COMPENSATION

Everyone wants to know how, when and what they are paid.

Your Paycheck

Pay periods are from the 1st to the 15th day of the month, and the 16th to the last day of the month. You will receive you paycheck on the 1st and 16th days of the month, except that the paycheck for the final pay period of the year is paid on or before December 31. If payday falls on a weekend or a holiday, you are paid the last work day prior.

If you are a non-exempt employee, you must complete an individual time record showing daily hours worked in order to be paid properly. Exempt employees do not fill out hourly time records, but must account for daily attendance.
Deductions from your paycheck are those required by law (e.g., medicare, workers’ compensation premiums, court-ordered garnishments) and those approved by you in writing (e.g. insurance premiums, etc.).

Overtime
At BC/AC Housing Authority, we want our employees to work a reasonable number of hours. The regular workweek is no more than 40 working hours, but on certain occasions some overtime may be required. You may request not to work overtime, but you may not refuse to work assigned overtime. Any overtime work must be authorized in writing by your supervisor or the Executive Director. If we do authorize or require overtime, nonexempt employees are paid at one and onehalf times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 hours in one workweek. Exempt employees are not eligible for overtime pay.

Salary Changes
We try to pay our employees fairly for the job they are doing and their experience level. Annual salary increases are conditioned on available funding and performance. The amount of an increase is based on the results of the employee’s annual performance review and funding constraints.
Occasionally, an employee’s salary may be reduced. This will occur only after approval of the Executive Director and/or the Board. Examples of why an employee’s pay might be reduced include: overpayments due to administrative or other errors; shortages of funds or appropriations; or voluntary or involuntary demotions.

Travel Compensation & Expense Reimbursement
The Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 defines whether time spent traveling is considered work time. Travel away from home is considered work time when it “cuts across the employee’s workday.” In such situations, the employee is considered to be substituting travel for other duties. The time will also be compensable if worked during regular scheduled working hours on Saturday or Sunday. Time spent in travel away from home outside of regular work hours as a passenger on an airplane, train, boat, bus or automobile is not considered to be work time.

Major travel expenses such as airfare, conference fees, and hotel costs must be approved in advance by your supervisor. All travel arrangements are coordinated by the Department Manager or Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director, and all arrangements must be made through that department. A per diem amount will be paid commensurate with the destination city, amount determined by Federal Travel Regulations. Such expenses may include meals, lodging and ground transportation. Any expenses incurred above the per diem amount will be reimbursed only if receipts are attached to the reimbursement form and submitted to the Executive Director within 30 days after completion of the travel or activity. Expenses for purchase of alcoholic beverages are not reimbursable.

Mileage for use of your personal vehicle on Housing Authority business will be reimbursed at the rate set according to the IRS guidelines.

In general, you are expected to choose modes of transportation and fares that are the most economical, and choose lodging and restaurants that are moderately priced. Employees traveling together should coordinate arrangements to minimize costs. Please refer to the Fiduciary Duty policy for additional guidance.

TIME OFF AND BENEFITS
In addition to a competitive wage, BC/AC Housing Authority provides its employees with a competitive benefits package.

Sick Leave
Everyone has times when they cannot report to work because of illness. We provide paid sick leave to continue your normal pay during absences due to your illness or injury or illness or injury of a family member that requires your presence. Full-time employees accrue sick leave at the rate of eight hours per month, beginning the first day of employment. Part-time employees are eligible for sick leave after 5 continuous months of employment and work at least 20 hours per week. The amount of sick leave earned by part-time employees is calculated by multiplying 0.0462 times the total number of hours worked per month.

Unused leave may be carried over to following years. Sick leave may not be used during the first 30 days of employment. Sick leave does not accrue during unpaid leaves of absence or layoff. Sick leave may be taken in increments of one hour or more. Sick leave of more than three consecutive days may require a note from a health care provider indicating the reason for your absence.
Paid sick leave may be used only for the following purposes:

• Personal illness or injury;
• Medical or dental care that could not reasonably be scheduled during off work time;
• Care of an immediate family member with a health condition that requires the employee’s care;
• Medical quarantine; or
• Death of an immediate family member.

If you exhaust your sick leave, you may request vacation, leave of absence or use of accrued compensatory time from the Executive Director.
All accrued, unused sick leave is forfeited at the time of separation from BC/AC Housing Authority.

Vacation Time
We all need time away from the job, to enjoy travel, family time, or just to rest and relax. Vacation time is retroactively accrued upon completion of the new hire Introductory Period from the first day of work. No vacation time may be taken for the first six (6) months of employment unless approved at the beginning of employment for a previously planned event and it will then be without pay.

• Full-time employees accrue 8 vacation hours per month during their first 5 years of employment, and receive additional vacation hours at 5, 10, and 15 years of service as shown in the table below.
• Part-time employees who complete 5 continuous months of employment and work at least 20 hours per week accrue vacation leave at the rate of 0.0462 times total hours per month.
• Project-specific employees are not eligible for vacation leave.

VACATION ACCUMULATION RATE

Maximum Accrual
All Housing Authority employees are encouraged to utilize their accrued vacation leave. Vacation leave that is not taken during any calendar year may only be accumulated according to the following schedule:

• A maximum of 192 hours during the first 5 years of continuous employment.
• A maximum of 240 hours between the 5th and 10th year of service.
• A maximum of 288 hours between the 10th and 15th year of service.
• A maximum of 336 hours after the 15th year of service.

Scheduling Vacation Leave
It is the desire of the Housing Authority that leave be taken in at least 1/2 day increments. All vacation leave must be approved in advance by a supervisor to limit interference with the operations of the Housing Authority.

Vacation leave must be taken for all absences (i.e., unable to report to work because of car trouble, weather, participation in school activities, etc.) unless the employee is sick, has accumulated compensatory time, or can claim leave under a separate leave category.

Cash Payment for Accrued Vacation Leave
In a catastrophic circumstance, the Executive Director may, in his/her sole discretion, authorize a cash payment to an employee in any amount up to two weeks of covered vacation leave per calendar year, calculated at the employee’s current rate of pay. The circumstances must be deemed unavoidable and critical in nature such as a death in the family, severe medical crisis, or other equally significant emergency. Any payment should not reduce the employee’s vacation time available below two weeks. If possible, the Executive Director will confer with the Department Manager prior to making a determination. Upon termination of employment, an employee shall receive a lump sum payment for accumulated vacation leave.

Holidays
Most employees are eligible for holiday leave with pay. Regular full-time employees receive 8 hours pay for each holiday. Introductory and part-time employees will receive holiday pay for the number of hours they are regularly scheduled to work on the holiday. Project-specific employees will not be eligible for holiday pay.

The holidays recognized by BC/AC Housing Authority are: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after, and Christmas Day.

If a holiday falls on Saturday, you will receive Friday off; if on Sunday, you will receive Monday off. If you are required to work on a paid holiday, you will be paid one and one half times your normal wages for the day.

Jury Duty & Witness Leave
Serving on a jury or as a witness are fundamental responsibilities of citizenship, and the Housing Authority supports these important roles in our society. However, to ensure that we can provide proper service to our the public, if you receive a notice for jury duty service or a subpoena to appear in court as a witness, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible so that appropriate scheduling needs can be met. If your absence would pose a significant hardship for the Housing Authority, you may be asked to request a postponement of jury duty from the court.

Jury duty and witness leave is paid at your regular rate for the time you are required to serve, less witness or juror’s fees received. You are expected to report to work on any day that you are released from service with four or more hours left in your regular shift.

Family and Medical Leave
BC/AC Housing Authority wants to help if you need an extended leave of absence for certain family or medical reasons. Here is what you can expect.

Eligibility for Leave
If you have been employed for at least 12 months and have worked for the Housing Authority for at least 1250 hours during the previous 12-month period, you may receive up to 12 workweeks of leave every 12-month period to care for:

• your newborn child, newly adopted child, or foster care child;
• your spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; or
• your own serious health condition that leaves you unable to perform the functions of your job.

A serious health condition is one which affects one’s health to the extent that inpatient care is required or absences are necessary on a recurring basis for more than a few days for treatment or recovery.

If you and your spouse are employed by BC/AC Housing Authority, the Housing Authority may restrict your leave to a combined total of up to 12 workweeks of leave in a 12month period for the birth or adoption of a child or to care of a parent with a serious condition. In addition, the Housing Authority may, in certain situations, grant family leave to only one of you at a time.

Parental leave taken to care for a newborn or newly adopted child must be completed within 12 months of the child’s birth or placement for adoption.

Notice and Confirmation of Leave
If you have a need to take an extended absence from your job for any of the above reasons, you must obtain approval from the Executive Director. You are required to submit, in writing, your specific reasons for the leave at least 30 days prior to the anticipated date of delivery or placement for adoption or 30 days prior to prescheduled medical treatment of yourself or sick family member. If circumstances do not allow you to give the required notice, you must give notice as soon as possible.

Prior to approving your request for medical leave, the Housing Authority may require you to provide confirmation from a health care provider of the need for and probable duration of the leave requested for a serious health care condition. Such notice must be provided within 15 days of the date it is requested by the Housing Authority. If planned medical treatment is required, please make a reasonable effort to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt BC/AC Housing Authority operations.

Duration of Leave and Methods of Taking Leave
If you apply for and are granted a family leave, you will normally be given up to 12 consecutive weeks off your regular job. However, in situations where the reason for the leave is to care for your sick family member or for your own serious health condition, you may be permitted to use up to the 12 total weeks of leave on an intermittent basis or on a reduced workweek schedule, if it is medically necessary to do so.

If you request to take family leave on a reduced or intermittent work schedule, you must provide additional medical certification by a qualified health care provider which states that such accommodation is medically necessary and for how long. If you request and are granted such a leave, you may be required to transfer temporarily to an available alternative position with equivalent pay and benefits that is better able to accommodate your recurring periods of leave or your reduced work schedule.

While on family leave, the Housing Authority may require that you periodically report regarding your status and intention to return to work. The Housing Authority may also require that you obtain subsequent re-certification of the need for continued leave.

Benefits While on Leave
You will be allowed to have your medical and dental coverage continued under the same conditions as before your leave commenced. However, the Housing Authority’s payment of the employer-paid portion of your premiums is conditioned upon your return to work. Except in certain circumstances, if you do not return from a family leave, the Housing Authority may recover from you all insurance premiums it paid to continue your coverage while on leave.

If you take a family or medical leave, the Housing Authority requires that you apply your accrued vacation and sick leave to the period of your leave. All family and medical leave taken after accrued vacation and sick leave are exhausted will be unpaid.

Taking a family leave will not cause you to lose any employment benefits which accrued before the start of your leave (e.g., seniority). However, you will not accrue these benefits during your family leave.

Return from Leave
Upon returning from a family leave, you will generally be assigned the same position held when the leave commenced or to a position with equivalent pay, benefits, and other conditions of employment. Some exceptions apply to this.

It is impossible to cover all the details concerning family leave in this Handbook. If you believe you want to take family leave, please discuss it with your supervisor, the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director or the Executive Director.

Leave Without Pay
Occasionally, you may need time off from work for personal reasons that are not covered by any other benefit or leave of absence. In those circumstances, the Housing Authority may grant you a leave without pay for a specified period of time of up to one year. Requests for leave without pay must be submitted to your supervisor in writing, who will forward the request to the Assistant Director of Administrative Services and the Executive Director with comments for a final decision. Leaves without pay are in the discretion of the Executive Director. The circumstances determine the length of leave. Accrued vacation and compensatory time must be exhausted before an unpaid leave is granted. Vacation and sick leave do not accrue during a leave and health and life insurance coverage will cease unless the employee prepays the premiums. Where the needs of the Housing Authority require, the leave may be granted without a guarantee of return to your job.

Military Leave
We recognize the importance of enabling employees to serve in the military without adverse consequences on their jobs. Employees who are ordered to attend annual military reserve training or other short term active military duty may take up to 15 days per calendar year as paid leave. Reservists are entitled to return to their jobs as provided under federal and state laws. All benefits continue to accrue during military leave of less than 30 days.

An employee who enters the state or federal armed services for an extended tour of duty is eligible for an extended military leave of absence, which may continue up to five years, unless otherwise provided under federal law. Employees will receive all accrued but unused vacation benefits as soon as their extended military leave begins. All insurance benefits will end on the last day of the month in which the extended military leave begins but the employee may extend medical coverage under COBRA if desired. Employees who leave work to serve in military duty are entitled to reemployment and benefit resumption consistent with relevant state and federal laws.

Insurance, Retirement and Other Benefits
BC/AC Housing Authority provides insurance benefits for regular, full-time employees to help you pay for medical and related expenses. Details of all insurance benefits are provided in separate summary plan descriptions provided to you when you become eligible to participate.

BC/AC Housing Authority, in an effort to assist employees with the financial needs of retirement, has established a retirement plan. Please consult the Executive Director or your Plan documents for details.
The Idaho Public Employee’s Credit Union is available to all employees.

Employee Handbook – Continue to Section 3

Current Issue Date: June, 2005
Replaces Issue Date: January, 1997