Pay Plan(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to ensuring that employees receivefair compensation for work performed on behalf of the County.The County seeks to proactively manage the classification andpay plan to ensure that positions are correctly classified andthat corresponding rates of pay are appropriate and sufficient toattract and retain a qualified workforce to best serve the citizensof Lake County.II.DIRECTIVESA. Changes shall be made to pay grade structures with the approvalof the BCC.B. The County Manager is responsible for maintaining theclassification and pay plan to reflect the duties performed byeach employee in County service. The County Manager shallperiodically review and make necessary amendments to theclassification and pay plan with input from the DepartmentDirector and Human Resources.C. The County Manager shall cause to be performed an analysisof each new position as it is created and on the basis of such

Employment Policies Manual 25analysis, place the position into the appropriate pay grade withinthe classification plan.D. Changes in the duties and responsibilities of a positioninvolving either the addition of new assignments or thetaking away or modifying of existing assignments shallbe evaluated by the Department Director and HumanResources. If the changes are determined to be permanentand substantial, reclassification of such position shall requireCounty Manager approval. It is the responsibility of theCounty Manager to develop methods for moving employeeswithin the pay structures.E. No employee may be employed in more than one (1) positionwith the County unless authorized by the County Manager.F. Employees and volunteers who are required to operatemotor vehicles while conducting County business or as arequirement of their job description are required to holda “valid” Florida Commercial Driver’s License or a “valid”Florida Driver’s License. They shall also comply with theCounty’s Acceptable Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)Record Procedure and/or the County’s Acceptable DrivingRecord Procedure.

26 Lake County Board of County Commissioners3.3 Employee Status(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to facilitate the selection andappropriate placement of employees.II.DIRECTIVESA. All employees will be classified into status categories to clarifybenefits and pay practices for different types of employment.B. Employees in positions scheduled to work at least thirty (30)hours per week are eligible for County benefits including suchinsurances as group health, dental, vision, life, etc. The County’sbenefits package may periodically be modified with BCCapproval. All regular and management employees are enrolledin the Florida Retirement System (FRS), which is regulated byChapter 121, Florida Statutes. Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call, as defined in the Types of WorkStatus Procedure, shall be ineligible to receive benefits.C. Each employee shall be assigned into a status category such asnew hire probation, regular, management, temporary/seasonal,limited-term, etc. Additionally, each employee is designated asfull or part-time. Full-time employees are scheduled to workat least thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduledbasis. Part-time employees are scheduled to work less than

Employment Policies Manual 27thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis. It isthe responsibility of Human Resources, under the direction ofthe County Manager, to assign employees and positions intoappropriate status categories.D. At no time shall any employee be assigned to a status categorythat in any way creates a contract of employment, with theexception of appointed officials who have an employmentcontract with the BCC such as the County Manager and CountyAttorney. All employees of the County have the right to terminatetheir employment at any time, with or without cause, and theCounty has the same right subject to the applicable provisionsset forth elsewhere in the Types of Work Status Procedure.E. Employment separations shall be categorized to clarifyadministrative processing (e.g., resignation, termination, andretirement).F. Employees who resign, are laid-off, or retire are eligible forrehire. Employees who retire are eligible for re-hire subject toFRS reemployment restrictions. Employees who have beeninvoluntarily terminated or who resign in lieu of termination arenot eligible for rehire.G. The County Manager has the authority to initiate procedures forreduction in force.

28 Lake County Board of County Commissioners3.4 Management EmployeesI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to ensure that management employeesare evaluated annually and that a record is made of any disciplinaryaction administered.II.DIRECTIVESA. Management employees are assigned in the following jobtitles: County Manager, Deputy County Manager, CountyAttorney, Deputy County Attorney, Assistant County Attorney,Department Director, Division Director/Division Manager, andany other at-will position/employee designated by the CountyManager in writing.B. Management employees shall be evaluated at least onceannually to assess job performance.C. Documentation regarding disciplinary action imposed onthe management employee shall be placed in the employee’spersonnel file.D. Management employees are covered by all other standards ofemployment outlined in employment policies and procedures,with the exception of the County’s Corrective Action Policy andProcedure, Layoffs Procedure, and any other policy or procedureas deemed appropriate.E. Management employees serve at will, except as otherwise noted.

Section 4Workplace PoliciesEmployment Policies Manual 29

30 Lake County Board of County Commissioners4.1 Work Hours and OvertimeI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to establish standards for work hoursand overtime compensation for all employees.II.DIRECTIVESA. Business Hours and Timekeeping1. The County will maintain regular hours of business operationsas required by workload, productivity, customer serviceneeds, the efficient management of human resources and anyapplicable laws. Regular hours and changes to regular hours ofoperations will be posted and announced to the public.2. The County establishes the standard work week to run from12:01 a.m. on Sunday through 12:00 midnight on the followingSaturday of each week. Pay periods shall be established foreach two-week period. The standard work week shall typicallyconsist of a total of forty (40) hours. Depending on workrequirements, the normal workweek may include weekendand/or evening work. In general, administrative offices shallbe open to the public from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., Mondaythrough Friday, though specific office hours may vary basedupon the function or operational demands of each office.3. Employees may conduct County business from remotelocations with Department Director or designee approval.4. Non-exempt employees are required to complete timesheetsor make entries into a time-keeping system each dayto record actual time worked to the nearest quarter of anhour. Actual employee arrival time must be documented onthe non-exempt employee’s timesheet. Exempt employeesare required to complete an accurate report of leave used

Employment Policies Manual 31each pay period. Timesheets must be completed for eachtwo (2) week pay period. Exempt employees will comply withthe same time keeping procedure as non-exempt employeesduring workweeks in which a furlough day is scheduled.B. Meal Periods and Breaks1. Meal periods and breaks are neither required nor governedby law and are therefore at the discretion of the County.2. Each non-exempt employee must take a minimum of onehalfhour for a meal break during each shift that exceeds six(6) hours. Supervisors are responsible for determining mealschedules subject to operational demands.3. Each non-exempt employee may also take one (1) fifteen (15)minute break for each four (4) hour block of work scheduledper work day. Availability of breaks is subject to operationaldemands. Supervisors are responsible for fairly administeringbreaks. Example: An employee scheduled to work an eight (8)hour day may take a fifteen (15) minute break mid-morningand another fifteen (15) minute break mid-afternoon.4. Lunch periods and breaks may not be accumulated for use asleave time on any given day, week or pay period.5. The County supports the practice of lactation by accommodatingthe needs of nursing mothers, ensuring thatemployees are provided with an adequate facility, and allowinga flexible schedule for expressing breast milk for one yearafter the child’s birth. The time allowed may exceed a normallunch or break period. Any time in excess of a normal lunchor break period will not be paid as regular work time but withsupervisory approval, non-exempt employees can use sickleave, annual leave, or establish a flexible work schedule.

32 Lake County Board of County CommissionersC. Tardiness and Reporting Procedures1. Employees are expected to be ready to work promptly at thestart of their assigned shift and depart from work promptly atthe end of their assigned shift. Failure to do so may result incorrective action in accordance with the County’s CorrectiveAction Administration Procedure.2. Supervisors shall establish call-in procedures for employeeswho anticipate being tardy to or absent from the worksite.Such procedures shall be distributed to all subordinateemployees. Employees who are scheduled to work must callin prior to the start of the scheduled work day to report anunscheduled absence. Failure to call-in or promptly reportabsences in accordance with departmental call-in proceduremay lead to corrective action.3. An absence of two (2) or more consecutive work days withoutnotification and/or approval is considered job abandonment.D. Overtime1. It is the general policy of the County not to require overtimework by employees who are subject to the overtimeprovisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (nonexemptemployees), although it may be required if necessary.2. Non-exempt employees shall receive overtime compensationat a rate of one-and-a-half times their regular rate of pay forany hours worked in excess of forty (40) productive hours perwork week, or as designated by the BCC, in accordance withthe applicable provisions of the FLSA.3. Department Directors, Division Directors/Division Managers,or other management staff may schedule overtime whenit is necessary (i.e., it is not feasible to handle operationaldemands through flexible scheduling or other schedule

Employment Policies Manual 33modifications). Employees required to work overtime willgenerally be given at least forty-eight (48) hours of advancenotice when practicable.4. Non-exempt employees are not permitted to work overtimewithout express prior supervisory approval. Employeesworking overtime without appropriate prior authorizationwill be paid appropriately for the overtime hours, but will besubject to corrective action, up to and including termination.To the greatest extent operationally feasible, flexiblescheduling within the pay week will be used to avoidincurring of overtime in accordance with the County’sFlexible Scheduling Procedure.Time worked (i.e., productive hours) for the purposes ofovertime calculation shall include regular hours worked,holidays, annual leave scheduled in advance, and/oreducation hours. All other types of pay, including sick leave,administrative leave, jury duty, bereavement, anniversaryleave, annual leave substituted for sick leave only becausesick leave has been exhausted, or furlough hours will beconsidered non-productive hours and will not be consideredwhen calculating overtime compensation.5. Non-exempt employees required to come to work during offdutyhours due to an emergency or other urgent situationshall be paid in accordance with this policy (i.e., at the timeand-one-halfrate for actual hours worked exceeding theforty (40) productive hour threshold).6. Non-exempt employees required to be “on call” shall be paidtwo (2) hours of their regular pay for each twenty-four (24)hour period they are on call, regardless of whether or notthey are called in during that time. On call hours are notconsidered to be hours worked for purposes of overtime.Hours worked while on call will be considered productivework hours.

34 Lake County Board of County Commissioners7. Exempt Employeesa. Exempt employees are compensated based on the totaljob rather than the number of hours worked. As such,exempt employees are expected to allocate whateveramount of time is necessary to accomplish the tasksassigned to them and to successfully execute the dutiesand responsibilities of the position. Although forty (40)work hours is the typical standard, exempt employees areoften required to work extended or irregular hours abovethe forty (40) hour work schedule to perform successfully.Exempt employees do not earn overtime pay for thesehours over and above the standard work schedule.b. Exempt employees who are absent from the workplacedue to personal reasons or sickness for less than a full daybut more than half of their scheduled work day (e.g., 4hours for 8 hour day, 5 hours for 10 hour day) are requiredto use accrued leave (annual or sick, as applicable) for thenumber of hours equal to half of the work day. However,exempt employee salary will not be reduced for partialday absences if no accrued leave is available. In such case,leave will be advanced to the exempt employee and usedprospectively to avoid having unpaid time for a partialday absence. Exempt employees are not required to useaccrued leave for workday absences of less than half oftheir regularly scheduled hours.c. Supervisors are responsible for setting work schedules,allowing or denying partial-day absences, optionallyrequiring that the absences be for the full scheduledday, and for monitoring the performance of exemptemployees. Abuse of this privilege and/or substandardjob performance by an exempt employee will lead tocorrective action, up to and including termination.

Employment Policies Manual 35d. When an exempt employee’s absence is protected underthe Family/Medical Leave Act (FMLA), partial day accrualuse and FMLA entitlement may be used in increments offifteen (15) minutes in accordance with the County’s FMLAPolicy and Procedure.8. Safe Harbor under the FLSAa. It is the policy of the County to accurately compensateemployees and to do so in compliance with allapplicable state and federal laws. To ensure thatemployees are paid properly for all time worked andthat no improper deductions are made, employees areresponsible for recording all work time in accordancewith the provisions above and for reviewing paycheckspromptly to identify and report all errors. Non-exemptemployees are prohibited from engaging in off-the-clockor unrecorded work.b. Non-exempt employees are responsible for recordingactual time worked each day. Hours must be accuratelyrecorded on a time sheet or time tracking system to whichemployees will have ready access. Each employee mustsign his/her time sheet (whether paper or electronic) toverify that the reported hours worked are complete andaccurate and that there is no unrecorded or “off-the-clock”work. The time sheet must accurately reflect all regularand overtime hours worked, any absences, early or latearrivals, early or late departures and meal breaks. Uponreceipt of paychecks, employees should immediatelyverify that pay was provided appropriately.c. Exempt employees will be paid a full salary for anyworkweek in which they perform work, regardless ofthe number of days or hours worked, subject only to paydeductions permitted by law, including the following:

36 Lake County Board of County Commissioners(1) Full day absences for personal reasons, includingvacation.(2) Full day absences for sickness, since the County hasa sick leave plan.(3) FMLA absences (either full or partial day absences).(4) Unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more fulldays for significant infractions of major workplaceconduct or safety rules (including those that couldcause serious harm to others) set forth in theCounty’s policies and procedures.(5) The first or last week of employment in the eventthat an employee works less than a full week.(6) Full furlough days taken in accordance withapplicable County policy/procedure.(7) Any amounts received by the employee as jury fees,witness fees, or military pay.d. Employees who have questions regarding deductionsfrom their pay, believe that their wages have been subjectto any improper deduction, or believe that pay does notaccurately reflect all hours worked should contact theirSupervisor immediately. Each report will be appropriatelyaddressed and rectified in a timely manner.e. Willful violations will subject the offending employee tocorrective action, up to and including termination.

Employment Policies Manual 374.2 Corrective ActionI. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to establishing an equitable and consistentadministration of discipline.II.DIRECTIVESA. This policy applies to all County employees with the exceptionof the County Manager, Deputy County Manager, CountyAttorney, Deputy County Attorney, Assistant County Attorneys,Department, and Division Directors/Division Managers and anyother management or at-will employees designated in writingby the County Manager.B. The County adheres to the concept of Progressive CorrectiveAction. Progressive Corrective Action is the process of usingincreasingly severe steps or measures to address employeeperformance or behavior issues. The underlying principleof sound progressive action is to use the least severe actionnecessary to correct the undesirable performance or behavior.If the performance/behavior does not improve after beingprovided reasonable opportunity, management may thenprogress to the next/higher level of corrective action.The levels of progressive corrective action shall consist ofverbal counseling, written warning, and formal discipline.Formal discipline includes suspension, involuntary demotionand termination. The County’s formal discipline process providesfor employee due process through a Pre-DeterminationConference (PDC).

38 Lake County Board of County CommissionersIn addition to being progressive in nature, it is important that thedegree of corrective action be directly related to the seriousnessof the offense and the employee’s record; therefore, it is possiblefor steps to be skipped or repeated.Progressive corrective action stresses coaching, counseling,and problem solving, but preserves the right of managementto immediately suspend, demote or discharge an employee forwhat may be deemed serious misconduct.C. Corrective Action should be administered when there islegitimate reason to do so. Reasons such as an employee failingto live up to his/her responsibility to the County, whether willfulor not, based on work-related conduct action or inaction, orreflecting willful disregard for the County’s interest, or anyconduct which falls short of what an employer may reasonablyexpect and require of an employee, would all be consideredlegitimate reasons for corrective action.D. The County provides employees with a process for whichgrievances (appeals) may be heard. The grievance process is tobe used only to address actions affecting a term or conditionof employment (i.e., formal disciplinary action is taken). A termor condition of employment is any adverse monetary actionresulting from involuntary demotions, suspensions (includingimmediate suspensions) and terminations, with the exception oflayoffs or furloughs or any changes in pay as a result of economicor budget conditions.E. In the event of a possible incident of serious misconduct thatwould potentially lead to termination, an employee may beplaced on Corrective Action Administrative Leave with payduring the investigation period and time leading up to the PDC.In addition, immediate suspension without pay may be imposed

Employment Policies Manual 39to remove an employee from the workplace when the presenceof the employee is not in the best interest of the County.F. Applicants and employees who are found to have suppliedfalse information on their employment application (falsifiedthe application), may be terminated from County employmentand will be deemed ineligible for applying for positions with theCounty for a minimum period of one (1) year. After the one-yearperiod, employment with the County will be considered on alimited, case-by-case basis with the determination made by theCounty Manager or designee.G. ResponsibilitiesThe goal of Corrective Action is to correct improper behavior,maximize productivity, and promote efficient and effectivedelivery of services. To accomplish this goal, the CorrectiveAction process requires both employees and management tofulfill the following duties and expectations.1. All employees shall:a. Adhere to the policies, procedures and expectedstandards of performance and behavior established fortheir position and work unit.b. Ensure that they do not deviate from or arbitrarily modifypolicies, procedures and standards without prior consentand approval of management.c. Request clarification if they do not clearly and completelyunderstand the policies, procedures and expectedstandards of job performance and behavior.

40 Lake County Board of County Commissionersd. Communicate to management in a timely manner anydifficulties encountered in following established policies,procedures, or standards.e. Immediately notify their supervisor and/or managementif they have engaged in serious misconduct as definedin the applicable procedure including, but not limited to,being arrested, having a suspended driver’s license, etc.2. Managers and supervisors shall:a. Ensure that employees adhere to the County’s policiesand procedures.b. Communicate policies, procedures and standards ina consistent manner and ensure that employees areafforded every opportunity to obtain clarification.c. Communicate changes in policies, procedures andstandards in a timely manner.d. Coach and guide employees in their performance andbehavior to successfully accomplish job requirements andresponsibilities, and utilize a Performance ImprovementPlan (PIP) when appropriate.e. Consistently and objectively observe and documentemployees’ performance and behavior. Employees shouldreceive timely feedback regarding their performance andbehavior.f. Ensure that the level of Corrective Action imposed isappropriate for the violation.

Employment Policies Manual 414.3 Drug Free Workplace(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to maintaining a workplace that is freefrom the presence and effects of drugs and/or alcohol, providingthe highest level of service to its citizens, and minimizing the risk ofaccidents and injuries. This policy applies to all County employeesand County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. The County prohibits employees from using, selling, dispensing,distributing, possessing, or manufacturing illegal drugs and/oralcoholic beverages while on County premises, work sites, or in aCounty vehicle. In addition, employees are prohibited from offpremiseuse of alcohol and possession, use, and/or sale of illegal/prescription drugs, when such activities adversely affect jobperformance, job safety, or interferes with the County’s ability tocarry out its mission.B. Employees must notify their supervisor if they have beenprescribed a drug for a medical or other condition which couldimpair their ability to perform their job. If it is determinedthat the employee is unable to perform his/her job due toimpairment caused by the medication, the employee shouldapply for appropriate leave and discuss the situation with his/her supervisor.

42 Lake County Board of County CommissionersC. Pursuant to Drug Free Workplace regulations, the Countyconducts 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 alsosubject to pre-employment and random drug/alcohol tests.D. Employees and/or supervisors shall report immediately(during that working shift) to their Department Director and/or Human Resources Director any action by any employeewho demonstrates an unusual behavior pattern. An employeebelieved to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol willbe required to submit to a drug and/or alcohol test.E. County supervisory and managerial employees have the right toenter or search County property with or without notice, includingdesks, lockers, computers, phones and e-mail. Generally, thereshall be no expectation of privacy while on any County propertyor of any property brought onto County premises.F. An employee will be subject to corrective action, up to andincluding termination, for violation of this policy.

Employment Policies Manual 434.4 Harassment (Including Sexual Harassment)(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to maintaining a working environmentfor employees (including applicants and County volunteers) that isfree from any form of harassment, including sexual harassment. Thispolicy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. The term Harassment includes, but is not limited to, slurs, jokes,epithets, negative stereotyping, threats, intimidation, hostileacts; denigrating or hostile written or graphic material postedor circulated in the workplace or; any other graphic or physicalconduct relating to an individual’s race, color, age, gender(including pregnancy status), religious creed, national origin,disability status, marital status, genetic information or any otherstatus protected by applicable law.B. Any form of harassment, including sexual harassment, relatedto the race, color, age, gender (including pregnancy status),religious creed, national origin, disability status, marital status,genetic information or any other status protected by applicablelaw shall not be tolerated.C. The term sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to,verbal statements such as jokes, innuendo, intimidation and/orphysical conduct of a sexual nature; unwelcome sexual advances,propositions and/or innuendos that create hostile workingconditions; display in the workplace of sexually suggestive orexplicit objects, pictures or drawings and/or denigrating writtenor graphic material posted or circulated in the workplace; and anyother graphic or physical conduct relating to a person’s gender.

44 Lake County Board of County CommissionersVerbal statements or physical conduct of a sexual natureis unlawful if such behavior creates a hostile or offensiveenvironment, or submission to such conduct is either explicitlyor implicitly made a term or condition of employment or a basisof any employment decision affecting the individual.D. The County does not condone harassment of its employees inconnection with their work by non-employees (e.g., generalpublic, vendors, and customers.)E. ReportingAn employee who feels that they are being harassed by anyother employee or non-employee, or any employee whobecomes aware of any harassment of an employee should atonce 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 CountyManager, or the County Attorney.Employees should not assume that the County is aware of anyemployee harassment problems. Employees should immediatelybring all complaints and concerns to the County’s attentionso that the concerns can be resolved. Employees will not bepenalized in any way for making a report, in good faith, underthis policy and procedure.The Human Resources Director, County Manager, and CountyAttorney shall be notified of all harassment complaints unless

Employment Policies Manual 45the complaint involves the Human Resources Director, CountyManager, or County Attorney. The matter will be thoroughlyinvestigated, and when appropriate, corrective action will betaken. It is emphasized that employees are not required to file acomplaint first with their Supervisor.F. RetaliationNo management personnel, supervisor or other employee shallplace an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against anemployee for having reported a complaint of harassment underthis policy. Employees must report retaliatory actions directlyto the Human Resources Director, County Manager, or CountyAttorney as soon as possible after the incident occurs, then followup with a written statement. Any retaliation exhibited by ordirected toward management, supervisors, or other employeeswill result in corrective action, up to and including termination.G. Investigation and ConfidentialityEmployees who become aware of any harassment of anemployee by another employee or a non-employee shouldreport such harassment to their Supervisor, Human ResourcesDirector, any Department Director, County Manager, DeputyCounty Manager, or County Attorney who shall be responsiblefor investigating all such incidents. Appropriate action will betaken to remedy the situation.

46 Lake County Board of County CommissionersAll complaints of harassment will be given a full, impartial andtimely investigation and the employee will be advised of thefindings. During such investigation, every effort will be made toprotect the privacy rights of all parties, although confidentialitycannot be guaranteed.H. Corrective ActionAny employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation,to have engaged in harassment of another employee will be subjectto 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 besubject to corrective action, up to and including termination.I. Maintenance of Records and DocumentsHuman Resources shall maintain records and documentationrelated to this policy, including documents related to proceduresfor hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training,acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinaryaction under the BCC.See the following federal laws for additional guidelines: Title VII of the Civil RightsAct of 1964 (Title VII), The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA), The Age Discriminationin Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), Title I and Title V of the Americans withDisabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Genetic InformationNondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA), and The Civil Rights Act of 1991.

Employment Policies Manual 474.5 Sexual Misconduct(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to maintaining a working environment foremployees, County volunteers and citizens that is free from any formof sexual misconduct. This policy applies to all County employeesand County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. The County will not tolerate any behavior by its employees(and volunteers) which constitutes Sexual Misconduct. “SexualMisconduct” 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. SexualMisconduct by non-employees toward County employees shallalso not be tolerated.B. Sexual misconduct can occur during interactions and/orrelationships between individuals of the same gender or differentgender, and between adults and minors. “Sexual Misconduct”does not include “Sexual Harassment”.C. Reporting1. It is the expressed policy of the County to encourageindividuals alleging Sexual Misconduct to come forward withsuch claims. In order to conduct an immediate investigation,any incident of Sexual Misconduct must be reported asquickly as possible.2. Employees are required to report any known or suspectedincidents of sexual misconduct to their immediate Supervisor,Human Resources Director, any Department Director, CountyManager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney.

48 Lake County Board of County CommissionersEmployees are not required to report known or suspectedcases to their immediate supervisor first. If the supervisor towhom an employee reports is the offending person, the reportshould be made to the next higher level of management orindividuals listed above. In all cases, the Human ResourcesDirector, County Manager, and County Attorney shall benotified, unless the complaint involves the Human ResourcesDirector, County Manager, or County Attorney.3. Employees should not assume that the County is aware ofany incidents of sexual misconduct. Employees will not bepenalized in any way for making a report, in good faith, underthis policy and procedure.4. Incidents of alleged sexual misconduct shall also beimmediately reported to local law enforcement in accordancewith Section 794.027, Florida Statutes, Section 753.05, FloridaStatutes, and/or Chapter 39, Florida Statutes.5. The supervisory/management representative receiving theinitial report (as described above) shall be responsible forcontacting local law enforcement, if not done so already.D. RetaliationNo management personnel, supervisor or other employee shallplace an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against anemployee for having reported a complaint of sexual misconductunder this policy. Employees must report retaliatory actionsdirectly to the Human Resources Director, County Manager,or County Attorney as soon as possible after the incidentoccurs, then follow up with a written statement. Any retaliationexhibited by or directed toward management, supervisors,or other employees will result in corrective action, up to andincluding termination.

Employment Policies Manual 49E. Investigation and ConfidentialityEmployees who become aware of any sexual misconduct ofan employee should report such incidents to their Supervisor,Human Resources Director, any Department Director, CountyManager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney who shallbe responsible for investigating all such incidents. Appropriateaction will be taken to remedy the situation.All complaints will be given a full, impartial and timelyinvestigation. During such investigation, every effort will bemade to protect the privacy rights of all parties, althoughconfidentiality cannot be guaranteed.F. Corrective ActionAny employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation,to have engaged in sexual misconduct in violation of thispolicy will be subject to corrective action, up to and includingtermination. False accusations regarding sexual misconductwill not be tolerated, and any person knowingly making afalse accusation will be subject to corrective action, up to andincluding termination.G. Maintenance of Records and DocumentsHuman Resources shall maintain records and documentationrelated to this policy including documents related to proceduresfor hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training,acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinaryaction under the BCC.See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 794.027, FloridaStatutes; Section 753.05, Florida Statutes; Chapter 39, Part II, Florida Statutes.

50 Lake County Board of County Commissioners4.6 Workplace Violence(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to protecting employees, volunteers, andmembers of the public, and minimizing the risk of violence in theworkplace. The purpose of this policy is to maintain a workplace that isfree from violence and to prevent the potential presence of violence.This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. The County does not permit, tolerate or condone any physicalor non-physical acts of violence in the workplace that resultin threatened or actual harm to a person or threatened oractual damage to property. Workplace violence includes anythreatening words or actions whether verbal or non-verbal,which create in the mind of any reasonable person the belief ofreceiving immediate or future harm to any person or property.B. All employees are responsible for maintaining a safe and securework environment that is free from the presence of violence byreporting threats or acts of violence in the workplace, refrainingfrom exhibiting behavior or actions that could be interpreted asviolent, and fully cooperating in the investigation of threats oracts of violence.C. To the extent permitted by law, the County prohibits thepossession of weapons on County premises or properties,including housing/carrying a weapon in a private vehicle onCounty owned or leased property. For the purpose of thispolicy, “weapon” includes all firearms, ammunition, knives and

Employment Policies Manual 51cutting utensils, clubs, brass knuckles, explosives or destructivedevices, chemical weapons and devices, stun guns, or otherobjects that may be considered weapons as defined by Section790.001, Florida Statutes.The only exceptions to the preceding prohibition on possessionof a weapon shall be where the use of a weapon is a necessaryand approved requirement of the employee’s job or wherethe individual is specifically authorized to maintain a firearmin a locked personal motor vehicle by Section 790.251,Florida Statutes.D. Reporting1. Employees have a “duty to warn” their Supervisors,Human Resources Director, Department Directors, CountyManager, Deputy County Manager, or County Attorney ofany potentially violent situations, or suspicious workplaceactivities, situations or incidents that they observe or thatthey are aware of that involve other employees, formeremployees, customers or visitors. The Human ResourcesDirector, County Manager, and County Attorney shall benotified of all reports under this section unless the reportinvolves the Human Resources Director, County Manager, orCounty Attorney. To the extent possible, such reports will behandled confidentially.2. An employee will not be penalized in any way for makinga report in good faith under this policy. Employees shouldnot assume the County is aware of any employee violenceproblems and should immediately bring all complaintsand concerns to the County’s attention so that they can beappropriately addressed.

52 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. RetaliationNo management personnel, supervisor or other employee shallplace an employee at a disadvantage or retaliate against anemployee for having reported a workplace violence incident.Employees must report retaliatory actions directly to the HumanResources Director, County Manager, or County Attorney assoon as possible after the incident occurs, then follow up witha written statement. Any retaliation exhibited by or directedtoward management, supervisors, or other employees will resultin corrective action, up to and including termination.F. Corrective ActionAny employee who is determined, after appropriate investigation,to have committed threatening or violent acts in violation of thispolicy may be removed from the workplace, and will be subjectto corrective action up to and including termination, criminalprosecution, or both.False accusations regarding acts of workplace violence willnot be tolerated, and any person knowingly making a falseaccusation will be subject to corrective action, up to andincluding termination.G. Maintenance of Records and DocumentsHuman Resources shall maintain records and documentationrelated to this policy including documents related to proceduresfor hiring, screening, employee code of conduct, training,acknowledgement forms, incident reporting and disciplinaryaction under the BCC.See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 790.001, FloridaStatutes, Section 790.053, Florida Statutes, Section 790.06, Florida Statutes, andSection 790.251, Florida Statutes.

Section 5Safe and Healthy WorkingEnvironmentEmployment Policies Manual 53

54 Lake County Board of County Commissioners5.1 Safety PolicyI. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to ensuring that employees have safeand healthy conditions in which to work. This obligation is owed toeach employee and citizen of Lake County, since there is a directrelationship between the personal and monetary cost of accidentsand the County’s ability to provide reliable cost-effective services.This policy applies to all County employees and County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. Identification and correction of all safety hazards and issues musthave immediate and decisive action. Effective implementation ofa comprehensive safety program depends upon a commitmentof all employees. In order for a safety program to be effective,all employees must understand what is expected of them andsafety must be an ongoing and essential part of every work day.B. The County’s Safety Program consists of several key elements:1. Responsibilities of Management, Supervisors, and Employees- Safety responsibilities at every level of the County must beclearly defined in writing and relayed through training.

Employment Policies Manual 552. Written Procedures and Training Programs - Specific writtensafety procedures and training programs clearly define safetyexpectations that are necessary to prevent exposures, fatalitiesand serious injuries.3. Safety Meetings - Safety meetings are held and provide anopportunity to discuss a variety of safety topics.4. Safety Action Team (SAT) - The SAT’s main function is tofacilitate and improve the safety of all employees.5. Corrective Action Administration Procedure - The County’sCorrective Action Administration Procedure defines howsafety rules shall be fairly and consistently addressed whenindividuals fail to adhere to them.See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Chapter 440, Florida Statutes.

56 Lake County Board of County Commissioners5.2 Use of Tobacco ProductsI. OBJECTIVEDue to the acknowledged hazards arising from exposure to tobaccoproducts, this policy shall serve to protect the public and employees’health, safety, comfort and environment by prohibiting tobacco usein any County owned or leased buildings, properties and vehiclesnot identified as designated tobacco use areas.II.DIRECTIVESA. Use of a tobacco product is prohibited in any County-ownedor leased buildings, properties and vehicles. Tobacco productsinclude both smoke and smokeless tobacco.B. Use of a tobacco product is only permitted in designated tobaccouse areas, which will be determined by the County Manager ordesignee. Areas not designated for tobacco use include, but arenot limited to, main entrances and exits to and from Countybuildings.C. Supervisors will discuss the issue of tobacco use breaks withtheir staff. Together, management and staff will develop effectivesolutions that do not interfere with the productivity and servicesprovided by the County.See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 386.204, FloridaStatutes.

Employment Policies Manual 575.3 Workers’ Compensation and Propertyand Liability ProgramsI. OBJECTIVEThe County is committed to providing employees with proceduresguiding employees and management through the Workers’Compensation and Property and Liability programs. This policyapplies to all County employees and County volunteers.II.DIRECTIVESA. The County’s Workers’ Compensation and Property andLiability programs will identify procedures that will providefor adequate and timely reporting, treatment, compensation,restoration and recovery.B. The County recognizes the need to protect its assets and topreserve operational continuity from risks and hazards that mayarise from business activities or from other activities or eventsthat may affect the County.C. The County is committed to providing a safe and healthyenvironment to protect employees and other members of thepublic to whom the County has such a responsibility.D. All employees are required to immediately report on-the-jobinjuries/illnesses or damage to County property immediately totheir supervisor.

58 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. Employees covered under the County’s Workers’ CompensationProgram must go to the Healthcare Provider authorized by theCounty, unless the injury/illness requires emergency treatmentat an urgent care facility/hospital or the injury/illness occursafter the Healthcare Provider’s hours of operation.F. Light duty work assignments, if available, may be providedto employees who experience an on-the-job injury and/orillness, to accommodate restrictions established by the Workers’Compensation Physician. Employees who refuse light dutywork assignments will not receive Workers’ Compensation pay,and such employees may use their sick and annual leave, inthat order, until released to regular work duty. Light duty workassignments are not provided for non-Workers’ Compensationrelatedinjuries and/or illnesses.G. Employees involved in an automobile accident whileconducting County business shall contact law enforcementand, if found to be at fault, will be required to submit to adrug and alcohol screening.See the following State laws for additional guidelines: Section 768.28, FloridaStatutes.

Employment Policies Manual 59Section 6Types of Leave and Assistance

60 Lake County Board of County Commissioners6.1 Leave Accruals(Amended November 5, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to provide eligible employees with paidannual and sick leave.II.DIRECTIVESA. Annual LeaveAll employees who are filling regularly established positions andwho are regularly scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hours perweek shall be eligible to earn annual leave with compensation.Employees hired prior to July 5, 2009, and who are regularlyscheduled to work at least twenty-two and a half (22.5) hours perweek 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, aswell as employees hired after July 5, 2009, who work less thanthirty (30) hours per week, shall be excluded from earning annualleave. Employees shall request authorization to use annual leaveas far in advance as practical to allow sufficient time for theemployee’s department to plan for adequate coverage.1. Accrual SchedulesAnnual leave shall be earned on an hour-by-hour basiscommencing on the employee’s first day of employment. Anemployee must be in a pay status to earn annual leave (e.g.,regular hours, vacation hours, sick hours, paid administrativeleave hours, etc.). Annual leave hours will not be accruedfor unpaid hours or any hours worked over the regularlyscheduled hours (e.g., overtime).a. Employees other than Fire Rescue shift employees earnleave on an hour-by-hour basis as follows:

Employment Policies Manual 61Length ofContinuous ServiceAccrualRate0 through 3 completed.0462 x Hours*years of serviceMore than 3 completedyears of service through 15 .0585 x Hours*completed years of serviceMore than 15 completed.0769 x Hours*years of service*Hours = Regularly scheduled paid annual hoursFor employees other than Fire Rescue shift employees,“regularly scheduled paid annual hours” are defined as thenumber of scheduled hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks.Example: An employee who has been employed by theCounty for 2 years and works 40 hours per week will accrue96.096 annual leave hours per year (40 hours per weekx 52 weeks = 2080 annual hours x .0462 = 96.096 hoursaccrued annually).b. Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift earn leaveas follows:Length ofContinuous Service0 through 3 completedyears of serviceMore than 3 completedyears of service through 15completed years of serviceMore than 15 completedyears of service*Hours = Regularly scheduled paid hoursAccrualRate.081 x 2756 Hours*.0932 x 2756 Hours*.1115 x 2756 Hours*For Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift, “regularlyscheduled paid hours” are defined as the number ofscheduled hours per pay period multiplied by twenty-six (26)pay periods.

62 Lake County Board of County CommissionersExample: A Fire Rescue employee on a 24-hour shift who hasbeen employed by the County for 2 years and works 2756regularly scheduled paid annual hours will accrue 223.24annual leave hours per year (2756 annual hours x .081 =223.24 hours accrued annually).For Fire Rescue employees on a 24-hour shift, the annualleave above includes four (4) shift days accrual (96 hours) inlieu of holiday compensation.2. Accrual LimitsIn order to encourage employees to take their leave each yearfor their health and well-being, the following annual accruallimits are established:Length ofContinuous Service0 through 4 completedyears of serviceMore than 4 completedyears of service through 9completed years of serviceMore than 9 completedyears of serviceAnnual AccrualLimit200 hours240 hours300 hoursEmployees may accumulate leave in excess of theselimitations during the calendar year; however, accrued leavein excess of the above limits shall be forfeited if not usedby the employee by the last paycheck date in Septemberof each year unless written approval is obtained from theCounty Manager or his/her designee to carry over theexcess amount. Employees may not receive pay in lieu oftaking annual leave days (i.e., no annual leave sell-back).For purposes of this paragraph, the last paycheck date in

Employment Policies Manual 63September shall be the last payroll period which results inpay being received in the month of September.3. Payout OptionsUpon separation from employment, employees who havecompleted six (6) months of continuous service may electto receive payment for accrued, but not used, annual leavesubject to the annual leave limits above in one of thefollowing manners:a. The eligible accrued annual leave hours will be paid into theemployee’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 annuallimit as prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forthe year in which the payout is made will automatically bepaid out in accordance with Option b (below).ORb. The eligible accrued annual leave hours will be paid as alump-sum cash distribution.Annual leave payouts cannot be divided among theseoptions, except as noted above for IRS annual limits.Applicable taxes will be withheld. No employee shall receivepayout for annual leave in excess of the accrual limits above.Hours in excess of the amounts in the “Accrual Limits” sectionabove shall be forfeited.Employees who elect to enroll in the Deferred RetirementOption Program (DROP) through the Florida RetirementSystem (FRS) are eligible to receive payout of accrued, butnot used, annual leave upon enrollment in DROP and againat separation from employment; however, the combinedpayouts shall not exceed the limits established above.

64 Lake County Board of County CommissionersB. Sick LeaveAll employees who are filling regularly established positions andwho are regularly scheduled to work at least thirty (30) hoursper week shall be eligible to earn sick leave with compensation.Employees hired prior to July 5, 2009, and who are regularlyscheduled to work at least twenty-two and a half (22.5) hoursper 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 wellas employees hired after July 5, 2009, who work less than thirty(30) hours per week, shall be excluded from earning sick leave.1. Use of Sick Leavea. Employees are eligible to use sick leave for the illness,accident, injury or dental or physician’s appointment forthe employee or a member of the employee’s immediatefamily.b. Immediate family is defined as current spouse, parents,parents-in-law, children, step-children, grandchildren,grandparents, brothers, sisters or persons living in theemployee’s household.c. Upon exhaustion of bereavement leave, employees shallbe entitled to use sick leave for the immediate familymembers identified in the Bereavement Leave section ofthe County’s Paid Leave of Absence Policy.d. Employees shall request authorization for scheduled sickleave absences as far in advance as practical to allowsufficient time for the employee’s department to plan foradequate coverage.e. Sick leave is extended to employees as a privilege, not asa benefit. Abuse of sick leave is considered unwillingnessto perform job functions and may constitute grounds for

Employment Policies Manual 65corrective action, up to and including termination. Abuseis determined on a case-by-case basis. Sick leave usedunder the provisions of the FMLA is exempt from beingdefined as abuse.2. Accrual ScheduleEligible employees shall accrue sick leave at the rate of .0462times their base regularly scheduled paid bi-weekly hours perpay period. For example, an employee who is scheduled towork 40 hours per week will accrue 96.096 sick leave hoursper year (.0462 X 2080 annual hours = 96.096 annual sickleave hours). There is no limit to the number of sick leavehours that may be accrued.3. Sick Leave Payout EligibilityUpon separation from employment, employees may elect toreceive payment for accrued, but not used, sick leave subjectto the following criteria:a. Employees hired on or after July 5, 2009 are eligible forsick leave payout upon completion of five (5) years ofcontinuous service with the County. Payouts shall be limitedto twenty five (25) percent of the employee’s accrued sickleave balance, and shall not exceed 480 hours.b. Employees hired between July 2, 1999 and July 4, 2009 areeligible for sick leave payout upon completion of twelve(12) months of continuous service with the County. Payoutsshall be limited to twenty five (25) percent of the employee’saccrued sick leave balance, and shall not exceed 480 hours.c. Employees hired on or before July 1, 1999 are eligible forsick leave payout upon completion of twelve (12) monthsof continuous service with the County. Payouts shall belimited to fifty (50) percent of the employee’s accrued sickleave balance, and shall not exceed 960 hours.

66 Lake County Board of County Commissioners4. Payout OptionsEligible separating employees may elect to receive theirapplicable sick leave payout amount in one of the followingmanners:a. The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paid into theemployee’s Post Employment Health Plan (PEHP) Account.The employee must already have an established PEHPaccount to elect this option.ORb. The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paidinto the employee’s deferred compensation 457(b)plan account. The employee must already have anestablished 457(b) account to elect this option.Amounts in excess of the annual limit as prescribed bythe Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the year in whichthe payout is made will automatically be paid out inaccordance with Option c (below).ORc. The eligible accrued sick leave hours will be paid as alump-sum cash distribution.Sick leave payouts cannot be divided among these options,except as noted above for IRS annual limits. Applicabletaxes will be withheld. All sick leave hours not paid outshall be forfeited.C. Prior to any payout being made to an eligible employee, all Countyproperty and/or equipment in possession of the employeemust be returned to the employee’s Supervisor or designee.

Employment Policies Manual 67D. Employees terminated for serious misconduct as defined inthe County’s Corrective Action Administration Procedure shallnot receive annual or sick leave payouts, unless specificallyrecommended by the Department Director and approved by theCounty Manager.E. Incentive DaysIn order to provide an incentive for employees to make conservativeuse of their sick leave privileges, the County provides additionalbenefits in the form of sick leave conversion to annual leave.Employees who have been employed from the first payroll periodin each calendar year through the last day of the last payroll periodin the calendar year shall be eligible for incentive days. Followingthe end of the last payroll period of each year, the eligible numberof sick leave hours will be converted to annual leave hours (i.e.,deleted from the sick leave balance and added to the annualleave balance) based on sick leave hours used during the previoustwenty-six (26) pay periods unless the employee specificallyrequests otherwise. For purposes of this paragraph, the last payrollperiod in the calendar year shall be the last payroll period whichresults in pay being received in the month of December and thefirst payroll period in the calendar year shall be the first pay periodwhich results in pay being received in the month of January.ScheduledWork DayMaximum Number ofConverted Hours4.0 20.0 minus hours used5.0 25.0 minus hours used7.5 37.5 minus hours used8.0 40.0 minus hours used10.0 40.0 minus hours used24.0 53.0 minus hours used

68 Lake County Board of County Commissioners6.2 HolidaysI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to establish holidays with compensationfor employees.II.DIRECTIVESA. All employees, other than Fire Rescue employees on 24-hourshift, who are scheduled to work thirty (30) hours per week ormore on a regular basis will be granted a day off with a regularscheduled day’s pay on County designated holidays. Part-timeemployees whose schedule would have normally called forthem to work on the day of the County-designated holiday willbe granted a day off with pay for the hours they would haveotherwise worked.B. When required to work on a holiday, an employee will receiveholiday pay and be paid for the hours worked on the holiday atthe appropriate rate. When this occurs, management may adjustan employee’s work schedule for the remainder of the weekcontaining the holiday to avoid overtime liability or to meetoperational needs.C. The annual leave accrual rate for Fire Rescue employees who areclassified as 24-hour shift personnel includes four (4) shift days(96 hours) in lieu of holiday compensation.D. In order to receive holiday pay, an employee must be in anapproved pay status both the work day before and the work dayafter the holiday. Pay status includes employees on paid annualor paid sick leave but does not include employees on Workers’Compensation.

Employment Policies Manual 69E. Employees working an alternate workweek (such as four 10-hourdays, or flexible scheduling) will observe the holiday with analternate day off during the same workweek when the Countydesignatedholiday falls on their scheduled day off.F. Holidays may not accumulate and may not carry over to the nextcalendar year.G. Temporary/Seasonal employees hired for a specific project orCasual/On-Call employees are ineligible for holiday pay.H. County holidays include:(1) New Year’s Day (7) Veteran’s Day(2) Martin Luther King’sBirthday(8) ThanksgivingDay(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 FloatingHoliday*** Employee’s Birthday shall be taken on the birthday or within thirty(30) calendar days following employee’s birthday. The DepartmentDirector may grant an extension not to exceed an additional thirty(30) calendar days.** Designated Floating Holiday: the day before or the day afterChristmas, or the day before or the day after New Year’s Day.I. Holidays that fall on a Saturday, will be observed on thepreceding Friday. Holidays that fall on a Sunday will be observedon the following Monday.

70 Lake County Board of County Commissioners6.3 Sick Leave BankI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to establish a plan to allow regularemployees of the County, who are scheduled to work at least thirty(30) hours per week on a regularly scheduled basis, to participatein a sick leave bank which may be used upon depletion of their sickand other leave credits.II.DIRECTIVESA. The Sick Leave Bank Program is a voluntary program designed toprovide participating employees with additional leave credits in theevent of personal life-threatening or catastrophic illness and/or injury.B. Life-threatening or catastrophic illness and/or injury is definedas requiring in-patient hospitalization, surgery, or extendedmedical treatments and rehabilitation which will result in periodsof incapacity expected to be greater than seven (7) calendardays. Periods of incapacity may be continuous or intermittent.For purposes of this policy, life-threatening or catastrophicillness and/or injury does not include: (1) short term ailmentssuch as flu, colds, or routine medical or dental appointments;(2) elective, cosmetic, or reconstructive surgery unrelated toanother major illness, accident or injury; (3) job-related illnessesor injuries which may be covered by workers’ compensation; or(4) intentional self-inflicted injuries.

Employment Policies Manual 71C. Enrollment can occur within thirty (30) calendar days of anemployee’s completion of the initial six (6) month probationaryperiod or during the month of January each year. To be eligibleto enroll, an employee must be a regular employee scheduled towork at least thirty (30) hours per week on a regularly scheduledbasis with six (6) months of continuous service, and have acombined balance of forty (40) hours of sick and/or annual leavein order to enroll in the Sick Leave Bank for the first time.D. A maximum of 240 hours per year, per participating member,will be considered. A second withdrawal in the amount of 240hours will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Employeesmust use sick bank time within six months from the date onwhich they start using time. Payment for hours granted from theSick Leave Bank will be at the receiving employee’s hourly rate ofpay earned on the last day of active/paid County service. If leavegranted to a participating employee is not used, it will revertback to the Sick Leave Bank.E. A participant requesting Sick Leave Bank hours must haveexhausted any entitlement to Family Medical Leave or must useany remaining Family Medical Leave entitlement concurrentwith Sick Leave Bank hours.F. The granting of any Sick Leave Bank hours does not guaranteean individual continued employment for any period of time.

72 Lake County Board of County CommissionersG. Requests for sick leave bank withdrawal must be accompaniedby documentation from a physician or healthcare providerjustifying the need for the leave. In addition, each occurrence ofintermittent use of approved sick leave bank withdrawal mustbe documented by the employee’s attending physician or healthcare provider.H. When an employee has a change in his/her medical status, he/she is responsible for informing and providing the County withupdated information regarding such change.I. The denial of a Sick Leave Bank Withdrawal Request shall notbe grievable, however the employee may submit additionalinformation should he/she feel the denial was an error.

Employment Policies Manual 736.4 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)I. OBJECTIVEIt is the policy of the County to comply with the U.S. Departmentof Labor Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations. TheCounty is committed to ensuring that all “eligible employees” aregranted up to twelve (12) workweeks (480 hours) of job protectedleave during a 12-month period for any FMLA qualifying reason. Inaddition, eligible employees may be granted additional leave for acovered service member with a serious injury or illness.II.DIRECTIVESA. The term “eligible employee” means an employee who has beenemployed with the County at least twelve (12) months or fiftytwo(52) weeks which need not be continuous and worked atleast 1,250 hours during the previous 12-month period.B. The term “job protected leave” means that upon an employee’sreturn from FMLA leave, he/she will be reinstated to the sameor an equivalent job with the same pay, benefits and terms andconditions of employment.C. The term “parent” means the biological parent of an employeeor an individual who stood in place of a parent to an employeewhen the employee was a son or daughter.D. The term “son” or “daughter” means a biological, adopted,or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a personstanding in loco parentis, who is under eighteen (18) years ofage, or eighteen (18) years of age or older and incapable of selfcarebecause of a mental or physical disability.

74 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. A “key” employee is a salaried “eligible employee” who is amongthe highest paid ten (10) percent of employees.F. The County will measure the twelve (12) months on a rolling12-month period. The rolling 12-month period is measuredbackward from the date an employee intends to use any FMLAleave. Holidays occurring during a full week of FMLA leave counttoward FMLA leave. If an employee works any part of a workweek during which a holiday falls, the holiday does not counttoward FMLA leave unless the employee was scheduled to workon the holiday.G. To qualify as FMLA leave under this policy, the eligible employeemust be taking leave for one of the following reasons:1. The birth of a son or daughter of the employee and in orderto care for such son or daughter.2. The placement of a son or daughter with the employee foradoption or foster care.3. The serious health condition (as defined by the FMLARegulations) of the employee that makes him/her unable toperform the functions of his/her job.4. The employee is needed to care for a family member (spouse,child, or parent) with a serious health condition (as definedby the FMLA Regulations).5. A qualifying exigency (as defined by the FMLA Regulations)arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, child, orparent is a covered military member in the Armed Forceson active duty (or has been notified of an impending call ororder to active duty) in support of a contingency operation.

Employment Policies Manual 756. To care for a member (or veteran who was a member) of theArmed Forces (including the National Guard or Reserves)who is a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin and hasincurred a qualifying (as defined by the Secretary of Labor)injury or illness in the line of duty while on active duty in theArmed Forces (or a qualifying injury or illness that existedbefore the beginning of the member’s active duty and wasaggravated by service in line of duty on active duty in theArmed Forces). Employees may be entitled to 26 weeks ofFMLA, pursuant to Federal Law. See the County’s applicableFMLA Procedure.H. The County does not have light duty for personal illness or injury.I. When an employee plans to take leave under this policy, theemployee must provide the County thirty (30) days’ notice. If itis not possible to provide thirty (30) days’ notice, the employeemust give as much notice as is practicable when he/she learns ofthe need for leave.J. It is the County’s right and obligation to determine whether anemployee’s leave is eligible for FMLA. If an employee is takingtime off from work and the County has reason to believe thatsuch time off falls under the FMLA provisions (e.g., the employeehas a known serious health condition), the County can count theleave toward the employee’s 12-week entitlement.K. An employee who takes leave under this policy will be returnedto the same position or a position with equivalent status, pay,benefits and other employment terms. Leave extending beyondthe 12-week FMLA allotment does not carry the return rightsunder FMLA.

76 Lake County Board of County CommissionersL. Employees may take FMLA leave intermittently (e.g., leave ofperiods from an hour or more to several weeks as certified by ahealth care provider) or on a reduced work schedule.M. If an employee takes available leave for a health condition thatprogresses into a serious health condition and the employeerequests FMLA leave, the County may retroactively designate asFMLA leave all or some portion of the earlier leave taken, to theextent that the earlier leave meets the necessary qualifications.N. The County will continue the employee’s health benefits while anemployee is on approved FMLA leave during the leave period atthe same level and under the same conditions as if the employeehad continued to work. If the employee chooses not to returnto work for reasons other than a continued serious healthcondition of the employee or the employee’s family member,or a circumstance beyond the employee’s control, the Countywill require the employee to reimburse the County the amountit paid for the employee’s health and/or dental coverage duringthe leave period.O. Employees who fraudulently obtain FMLA leave from the Countyare not entitled to job restoration or continuation of employeebenefits and may be subject to progressive corrective action upto and including termination.See the following Federal laws for additional guidelines: Part 825, Title 29, Code ofFederal Regulations, The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA).

Employment Policies Manual 776.5 Leave of Absence(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to grant full-time and part-time regularand management employees a leave of absence under allowableconditions. An approved leave of absence runs concurrently withall available forms of compensation (e.g., sick, annual, short termdisability, long term disability, or workers’ compensation) and maybe unpaid if leave accruals are exhausted or disability compensationpayments discontinued.II.DIRECTIVESA. A leave of absence is defined as an approved paid or unpaidperiod of thirty (30) calendar days or more away from work forpersonal or medical reasons.B. An employee may request a leave of absence, which may beapproved in thirty (30) day increments.C. To be eligible for a leave of absence, an employee must havecompleted their initial probationary period. Additionallyan employee must have exhausted his/her 12 week FMLAentitlement or be absent from work for non-FMLA reasons.D. Employees must request leave under this policy as soon aspracticable when he/she learns the need for leave. Writtenrequests for leave must include a Leave of Absence RequestForm and must be approved by the County Manager or his/herdesignee in coordination with Human Resources. All requestsfor a Leave of Absence for an employee’s own medical conditionmust include necessary medical documentation supportingsuch leave.

78 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. Any initial leave of absence requests shall be approved at leasttwo (2) weeks prior to the leave being taken, except in thecase 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/herposition with the County.F. While on an approved leave of absence, the employee maycontinue his/her group insurance benefits. The County willcontinue to make employee-authorized payroll deductions forall benefits while the employee is receiving sufficient pay fromsick or annual leave to cover these deductions.G. If an approved leave of absence extends beyond thirty (30) days,and the employee has exhausted all of their sick and annualleave, the employee may continue his/her group insurancebenefits at the applicable premium equivalent/retiree rate.Employees out on leave due to a workers’ compensation injuryare responsible to continue to pay the employee portion of theirbenefit premiums.

Employment Policies Manual 79H. The approved leave of absence does not entitle an employeeto any County position. Depending on the length of the leaveand the operational needs of the Department, a position mayor may not be held, and the employee may be required to applyfor a position should they become able to return to Countyemployment. The employee will be extended preference forpositions at or below his/her current pay grade and for which theemployee meets the minimum requirements before the leave ofabsence expires.I. An employee returning from a leave of absence before theexpiration of a leave period shall be required to give reasonablenotice and obtain Department Director approval. If the leave wastaken for their own medical reasons, employees will be requiredto present a completed Fitness for Duty Report, which must beapproved by their Department Director in collaboration withHuman Resources.J. An employee shall not earn annual or sick leave credits while onan unpaid leave of absence.

80 Lake County Board of County Commissioners6.6 Other Types of LeaveI. OBJECTIVEThe purpose of this policy is to establish leave for eligible employeesunder certain allowable conditions with proper documentation.Employees classified as Temporary/Seasonal or Casual/On-Call arenot eligible for leave under this policy unless specifically providedfor by applicable law in the case of Military Leave.II.DIRECTIVESA. Paid Leave1. Court and Jury Dutya. An employee who is summoned as a member of a jury isgranted leave of absence with pay. Employees summonedfor jury duty, but not selected, must report back to the jobsite the same day. When the employee is compensated bythe court system for their service as a juror, any stipendreceived must be returned to the County Finance Office.b. Employees who are subpoenaed or required to appear incourt relating to County business are paid at their regularrate if called away from their work site. Since the Countyis continuing to pay employees their regular wages, anywitness fees or stipends received must be returned to theCounty Finance Office.c. Employees who are absent from work due to personallitigation or court cases may be allowed to utilize annualleave with Department Director approval.

Employment Policies Manual 81d. Employees will not be reimbursed for meals, lodging ortravel expenses incurred while in service as either a juroror witness, unless travel is out of the County and relatedto County business.2. Conferencesa. Paid leave may be granted to employees who attendconferences that are job related and contribute to theeffectiveness of the employee’s position.b. Paid leave for conferences that require travel for shortor day trips and do not require overnight absencefrom official headquarters may be approved by theemployee’s Supervisor.c. Paid leave for conferences requiring travel outside of LakeCounty may be approved by the Department Director,County Manager, or his/her designee.d. Paid leave for conferences requiring overnight absencefrom official headquarters and/or out of state travel mustbe approved by the County Manager or his/her designee.e. If the conference occurs outside of scheduled work hours,the employee’s attendance must be required by theCounty in order to be paid.3. ExaminationsAn employee may be granted leave with pay, uponDepartment Director approval, for the purpose of takingjob-related examinations, provided such examinations arepertinent to their employment.

82 Lake County Board of County Commissioners4. Military Leavea. TrainingIn accordance with Section 115.07, Florida Statutes, anemployee who is a member of the National Guard, or inan organized military reserve of the United States, willbe granted a leave of absence with pay not to exceed amaximum of two-hundred and forty (240) working hoursduring each calendar year when they are engaged in trainingordered under the provisions of the United States military ornaval training regulations for such personnel when assignedto active or inactive duty.b. Active Service(1) In accordance with Section 115.09, Florida Statutes,an employee who is a member of the NationalGuard, or in an organized military reserve of theUnited States, will be granted a leave of absencewith 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 maybe with full pay, and thereafter, the County shallsupplement the difference between an employee’smilitary compensation and their regular rate ofCounty pay for up to one year or until released fromactive duty, whichever comes first (provided theamount of military compensation does not exceedtheir regular County pay).

Employment Policies Manual 83(2) In accordance with Section 250.48, Florida Statutes,an employee who is a member of the Florida NationalGuard will be granted a leave of absence with paynot to exceed a maximum of thirty (30) days at anyone time for periods of active State duty pursuant toSection 250.28 or 252.36, Florida Statutes.c. All other military leave shall be unpaid and grantedin accordance with the provisions of the UniformedServices Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA)and the County’s policy regarding Other Types of Leave.Additionally, employees returning from approved militaryleave may be eligible for job reinstatement in accordancewith USERRA.5. Administrative Leavea. The County Manager has the authority to grantadministrative leave to manage special circumstancesand/or certain other work-related activities, as deemedappropriate by the County Manager.b. Administrative Leave for Re-examination or Treatmentby Veterans’ Administration with Respect to Service-Connected DisabilityAs defined by Section 110.119, Florida Statutes, employeeswho have been rated by the Veterans Administration tohave incurred a service-connected disability and have beenscheduled by the Veterans Administration to be re-examinedor treated for the disability shall be granted administrative

84 Lake County Board of County Commissionersleave for such re-examination or treatment without loss ofpay or benefits. In no event shall the paid leave under thissection exceed six (6) calendar days a year. A leave requestand appropriate documentation for the leave should besubmitted to the Department Director as far in advance aspossible.6. Bereavement Leavea. Employees, upon request, and on approval of theDepartment Director, shall be granted up to two (2)days of bereavement leave with pay in the event of adeath in their immediate family or up to three (3) daysof bereavement leave with pay if the employee musttravel out of state for absences relating to the death of animmediate family member.b. Immediate family is defined as current spouse,parents, children, current step-children, grandchildren,grandparents, brothers, sisters, and employee’s auntsor uncles. Immediate family member, for purposes ofbereavement leave, shall also include parents-in-law,sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-inlaw,or persons currently living in the employee’s household.c. If additional time is needed, sick and/or annual leavemay be used with Department Director approval. TheDepartment Director and/or Supervisor may requestadditional information or documentation as deemednecessary to determine the eligibility of the employee forleave with pay.

Employment Policies Manual 857. Mentoring Programa. Employees are provided opportunities to participate inthe County’s Mentoring Program.b. BCC employees will be allowed one contact hour perweek, not to exceed five (5) hours per calendar month,to participate in mentoring activities, as defined by theGovernor’s Mentoring Initiative.c. Activities approved under this policy include, mentoring,tutoring, guest speaking, and when participating in anestablished mentoring program serving a school district, andproviding related services at the direction of the program.d. A contact hour is defined as time spent “face to face” witha student. A total of thirty (30) minutes of travel time persession will be allowed. Any time utilized above the contacthour will be charged to the employee’s accrued leave.e. Employees are required to obtain supervisory approval toparticipate in this program. In granting leave under thispolicy, the supervisor shall take into account the impactof such leave on the employee’s work unit.f. Employees are expected to conduct themselves inaccordance with the Employment Policies Manual.Employees are subject to corrective action, up to andincluding termination, for inappropriate use of this leave.

86 Lake County Board of County Commissionersg. Leave under this policy will fall within an employee’sregularly scheduled hours and will be considered as paidtime, but will not be considered as hours worked whencalculating overtime compensation.B. Unpaid LeaveDomestic Violence Leave — In accordance with Section 741.313,Florida Statutes, the County grants up to three (3) unpaidworking days of domestic leave in a twelve (12) month rollingcalendar period to employees who have been employed by theCounty for a period of three (3) months and have exhausted allannual and sick leave. The County’s Domestic Violence Procedureoutlines qualifying reasons for taking this leave, as well as termsand conditions for using this leave.

Employment Policies Manual 876.7 Educational Assistance(Amended March 26, 2013)I. OBJECTIVESThe purpose of this policy is to establish criteria for employees toobtain educational assistance applicable to the employee’s fieldof work or of such nature and quality to directly contribute to theemployee’s value and potential growth. This program is subject tofunding restrictions.II.DIRECTIVESA. An employee will be considered for participation in theEducational Assistance Program if they have been a full-timeemployee of the Board for one (1) continuous year or more andare recommended by their Supervisor.B. Employees may request participation in the plan by submittingan 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.C. Human Resources will review the application for employeeeligibility and availability of funds, and approve/disapprovethe application.D. Qualified employees will be permitted time off from workwith pay to attend required classes which are not availableduring non-working hours, if approved by the Supervisor andDepartment Director.

88 Lake County Board of County CommissionersE. Tuition reimbursement shall be limited to a maximum dollarvalue of ten (10) credit hours per fiscal year, at the cost perundergraduate semester hour at the University of Central Floridaat the time the employee registers and pays for the class(es).F. Upon successful completion of approved course(s), witha grade of “C” or better, the employee may be eligible forreimbursement of tuition. The employee must present a copyof their grades or certification of successful course completionto receive reimbursement. If the course is completed with agrade of “A”, the employee may be eligible for reimbursementof books. To receive reimbursement for books, a receiptshowing cost must be included. Reimbursement for tuition,lab fees and books will be made only to employees who areon the active payroll at the time of successful completion ofthe course.G. The County will require the employee to sign an agreement towork for the BCC for a minimum of twelve (12) months after thecompletion of the course(s). If the employee elects not to fulfillthe agreement, the cost of the educational assistance will bededucted from any monies due the employee.

Human Resources Department315 W. Main St., Suite 430Tavares, FL 32778Phone (352) 343-9596Fax (352) 343-9883Effective Date:10/01/11Includes the following amendments:No. 1, 2 and 3 • Effective 03/26/13No. 4 • Effective 11/05/13V/3