(A) 
Full-time employees. Employees who have completed their introductory period and are regularly scheduled to work at least forty (40) hours per work week are categorized as full time. Appointed officials are considered full-time employees, unless otherwise specified by an employment contract. Appointed officials are eligible for County benefits, unless otherwise stated in this handbook.
(B) 
Part-time employees. Employees who have completed their introductory period and are regularly scheduled to work a minimum of twenty-four (24) hours per work week, but less than forty (40) hours per work week, are categorized as part-time employees and are eligible for the County's part-time benefits, unless otherwise stated in this handbook. Employees regularly scheduled to work less than twenty-four (24) hours per work week are ineligible for County benefits, unless otherwise stated in this handbook.
Part-time employees working forty (40) hours per work week on a temporary basis (i.e. – substituting for a full-time employee who is on leave) are not eligible for benefits, unless they are permanently placed in a full-time position.
(C) 
Introductory employees. Employees who are within their introductory period are categorized as introductory employees and are not eligible for County benefits, unless otherwise stated in this handbook.
(D) 
Temporary or seasonal employees. Individuals hired to temporarily supplement the County work force, assist in the completion of a specific project or perform seasonal work are categorized as temporary or seasonal employees. They are hired for a limited duration of time and are not eligible for County benefits.
(E) 
Department heads. Department Heads are responsible for management of designated County functions and can be elected officials or appointed officials. The Administrator of the Monroe County Health Department is responsible for its operation.
The introductory period is ninety (90) days and is intended to provide newly hired employees the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to achieve a satisfactory level of performance and to determine whether the new position meets their expectations. In addition, the County uses the introductory period to evaluate an employee's capabilities, skills, work habits and overall performance.
If the County determines that the designated introductory period does not allow sufficient time to thoroughly evaluate an employee's performance, the County may extend the introductory period up to a maximum of thirty (30) additional days.
Employees will be informed when hired whether their position is classified as "exempt" or "non-exempt". These classifications are dictated by federal guidelines by which Monroe County must strictly adhere.
(A) 
Exempt. Employees who are classified as "exempt" are paid a salaried amount rather than an hourly wage and are not paid overtime if they work more than forty (40) hours in a work week. These employees do not record hours worked; however, they do submit information about time off for vacation, illness, etc.
(B) 
Non-exempt. Employees who are classified as "non-exempt" receive overtime pay at the rate of one and one-half (1 ½) times their regular hourly rate for all hours actually worked beyond forty (40) hours in a work week. Holidays, vacation and other time off are not counted in determining the actual hours worked. Nonexempt employees must receive permission to work overtime. Working overtime without permission can lead to counseling and discipline, up to and including termination. According to departmental guidelines and supervisory approval, compensatory time may be approved in lieu of overtime.
According to federal guidelines, non-exempt employees must keep accurate time records of the actual hours worked on the County's timekeeping forms. Knowledgeable or deliberate falsification or alteration of time records will result in termination.
(C) 
Exempt salaried employee definition and complaint procedure. An "exempt salaried employee" is an employee who regularly receives a predetermined amount of compensation each pay period on a weekly or less frequent basis and who falls within one of the following categories exempt from overtime: executive, administrative, professional, outside sales and certain computer employee. An employee who falls within the "exempt salaried employee" definition may not have his/her pay reduced because of variations in the quality or quantity of the employee's work, except, as follows:
(1) 
For absences of one or more full days for personal reasons, other than sickness or disability;
(2) 
For absences of one or more full days for sickness or disability IF the deduction is made according to a bona fide sickness or disability policy, plan or practice that provides compensation for the time loss due to sickness or disability, or the employee is not yet eligible for pay under such a policy, plan or practice or has exhausted the employee's paid time under such policy, plan or practice;
(3) 
To offset amounts employees, receive as jury or witness fees, or for military pay;
(4) 
For unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days imposed in good faith for violations of safety rules of major significance such as those relating to the prevention of serious danger in the workplace or to another employee;
(5) 
For unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one or more full days imposed in good faith for violations of the Company's written workplace conduct rules and policies. Such rules and policies include but are not limited to policies against harassment and violence in the workplace.
(6) 
When an "exempt salaried" employee works less than a full week for the first or final week of employment; or
(7) 
When an "exempt salaried" employee is eligible for and takes unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
It is the County's Policy to comply with the salary basis requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Therefore, the County will not authorize any deduction that does not fall within the listed exceptions or that are not otherwise permissible under state or federal law. If you believe that an improper deduction has been made to your salary, you should immediately report this information to Human Resources.
Reports of improper deductions will be promptly investigated. If the County determines that an improper deduction has occurred, you will be promptly reimbursed for any improper deduction made. The County will also take whatever steps it deems necessary to ensure that any improper deduction brought to its attention under this procedure does not occur in the future.
Monroe County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender (including gender identity and/or expression), national origin, age, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, military or discharge status, those qualified as having physical or mental disabilities, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth) or any federal or state classification. All employment decisions will be made in accordance with the individual's ability to perform the essential functions of the job. It is the responsibility of the County, along with its department heads and supervisors, to act in a nondiscriminatory manner in the treatment of candidates and employees, including hiring, promoting, compensating, granting benefits, training and disciplining employees.
The County adheres to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If an employee requires an accommodation in his or her work or work environment due to a condition which qualifies under ADA, the employee's supervisor should be contacted. The matter will be handled with confidentiality, and the County will make any reasonable accommodations that do not create undue hardship as defined by federal guidelines.
The County will provide a reasonable accommodation for a medical or common condition of an otherwise qualified applicant, intern or employee, regardless of full-time, part-time, introductory or temporary status, related to pregnancy or childbirth, provided that the accommodation does not impose an undue hardship on the ordinary business of the County's operations and as required by law. Reasonable accommodation may include things such as more frequent bathroom breaks, assistance with heavy work, a private space for expressing milk, or time off to recover from pregnancy. It is the obligation of the individual to request reasonable accommodation. The County may request documentation of the need for accommodation provided that the request is job-related and consistent with business necessity. It is the individual's responsibility to provide such documentation if requested. The County will not require an individual affected by pregnancy, childbirth or medical or common condition related to pregnancy or childbirth to accept an accommodation when it is not requested, nor will the County require any such individual to take leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided that would allow the individual to continue to perform the individual's essential job functions. The County will reinstate an individual affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth to the individual's original position when the individual's need for reasonable accommodation ends and/or the individual expresses an intent to return, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship upon the ordinary operation of the County's business. The County will not retaliate against an individual affected by pregnancy, childbirth or medical or common condition related to childbirth or pregnancy who request or uses an authorized reasonable accommodation.
The failure of any employee or supervisor to comply fully with this policy will be grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.
Employees are not required to participate in or financially contribute to political campaigns nor shall they be subject to direct or indirect political influence or coercion. As an equal employment opportunity employer, political affiliation or support is not a contingency for employment with the County.
Except as provided for within and applicable collective bargaining agreement, employment with an employer within the state of Illinois is not governed by any written or oral contract and is considered an "At-Will" arrangement. Employees should understand that they are able, as is the County, to terminate employment at any time and for any reason, as long as there is no violation of applicable federal or state law.
The employment of relatives in the same workplace can potentially cause serious conflicts and problems related to favoritism and employee morale. In addition to claims of partiality in treatment at work, personal conflicts from outside the work environment can be carried into day-to-day working relationships.
For those reasons, it is the County's policy that relatives will not be allowed to work in a supervisor/subordinate relationship. For policy purposes, relatives are defined as parents, spouse, children, siblings, in-laws, grandparents, grandchildren and such step-relatives. If employees are currently married or marry during their employment by the County, they may remain employed as long as a supervisor/subordinate relationship does not exist, and their personal life does not interfere with the performance of their jobs.
With regard to age, individuals must be sixteen (16) years of age or older or have a work permit to be considered for employment.
According to State of Illinois statute, employees may review their personnel file up to two (2) times within a calendar year, when requests are made at reasonable intervals. To do so, an employee must complete the County's request form and the review will be scheduled within two (2) working days. If the County can reasonably show that the deadline cannot be met, the County will have an additional seven (7) days to comply. The review shall not be performed during the employee's work hours. Documents may not be removed from the file by the employee, but copies may be made at the employee's expense.
Any employee who is involved in a current dispute with the County may designate, in writing, a representative to inspect their personnel record, if it is deemed to have a bearing on the resolution of the dispute.
The right of the employee, or their designated representative, to inspect their personnel records does not extend to:
•
Medical records.
•
Letters of reference.
•
Test documents (other than the score).
•
Materials relating to the County's personnel planning.
•
Information of a personal nature about a person other than the employee, if it would invade that person's privacy.
•
Records involving the employee subject to judicial proceedings.
•
Any records alleging criminal activity.
The official employee personnel file, except for employees of the Health Department, will be maintained by the office of Human Resources. Employment applications, along with mandatory federal and state forms, will be in the employee's personnel file. Employees who want to review their personnel file should contact Human Resources.
Information regarding medical and dental insurance enrollment for County-sponsored plans will also be maintained by the office of the Human Resources.
Employee information, forms and documentation that pertain to a specific department activity or function (i.e. - training records, attendance records, etc.) may be kept at the departmental level.
Due to grant requirements, the Health Department will maintain the official personnel file of Health Department employees, and duplicate information will be sent to Human Resources.
Should there be any changes in personnel information pertinent to your employment (e.g., changes in address, etc.), please contact Human Resources immediately, to complete the appropriate form(s), as it is the employee's responsibility to advise the County.
For the County to keep the employee's file as current and accurate as possible, it is the employee's responsibility to advise Human Resources if any of the following occur:
•
You legally change your name, marry, or are legally separated or divorced.
•
You change your address or telephone number.
•
You want the County, in case of accident or emergency, to notify a different person than the one originally specified.
•
There is a change with respect to your dependents.
•
There is a change in military status affecting your ability to work.
If you dispute any information contained in the personnel file, the information may be removed only if agreed to by the County. Otherwise, you may submit a written explanation about the disputed information which will be attached to the disputed document in your personnel file.
The County wishes to provide all employees and interns a work environment that encourages productive activity and mutual respect. To accomplish this, the County maintains a "zero tolerance" policy and will not tolerate harassment or inappropriate conduct described in this Policy by any person and will deal severely with anyone who engages in such conduct. Therefore, the County prohibits the harassment of or inappropriate conduct directed toward employees because of their race, color, gender (including gender identity and/or expression), age, national origin, religion, ancestry, citizenship status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military or discharge status or qualified as having physical or mental disabilities, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or medical or common conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth) or any federal or state classification. This policy is in effect whenever an employee is involved in County activities, including business trips, County events, etc.
(A) 
Harassment or inappropriate conduct in violation of this policy can take the form of jokes, ridicule and slurs. No one has the right to harass someone because of their association with the protected categories listed above. This type of conduct has a negative effect on the workplace and is absolutely not acceptable. In many cases, the person who is offended can stop the conduct by telling the other person that they are offended, and they expect the conduct to be discontinued. The County encourages this type of straightforward communication. (Employees should inform their supervisor of such a discussion.)
(B) 
Sexual harassment can be difficult to define, and certain conduct is more offensive to some people than to others. However, the basic guideline that the County will follow is that physical touching not required by the job is inappropriate. Likewise, discussions, jokes or remarks involving sex, sexual matters, propositions or physical attributes are prohibited. No employee or supervisor may engage in this type of conduct. Although all types of prohibited conduct cannot be listed, the following list includes examples of types of prohibited conduct:
(1) 
Unnecessary touching.
(2) 
Purposefully brushing against someone.
(3) 
Comments or slurs of a sexual or sexist nature.
(4) 
Cartoons or pictures that deal with a sexual or sexist subject.
(5) 
Pressuring someone to go on a date or unwelcome advances.
(6) 
Dirty or offensive jokes of a sexual or sexist nature.
(7) 
Treating someone in a derogatory manner because of sexual stereotypes or because they do not adhere to a sexual stereotype.
(C) 
Behavior of this type becomes particularly egregious when:
(1) 
Submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment.
(2) 
Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the individual.
(3) 
Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
(D) 
Anyone knowledgeable of information regarding any harassment or inappropriate conduct described above should notify their supervisor or the State's Attorney or by calling the posted Employee Helpline. This includes harassment or inappropriate conduct by another employee, supervisor or nonemployee. (i.e. - supplier, vendor, delivery person, etc.)
(E) 
The County will promptly initiate an investigation of the conduct and keep information as confidential as possible. All persons contacted must fully cooperate and, obviously, everyone is expected to be truthful and to use good judgment.
(F) 
Any person who is found to be responsible for harassment or inappropriate conduct will be subject to appropriate discipline, the severity of which will be decided by the County based on the circumstances of the case. Discipline could involve as an example a warning, suspension or termination. If the person being complained about is a non-employee, the County will take necessary measures to protect the County employee.
(G) 
If an employee is found to have made an unfounded and false accusation in bad faith the employee will be subject to disciplinary action due to the serious ramifications such an accusation can have on the person or persons accused.
(H) 
No one who participates in or makes a truthful complaint under this policy shall suffer any retaliation as result.
The County prohibits bullying. Employees found in violation of this policy will be disciplined, up to and including termination. Bullying is defined as "repeated inappropriate behavior, either direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work or at off-site, employer sponsored events." Bullying may be intentional or unintentional. However, it must be noted that where an allegation of bullying is made, the intention of the alleged bully is irrelevant, and will not be given consideration when meeting out discipline. As in harassment, it is the effect of the behavior upon the individual which is important.
(A) 
The County considers the following types of behavior examples of bullying:
(1) 
Verbal Bullying: slander, ridiculing or maligning a person or his/her family; persistent name calling which is hurtful, insulting or humiliating; using a person as butt of jokes; abusive and offensive remarks.
(2) 
Physical Bullying: pushing; shoving; kicking; poking; tripping; assault; or threat of physical assault; damage to a person's work area or property.
(3) 
Gesture Bullying: non-verbal threatening gestures; glances which can convey threatening messages.
(4) 
Exclusion: socially or physically excluding or disregarding a person in work-related activities.
(B) 
In addition, the following examples may constitute or contribute to evidence of bullying in the workplace:
(1) 
Persistent singling out of one person.
(2) 
Shouting, raising voice at an individual in public and/or in private.
(3) 
Using verbal or obscene gestures.
(4) 
Not allowing the person to speak or express him/herself (i.e., ignoring or interrupting).
(5) 
Personal insults and use of offensive nicknames.
(6) 
Public humiliation in any form.
(7) 
Constant criticism on matters unrelated to the person's job performance or description.
(8) 
Ignoring/interrupting an individual at meetings.
(9) 
Public reprimands.
(10) 
Repeatedly accusing someone of errors which cannot be documented.
(11) 
Deliberately interfering with the mail and other communications.
(12) 
Spreading rumors and gossip regarding individuals.
(13) 
Encouraging others to disregard a supervisor's instructions.
(14) 
Manipulating the ability of someone to do their work (i.e., overloading, under-loading, withholding information, setting meaningless tasks, setting deadlines that cannot be met, giving deliberately ambiguous instructions).
(15) 
Inflicting menial tasks not in keeping with the normal responsibilities of the job.
(16) 
Taking credit for another person's ideas.
(17) 
Refusing reasonable requests for leave in the absence of work-related reasons not to grant leave.
(18) 
Deliberately excluding an individual or isolating them from work-related activities (meetings, etc.).
(19) 
Unwanted physical contact, physical abuse or threats of abuse to an individual or an individual's property (defacing or marking up property).
If you believe you are being bullied report it to your supervisor immediately. If the problem is with your immediate supervisor, report it to their supervisor or Human Resources. You can also utilize the procedure included in the County's Anti-Harassment Policy. All complaints will be investigated, and a written report prepared. Complainants will be briefed as to determination and if applicable that appropriate action is being taken.
The County prohibits retaliation against employees that have asserted a complaint under this policy or any individual who has cooperated in any investigation under this policy. Anyone who has been found to have engaged in retaliation in violation of this policy will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action up to and including termination.
The County will respond to reference check inquiries from other employers, credit organizations or other entities checking references on current or former employees, when accompanied by appropriate documentation. If the inquiry is in regard to income verification for credit/lending purposes, the request will be forwarded to Human Resources. If the inquiry is in regard to reference checking for employment purposes, the request will be handled by the respective department head who will only provide the following information:
(A) 
Dates of employment.
(B) 
Position or positions the employee held.
(C) 
Employee's last rate of compensation.
Such information will only be provided to a potential employer, if the inquiry is accompanied by a signed release form from the employee. It is not recommended that the County reply to any questions regarding an employee's performance, attendance, etc. while working for the County, because there can be legal ramifications for the County if erroneous or legally restricted information is provided.