Monroe County believes that its most important asset is a skilled and motivated workforce. The County's reputation for providing professional service to patrons and the public depends on exceptional employees. Therefore, the County's appraisal and compensation policies are designed to provide valuable feedback, to allow employee input and to fairly compensate employees.
Performance evaluations are conducted to provide both supervisors and employees an opportunity to discuss job tasks, identify and correct weaknesses, encourage and recognize strengths and discuss objectives for meeting goals. The County expects all employees to put forward their best effort in every aspect of their job.
Every new employee will be reviewed for performance upon completion of their probationary period. Reviews will then be performed annually, and the department head may elect: (1) To perform them all within the same quarter of the year or (2) On or about the employee's anniversary date and (3) Whether the reviews will be performed by the department head or the employee's supervisor.
Salary increases are within the sole discretion of the County Board and should not be considered automatic. Salary increases within the Department of Health are within the sole discretion of the Board of Health and should not be considered automatic.
The County's goal is that every employee is successful in their job. Another goal is a safe, productive and professional environment for both employees and citizens. Occasionally, however, an employee will not be meeting the expectations of their job, and the County will make efforts to coach that employee and communicate how they may improve their performance.
Following are disciplinary actions that the County initiates to attain that objective. These disciplinary actions are not necessarily progressive. The type of discipline initiated will correspond to the nature or frequency of the incident. All action will be taken in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, pursuant to the Management Rights clause of union contracts, and in conjunction with actions taken with other individuals under similar circumstances.
(A) 
Informal warning/note to file. The supervisor will discuss the performance issue with the employee, explaining the problem it is causing for the department and what action the employee needs to take to correct the situation. A "Note to File" will be made to verify that the employee was aware of the issue and need for improvement.
(B) 
Written counseling/disciplinary action. The supervisor will complete a Record of Employee Disciplinary Action and meet with the employee to discuss the performance issue, clearly stating the problem it is causing for the department and what action the employee needs to take to correct the situation. The form becomes a part of the employee's official personnel records.
(C) 
Written counseling/disciplinary action with probation. There might be times when an employee's performance is so far below expectations, or the incidents are so frequent that the employee is placed on probation. Probation indicates that the employee's job is in jeopardy and, without improvement, further action up to and including termination might be taken. A supervisor will complete a Record of Employee Disciplinary Action and meet with the employee to discuss the performance issue, clearly stating the problem it is causing for the department, what action the employee needs to take to correct the situation and the length of the probation. The form becomes a part of the employee's official personnel records.
(D) 
Written counseling/disciplinary action with suspension. There might be times when an investigation is necessary to determine the facts pertinent to a particular employee situation (i.e. - charges of harassment, illegal activity or law enforcement issues). When such a situation occurs, an employee will be placed on suspension (either paid or unpaid) and will not be allowed to work until the investigation has been completed and the County has made a determination. A supervisor will complete a Record of Disciplinary Action and meet with the employee to discuss the issue and the terms of suspension. The form becomes a part of the employee's official personnel records.
Employees seeking reassessment of the disciplinary action must do so in accordance with the County's Appeal process and/or their contracted Union grievance procedures.
Monroe County places both responsibility and trust in department heads and supervisors who manage departmental operations and activities. Decisions made by department heads and supervisors regarding the County's workforce are based on County policies and actions taken with other individuals under similar circumstances. Department heads are encouraged to seek assistance when handling employment issues which have potential legal consequences, particularly medical leaves of absence and disciplining and terminating employees.
Employees are encouraged to speak with their supervisors regarding any issues they have with their work or their actions before pursuing other resources. The County Board will only become involved with such issues at the request of the department head or as a result of procedures outlined for addressing union grievances.
Employees are paid bi-weekly on Thursday. (26 payrolls per year) If a regular payday falls on a holiday, paychecks will be issued on the working day nearest the regular pay date. If an employee is not at work to receive the paycheck and the employee is not paid through direct deposit, it will be mailed, unless the employee has previously requested otherwise in writing.
All mandatory federal and state withholdings will be made from employee wages according to information on tax forms submitted by the employee.
The County does not provide pay advances on unearned wages to employees.
Non-exempt employees must keep accurate time records of the actual hours worked. Falsifying or altering time records will result in termination.
In accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, exempt employees receive a salary and are not compensated for overtime for working more than forty (40) hours in a work week.
Non-exempt employees are compensated for overtime 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. Emergency Medical Services employees engaged in fire protection or law enforcement may be paid overtime on a "work period" basis as permitted by law. Holidays, vacation and other time off are not counted in determining the actual hours worked. Nonexempt employees must receive permission and approval to work overtime. Working overtime without permission can lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Compensatory time may be substituted for overtime pay at the County's discretion. Emergency Medical Services employees are not eligible for compensatory time, except for non-scheduled overtime. (See the Compensatory Time policy below.)
Based on budgetary constraints and concern for an employee's work/life balance the County will avoid overtime hours whenever possible. However, there will be times when overtime will be necessary, due to workload requirements and it will be an essential function of the job when necessary. Normally, overtime will be assigned to the individuals whose job description entails the responsibility of the duty.
There will be times when certain departments will be required to work overtime due to emergency situations, including Sundays and holidays. This compensation structure will be addressed in the department's collective bargaining agreement.
(A) 
Scheduled overtime. Work requiring overtime hours to be completed, and which is foreseeable, will be distributed fairly and equitably to employees by supervisors. Hours worked will be recorded on the employee's timesheet for the week in which the time is worked. If an employee has personal commitments which cannot be avoided, they must notify their supervisor at least three (3) days prior to the time they are scheduled to work to enable the supervisor to make schedule changes. If the supervisor cannot make the change without negatively impacting the performance of the work, the employee will be required to work.
(B) 
Unscheduled overtime. Sometimes, overtime hours will be required to handle an unforeseen or emergency work situation. Under those circumstances the assignment of overtime will be made to the employees best qualified to perform the work. The supervisor or the supervisor's designee will assign the overtime schedule and the schedule will not be subject to change. For Emergency Medical Service employees if additional employees are needed to fill a shift full time employee will be asked if they would like to volunteer to fill the shift. If no one volunteers a full-time employee will be required to work the unscheduled overtime. Emergency Medical Service full time employees who volunteer or are assigned to work unscheduled overtime will be permitted to accumulate compensatory time in lieu of overtime pay.
The County has a compensatory (comp) time policy which applies to employees in non-exempt job classifications. Emergency Medical Service employees are not eligible for compensatory time, except in instances of non-scheduled overtime. Compensatory time may be used in lieu of overtime pay. Following are the guidelines of the policy:
(A) 
Compensatory time must be pre-approved by a supervisor prior to scheduling, but not by the employee who is taking the compensatory time.
(B) 
Compensatory time should be scheduled at the earliest possible date after the work is performed. The date should be agreeable to the employee and approved by the supervisor.
(C) 
Compensatory time must be taken within the twelve (12) month period following being earned. It cannot be carried over into the following twelve (12) month period and accumulated. If the time is not taken within that period, it will be paid out as compensation.
(D) 
Compensatory time that has not been used at the time the employee leaves employment with the County shall be paid out at the employee's current hourly rate of pay.
As stated in the Payroll section, employees are paid bi-weekly (i.e. – every other Thursday). There is a cut-off date prior to each payroll by which time pay data must be submitted in order to pay employees by the pay date. Therefore, all pay information must be received by the County Clerk's office no later than the Monday of payroll week. New employees will receive their first paycheck on the Thursday following their first week of work if it is a payroll week.
(A) 
Non-Exempt employees should complete a timecard on a daily basis detailing time on and time off the job for work hours, lunch, training, and paid time off (i.e. – vacation, illness). Paychecks are prepared based on hours recorded on the timecards. Therefore, timecards must be complete and accurate. If an employee makes an error on the timecard or forgets to record hours, the employee should speak with their supervisor for assistance in making corrections. The timecard must be signed by the employee and their supervisor prior to submission to payroll to indicate approval of time to be paid.
(B) 
If non-exempt employees have taken time off during a work week, the time off must be detailed on their timecard. The timecard should detail what type of time off was taken (i.e. - vacation, sick, holiday) and whether the time off should be paid or unpaid. For example, sick hours without accrued sick time would be unpaid, whereas accrued vacation time would be paid. Supervisors shall keep and submit approved timecards to the County Clerk's office prior to each payroll. Excepting for the Highway Department, these timecards will be used to calculate unused sick time at year's end and will serve as the ultimate authority. For employees of the Highway Department the tracking system currently in use will be used to calculate unused sick time, and vacation/comp time for Highway Department employees and will service as the ultimate authority for those employees.
(C) 
Any entry on an employee's timecard that does not follow normal procedures should be explained and initialed by the employee and the supervisor.
(D) 
Documenting another employee's timecard or falsification of an employee's own timecard is extremely serious and will be cause for counseling action, up to and including termination.
The County has a policy for reimbursing employees for expenses that result from approved business activities such as travel, training, errands, etc. Prevailing rates and guidelines will be determined by the County Board. The policy details expenses related to:
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Lodging, airfare, rental vehicles and vehicle expenses
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Business Meals (excluding alcoholic beverages)
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Other - Approved expenses incurred in relation to business purposes
Requests for reimbursement shall be submitted on a travel voucher form and must be submitted within thirty (30) days of the incurred date. Internal Revenue Service guidelines for reimbursement require that expenses meet the following criteria:
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Ordinary and necessary in business
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Supported by the original receipt
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Documented and approved for the business purpose