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TOWN OF OXFORD
CONTENTS
Topics
Page
1. PREFACE
Page 1
2. PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
Page 1
3. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Page 2
4. TYPES OF EMPLOYEES
Page 2
5. HOURS OF WORK - TOWN OFFICE STAFF
Page 3
6. FLEX HOURS
Page 3
7. SICK LEAVE
Page 3
8. COMPASSIONATE LEAVE
Page 3
9. VACATIONS
Page 3
10. HOLIDAYS
Page 4
11. PENSION PLAN
Page 5
12. GROUP HEALTH AND MEDICAL
Page 5
13. EMPLOYEE EVALUATIONS
Page 5
14. DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Page 6
15. ABSENTEEISM
Page 6
16. NOTICE OF RESIGNATION
Page 7
17. WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION AND SAFETY PROGRAM
Page 7
PREFACE
The line of authority in the Town of Oxford is as depicted in the organizational chart.
The following personnel policies have been prepared for your guidance.
It is important that employees have pride and pleasure in the services which they are
rendering. Only by cooperation of all employees and the integration of all services can the
Town of Oxford reach maximum efficiency.
It is acknowledged that these policies do not contain each and every policy or regulation
pertaining to the employment of personnel but is intended it shall serve to familiarize the
new employee with the conditions of his or her employment.
It is the policy of the Town of Oxford to follow the provisions as set out in the Labor
Standards code of the Province of Nova Scotia.
These policies may be changed and updated as the town considers necessary.
Note:
CUPE Employees are covered under their Collective Agreement, and
thus, are not included in these provisions.
PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES
The Town of Oxford recognizes the importance of its employees of its successful operation
and to attain the goal of harmonious work situation and shall:
1. Recruit the best qualified personnel available
2. Make every effort to maintain a clean, healthy, and safe work environment.
3. Provide secure employment so far as it is practical.
4. Provide fringe benefits consistent with prevailing practices to the extent possible.
5. Inform employees of developments which affect them.
6. Employee will have the opportunity to address matters of interest or concern to him or
her.
7. Orient and train so that the employee may do his/her job tot he best of their ability.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
EQUAL EMPLOYEMENT OPPORTUNITY
Purpose: to convey the practice of non-discrimination regarding employment
opportunities.
It shall be a continuing policy to recruit and select employees without discrimination
because of race, color, sex, age, national origin or religion and to treat all employees
equally.
1. Employment opportunities are and shall be open to all qualified applicants on the basis
of their knowledge, skill, attitude and aptitude.
2. All persons seeking employment with the Town of Oxford shall be required to complete
an application form, which shall be directed to the attention of the CAO.
3. Candidates for job openings will be selected on the basis of merit, knowledge, skill,
competence, and attitude and employment reference.
TYPES OF EMPLOYEES
Purpose: To standardize terminology and ensure common understanding in the reference
to employee.
Policy: The terms below shall be used for the various types of employees and shall be
interpreted as indicated.
1. PERMANENT EMPLOYEE: A permanent employee is an individual who has been
appointed to a permanent position, and who has successfully completed the
probationary period of not less than six months continuous service. All such employees
are eligible for all employee benefits which maybe available.
2. TEMPORARY WORKER: A temporary worker is any person who is employed by the
Employer on a regular basis, whether full-time or part-time, for a period of time not
exceeding six (6) months. The use of a Temporary Worker shall not have a negative
effect on the employment or hours of work of any member of a Bargaining Unit.
3. CASUAL WORKER: A casual worker is any person who has been hired by the Employer
on an occasional, as needed, day to day basis, but not an ongoing regular basis. The use
of a Casual Worker shall not have a negative effect on the employment or hours of work
of any member of a Bargaining Unit.
HOURS OF WORK - TOWN OFFICE STAFF
The normal hours of work shall be Monday to Friday and shall be 8 hours per day. The
normal shift 8:30 a.m. - 4: 30 p.m. shall include a 1hour unpaid meal period and two
15minute paid rest periods, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Employees may be required to stagger mealtimes and rest periods as deemed necessary by
supervisor.
FLEX HOURS
Definition: Only Salaried Permanent Employees can obtain Flex Hours under
the following regulations. Due to the nature of the operations of the Town, these
employees may be required to work outside of the normal office hours.
Time worked over 40 hours a week shall be authorized by the CAO, these hours will be
compensated (within a 30 day accumulation) to a maximum of 2 days per calendar month
which is not accumulative.
The CAO is responsible for monitoring and maintaining an accurate record of all employees
regular and flex hours worked.
SICK LEAVE
See separately approved policy, effective 17 September 2019.
COMPASSIONATE LEAVE
An Employee shall be granted (5) Five days leave, without loss of Salary or Wages, in the
case of the death of a Parent or Step Parent, Spouse, Brother, Sister, Son, Daughter,
Grandparent or Grandchild.
An Employee shall be granted (3) three days leave, without loss of Salary or Wages
on the death of any In-Law.
An Employee shall be granted (1) one day of leave to attend the Funeral of an Aunt or
Uncle.
VACATIONS
Temporary and Casual Employees shall not be eligible for vacations; however, vacation pay
at 4% will be paid.
Permanent Employees:
Vacation for permanent employees shall be given in the following manner:
A. The Vacation year is from January 1st to December 31.
B. An employee who is employed during the year shall receive a pro-rated portion of the
first year's vacation.
C. An employee leaving the employ of the Municipality prior to December 31st in any year
shall have his/her period of notice and /or termination pay adjusted according to a pro-
rated calculation of vacation benefits accrued.
D. Each employee is encouraged to take his/her vacation leave by the end of each year.
The maximum vacation entitlement that may be carried forward is 5 days.
E. The CAO and Department Head reserves the right to limit the number of employees on
vacation during one period of time.
F. Duration:
1. One (1) to Ten (10) years of Service
3 Weeks
2. After Ten (10) to Twenty (20) years of Service
4 Weeks
3. After Twenty (20) years of Service
5 Weeks
4. After Twenty-Five years of Service
6 Weeks
HOLIDAYS
Regular Full Time Employees shall be granted the following holidays with pay:
1. New Year's Day *
2. February Provincial Holiday
3. Good Friday *
4. Easter Monday
5. Victoria Day
6. Canada Day *
7. 1st Monday of August
8. Labour Day *
9. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
10. Thanksgiving Day
11. Remembrance Day
12. Boxing Day
13. Christmas Day *
PENSION PLAN
Municipal Employee Pension Plan
Permanent Employees who enter the service of the Employer may join the Plan on the first
day of the month following the date on which they complete 6 months service. To become
enrolled in the Plan an application for membership must be completed and submitted.
The normal retirement age is the first day of the year following the members 65th birthday.
Employees wishing to remain on the job after the age of 65 may apply to their CAO who
shall present (if applicable) application to Town Council for special consideration.
Contributions:
A. CAO Pension
CAO Pension Contributions:
Employee: The member is required to pay up to 9% of his or her basic annual salary.
Employer: The employer (Town of Oxford) shall contribute on behalf of the member
an amount equal to the required contribution of the employee.
Currently 6% for both Employee and Employer through Employment Contract.
B. Permanent Employees
Permanent Employees Contributions:
Employee: The member is required to pay up to 6% of basic annual salary.
Employer: The employer (Town of Oxford) shall contribute on behalf of the member
an amount equal to the required contribution of the employee.
GROUP HEALTH AND MEDICAL PLAN
The Employer shall provide a Group Health and Medical Plan. Premiums shall be Cost
Shared as Follows:
Employee
50%
Employer
50%
EMPLOYEE EVALUATIONS
It is the policy of the Town of Oxford that each employee shall be evaluated by their
immediate supervisor six (6) months after the beginning of employment and yearly
thereafter.
The employee shall be notified at least one (1) week prior to evaluation, and the report
must be signed by the employee and the supervisor.
This report shall become a permanent record of the employee and shall be retained in the
personnel file.
If an evaluation report is unsatisfactory, the employee will be encouraged to improve
his/her performance and shall then be re-evaluated in three months.
DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Policy: It shall be the policy of the Town of Oxford to be fair and just in dealing with each
and every employee. To ensure fair and equal treatment it is appropriate to establish a
uniform procedure for disciplinary action.
Disciplinary actions may consist of oral reprimand, written reprimand, written notice of
suspension or other disciplinary action and dismissal. These actions shall be recorded and
noted in the employee's file as Discipline Records.
These Discipline Records will become a permanent part of the employee's record for a
period of two years. At the end of that time, if the employee is still on payroll, and if the
employee has a good record for that two year period, all disciplinary action will be
removed from the employee's personnel file and given to the employee in a private
conference. The employee shall be told that their record has been wiped clean by their
good conduct over this given period.
Dismissal may result from:
Unsatisfactory Job Performance
Intoxication
Willful damage to Town Property
Insubordination
Dishonesty
Lack of productivity
Infractions of conditions of Employment
ABSENTEEISM
Employees who are unable to report to work are responsible for notifying their immediate
supervisor prior to commencement of their shift.
An employee who is absent from his/her employment without permission for (5) five
consecutive working days shall be deemed to have resigned the position effective the first
day of absence.
An employee may be reinstated by the CAO if the employee established that the absence
arose from a cause beyond the employee's control and it was not possible for the employee
to notify the employer for the reason of the absence.
NOTICE OF RESIGNATION
In an employee desires to terminate his/her employment, he/she shall forward a letter of
resignation to the C.A.O., not less than ten (10) working days prior to the effective date of
termination.
An employee who fails to give notice required above shall be removed from the payroll
effective on the date he/she absents him/herself without leave.
WORKMENS' COMPENSATION AND SAFETY PROGRAM
All employees are required to have working knowledge of the Town's Occupational Health
& Safety Program and to adhere to the Health and Safety policies and procedures.
It is the responsibility of each employee to submit a written report of all accidents and/or
incidents to his or her immediate supervisor. On receipt of such reports the Supervisor
shall complete the necessary incident report or Worker's Compensation form in
accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Policy. Failure to properly report
accidents may result in loss of compensation to the employee.