Roane County Commission
200
Main Street
Spencer,
WV 25276
County Employee
Handbook
WELCOME
This handbook is provided as a summary and guide of the most
common and most important rules, regulations, procedures and policies that may
affect your employment with Roane
County. This handbook should not be construed as a
contract, express or implied, nor does this handbook affect the At-Will status
of any county employee. Questions about
particular policies listed herein should be directed toward your department
head, supervisor or Elected Official. This handbook is subject to change with
or without notice. Please refer to the county policy manual for detailed
descriptions of items contained in this condensed version.
If you have suggestions to improve this handbook, please
contact your supervisor or any Commissioner.
Table of Contents:
Hiring Policy 2
Drug Free Workplace 3
Wages, Payroll &
Work Hours 3
Time off, Leave &
Holidays 4
Insurance &
Retirement 6
Parking 7
Travel Expenses 7
Employee Conduct 8
County Vehicles 9
Separation of
Employment 9
Conclusion 10
Acknowledgement 11
Created: August 26,
2014
Hiring Policies
Roane County Commission is an Equal Opportunity Employer and
seeks the best qualified applicants and workers in all categories of
employment. Employment with Roane
County is open to all
qualified applicants.
Harassment in any form including sexual harassment is
prohibited. All Employees are required
to avoid any action or conduct which could be viewed by anyone as sexual or
other type of harassment. Harassment complaints are to be brought to the attention
of a responsible Roane
County official.
Department heads are responsible for furnishing and
accepting job applications for their office. County Commission
must approve employment selections.
Transfers between departments are permitted and may result in
a lower or higher salary depending on the grade of the new position.
Employment of relatives (nepotism) is prohibited when either
relative supervises or is involved in making decisions in direct benefit of the
other.
Personnel records are kept in the County Clerk’s
office and contain information regarding employment, benefits, and other
employment records that are required to be kept.
New employees serve a six-month probationary period in which
an employee can be terminated by the selecting authority without specific
reason or recourse.
Job Descriptions are provided for each position and are in
the Personnel/Policy Manual. Each employee be given a copy of their job
description when hired and anytime a change is made to the job
description. Job descriptions contain
the position title, pay grade, unit, job summary, examples of work,
qualifications and work environment.
Drug Free Workplace
The Roane County Commission strives to provide a Drug-Free
Workplace for all employees, and provide a safe, healthful, productive and
secure workplace for its employees and visitors. The Commission prohibits the unlawful
manufacture, distribution, possession, abuse or use of any illegal or
controlled substance or alcohol unless medically prescribed for the individual employee.
Violations of this policy will result in disciplinary action
up to and including termination of employment and reporting to the proper
authorities.
Wages, Payment of
Wages and Work Hours
Department heads fix the compensation of their assistants,
deputies and employees in accordance with the pay scales adopted by the Roane
County Commission. Current salary scales which are based on pay grades of each
position are available from your supervisor. Contingent on county finances and
projected revenues, employees usually receive an increase (raise) to their
wages in July of each year after one full year of employment.
Pay periods for all employees are semi-monthly (twice
monthly) and employees’ wages are directly deposited into an account of their
choice on or before the 15th and last day of each month. Direct
Deposit of wages is strongly encouraged.
Employees who are not able to obtain a bank account can opt-out of
direct deposit by submitting a written request.
Employees are required to complete a monthly time sheet,
approved by the department head, and present it with leave forms attached to
the county clerk’s office each month.
Employees who work beyond their scheduled hours are eligible
for compensatory time in lieu of additional pay and/or overtime. Compensatory
Time Agreements must be signed prior to the time the overtime work is
performed.
Department heads may prohibit an employee from working
beyond their scheduled hours/days in order to limit overtime or compensatory
time accumulation.
The official hours of the Roane County Courthouse are set by
the Roane County Commission. Work hours are set by each Elected Official and
may fall outside of the hours the courthouse is open. Court Security will provide access cards and
keys to any employee who requires entry to the courthouse outside of customary
courthouse hours/days.
Time Off, Leave and
Holidays
Full time employees are eligible for time off, leave and
holidays. Part-time or temporary workers
are only paid for actual time worked and not eligible for paid time off.
Vacation accrual is based on the County fiscal year,
beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30. Vacations are accrued per quarter
based on length of service and begin on the first day of employment. New
employees accrue 2.5 days per quarter worked (three full months) which equals
10 days per full year. Vacations may be
scheduled throughout the fiscal year at the discretion and approval of the
elected official. Please provide as much notice as possible, at least two
weeks, when requesting more than two days vacation or other leave time.
Vacation time earned should be used within the fiscal year; however carry over
of five (5) days is permissible.
Sick leave is provided for short-term absences from work due
to illness, immediate family illness, medical or dental appointments, pregnancy
or injury not related to work only. Sick
leave cannot be used for leisure or to extend holidays, vacations or weekends. Sick
leave accumulates each month at 1.5 days per month if the employee has worked
50% of the workdays during that month. Sick leave can be carried over from year
to year and accumulation is unlimited. Please give notice when possible if
using sick time.
Personal Holidays are pro-rated during the year. Employees receive a personal holiday at the
beginning of January, May and September and may use them at the employees
discretion with department head approval.
Personal Holidays cannot be carried over to the next year and are
forfeited if not used.
Bereavement Leave is provided in the event of a death of a
employee’s immediate family from the day of death through the date of funeral
with a maximum of three working days.
Maternity Leave falls under the Family Medical Leave Act and
entitles a new parent to up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. This leave will run concurrently with paid
leave including sick leave, vacation and personal holidays if the employee has
accrued it.
Family Medical Leave (FMLA) covers full time employees who
have worked for the Roane County Commission for twelve months or more. FMLA provides restoration to his or her
original job or equivalent with equal pay, benefits and other conditions of
employment if the employee requires leave covered under the Act. They include: the birth or placement of a
child for adoption or foster care, to care for an immediate family member with
a serious health condition, or the employee’s inability to work because of
their own serious health condition.
An employee must indicate the need for FMLA in writing with
applicable medical certification and in advance (if need is foreseeable) and is
required to use all accrued paid time off as part of the twelve-week FMLA
leave. Any remainder FMLA leave after
paid leave is exhausted will be unpaid.
Periodic reports during FMLA leave are required.
Roane County Commission Donated Leave Policy allows current
employees to donate or receive donated leave for a medical emergency or
catastrophic illness that requires at least a five day absence after the
employee has exhausted all available paid leave and the absence would result in
a substantial loss of income for the employee.
Details are available in the Personnel Manual.
Other leaves that are available are Military Leave, Jury
Duty and unpaid leaves of absence.
Employees must exhaust any accrued paid leave prior to requesting unpaid
leave if available.
Absences due to high water, snow covered roads or other
natural disasters are unpaid and employees must use vacation or personal
holiday for the day(s) they are absent from work unless the Commission issues a
“State of Emergency”
and closes the courthouse.
Roane
County recognizes several
holidays throughout the year and employees are generally given the day off with
pay. Department heads are given a copy of the holiday schedule in January each
year.
Insurance and
Retirement Plans
Full time employees are eligible to purchase insurance
coverage for themselves and their families.
Medical, dental & vision, accident, cancer and other programs are
available. Part-time and temporary
employees are not eligible for insurance benefits.
All employees who average 30 hours or more weekly are
required to participate in the State Retirement Plan and contribute 4.5% of
their pay (6% if hired after 7/1/15). The county also contributes
between 12% and 15% determined each year by the Public Employees Retirement
Board. Employees are vested after 5 years of employment.
All employees are covered by Workers Compensation insurance
at no cost to the employee. In the event
of a work related injury or illness, the insurance will pay the medical bills
related to the injury and a percentage of the employee’s average wages while
they recuperate. Work related injuries must be reported immediately to your
supervisor and to the County
Clerk’s office within 24
hours to file a claim.
Parking
The Roane County Commission assigns parking lot assignments
with priority given to elected officials, law enforcement and employees with
the most seniority. Due to space limitations, not all employees have a parking
space. Employees who do not have a
parking space must park elsewhere. No parking is permitted in the designated
Handicapped-accessible parking spaces in or around the courthouse lot. Free
parking is available by Southern States; employees may obtain a parking permit
for the parking plaza; or select meter parking. Employees who park adjacent to
the courthouse (short-term, un-metered) are subject to fine, tire boots and/or
towing at the employees expense. Once an employee has been assigned a parking
space, they will maintain the same space as long as they continue to be
employed by a county office.
Travel Expense
Employees and authorized persons may be granted permission
to travel on official business at the county’s expense. Mileage, lodging and meals are reimbursable
based on the following: If an employee uses a personal vehicle, they will be
reimbursed per mile at the State Mileage Rate. Mid-shift meals during travel
and meals purchased in Roane
County are the employee’s
responsibility and will not be reimbursed.
Employees must turn in itemized receipts for reimbursable meals and
while traveling and reimbursement will not exceed $25 for each 24-hour
period. All travel expenses must be
approved by the elected official prior to reimbursement.
Employee Conduct
Employees are required to exercise courtesy, professionalism
and cooperation in all direct communications with the public.
Employees are prohibited from disclosing confidential
information acquired in the course of official duties or use such information
to further personal interests of themselves or others.
Employees are permitted to use the phone, fax, computer or
other communication devices for work related business. Employees are to refrain
from using the phone, computer, fax or other communication systems for personal
use unless it is an emergency. Personal device use should be limited to an
employees break time. The Commission and/or Court Security personnel monitors
and records all access to and use of the phone, computer, internet system, controlled
access doors, entrances, exits, public areas of the building and grounds.
Employees are provided with equipment and supplies to
complete their jobs. Personal use of any county supplies or equipment is
prohibited.
Employees will serve all visitors equally. Political
opinions or affiliations will not affect the quality of service rendered, or
the employment conditions of any person.
Employees are prohibited from active campaign activity while on duty.
Issues, problems or other grievances should be brought to
the attention of the department head or elected official. If the grievance
still exists after a reasonable amount of time, employees are required to
submit the issue in writing to the elected official requesting action be taken
to correct the problem. If the problem is not corrected, the employee should
file a written statement with steps taken to the county commission. If the situation is not resolved at this
point, the employee may request a formal hearing before the county commission.
After completion of these steps, if the employee is not satisfied, he/she has
the right to pursue the matter further under the provisions of any state or
federal statue.
County Vehicles
County vehicles are owned and insured by the Roane County
Commission and can be driven by authorized persons over 18 years of age
only. Passengers must be in an official
capacity and at the knowledge of the Commission. Other passengers are not
permitted unless during an emergency.
Seat belt use is required by all passengers.
Accidents involving county vehicles or personal vehicles
during assigned work duties must be reported as soon as possible by completing
the Accident Notification Form and submitting it to the Commission office
within two business days of the accident.
Employees are required to furnish a copy of the police report within 7
days of the accident.
Separation of
Employment
Each employee of Roane County are considered At-Will and can
resign or be released from employment at any time, for any reason, or for no
reason at all.
Employees who choose to resign are asked to give a
thirty-day notice if possible. Employees who give at least a two-week notice
will be reimbursed for any accrued, unused vacation and compensatory time on
their final paycheck. Final paychecks are
released on the next regular payday.
Employees who are released from employment via involuntary
termination (unsatisfactory work performance, unable to perform assigned
duties, re-organization, reduction in workforce, etc…) will be reimbursed for
any accrued, unused vacation and compensatory time on their final paycheck.
Final paychecks are released on the next regular payday, or within 4 business
days of involuntary termination, whichever comes first.
Employees will not be reimbursed for accumulated sick leave,
personal holidays or any form of severance pay regardless of the type of
separation.
Conclusion
The purpose of this handbook is to establish common and
important guidelines regarding approved policy for all county employees.
Everyone who receives a copy of this handbook must acknowledge receipt by
completing and signing the last page, obtaining the department head’s
signature, removing or copying it and turning it in to the county clerk’s
office to be placed in the employee’s personnel file.
Neither this handbook nor the Personnel Manual/Policy alters the
“at will” nature of the employment relationship between the county and its
employees.
The Roane County Wage and Benefits Review Board with the
approval of the County
Commission reserve the
right to amend this handbook from time to time as required.
Acknowledgement of
receipt of Employee Handbook
Created on August 26,
2014
I, _________________________________, hereby acknowledge
receipt of the Roane County Employee Handbook.
I further acknowledge that I have been encouraged to read the handbook,
and discuss with my department head any questions I may have regarding any
policy referenced herein.
_______________________________ ___________
Employee Signature Date signed
_______________________________ _________
Department Head/Elected Official Date signed
________________________________ __________
County
Clerk or Representative Date filed
To be filed in personnel file in County Clerk’s
office