PERSONNEL POLICIES
Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene

TABLE of CONTENTS

IX. Vacations - Non-Exempt and Exempt (excluding minister)
1. Vacation time for all employees (excluding minister) who qualify (Sec. VI.2.) shall be earned from the first day of employment following the 90-day probationary period for all hours of straight time work. Overtime will not be credited towards vacation time.

2. Full time Non-exempt and Exempt employees (excluding minister) shall earn vacation time as follows:

3. Part time Non-exempt and Exempt employees (excluding minister) who qualify (Sec.VI, 2) shall earn the same rate of vacation as full time, prorated, based upon their contracted number of hours of employment. (Examples: Half-time employee would earn 20 hours of vacation each year during years 0-1, 40 hours each in years 2-5, and 60 hours per year for years 6 and up. An employee working 25 hours per week would earn 25 hours vacation each in years 0-1, 50 hours each in years 2-5, and 75 hours each year thereafter. An employee working 30 hours per week would earn 30 hours each in years 0-1, etc.)

4. Although paid vacation time for qualifying employees (Sec. VI. 2) will be earned from the first day of employment after successful completion of the 90-day probationary period, vacation time may not be used until the employee has completed at least six months of employment.

5. In the event of termination before six months of employment, earned vacation time will be lost.

6. Accumulated vacation time may be used by a qualifying employee (Sec. VI.2) at any time during the year, but does require the advance approval of the employee's supervisor. Both the employee and the supervisor must be sensitive to the urgent work needs of the Church and how vacation plans can best be accommodated within these needs.

7. Vacation time earned within one Church year should be used before the next Church year. Carry over of vacation time is not encouraged, although carry over arrangements may be made with the employee's supervisor in the case of special circumstances.
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X. Health Care Benefits
A. For Non-Exempt Employees
1. Full-time and part-time employees who have completed their probationary period and work 1000 or more hours per year will be enrolled in the Health Care Savings program of the Church.
2. The Church will establish health care savings accounts for eligible employees. The Church will use these accounts to reimburse employees for some of the out-of-pocket costs they incur in obtaining needed health, mental health, vision, hearing and dental care for themselves. The Church will credit each employee account monthly with an amount determined by the BOT. The monthly credit amount will be the same for all eligible employees. Amounts credited to these accounts shall accrue until used by the employee or until her/his employment terminates.
3. Employees may claim reimbursement for health insurance premiums, outpatient and inpatient care in licensed health care facilities, ambulance service, prescription medications and prescribed treatment/therapy or medical equipment. If the Church offers a group health care insurance plan for employees, and the employee chooses to participate, the premium cost will be offset by debiting the employee's health care savings account with any balance deducted from the employee's pay. The Personnel Committee must approve all claims for reimbursement.
4. Unless other arrangements are agreed to by the Personnel Committee, reimbursement shall be limited as follows:

B. For Contractual Employees
1. Health care benefits shall be contractually arranged with the Board of Trustees

XI. Pension Benefits
1. Employees who have completed six months’ service and work 1000 or more hours per year are qualified to participate in the UUA Pension Plan.

2. For employees who qualify, contributions to the UUA Pension Plan are paid entirely by the Church.

I. Leaves
A. Leave Without Pay
1. An employee may request a leave without pay through her or his direct supervisor. If the supervisor agrees to such a leave, and it is also approved by the minister (or Personnel Committee or BOT, as appropriate), a written agreement will be drawn by the supervisor as to the conditions and length of the leave. If the conditions of the leave are not met, the employee may be subject to termination.

2. An employee requesting parental leave due to birth or adoption while actively employed by the Church may, upon written request to his/her direct supervisor, be granted such a leave without salary or wages to and until a date not exceeding six months subject to the following stipulations:

a. The employee shall give the supervisor, (and/or minister, committee, or BOT as appropriate) written notice of this request for parental leave and the expected delivery or placement date. The supervisor will be given as much advance notice as possible.

b. The leave must begin within six weeks after the birth or adoption. An exception may be granted if and when a child must remain hospitalized longer than the mother. In such a case, a parent may return to work while the child is hospitalized and begin his/her unpaid leave within six weeks of the child's discharge from the hospital.

c. The employee will be entitled to return to work at any time within the six month parental leave, provided the employee has given two weeks written notice to his/her supervisor, (and/or minister, Personnel Committee, BOT as appropriate) of his/her intention to do so.

d. Any replacement employee assigned or rehired to perform duties of the employee on parental leave shall be regarded as temporary during the period within which the employee on parental leave may legally return to work.

B. Jury Duty

1. Employees shall be given leave to serve on a jury. Jury pay will be supplemented by the Church to equal the employee's normal pay rate. During the month a juror is on call, it is expected that the employee will continue to work as scheduled on days when not required to report to the court for jury duty.
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XII. Employee Development
1. The Church believes that each employee is responsible for her/his personal and professional development. Each employee is, therefore, encouraged to add to his/her knowledge and skills through formal and informal training on the job and away. Within budgetary and time constraints, the Church is willing to facilitate such development activities. Employees are encouraged to discuss development opportunities with their supervisors.

2. Subject to the needs of the Church and the approval of the supervisor and the minister, employees may apply for and participate in denominational and professional growth programs as part of their paid work schedule.

3. Any professional development activity which requires an employee to be away from his or her normal work assignments for three or more weeks during a program year, and/or requires an unscheduled expenditure of Church funds, must be reviewed and approved by the Personnel Committee and the Board of Trustees.
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XIII. Work Evaluations
1. The process of work evaluations is expected to be carried out on a routine and continuous basis by supervisors and subordinates freely and openly discussing the tasks to be accomplished, work quality, priorities, and the expected standards of performance.

2. In addition, however, there is to be one formal evaluation meeting each year between each employee and her/his supervisor. The evaluation is to be completed by January 31st each year and shall be entered as a formal written report in the employee's personnel file.

3. Format for the Evaluation Meeting:
a. The supervisor schedules, by mutual agreement with the employee, an evaluation meeting which will allow adequate time for two-way discussions of job responsibilities and performance.

b. The employee and supervisor review and clarify job responsibilities, priorities, and established standards of satisfactory performance.

c. The supervisor and employee then measure and evaluate the employee's actual performance relative to the employee's responsibilities and the established criteria for satisfactory performance.

d. Both positive and negative aspects of the employee's performance should be addressed. If there are work problems, both the employee and supervisor should together develop a plan, including a time table to remedy such problems. The Personnel Committee may be consulted.

e. Any new or additional responsibilities which will be assigned to the employee should be carefully defined and clarified in writing by the supervisor. The employee is encouraged to discuss the implications of such new assignments with the supervisor including any required training; effects on other work responsibilities and on colleagues, and the possibility of rank/title and wage changes which the new responsibilities may merit. Any changes to the employee’s overall job responsibilities will be done in consultation with the Personnel Committee.

f. The annual written performance report, as well as any optional memoranda, is to be composed, dated, and signed by the supervisor. It is then signed and dated by the employee as an acknowledgment that the employee has read it ~ not necessarily as a sign of agreement. The employee then has the right to add any positive or negative comments he/she may wish concerning the report’s contents, fairness, accuracy, etc. Such comments are also to be signed by the employee and supervisor.

g. The annual evaluation is placed in the employee's personnel file. It is to be used in determining wage and salary adjustments, and for recognizing meritorious and/or inadequate performance. It is also to be used as a basis for comparison in future performance assessments.

h. Performance Reports should include goal setting for the employee for the next year’s achievements.

i. Employees and supervisors are to get copies of all written evaluations and memoranda.

4. Employees will receive from their supervisor a written work evaluation at the end of the 90-day probationary period. This evaluation will be entered into the employee's file.
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XIV. Termination of Employment
1. Non-exempt emp1oyees are expected to provide their supervisor with a written notice of resignation at least two weeks before their last day of employment.

2. Exempt employees are expected to provide their supervisor with a written notice of resignation at least two months before the last day of employment.

3. Terminating employees are entitled to payment of any outstanding wages. Employees who have worked for the Church six months or longer may receive cash payment for any earned but unused vacation time.

4. During their 90-day probationary period, employees may be terminated with or without cause.

5. Employees who have passed their probationary period may be terminated by their supervisor, with the consent of the minister, for unsatisfactory performance of their assigned responsibilities, or for acts of malfeasance and or misfeasance, or for failing to comply with reasonable work requirements or other reasonable conditions of employment. In most cases the Church will notify the employee, in writing, of the termination of their employment, at least two weeks prior to the last date of employment. If notification is not given, consideration will be given to paying the employee for two weeks in lieu of notice. The Church maintains the right to make any decision deemed reasonable and appropriate at the time.

6. Prior to any termination for cause, the employee shall be given a special written performance evaluation and reasonable opportunity to bring her/his performance levels up to acceptable standards. All performance and termination actions shall be documented by the supervisor.

7. All employees may be subject to layoffs due to declining work loads and/or financial exigencies. Laid-off employees shall receive a written notice of termination at least ten days prior to the last day of employment.

8. The Church, a responsible employer, may summarily remove any employee from the work place who shall act in such a way as to jeopardize him/herself or others on Church property, or may be suspected of or convicted of performing criminal acts. The Personnel Committee and the BOT shall review the detailed circumstances of such removal so as to be able to act in an advisory capacity to the supervisor, as well as to become informed of implications of ramifications which may warrant changes in personnel policies or practices.

9. An exit interview with an employee may be conducted at the discretion of and by the minister or her/his designee.
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XV. The Grievance Process
The goals of the Grievance Process are:
To allow all employees ample opportunity to air grievances concerning their work situations, and to quickly and equitably resolve alleged infractions of Personnel Policies in an orderly manner. To assure the Personnel Committee, the Board of Trustees, and grievants that they have adequate information to arrive at reasonable and just decisions regarding working conditions at the Church.

1. Definition: A grievance consists of a charge of an alleged improper application of the Personnel Policies of the UU Church in Eugene.

2. Time Limits: All relevant parties in a grievance action shall adhere to the time limits prescribed in The Grievance Process unless all parties agree to different schedules prior to the expiration of the next time limit. It shall be assumed that any party not abiding by the prescribed or negotiated time limits, shall have conceded the other party to be in the right. Under such a condition, the Personnel Committee or the BOT shall negotiate the terms and conditions of resolving the grievance.

3. Who may file a grievance: All non-temporary employees who have passed their 90 day probationary period.

4. Representation: Employees may represent themselves or designate an authorized representative or legal counsel who may or may not be an employee or member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene.

5. Steps of the Grievance Procedure:

a. Step One - Informal Resolution: The grievant shall present to his/her supervisor a written request for An Informal Resolution Meeting. Within five working days after receiving the request, the supervisor shall hold a meeting to attempt to resolve the grievance. Within five days following the meeting, the supervisor will give a response to the grievant. If the response is satisfactory to all parties, the grievance will be considered resolved with no further grievance steps to be taken. If the grievant remains unsatisfied she/he has five working days to move to Step Two.

b. Step Two - Formal Resolution: The grievant shall, within five working days of receiving the results of Step One, submit a written request for a Step Two Hearing with the minister of the Church who will attempt to resolve the grievance. (If the grievance includes a minister in the complaint, the grievant shall move immediately to Step Three.) The request must include a full description of the circumstances and ramifications of the grievance and citation of the Personnel Policy's alleged infractions. Following a Step Two Hearing, the minister will provide a written response to the grievant within five working days. If the response is satisfactory to all parties, the grievance will be considered resolved with no further grievance steps to be taken If the grievant remains unsatisfied, he/she has five working days to move to Step Three.

c. Step Three - Personnel Committee Review: If Step Two does not occur because of ministerial involvement, or if its results are unsatisfactory, the grievant has five working days to submit a written request to the Chair of the Board of Trustees for a Step Three Trustee Review. This will be a hearing with the grievant and other involved parties before the Personnel Committee at which the Chair of the Board of Trustees will preside. The written request must include the nature of the grievance, circumstances surrounding the grievance, what actions the employee has taken to resolve the issue, the alleged injuries sustained by the grievant, and a citation of the alleged infractions of the Personnel Policy. The Chair shall hold the hearing within ten working days after receiving the Step Three request. The Chair will respond in writing to the grievant within ten working days giving the resolution arrived at by the Personnel Committee.

d. The Personnel Committee's decision will be final.
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XVI. Volunteer Policies
1. Purpose of these volunteer policies is:
a. To clarify the nature of the relationship between the paid staff and the volunteer staff of the Church;

b. To clarify the rights and responsibilities of volunteer workers;

c. To clarify the expectations of the Church’s paid staff regarding volunteers.


2. The nature of volunteerism:
a. Church members and friends voluntarily assist in the life and work of the Church for a variety of personal reasons including a generous desire to be helpful, a concurrence of personal values with those of the Church, social interaction with like-minded people, opportunities for personal growth, and a wish to contribute to the success of the institution and its missions.

b. Volunteering is not a requirement of Church membership; volunteers freely choose to participate. The management of volunteers requires creativity and flexibility on the part of the paid staff.

c. The Church does not have the financial resources nor the paid staff to fully satisfy the many needs and desires of the membership. Volunteers are, therefore, extremely important and highly valued as workers to supplement the efforts of the paid staff. The Church has developed specific methods for accomplishing certain tasks and will provide adequate instructions to volunteers as to the most efficient and effective ways of doing work. The paid staff is responsible for clearly communicating to volunteers the expectations, procedures and work rules regarding tasks to be accomplished. Volunteers may receive a copy of the current Personnel Policies from the staff member with whom they are working. It should be pointed out to them that although many of the policies do not apply to them, the Church wishes them to have access to these policies. It is assumed that all volunteer work is undertaken to mutually satisfy the needs of the volunteer and of the Church.


3. Responsibilities of a volunteer:
a. To be open and honest about intent, goals, and skills.
b. To understand what is expected before accepting the job.
c. To carry out duties promptly and reliably.
d. To accept guidance and direction from the work supervisor and adhere to the directions given.
e. To participate in any training required for tasks assigned.
f. To respect confidentiality.
g. To discuss with the work supervisor satisfactions, dissatisfactions, and suggestions for changing work assignments.
h. To notify the supervisor of necessary absences or work schedule changes as far in advance as possible.

4. Rights of a volunteer:
a. To be given worthwhile assignments, i.e. work which needs to be accomplished for the
Church. The tasks assigned should not exceed the volunteer's skills or abilities.
b. To have a clear understanding of work assignments including the duties, responsibilities,
time commitments and who will be the work supervisor.
c. To receive guidance, direction, and training for assignments.
d. To be treated as a colleague.
e. To be formally and informally recognized for work performed.
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XVII. Business Ethics and Employee Conduct
1. Sexual Harassment (See Addendum: Employee Safe Congregation Packet)

a. This Church recognizes the right of its ministers, employees, contractors, members, and guests to have an environment free of interpersonal violence such as harassment and abuse.

b. Employees of the church are required to read and sign an agreement to abide by the Safe Congregation and sexual harassment policies and procedures of the Church as described in:

i. The Safe Congregation Policy of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene.

ii. The Safe Congregation Procedures of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene.

iii. The Safe Congregation Informational Pamphlet of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene.

2. In the course of conducting the business of a Church, employees are expected to respect the confidentiality of those with whom they interact and/or whose personal information they may have access.

3. Employees of the Church are expected to employ safe work practices on the job and on Church property.

4. Employees are expected to be on time for work, to dress appropriately for their particular position, and to conduct themselves professionally.

5. The Church will not tolerate illegal use, possession, sale, manufacture, or distribution of drugs, alcohol, or other controlled substances on Church property; having any illegal or unauthorized controlled substances in one’s system while at work; having excess amounts of otherwise lawful controlled substances in one’s system; or having any unauthorized drug-related paraphernalia in one’s possession or on Church property.

6. Employees of the Church are expected to conduct themselves at the highest standard of ethics and integrity.

7. Employees of the Church are expected to treat with respect those with whom they come in contact in the course of their work, including members, volunteers, clients, and other Church employees and contracted workers.
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XVIII. Policy Implementation
1. The above Personnel Policies shall become effective immediately upon their approval by the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene.

2. Amendments, changes, and temporary variants or suspensions of these policies shall require a majority vote of the entire Board of Trustees taken at a regular meeting of the Board following the meeting at which a motion of change is introduced.

3. Employee contracts and agreements in force at the time these policies are approved shall remain in force until their terms expire or until the contracts or agreements are re-negotiated by mutual consent of the employee(s) and the Board of Trustees.

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