Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue Sick Leave Use Policy 2021 PDF

**PURPOSE** The purpose of this policy is to identify the appropriate use of sick leave and define situations under which an employee will be "excused" from work because of an illness or injury that is impacting them or a family member. It is also intended to reduce the impact of the use of sick le...

**PURPOSE** The purpose of this policy is to identify the appropriate use of sick leave and define situations under which an employee will be "excused" from work because of an illness or injury that is impacting them or a family member. It is also intended to reduce the impact of the use of sick leave on the organization while ensuring members are not present in the workplace while they are ill or injured. **POLICY** It is the policy of Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue to allow personnel to utilize their sick leave while still being able to maintain the continuity operations and not take units out of service or reduce the staffing levels on apparatus. **PROCEDURE** I. **REPORTING OFF ON SICK LEAVE:** A. Sick leave may be taken by field personnel in the following segments. 1. Sick Leave segments are either a: a. Day (10 hours) from 09:00 to 19:00 b. Night (14 hours) from 19:00 to 09:00 c. Shift (24 hours) from 09:00 to 09:00 d. Beginning of Shift (3 hours) 09:00 to 12:00 B. Members shall only utilize Sick Leave per the conditions as stated in Article 18 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement or within this policy. C. Members will have their sick leave usage monitored by the Chief or their designee. D. Personnel that wish to report off on Sick Leave must do so [as soon as practical] through the department scheduling system. 1. This must be entered in the department scheduling system no later than 10:00pm the night before the shift. 2. [After 10:00pm the night before, the member must contact the on-duty staffing Battalion Commander (BAT7). ] a. The commander is to be notified no later than 08:00am. b. In the event you are trying to contact the Staffing Battalion Commander and cannot reach them call the North Battalion Commander (BAT6). 3. Members assigned to Administrative or Special Assignments must contact their Division Chief. a. If their Division Chief is unreachable, call the Staffing Chief to notify them of the situation. 4. If the employee is on shift, their officer will notify the Battalion Commander and they will begin to fill the vacancy immediately. a. In the event that the Battalion Commander is unavailable (on an extended scene/call) the officer is to contact the Staffing Officer. II. **EXCUSED SICK LEAVE USE** A. It is understood that excessive use of sick leave use is a detriment to both the employee and to the Organization at large. Employees who use in excess of 120 hours of sick leave in a calendar year (January 5^th^ to January 4^th^) whereby those hours are not "excused", will be subjects to the provisions of section 18.5.4 of Article 18 in the CBA. B. Excused sick leave is defined as leave entered in the department scheduling system with the note "Sick Leave Excused" for one of the following reasons: 1. Employee produced a note signed by a physician excusing employee from work. 2. Employee produced a note signed by a licensed clinical psychologist excusing employee form work for counseling or therapy. 3. Employee produced a note signed by a physician requesting their presence for a family member who is ill or injured. 4. Employee is utilizing Military Sick Leave in any capacity. 5. Employee is subject to and produces proof of a quarantine order issued by a government entity. 6. Employee is using FMLA Sick Leave in any capacity. 7. Employee is sent home by management or is ordered not to come to work by the Chief or their designee because of illness. C. The Department has experienced excessive sick leave use on certain days or periods of time. As such, the following dates or periods of time if an employee calls off sick it will require them submitting a physician's certificate. 1. The days identified as Excessive Sick Leave Usage Days are: +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - New Year's Eve | - Memorial Day | +===================================+===================================+ | - New Year's Day | - Independence Day | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Super Bowl Sunday | - Labor Day Weekend | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Easter Sunday | - Halloween | | | | | | - APS Thanksgiving Break | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Mother's Day | - Christmas Eve | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ | - Father's Day | - Christmas Day | +-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+ 2. Specific days or periods of time that have been identified as excessive Sick Leave Use Days will be indicated as such with a "S" on the Telestaff calendar. 3. Employees that utilize sick leave on an "S" day must submit a physician's certificate upon return to duty. D. All sick leave use not defined above as "Sick Leave Excused" will be considered "Unexcused" and will subject the employee to the provisions of Article 18 of the CBA. III. **USE OF SICK LEAVE FOR SELF OR FAMILY EMERGENCIES WHILE ON SHIFT** A. Employees who get sick during the shift or need to leave work due to a family emergency will be required to remain off for the remainder of the shift. 1. Sick leave will be entered into Telestaff by the regional Battalion Commander and not by the individual. a. Commander will also enter a note as to why the individual is utilizing sick leave. 2. The Station officer will contact the regional Battalion Commander and inform them that the person is going home sick and the position needs to be filled. IV. **DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS:** A. For field personnel, if a doctor's appointment is on a scheduled work day, they must utilize leave as outline in Section I.A.1 of this policy. B. Administrative and special assignment personnel that have scheduled appointments during work hours must notify their presiding officer at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance, prior to the beginning of the shift. The officer shall then notify the Staffing Chief. **Review/Revised** 10/18/2021 - Complete Rewrite.