Policies and Procedures Section 4: Compensation of Employees

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4.1 Payplan

  1. The payplan for positions in the service of the County shall consist of:
    1. Job classification titles;
    2. Payplans with grades and steps, including a 2.372% differential between each step within a paygrade;
    3. Designation of each job as an exempt or non-exempt position.
  2. Fixing the rates of pay for individual employees within a grade are the responsibility of the Director of Human Resources.
  3. Persons employed in an authorized position will be paid at a grade and step determined by the Director of Human Resources.

4.2 Amendment of the Payplan

The payplan may be amended by the County Manager or Board of Supervisors.

4.3 Interpretation and Effect on Employee’s Rate of Pay (09-22-2023)

The Director of Human Resources will have the final determination regarding the appropriate grade and step for all employees unless otherwise noted in this section. The effective date of changes to an employee’s assignment or position will be recommended by the agency head, subject to approval by the Director of Human Resources.

  1. New Hire Rate The normal entrance rate payable to a newly hired employee for any position of any class shall be Step 1 of the appropriate grade. If a candidate selected for hire does not meet all the position requirements, the department may submit a request to under-fill the position. If the request is approved by the Director of Human Resources, the selected candidate will be hired into a lesser job classification than the position’s job classification until such time as the selected candidate meets all the position and job classification requirements. New hires may be placed on a different step based on the successful candidate’s relevant qualifications and experience, or other relevant supporting objective factors, at the discretion and approval of the Director of Human Resources, or the HR Division Manager or Assistant Director of Human Resources as designated by the Director of Human Resources. The Director of Human Resources shall make the final determination regarding the appropriate classification, grade, and step for all new employees.
  2. Promotion
    1. A promotion occurs when an employee moves from one job classification to a job classification assigned to a higher grade. When this occurs, a change in pay occurs as outlined below.
      Pay grade increase
      (Number of pay grades moved up)
      Pay step increase
      (Non-Supervisory to Non-Supervisory OR Supervisory to Supervisory)
      Pay step increase – First time promotion to supervisory role
      (One time Only for an employee’s first promotion from Non-Supervisory to Supervisory)
      0 0 (no pay change) 6‐step increase
      (15.103% or step 1 of new paygrade)
      1 2‐step increase (4.8% or step 1 of new paygrade)
      2 3‐step increase (7.286% or step 1 of new paygrade)
      3 4‐step increase (9.83% or step 1 of new paygrade)
      4 or more 5‐step increase (12.436% or step 1 of new paygrade)
    2. Promotions do not alter an employee’s annual performance appraisal dates. Continuation of an employee in a position to which he has been promoted, demoted or transferred is subject to the employee’s ongoing satisfactory performance in that classification/position.
    3. At his discretion based on extraordinarily unique circumstances, the Director of Human Resources may determine a different step/rate of pay for a promotion, demotion, or transfer.
  3. Demotion When an employee moves from one job classification to a job classification assigned to a lower grade, the employee’s rate of pay will be reduced.A demotion shall be treated as the reverse of a promotion and shall follow Section 4.3.2-A in determining the proper rate of pay. At his discretion, the Director of Human Resources may determine a different rate of pay for a demotion. In all cases, a demotion carries with it a corresponding decrease in pay.If the demotion rescinds a recent promotion, the employee’s rate of pay at the time of the demotion will be treated as if the earlier promotion had never taken place, and the employee is restored to the previous classification grade, step, and annual salary.At his discretion, the Director of Human Resources shall make the final determination regarding the appropriate step in the scale for all demotions.
  4. TransferWhen an employee moves from one position to another of the same grade, the employee will be placed in the same step or a lower step which appropriately reflects the employee’s training, experience, and other qualifications for the new position. If an employee moves from one position or job classification to another at the same paygrade and assumes supervisory duties, the equivalent of a one‐step increase shall be granted. If supervisory duties are removed as a result of the transfer, the equivalent of a one‐step decrease shall be administered.Transfers that involve a lateral move or a decrease in grade may be made without a competitive process, as approved by the Director of Human Resources.With approval from the Director of Human Resources, a non‐disciplinary transfer may occur due solely to the employee’s inability to perform the job or less‐than‐satisfactory performance, as documented and approved by the agency head.
  5. Reclassification of PositionMovement under a reclassification is not step‐for‐step. If a position is reclassified upward and the incumbent is assigned to the higher-level job classification, salary is treated as a promotion (see Section 4.2-A). If a position is reclassified downward and the incumbent is assigned to the lower-level job classification, salary is treated as a demotion, with the new salary determined by the reverse of the promotion policy in Section 4.2-A. If a classification or position is reclassified to a classification in the same pay grade, or if the classification name is simply changed and remains assigned to the same pay grade (retitle), there is no pay impact to the employee.The rate of pay for the reclassified or retitled employee shall not be any higher than step 27 of the classification’s assigned pay grade. The Director of Human Resources shall make the final determination regarding the employee’s rate of pay.Whenever a position is reclassified or retitled, the incumbent in that position must continue to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of the position and must continue to meet all minimum qualification requirements for that position. A reclassification request should not be shared with the affected employee in advance of formal approval from the Director of Human Resources to avoid an employee relations or morale problem in the event the request is altered or denied.
  6. Re-gradesA re-grade occurs when a job classification is reassigned to a different pay grade, higher or lower than the current pay grade. If a job classification is re-graded to a pay grade lower than the current assigned pay grade, all positions and current position incumbents will be placed on a step in the lower grade that corresponds to the employee’s current pay rate with no negativeimpact to the employee’s pay rate. If a classification is re-graded to a pay grade higher than the current assigned pay grade, all positions and current position incumbents’ pay will be adjusted following the Promotion Policy in Section 4.2-A.
  7. Pay IncreasesPay increases are normally awarded to eligible employees based upon their performance, as documented in the annual performance appraisal, with an overall performance rating of acceptable or better. All pay increases are subject to the Board of Supervisors’ approval of funding in the annual payplan. Approved pay increases are awarded on a step basis, normally approved as a one-step increase.
    1. New employees hired after April 30 are not eligible for a merit-based pay increase approved for implementation in the impending fiscal year. New employees are eligible for wage adjustments applied directly to the pay scales if the employee meets the performance requirements of their position.
    2. New employees hired on or before April 30 may be eligible for a merit-based and/or a wage adjustment applied directly to the pay scales based upon their performance, as documented in the annual performance appraisal, with an overall performance rating of acceptable or better.
    3. Steps 1‐26: To receive merit-based and/or a wage adjustment applied directly to the pay scales, an eligible employee in steps 1‐26 must receive an acceptable or better rating on their annual performance appraisal.
    4. Step 27: Employees in step 27 are not eligible to receive a merit-based step pay increase approved for implementation in the impending fiscal year. Employees in step 27 shall receive annual performance appraisals and remain subject to performance and other requirements of their position. Employees in step 27 shall be eligible for wage adjustments applied directly to the pay scales if the employee meets the performance requirements of their position.
    5. Extraordinary Step Increases An agency head may request authorization for an extraordinary one or two step increase for an employee in his agency whose job performance under extraordinary circumstances demonstrated substantial savings or operational benefit to the department and County. A request must be supported by timely and thorough documentation detailing why the increase is being requested and must be submitted to and approved by the Director of Human Resources in consultation with the County Manager. An employee may not receive an extraordinary step increase more frequently than once every 12 months. Agency heads requesting an extraordinary step increase must use wise and careful discretion and limit such requests to only unique and well‐deserving cases.
  8. Temporary Reassignment Agency heads, at their discretion, may temporarily reassign any employee for a period not to exceed 90 calendar days to perform other duties within their agency or within the County without regard to grade, job classification, or level of assignment. The employee shall continue to be paid the salary they were receiving prior to the reassignment. For reassignments that exceed 90 days, the agency head must submit a memo requesting the extension and justifying the reassignment with a detailed listing of changes in job duties to the Director of Human Resources or his designee for approval.

4.4 Overtime Pay (08-31-2023)

The County will administer its overtime policy in accordance with applicable law, including the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Code of Virginia.

  1. Non‐exempt employees may be required to work more hours than they are normally scheduled to work in a workweek. Non‐exempt employees (other than non‐exempt fire protection and law-enforcement employees) will receive overtime pay for all hours actually worked in excess of forty (40) hours per workweek. Non‐exempt employees are not eligible to earn or use compensatory leave.
  2. Overtime must be authorized by the agency head or his designee and should be authorized for only emergency, seasonal, occasional peak load needs, or hours critical to public safety needs. Overtime should not be authorized for accomplishing regular services that can be provided during a regular work schedule.
  3. To be eligible for overtime pay, non‐exempt employees (other than non‐exempt fire protection and law enforcement employees) must actually have worked more than 40 hours in the workweek. Any hours not actually worked (for example, hours for which an employee uses sick leave, County or floating holiday leave, or other paid or unpaid leaves of absence) will not be counted as hours worked in a workweek for purposes of calculating overtime pay.
    Calculation of Overtime Pay When Leave Is Taken in the Same Workweek that the Overtime Is Worked
    Type of Leave Taken Leave taken considered as hours actually worked*
    HR Authorized Leave No
    Annual No
    Bereavement No
    Civil No
    Conference Yes
    Educational No
    Extended Leave Pool No
    Family and Medical Leave No
    Holiday No
    Injury No
    In‐service Training Yes
    Leave Without Pay No
    Military No
    Parental Leave No
    Sick No
    Suspension No
    Volunteer No
    Wellness Leave No
    *Unless the agency head declares the hours to be exception overtime
  4. Special overtime rules apply to non‐exempt fire protection and law-enforcement employees. In accordance with Section 7(k) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the County has established fixed and recurring works period for its fire protection and law-enforcement employees. For non-exempt fire protection employees, the County has established a 21‐day work period for determining eligibility for overtime pay.   Non‐exempt fire protection employees will receive overtime pay for all hours in a paid status in excess of 159 hours in a 21‐day work period.For law-enforcement employees, the County has established a 28‐day work period for determining eligibility for overtime pay.  Non‐exempt law-enforcement employees will receive overtime pay for all hours in a paid status in excess of 160 hours in a 28‐day work period.
  5. When exceptional occasions necessitate the rendering of direct citizen services (for example, snow removal) and when those services cannot wait to be administered during normal daily scheduling of personnel, exception overtime may be awarded and paid at a time and one‐half rate to an eligible non‐exempt employee, even though the employee has not actually worked the requisite number of hours that would normally entitle him to overtime pay. Upon authorization by the County Manager, the agency head may declare such occasions as “exception overtime” and is responsible for documenting and maintaining a record of the situation and the personnel required to meet the County’s needs.
  6. Hours for which a non‐exempt employee is authorized to take paid conference leave (see Section 8.12) will be counted as compensable hours worked for purposes of calculating a non‐exempt employee’s entitlement to overtime pay. If a non‐exempt employee voluntarily attends lectures, training programs, conferences, courses of instruction, or other activities, which are neither sponsored by the County nor required by the County for the employee’s job, such attendance should occur outside of the employee’s normal work hours and will not be counted as compensable hours worked for purposes of calculating the non-exempt employee’s entitlement to overtime pay.
  7. Travel time associated with paid conference leave, required training, or special one‐day assignments in another locality and authorized overnight travel may, under certain circumstances as authorized by the Director of Human Resources in accordance with applicable law, be counted as compensable hours worked for purposes of calculating a non‐exempt employee’s entitlement to overtime pay.
  8. In rare occasions, non‐exempt employees may volunteer their time to work in the agency where they are employed (or another County agency) and will not be eligible to receive overtime pay as long as the volunteer work is substantially different from work the employees normally perform in their paid job. Otherwise, the agency may be required to pay overtime for that volunteer work. The Director of Human Resources should be consulted before an employee is allowed to work as a volunteer for the County.
  9. Non‐exempt permanent part-time employees may not work more than one job with either the County or Henrico County Public Schools for which the total hours per workweek are expected to exceed 40 hours without prior written approval by the agency head and the Director of Human Resources.Non-exempt employees in temporary positions may not work more than one job with the County for which the total hours per workweek are expected to exceed 29 hours without prior written approval by the agency head and the Director of Human Resources.Any employee working more than one job with the County must submit a Secondary Employment Request and be approved for secondary employment by his agency head and the Director of Human Resources.
  10. Exempt employees are not eligible for overtime. Exempt employees may not work a second job for the County if the second or additional job is classified as non‐exempt.

4.5 On‐Call Pay

On‐call pay is compensation provided to certain full‐time, non‐exempt employees who are specifically designated and required to be available and ready to work beyond the employee’s regularly scheduled work hours, as needed, to handle unexpected and unplanned situations for a seven (7) consecutive day period. On‐call status is not to be confused with call‐back status. Call-back status is an occasion when an on‐duty employee is asked to stay beyond his normal shift or an off‐duty employee is called back to work.

  1. When conditions warrant, an agency may assign an eligible employee to be on‐call for a specific seven (7) day period to handle unexpected and unplanned situations that may occur outside of the County’s normal business hours and that cannot wait to be addressed until the next regular workday.
  2. Employees should be scheduled to be in an on‐call status on a rotating basis.
  3. An employee who is scheduled to be in an on‐call status is not required to remain at his work station and is free to engage in his own pursuits, subject only to his being available by phone and reporting promptly when needed, as specified by the agency head.
  4. An employee will receive on-call pay in an amount equal to four (4) hours of his regular rate of pay for each seven (7) day period he is designated to serve in an on‐call status. Additionally, when an on‐call employee is actually called to work outside of his regularly scheduled working hours, the employee will be compensated for the actual time worked, portal‐to‐portal. Once an employee has responded to a call, any additional calls received before the employee returns home are treated as part of the original call, and the time spent on subsequent calls is added to the original call time.
  5. Employees shall be considered to be in an on‐call status only when so designated in advance in writing by his agency head. Departments with an operational need for assigning employees on-call duty will be required to provide the following to the Department of Human Resources at least annually for approval:
    • A copy of the department’s internal on-call policy, demonstrating compliance with all applicable County policies as well as applicable law.
    • A list of all employees assigned to on-call. The list should be updated and resubmitted as needed, based on employee or assignment changes.
    • An on-call rotation schedule for each operational unit utilizing on-call duty assignments.
    • A signed copy of the on-call designation, acknowledging the on-call responsibility and understanding of the on-call policy and time reporting, should be forwarded to the official employee file located in the Department of Human Resources.
    • In addition, departments should maintain and be able to provide copies of employee logs indicating on-call time worked.
  6. Exempt employees are not eligible to receive on‐call compensation.
  7. Questions about eligibility for on‐call pay shall be directed to the Director of Human Resources or his designee.

4.6 Pay for Serving in Acting Capacity

Whenever an exempt or non‐exempt employee is required by his supervisor/manager to work in the capacity of a higher‐level supervisory position or a highly technical position for a period exceeding one full payperiod, such employee may be approved to receive additional compensation for assuming those duties. Acting pay is not an entitlement. Temporary assumption of duties must be approved by the agency head and the Director of Human Resources in advance. An employee acting in the capacity of a higher‐level or highly technical position when the temporary vacancy is created by the incumbent using annual, compensatory, or paid military leave is excluded from this policy. Pay for serving in an acting capacity is not to exceed six payperiods without approval by the Director of Human Resources.

Difference in Grades Impact on Acting Employee’s Pay
3 or less grades 2‐step increase
4 or more grades 4‐step increase

Departmental requests for acting pay shall be made in writing and in advance to the Director of Human Resources, who shall provide the review and necessary approval and processing. During the acting period, the employee is ineligible to receive additional pay for the first full payperiod. Eligibility for acting pay shall start at the beginning of the second full payperiod. Retroactive requests will not be considered. Exceptions to this policy may be made by the Director of Human Resources.

4.7 Employee Benefits

The County offers a comprehensive benefit package to full‐time employees and certain limited benefits to part‐time employees as specified in the chart below. Specific plan information is available through the Department of Human Resources and online.

Assignment Category Eligible for Benefits Paid Leave Accrual Other Conditions
Full‐time Full Yes
Part‐Time Limited Pro‐rated
Regular hourly, seasonal, or emergency hire No No See Section 5.1-B

4.8 Information due Seriously Ill Employees

If an employee (or his designee) reports that the he has developed a life‐threatening health condition, the agency must notify the Benefits Division of the Department of Human Resources immediately. The Department of Human Resources shall also provide that employee written notification of all relevant benefit options and programs available to him within ten (10) days of the date that the County received notice of the life‐threatening health condition by the employee or his designee. The Department of Human Resources shall also provide appropriate forms to the employee so that the employee can communicate any election of benefit options to the Department of Human Resources in writing on the forms.

4.9 Workers’ Compensation (05-29-2020)

The County furnishes Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage at no cost to employees, as required by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act.  County employees who sustain injuries, occupational diseases or death as a result of a work-related injury or occupational disease which arise out of or in the course of employment with the County are entitled to financial and medical benefits as prescribed by the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act. This section does not cover the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Family and Medical Leave Act, and definitions or sections herein do not necessarily apply to these Acts.

  1. Benefits: The following benefits are provided under the Workers’ Compensation Program:
    • Medical Expenses: Reasonable and authorized medical, surgical, hospital, and rehabilitation costs incurred as a result of a compensable injury or occupational disease.
    • Permanent/Temporary Disability Payments: A specific sum payable for a specified period for disability compensation incurred as a result of a compensable injury or occupational disease as set by the Workers’ Compensation Commission.  This is normally an amount equal to 66 2/3% of the average weekly wage of an employee or a scheduled amount as set by State statutes.  The County provides full wages of County General Government employees.
    • Death Benefits: A specific sum payable for a specified period to survivors of an employee who dies as the result of a compensable injury or disease.
  2. Administrative Procedure: If an employee is injured while on the job, the following procedure shall be followed unless precluded from doing so by the severe nature of the injury.
    1. All employees must immediately notify their supervisor in writing of the injury, explaining the nature of the injury and detailing how the injury was sustained. Any employee who witnesses an on-the-job injury shall report such injury to the supervisor.If the injury is minor and it is not possible for the employee to immediately notify his supervisor, the employee shall report the incident to his supervisor prior to leaving work on the day of the injury.  All accidents are to be reported, even if an injury does not result.
    2. Should an employee require non-emergency medical attention, they must select a physician from the County’s list of Workers’ Compensation Panel of Physicians. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to post the panel list, make it known to all employees, be certain that an injured employee is provided a copy of the panel at the time the injury is reported, and see that employee signs and dates an acknowledgment that the panel was offered.Bills for non-emergency medical services provided by doctors not on the County’s Workers’ Compensation Panel of Physicians must be paid by the employee unless payment is approved by the Division of Risk Management.In a life-threatening situation, the employee shall be transported to the nearest hospital emergency room.
    3. Prior to sending an employee to the physician or hospital, the supervisor shall issue the employee a properly completed Panel of Physicians. The employee or supervisor shall present the Physical Capabilities Report form to the attending physician who shall complete the form.  The employee shall then return this form to his supervisor, immediately after seeing the physician.  This form shall be forwarded to the Division of Risk Management, along with all other required forms.
    4. If the employee is taken out of work by the panel physician, the employee will be placed on injury leave.
    5. Within 48 hours, the supervisor shall complete a Supervisor’s Investigation Report. Information on this report should include names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses and statements from any employees involved in the incident.
    6. The injured employee shall complete, in full, an Employee’s Report of Injury. This form, along with the previously cited forms, shall be forwarded to the Division of Risk Management within 48 hours of the incident if physically capable.
    7. Any questions regarding the status of any employee who has suffered a work-related injury shall be directed to the Division of Risk Management.
    8. The Division of Risk Management will initially determine whether the injury is compensable. Final determination of a compensable injury or illness shall be based on the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Statute. If it is determined that an injury or illness is not compensable, it shall be the responsibility of the Division of Risk Management to notify the employee in writing of this determination, of his or her right, and of the procedure to appeal to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission.
  3. Wage Benefits:
    1. Any employee injured on the job and required to be out of work for up to seven (7) days will receive regular pay under injury leave for up to seven (7) days. If the claim is not compensable, then all the time charged to injury leave will be converted to sick or annual leave.
    2. If a claim has been determined to be compensable and the employee will be compensated as follows:
      1. The employee will receive his or her average weekly wage or an amount determined by the Workers’ Compensation Commission or as determined by the Workers’ Compensation Act / Statute, tax-free, as Workers’ Compensation payments. The County provides full wages of County General Government employees.
      2. Any time lost due to a Workers’ Compensation injury should be recorded as injury leave in the same manner as annual and sick leave.
      3. To prevent double recovery, annual leave or sick leave shall not be granted along with injury leave but may be granted when an incident is determined to be non-compensable.
  4. Return to Work: After seeing the physician and before returning to work, the employee shall immediately provide to his supervisor a Physical Capabilities Report form completed by the treating physician.  On the day of the employee’s return, the supervisor will forward the Physical Capabilities Report to the Division of Risk Management, and is responsible for complying with the informational requirements and procedures as specified on the form.A return-to-work physical may be required prior to returning to work.
  5. Light Duty: Employees who are out of work due to a Workers’ Compensation claim and are on injury leave may be removed from such status and assigned to light duty within the County of Henrico, when authorized by the treating physician.  The nature of such duty shall be approved by the Department of Human Resources in consultation with the agency involved.Agencies should do everything reasonably possible to offer a light duty assignment.  All light duty assignments for employees covered by Workers’ Compensation must be approved by the Department of Human Resources (Employee Relations Division).  Light Duty requests must be updated every 30 days with the Department of Human Resources (Employee Relations Division). If an employee is placed in a light duty assignment in another agency, the employee’s original agency will be responsible for the employee’s wages.  When an employee is placed in a light duty assignment, the employee and supervisor will need to sign the Light Duty Acknowledgement form and then forward a copy to the Division of Risk Management. The employee will only be allowed to perform duties within the restrictions stated in the Physical Capabilities Report.The employee shall not be permitted to perform a light duty assignment unless approved by the treating physician. If the employee refuses the light duty assignment, the Department of Finance (Risk Management Division) must be notified.  The employee will no longer be entitled to injury leave and will be placed on sick or annual leave.
  6. Normal Duty: Employees on injury leave or on light duty assignment can return to their regular duties upon the receipt of a Physical Capabilities Report form signed by the employee’s attending physician stating the employee’s physical and mental fitness to resume specified regular duties.
  7. Subrogation: An employee who makes a claim against a third party for responsibility for the employee’s injury must report to the Division of Risk Management the name of the company or party against whom the claim is made.  The name of the attorney, if any, representing the employee will also be reported to the Division of Risk Management.  The County’s claim for recovery of all monies paid or to be paid pursuant to the Workers’ Compensation laws set forth in the Code of Virginia constitutes a lien against any recovery obtained against a third party responsible for the accident/injury.  The County will be reimbursed from any settlement with or judgment against a third party responsible for a compensable accident/injury.

4.10 Tuition Reimbursement

Tuition Reimbursement is not considered educational assistance as defined in the Internal Revenue Code, but rather is a reimbursable expense and therefore constitutes a tax‐free reimbursement program. The County, pursuant to 26 CFR‐§1.162‐5, may reimburse an employee on a tax‐free basis for courses taken, including approved career development programs, under the following terms and conditions:

  1. Courses taken are directly related to the employee’s present position, or courses taken are part of an undergraduate or graduate program where the degree program is job-related.
  2. Funds are available, as determined by the County Manager.
  3. State and Federal law does not cap this benefit.
  4. All tuition reimbursement requests must be submitted to the agency head in advance for approval. These submissions must be received by the agency head within a reasonable period and prior to the day the class starts. Failure to submit the request in a timely manner may cause it to be denied, at the discretion of the agency head.
  5. The employee and the agency head must be able to demonstrate that taking the course or degree program will maintain or improve the skills required for the employee’s current job or meet express requirements of the agency that are a condition of continued employment.
  6. Reimbursement is not available if the course is being paid by another source (for example, Veteran’s benefits). Reimbursement is limited to only tuition or those tests for certification which are required before the employee can receive a passing grade (as determined by the institution) in the course.
  7. Auditing of courses does not qualify for reimbursement.
  8. Reimbursement is contingent upon receiving an acceptable grade (as defined by the educational institution) and credit for the course.
  9. For reimbursement to occur, a copy of the grade earned and proof of course payment must be received by the Finance Department’s Accounting Division upon successful completion of the course.
  10. Reimbursement is available to employees still in probationary status.
  11. Strict adherence to the provisions of this section is required to avoid the value of this benefit from becoming income taxable to the employee.

For information about requesting educational leave for attending approved classes, see Section 8.10.

4.11 Errors in Pay

If an employee receives an incorrect paycheck resulting in his being underpaid, overpaid, or inaccurate amounts being deducted from his pay, he is obligated to promptly report this to the Department of Human Resources. The Department of Human Resources will reconcile the error or correct the error. If the error causes an overpayment, the resulting debt must be repaid by the employee. Special repayment arrangements may be made by the Director of Human Resources in his discretion.

4.12 Docking of Pay

  1. It is the County’s policy and practice to accurately compensate employees and to do so in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Exempt employees will generally receive their full salary for any workweek in which work is performed, and this salary will not be subject to deductions for variations in the quantity or quality of the work performed.   However, in accordance with federal law, an exempt employee’s salary can be docked for the any of the following reasons:
    1. Full day absences for personal reasons, including vacation.
    2. Full day absences for sickness or disability.
    3. Full day disciplinary suspensions for infractions of safety policies of major significance (including those that could cause serious harm to others).
    4. Family and Medical Leave absences (either full or partial day absences).
    5. To offset amounts received as payment for jury and witness fees or military pay.
    6. Unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days for infractions of workplace conduct rules set forth in written policies.
    7. The first or last week of employment, in the event the employee works less than a full week.
  2. An exempt employee’s salary will not be reduced for any of the following reasons:
    1. Partial day absences for personal reasons, sickness or disability.
    2. Absences because the facility is closed on a scheduled work day.
    3. Absences for jury duty, attendance as a witness, or military leave in any week in which any work is performed.
    4. Any other deductions prohibited by state or federal law.
  3. An employee who believes that his wages have been subject to any improper deductions or that his pay does not accurately reflect all hours worked should immediately contact his agency and the Department of Human Resources.

4.13 Emergency Pay (03-18-2020)

To help ensure continued provision of important County functions during an emergency, the County may provide hazardous pay to certain categories of non-exempt employees. Hazardous pay may be made available only at the direction of the County Manager or his designee once there has been a local declaration of emergency and during periods when the County is operating at a reduced level of service. The County Manager or his designee is authorized to identify the rate of hazardous pay, the types of jobs for which hazardous pay will be awarded, the categories of employees eligible to receive hazardous pay, and the time period during which hazardous pay will be awarded.

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