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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2016.05.18 - 22377MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION 01 13 7 May 18, 2016 BY: Human Resources Committee, Robert Hoffman, Chairperson IN RE: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT - CREATION OF PARENTAL LEAVE BENEFITS AND POLICY To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen: WHEREAS employees are one of the most important resources of an organization; and WHEREAS the demographics of the workforce have been shifting with 50% of the workforce to be comprised of millennia's by the year 2020; and WHEREAS younger workers do not often view government as an employer of choice; and WHEREAS due to population trends it is predicted that there will be a shortage of workers within the next ten (10) years; and WHEREAS Oakland County must be able to compete with the private sector in order to recruit and retain the best an-d brightest to replenish its workforce; and WHEREAS expectations for benefits that enhance work-life balance are increasing among workers seeking employers they choose to work for; and WHEREAS parental leave policies have gained popularity and are increasingly offered as a benefit to attract and retain qualified workers; and WHEREAS paid parental leave provides bonding time for new parents with their child(ren) whether through birth or adoption; and WHEREAS Oakland County is proposing to offer parents paid parental leave for six (6) consecutive weeks after a birth or adoption; and WHEREAS parental leave for birth mothers will begin after the termination of short-term disability to enable the mother to recover from the birth; and WHEREAS parental leave for father or spouse will begin after the birth or adoption event; and WHEREAS payment will be made for six (6) consecutive weeks at 100% of current salary at 40 hours per week with a maximum of 240 hours paid; and WHEREAS procedures are available in the Oakland County Parental Leave Policy; and WHEREAS the County budgets for full employment of all authorized positions whereby there would be no change to the individual position budgeting process; and WHEREAS there may be some departments that require use of emergency salary positions or additional overtime to cover contractual obligations or job duties not able to be covered by other department personnel. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners adopt the Parental Leave Policy for new parents after the birth or adoption of their child(ren). BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that payment will be made for six (6) consecutive weeks at 100% of the current salary at 40 hours per week with a maximum of 240 hours paid. Chairperson, on behalf of the Human Resources Committee, I move the adoption of the foregoing resolution. HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE VOTE: Motion carried on a roll call vote with Spisz absent, and Hoffman and Kochenderfer voting no. OAKLAND COUNTY PARINIAL LEAVE POLICY I. PURPOSE This policy provides for six (6) weeks of paid Parental Leave after the birth, or adoption, of a new child to provide parental bonding time for Oakland County employees. IL ELIGIBLITY A. Full-time eligible employees who have completed six (6) months of County service. This includes full time appointed and non-merit employees and employees serving a one year probationary period. B. Eligible parent is defined as mother or father with parental rights to the child. HI. PAY AND BENEFITS DURING PARENTAL LEAVE A. Parental Leave is paid at 100% of an employee's current straight time rate of pay for six consecutive weeks (40 hours per week, maximum hours to be paid 240 hours). B. Benefits continue during Parental Leave. C. All benefit contributions will be deducted from an employee's bi-weekly payroll check. D. Employees will continue to accrue leave time while on Parental Leave. E. Parental Leave does not impact an employee's benefit date. IV. USING PARENTAL LEAVE A. Parental Leave may not be used for the five day waiting period before short-term disabilitybegins. B. Parental Leave must be used for six (6) consecutive weeks. Unused Parental Leave will be forfeited if the employee chooses to return to work before the end of the six (6) week Parental Leave period C. Intermittent Parental Leave is not permitted. D. Parental Leave for the mother will begin immediately after the termination of short- term disability; termination of short-term disability will be verified. E. Parental Leave for the father or spouse will begin the day after the birth event. F. Parental Leave will begin the day of the adoption or placement for adoption for mother, father, or spouse. G. Parental Leave will be granted per birth or adoption event; multiple births or adoptions in one event does not increase the amount of Parental Leave time granted.. V. APPLICATION FOR PARENTAL LEAVE A. A Parental Leave &Lin should be completed and submitted to the Human Resources Department- Records Unit at least 30 days before Parental Leave is to be used. B. Employees must submit sufficient documentation of birth, or placement for adoption to the Human Resources Department/Records Unit in order to complete the Parental Leave approval process. See Parental Leave request form for specific documentation. C. The Human Resources Department Records Unit is responsible for reviewing and approving all requests and notifying the department and employee of the approval of Parental Leave. D. Submitting false information or falsified documents in support of or in connection with Parental Leave is subject to appropriate disciplinary action. VI. PARENTAL LEAVE, FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT, AND HOLIDAYS A. Approved Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will run concurrently with Parental Leave. B. If the employee is not eligible for FMLA leave or FMLA benefits are exhausted, the employee may still be eligible for Parental Leave time. C. The Human Resources Department/Records Unit will track FMLA and Parental Leave usage and inform departments of appropriate coding for payroll purposes. D. County recognized Holidays that occur while an employee is on Parental Leave will be coded as "Parental Leave". VII. OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY A. Exceptions to the Parental Leave policy may be sought in extreme cases by submitting a written request to the Human Resources Department. B. The Human Resources Department will provide an annual Parental Leave update to the Human Resources Committee of the Board of Commissioners. 2 Resolution #16137 May 18, 2016 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the Finance Committee. There were no objections.