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Home My WebLink About2021-12-07; City Council; ; Discretionary Leave ProgramMeeting Date: Dec. 7, 2021 To: Mayor and City Council From: Scott Chadwick, City Manager Staff Contact: Lori Shonley, Human Resources Manager lori.shonley@carlsbadca.gov, 442-303-2971 Judy von Kalinowski, Human Resources Director judy.vonkalinowski@carlsbadca.gov, 760-473-4670 Subject: Discretionary Leave Program District: All Recommended Action Authorize the City Manager to develop and implement a Discretionary Leave Program. Executive Summary/Discussion The City of Carlsbad has always emphasized employee recognition. In support of the city’s commitment to recognize and reward exceptional performance of its employees, staff recommend the City Council authorize the development and implementation of a new Discretionary Leave Program. A draft of the proposed program is included in Exhibit 2. Under the proposed program, which would be effective Dec. 8, 2021, all levels of supervisors and managers may request that discretionary leave hours be issued to an employee for instances of outstanding work performance. Current full- or part-time employees who have worked for the city for a minimum of six months would be eligible to receive discretionary leave hours. Supervisors, managers and directors at all levels may recommend that discretionary leave hours be issued by completing a Discretionary Leave Request Form, an example of which is included as Exhibit 3. All recommendations to issue discretionary leave by a supervisor or manager must be approved by the department director or appropriate deputy city manager or chief. Hours are granted in accordance with the recommendation of the department director, deputy city manager or above in increments of one hour to 24 hours. The number of hours granted to an employee must be proportional to the exceptional work performed. For example, a single instance of superior customer service may earn an employee from one up to a few hours of time based on the circumstances. A year(s)-long project in which an employee demonstrated consistent exceptional performance may be rewarded with the issuance of the full 24 hours of discretionary leave. Discretionary leave hours will be issued in the next active payroll cycle from the time an approved application is received. An employee would be encouraged to use discretionary leave hours as soon as possible after the hours are issued and must use the hours within 12 months. If an employee is unable to use Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 1 of 9 the hours within 12 months, a request for an extension must be submitted to the Human Resources Director or designee. The employee would become ineligible to receive additional hours until they are used. The program places a 48-hour cap on the number of discretionary leave hours an employee may be granted per year and a limit of 48 hours on each employee’s discretionary leave bank. Managers and department heads will be directed to schedule discretionary leaves in a way that minimizes the need to backfill positions, require overtime or result in a loss of productivity to the city. Fiscal Analysis The financial impact to the city of implementing this program may be limited to a temporary loss of productivity during the hours allotted for discretionary leave time, however, additional expenditures will occur if overtime is required to carry out the duties of employees taking discretionary leave – which could be required in mandatory staffing work environments – or vacation hours are paid out when an employee uses discretionary leave in lieu of vacation time when leaving the city’s employment. Both scenarios are expected to occur. Estimation of actual annual discretionary leave that will be granted is unknown at this time. It is anticipated that 20% of employees will be granted discretionary leave to recognize superior performance. The potential exposure to the city is approximated at $400,000 annually. City staff will review the usage and impact of the program annually during the budget process. Next Steps Following the City Council’s approval, the City Manager will develop and implement the Discretionary Leave Program. Environmental Evaluation (CEQA) This action does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act under California Public Resources Code Section 21065 in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. Public Notification and Outreach This item was noticed in keeping with the Ralph M. Brown Act and it was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours before the scheduled meeting date. Exhibits 1.City Council resolution 2.Draft Discretionary Leave Program Administrative Order 3.Sample Discretionary Leave Request Form Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 2 of 9 Exhibit 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2021-259 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A DISCRETIONARY LEAVE PROGRAM WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Carlsbad finds that recognizing and rewarding the exceptional work performance of its employees provides a public benefit by helping to ensure the cit\ continues to provide exceptional city services; and WHEREAS, the City Council desires to recognize and reward the exceptional work performance of its employees; and WHEREAS, as one form of employee recognition and reward, the City Council has determined the need to authorize the development of a Discretionary Leave Program. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as follows: 1. The above recitations are true and correct. 2. The City Manager is authorized to develop and implement a Discretionary Leave Program subject to the following minimum parameters: a. The program is available to full-time and part-time employees (excluding retired annuitants) who have recently demonstrated exceptional work above and beyond normal daily work expectations and who i. Have worked for the city at least 6 months, ii. Have no disciplinary documents in their personnel file issued within the last 12 months, and iii. Are not the subject of a current workplace investigation. b. The leave may be granted in increments of one to 24 hours. c. The leave must be used within 12 months of issuance and an employee may not retain more than 48 hours of Discretionary Leave at any given time. 3. The City Manager is authorized to take all steps necessary and appropriate to administer the Discretionary Leave Program, including developing an Administrative Order and request form. Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 3 of 9 Administrative Order No. XX Date: Dec. 8, 2021 To: All City Departments From: Scott Chadwick, City Manager Subject: DISCRETIONARY LEAVE PROGRAM PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to further demonstrate the City of Carlsbad’s strong commitment to recognizing and rewarding the exceptional performance of its employees by issuing Discretionary Leave hours. BACKGROUND: The city has always placed a large emphasis on employee recognition and engagement through various means, such as compensation adjustments, flexible benefits, training and development, tuition reimbursement, special recognition events, and additional employee appreciation actions. POLICY: This policy applies to all City of Carlsbad employees. 1.Discretionary Leave refers to hours issued to employees which may be taken off at a future date to reward them for the exceptional work they have performed. All levels of supervisors and directors are encouraged to recommend the issuance of up to 24 hours at a time of Discretionary Leave to employees for instances of outstanding work performed on projects, assignments, customer service and/or overall sustained work performance throughout the year that goes above and beyond the employee’s normal duties and responsibilities. Discretionary Leave is only one form of reward and recognition and may be issued in combination with or exclusive of other options such as commendations, recognition to management and leadership teams, appreciation events, and other departmental or citywide reward and recognition programs. Exhibit 2 Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 5 of 9 2. Eligibility a. Current part-time and full-time employees who have worked for the City of Carlsbad for at least six months (CalPERS retired annuitants are not eligible). b. Recipients must have recently demonstrated an instance of exceptional work that goes above and beyond their normal daily work expectations. c. Recipients must have no disciplinary documents in their personnel file issued in last 12 months or be the subject of a current workplace investigation. 3. Criteria a. Discretionary Leave may be granted in one-hour increments. b. Discretionary Leave should be issued as close as possible to the exceptional performance and should be taken as soon as possible after being granted as it is not intended to be accrued over time. c. Discretionary Leave must be used within 12 months from the time it is issued. Exceptions will be considered on a case by case basis and require the approval of the Human Resources Director or designee. The employee would become ineligible to receive additional hours until they are used. d. Issuance or non-issuance of Discretionary Leave is not grievable. e. Discretionary Leave cannot be cashed out, except upon separation of employment. f. Discretionary Leave must be used in accordance with the recipient employee’s department/division procedures. g. An employee may receive no more than 48 hours of Discretionary Leave per calendar year. h. An employee may retain no more than 48 hours of Discretionary Leave in their leave bank at any given time. PROCESS: 1. Department Director/Managers/Supervisors a. Department Director, Deputy City Manager or above recommends or evaluates recommendations from other managers and supervisors for issuance of Discretionary Leave and ensures that the Department/Division is fair and consistent in the allocation/implementation of the leave requests. b. Recommending party completes the Discretionary Leave form available on the Human Resources Department intranet page. c. Department Director, Deputy City Manager or above authorizes/signs the form and submits to the Human Resources Department for review. Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 6 of 9 2. Human Resources Department a. Verifies form is signed by the appropriate person and reviews to confirm it meets all eligibility and criteria requirements. b. Confirms the employee has no disciplinary documents in the employee’s personnel file issued in the last 12 months and the employee is not the subject of a current workplace investigation. c. Follows up with the recommending party or approver with questions and/or clarification of eligibility. d. Approves or returns request to the recommending party or Department Director with request for additional information or reason for denial. e. Notifies Finance that hours are approved to be added to the Discretionary Leave bank f. Files forms in the recipient employee’s personnel file and sends a copy to the originating Department Director and the recommending party. RECORDS: The city will maintain records of written requests for Discretionary Leave, including the name of the recipient employee, the date of the request, and the form the request was submitted on in accordance with the city’s Records Retention Schedule. This Policy may be updated from time to time and redistributed. Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 7 of 9 Employee Data Employee ID #: Department: Last/First Name: Hours Granted: Describe the instance of exceptional work: If approved, employees will receive Discretionary Leave hours into a separate leave bank. Discretionary Leave must be used within 12 months of receipt. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and require the approval of the Human Resources Director or designee. The employee would become ineligible to receive additional hours until they are used. Employees can have no more than 48 hours of Discretionary Leave in their bank at any given time. Exhibit 3 Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 8 of 9 Signatures Recommended by: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Printed Name Position ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Signature Date Approved by: ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Printed Name Position ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Signature Date Completed by Human Resources Human Resources Approval: Current discipline or subject of investigation: Y N Date submitted to payroll: Processed by: Dec. 7, 2021 Item #2 Page 9 of 9