Your Name Bernadette Najlaa Williams This process will help you understand yourself, make future decisions, help your resume be better organized, and give you a fresh perspective on what is important to you. Be honest with your answers and evaluations. Please review all pages of this document to ensure all components of the assessment are completed. I. Functional Skills Assessment and Inventory Rate the relative strength of each of your skills as: 1. Weak 2. below average 3. Average 4. Above average 5. Strong Business Skills/abilities Sco re Leadership (motivating, directing, delegating, hiring/firing) 3 Communication (public speaking, selling ideas, negotiating) 3 Planning (developing strategy, designing, improving) 3 Organizing (seeing goals, scheduling prioritizing) 3 Total score for business skills/abilities 12 Organizational Skills/Abilities Sco re Administration (expediting, cataloging) 4 Attention to detail 4 Budgeting 3 Buying/purchasing 4 Calculating numbers 4 Follow through 4 Memory 3 Keeping good records 4
Transcript
1. Your Name Bernadette Najlaa Williams This process will help
you understand yourself, make future decisions, help your resume be
better organized, and give you a fresh perspective on what is
important to you. Be honest with your answers and evaluations.
Please review all pages of this document to ensure all components
of the assessment are completed. I. Functional Skills Assessment
and Inventory Rate the relative strength of each of your skills as:
1. Weak 2. below average 3. Average 4. Above average 5. Strong
Business Skills/abilities Score Leadership (motivating, directing,
delegating, hiring/firing) 3 Communication (public speaking,
selling ideas, negotiating) 3 Planning (developing strategy,
designing, improving) 3 Organizing (seeing goals, scheduling
prioritizing) 3 Total score for business skills/abilities 12
Organizational Skills/Abilities Score Administration (expediting,
cataloging) 4 Attention to detail 4 Budgeting 3 Buying/purchasing 4
Calculating numbers 4 Follow through 4 Memory 3 Keeping good
records 4 Managing projects 4 Precision 4 Total score for
organizational skills/abilities 38 Mechanical skills/abilities
Assembling 3 Building or crafting 3 Installing 4 Loading or
shipping 4 Repairing or maintaining 3 Running or operating machines
4 Working with hand tools 5 construction 2 Total score for
mechanical skills/abilities 28
2. Theory skills/abilities Designing systems 3 Envisioning 3
Estimating 4 Evaluating 3 Formulating ideas 3 Investigating 4
Learning quickly 4 Solving problems 4 Total score for theory
skills/abilities 28 Artistic skills/abilities Score Aesthetic 4
Artistic 4 Compositional 4 entrepreneurial 4 Idealistic 3
Illustrative 4 Imaginative 4 Inventive 4 Total score for artistic
skills/abilities 31 Social skills/abilities Advising 3 Coaching 3
Counseling 3 Explaining concepts 4 Facilitating 3 Generating warmth
4 Listening attentively 4 Motivating 4 Negotiating 3
Sympathizing/empathizing 4 Teaching 4 Total score social
skills/abilities 39
3. II. Personal traits assessment inventory Place an X in front
of the 15 traits that best describe you. Only choose 15 traits. X
Achiever X adaptable adventurous ambitious X analytical Articulate
astute authentic aware calm Candid cautious cheerful cheerleader
civic minded X Committed confident conscientious X creative curious
Decisive dependable detail oriented diligent diplomatic Discerning
dominant dynamic easy going emotional X Empathetic energetic
entertaining expressive firm Flexible focused formal friendly
generous Goal directed X good with information X good with people
Hardworking humble humorous imaginative impulsive Informal
intelligent leader X level headed loyal Methodical modest natural X
open minded optimistic Orderly original outdoors person outspoken
patient X Persistent physically strong playful poised Practical
precise predictable productive X quick learner Regular X reliable
resourceful responsible self assured Self confident self controlled
sensible sincere Sociable spontaneous stable strong tactful
Talkative task oriented X tenacious through tolerant X Trustworthy
versatile well organized X willing to learn
4. From the 15 traits checked choose the top five that best
describe you and write them in the spaces that follow: 1.Tenacious
2. Trustworthy 3. Quick learner 4. Analytical 5. Adaptable III.
Technical/knowledge skills inventory Purpose: To review jobs you
have had and skills you acquired in those jobs. Look at the
following examples; Example 1. Job title/Activity: Life guard
Technical or knowledge skill 1. CPR certificate: EMT training
Technical or knowledge skill 2. Red Cross senior life saving
certificate Technical or knowledge skill 3. Technical or knowledge
skill 4. Example 2. Job title/Activity: Administrative assistant
Technical or knowledge skill 1. Microsoft word Technical or
knowledge skill 2. Excel Technical or knowledge skill 3. Technical
or knowledge skill 4. Choose two of your past work or life
experiences and in the spaces provided fill in your unique
technical and knowledge skills: Job title/Activity Vacation planner
Technical or knowledge skill 1: Microsoft office applications
Technical or knowledge skill 2: Reading Deck Plans Technical or
knowledge skill 3: Sales Technical or knowledge skill 4: Saber
computer system Job title/Activity Biology Technical or knowledge
skill 1: Pipeting for DNA Technical or knowledge skill 2: PCR(
polymerase Chain Reaction) Technical or knowledge skill 3:
Streaking (Microbiology)
5. Technical or knowledge skill 4: Please answer the following
questions about your skills: 1. Which of your technical skills are
most marketable? ___ PCR( polymerase Chain
Reaction)__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________ 2. Which technical knowledge skills must
you build or strengthen to be more competitive?_ PCR( polymerase
Chain
Reaction__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
___________________ IV. Strengths and weaknesses Its time now to
summarize your overall strengths and gauge areas for improvement.
Reflect on the skills that gained you frequent compliments, recall
favorable performance evaluations (including the praises of your
family and friends), and also use constructive critiques from your
managers, clients, customers, peers, etc. List your strengths and
areas to improve upon Strengths (+) Areas to improve (-) 1.
Communication 1. Typing 2 Open mined 2. Finding my niche 3. Follow
Directions 3. Comfort Zone 4. Organized 4. Finance 5. Committed 5.
Public speaking 6. Bondable 6. Leadership
6. V. Ranking work interests Complete this exercise to look at
the types of work that bring you contentment or dissatisfaction.
This will help you further clarify your interests Rank each item on
the list in a range from Like (4) to Dislike (1) Like Dislike
Investigative Interests 4 3 2 1 To read and study 4 To think
through problems more than solve them 3 To study math and science 4
To investigate physical things 4 To solve puzzles 4 To tackle
ambiguous challenges 3 Total score for investigative interests 29
Realistic interests 4 To operate machinery 3 To work outdoors 1 To
repair things 2 To work with my hands 3 To work with tools 1 To do
physical work 1 Total score for realistic interests 15 Artistic
Interests 4 To avoid structure 2 To work independently 2 To search
for creative solutions 3 To express myself 4 To discover
unconventional answers 3 To make aesthetic statements 4 Total score
for artistic interests 22 Social interests 4 To supervise people 3
To care for others 3 To work with people 4 To help others 4 To be
part of a group 4 To train others 3 Total score for social
interests 25 Enterprising interests 4 To manage projects 4
7. To speak to groups 3 To persuade others 3 To accomplish
tasks 4 To sell things 3 To be the leader 4 Total score for
enterprising interests 25 Conventional interests 4 To have
stability 4 To be orderly 4 To follow the chain of command 4 To
know what is next 4 To have well defined tasks 4 To create systems
and procedures 4 Total score for conventional interests 28 List the
total score for each category: 1. Investigative __29___ 2.
realistic __15_____ 3. Artistic __22____ 4. Social __25_____ 5.
Enterprising __25______ 6. Conventional __28______ VI. Your
personal interests A final way to look at your interests is to
focus on what you like to do in your spare time. What are your
hobbies? How do you relax? How do you entertain yourself? What
brings you pleasure outside of the job? Please list six, eight, or
even more of your personal interests if you have a wide range of
interests Personal Interests: 1. Surf The Net 2. Paint and Draw 3.
watch animation 4. listen to music and Dance 5. Take care of my
Business 6. Day dream of starting multimillion dollar Business that
I want to build 7. Horse back riding 8. window shopping 9. counting
money if I have any to count 10. play video games 11. go to the
movies 12. day dream of starting a family 13. going to an amusement
park
8. 14. Planning my wedding 15. Traveling VII. Your
Accomplishments A list of your key accomplishments can be compiled
from experiences at school, work, or home and reflect your various
satisfactions and fulfillments Think of your accomplishments as an
OAR in the water helping you row to your destination. O is the
opportunity. What opportunity was there for you? What was the
problem? What was the context or situation at hand? A is the
activity. What action did you take? How did you solve the problem
and address the situation? What specifically did you recommend or
initiate? R is the result. What did you achieve? What was the
successful outcome? What is the metric that illustrates your
accomplishment? Here is an example Accomplishment: Increased the
attendance at internal training programs O As a corporate trainer,
I was asked to improve the participation at internally sponsored
programs. A I generated a first time on line needs assessment
document and a follow up brochure of topics linked to corporate
goals. R Attendance increased by 68 percent Choose two of your key
accomplishments that are important to you and make you proud.
Explain these accomplishments using the OAR format. Accomplishment
1 O_I started a a Home business to give my self experience/ ideas
on how I want to run the company in the future and also how
finance/ manage the business money. _- A_I had to find the right
home business to persue which I did and then I had to study
accounting ,finance and management. ________________ R_I keeped my
home business for more than a year now and I have some idea and I
feel more prepared for corporate america.
_________________________________ Accomplishment 2
O______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
A______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
R______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
9. VIII. Your life and career values Who you are what work you
are best suited to do comes from your core values__those strongly
held beliefs that are the foundation of your life and provide
clarity to what you do and how you do it. Values may come from your
parents religious beliefs, education, role models, and elsewhere.
Review each of the following values and check the column that best
describes how consistently important each has been to you: Always,
Often, Sometimes, or Rarely Valued. Limit yourself to ten or fewer
checks in the Always Valued column. Values Valued Always Often
Sometimes Rarely 1. Personal growth. Develop my potential and use
my talents. X 2. Reward achievement. Know accomplishments and
mastery. X 3. Understanding/knowledge. Develop and use specific
expertise and knowledge X 4. Status. Hold a position of recognized
importance in an organization X 5. Competitiveness. Take part in
activities in which people compete against each other. X 6. Variety
and change. Do work with varied tasks and assignments. X 7.
Physical Activity. Do tasks that require strength, agility, or
physical stamina. X 8. Making a difference to society. Give back
and help contribute to a better society. X 9.
Autonomy/independence. Control my own schedule/work. X 10.
Leadership. Influence others to achieve their goals by helping
direct and influence others. X 11. Creative expression. Express my
creativity and imagination. X 12. Challenge. Find work that is
mentally stimulating. X 13. Money. Reap substantial financial
rewards. X 14. Security. Perform assignments without worry about
loss of job. X 15. Management. Achieve work objectives as a result
of others efforts. X 16. Collaboration. Work with others; belong to
a collegial work team or group. X 17. Power. Manage work resources.
X 18. Integrity. Work honestly and ethically. X 19. Balance.
Establish an appropriate proportion X
10. of personal and professional activities/responsibilities.
20. Friendship. Develop personal/social relationships with
colleagues at work. X 21. Career movement. Deserve promotion within
the organization. X 22. Detail work. Work with assignments that
meet and require specific and accurate attention to detail. X 23.
Fast pace. Work under circumstances that are time pressured and
demanding. X 24. Helping others. Involve myself in helping others
and society. X 25. Location. Reside in a location that is
convenient and in a suitable community. X 26. Recognition. Receive
credit for work well done. X 27. Excitement. Experience novelty and
innovation X 28. Moral fulfillment. Contribute to moral needs. X
29. Aesthetics. Appreciate the beauty of ideas and things. X 30.
Vigor/health. Maintain physical and mental fitness. X 31. Positive
environment. Work in a supportive, pleasing, and harmonious
setting. X 32. Efficient organization. Experience a time- efficient
environment, with little bureaucracy. X 33. Family harmony.
Maintain good balance between work and family life. X Now write
your ten Always Valued criteria below, and then rank your top five.
My priority values Rank 1. _13___ 2. _19__ 3. _28___ 4. _08___ 5.
_15___ 6. _22___ 7. _10__ 8. _04__ 9. _09___ 10. _02__
11. IX. Self appraisal Using this rating scale, please rate
yourself on the following questions: 5 = Perfect (couldnt improve)
4 = Very good (almost to the desired level) 3 = Average 2 = Below
average (could be much better) 1 = Poor (needs a great deal of
improvement) __4_1. How well do I really know and understand
myself; including my personality, interests, and skills? __3_2. How
much regard do I have for myself? __3_3. How would I rate my
attitude about life? _4_4. How well do I handle my emotions and
cope with stress? _5__5. How well do I know and understand my
values? __2_6. How satisfied am I with my career choice? (If you
havent chosen one, score as 2) __4_7. How well have I researched
career fields and job opportunities? __4_8. How would I rate my
writing skills? __4_9. How would I rate my speaking skills? __4_10.
How prepared am I to participate in a job interview? __4_11. How
well do I get along with people? Total your scores and divide by 11
to get an average score. My average self appraisal score is:
________3.727272_____ X. Answer the following questions/Putting it
all together 1. What professional goals do you want to accomplish?
Becoming a CEO of my own corporate business and helping people that
need it. 2. What are your personal goals? To lose weight, get
married and have children with a house and some land. 3. What does
your self assessment indicate about your ideal job? 4. What do you
really want to do? Becoming a CEO of my own corporate business and
helping people that need it. 5. Where do you want to do it?
Location? In Hawaii and I want to live on the East coast. 6. What
are your minimum financial requirements?500,000 7. The career field
that interests me most is ___Travel industry , Entertainment
industry, Gaming,animation, sales 8.
_________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
12. 9. Two of my marketable skills or talents are _Drawing and
Singing
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________ _
10. I am proud of my self for _Get this far in school without a lot
of money.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
11. What would I do with one million tax-free dollars? _____I would
give some of it to someone that needs it __and some of it will go
into the bank into CDs and some of it will go to stocks and bonds
and some will go to my business .
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________ 12.
Imagine that you have only one year left to live. Use the space
provided to describe how you would spend those last 12 months. __ I
would spend that time with family and friends. I would also make a
tape for my kids if I have any and I would also spend it going to
places I never been before like Europe and Asia.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________ 13.
A genie magically materializes before you and grants you three
wishes. What do you wish for? 1. Peace on Earth 2.Want every one in
the world to have upper class or blue collar job 3.I want to be
rich in money. XI. My goals Purpose: To record your professional
goals as short term (one year or less to accomplish), intermediate
term (one to five years to accomplishment), or long term (more than
five years to accomplish) Professional goals Short term 1. _To fine
a job in my field of study . if not just a job /career __ Do my
internship with Secretary of state
_________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ 2.
Get my Degree and pay Devry for my degree 7,000
Dollars.___________________________________________________________
______
13. 3. _maintain my job with secretary of the state working at
the state
museum.__________________________________________________________
_____ Intermediate term 1. Save money To own my own business or
borough _the money from the Bank
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________ 2. __Get lawyer to work for me and get them to draw up
documents for my business.
_________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________ 3.
Pick a location and try to find and close every problem that might
happen or can happen within my business.
_________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________ Long
term 1. _Build my building from scratch and buy the land
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
____________ 2. Have a grand opening for my business ____and try to
keep it running through the first 5 years 3. ___Maintain after the
5years and when my children become of age should them the business
and they can take it over for me.
_________________________________________________________________
XII. Where am I headed with my career? Purpose: To identify a
career objective 1. List all the occupations that appeal to you.
__owning my own business , project management, web , networking,
and animation and gaming.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
___________ 2. List three occupations that are the most interesting
to you 1.__owning my own business,
____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________ 2.
____project management
____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
3.animation___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
14. 4. State the goal you have for your career._Try to be
financially free from bills , have fun, and try to as successful as
I can in my field.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________ My career
objective
is:_unknown__________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____ XIII. Lets dream about your ideal job Imagine that you
recently located your ideal job. You never thought you could enjoy
any situation and position as well as you do this one. Now think
about the person who is your very best friend. This best friend
just heard that you have a new job and asks several questions abut
your new position. Answer your friends questions: 1.What are your
responsibilities in your new position? SUMMARY: Senior Management
professional with extensive experience in Operations, Sales and
Marketing, Business Development, and Corporate Finance. Proven
ability to create and lead successful teams, programs, and
businesses. International purchasing, negotiations, and logistics
experience. Proven ability to identify markets, acquire accounts,
and increase revenue. Able to multi-task effectively and manage
complex projects. Excellent presentation and communication skills.
Founded and led start up company to $4 million in sales in less
than four years. Introduced business and operational changes that
grew company from $1.8 million to $8 million. Reduced operational,
waste, and personnel costs throughout career. Managed all business
functions, including Finance, Operations, Sales, and Purchasing.
Where is your new position and company located? CEO and Oahu,Hawaii
Why is this so ideal? It not Idea but Its for kids to have fun
while parents are having grown up fun;D How would you describe this
ideal company? What kind of corporate culture and management style
are found in this company?
15. Welcome Starchild collectables you now work for a company
that has been around since 2004. We hire people to work for us
everyday from college students to people that want to make a
career. We thrive on customer service and having fun that is what
keeps in business. Working for our company provides you with many
opportunities and options you wont find anywhere else. This
orientation is designed to help make employment with us beneficial
for you. After you review our resources for flexibility for
students and employees with children. Remember we are a team and
the company cares about our employees, their families and
situations. What is your new boss like? Im the Boss with two other
people. Kind harted willing to give any one a chance no matter what
they look like. They just have to ask. What is your compensation
and what kind of benefits do you have? Welcome Starchild
collectables you now work for a company that has been around since
2004. We hire people to work for us everyday from college students
to people that want to make a career. We thrive on customer service
and having fun that is what keeps in business. Working for our
company provides you with many opportunities and options you wont
find anywhere else. This orientation is designed to help make
employment with us beneficial for you. After you review our
resources for flexibility for students and employees with children.
Remember we are a team and the company cares about our employees,
their families and situations. Orientation
16. Our company will go over and we will discuss most of the
serious issues like Absence Attendance and Punctuality Short-Term
Absences Leaves of Absence Rest Breaks Meal Breaks Benefits
Disclosure of Benefits Vacations Holidays Educational Assistance
Employee Counseling Recognition Awards Company Products Relocation
Conduct Behavior of Employees Appearance of Employees Finances of
Employees Customer Relations Confidentiality Disciplinary Procedure
Drugs, Narcotics, Alcohol Employment Equal Employment Opportunity
Sexual Harassment Employment Agreements Training Promotion Hours of
Work Termination Retirement Miscellaneous Community Participation
Suggestion Program Dispute Resolution Pay Practices Salary
Administration Performance Appraisals Severance Pay Job
Evaluation
17. Pay Procedures Personnel Responsibilities Model Cover
Presidents Letter Functions of this Manual Employee Supervision
Personnel Manager Employer-Employee Relations Employment-At-Will
Work Areas Employee Safety Maintenance of Work Areas Security
Smoking Special Reports New FLSA Regulations: Understanding the
Issues Audio Conferences Age Discrimination FMLA Commpliance
Policy/Procedures Personnel Policy Manual Employee Handbook
Absences Prohibited Conduct At Work ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY A.
Failure to report promptly at the starting time of a shift or
leaving before the scheduled quitting time of a shift without the
specific approval of the supervisor. B. Unexcused or excessive
absenteeism
18. C. Failure to observe the time limits and scheduling of
lunch, rest or wash-up periods. D. Failure to notify the supervisor
promptly of unanticipated absence or tardiness. Steps to take to
report Lateness or Absence 1. Have a good reason why you are
absent. 2. Call your employer As Soon As Possible (define acronym
ASAP). 3. Make sure you talk to the person in charge. 4. Explain
your reason for missing work: *clearly, *completely, *respectfully.
Two type of reasons for missing work; Emergencies (tell your boss
ASAP) Special Occasions (tell boss 1-2 weeks ahead of time).
Provide scenarios of people missing work. Have the students decide
if the reasons are good reasons, or a poor reasons, or OK, if not
done often. The students can decide if the reason for missing work
was an emergency or a special occasion. Include elements of time,
common and uncommon situations. For Example: Emergencies- got the
flu, sick child to take care of.... Special Occasion- concert,
sports event, wedding, ... Clocking in Routine- Skill To teach the
skill of clocking in and emphasizing "being on time" I set up the
classroom with a real time clock, time card rack with each student
having a time card and a bulletin board ( see picture below) where
students pick up their work assignments and time sheets. Some
students do all of the above and others the parts they can do. The
routine gives the students daily practice in clocking in and
filling out basic written information on a time sheet including:
name, date, name of job ( from job card) and time (also using a
digital clock for a model in writing the time. The time clock is
analog, giving the students experience in both types of telling
time.
19. . Click on thumbnail to see larger image Sample Time Sheet
Click here for a picture page (pdf file) illustrating Being On Time
and Late The picture pages using scanned pictures or Mayer Johnson
Boardmaker symbols are are a great way to develop a vocational
notebook for non readers or emerging readers. Collect data on
students progress in the following areas: 1. Enters class, goes to
time card rack and finds time card. 2. Places card in clock till it
clicks. 3. Puts card back in time card rack. 4. Goes to bulletin
board and gets time sheet and job card from the folder with his/her
name/picture on it. 5. Goes to table and fills out time sheet: 6.
Prints/cursive Full name ( Handwriting Without Tears - HWT writing
program) 7. Copies Job from job card onto time sheet 8. Prints
Time- copied from digital clock 9. Puts time sheet in purple folder
on bulletin board 10. Puts Job card in "Jobs" folder on bulletin
board 11. Goes to work area and begin assignme
20. SECTION 4: TIME NOT WORKED 4.9 SHORT TERM ABSENCES (UNPAID)
When your work performance, attitude, and absence record are
satisfactory and you have given proper advance notice, your
supervisor may grant you up to two working days off without pay
upon your request to attend to a personal matter. First you must
have exhausted your accrued vacation time. The Vice President of
Human Resources must approve time off without pay in excess of two
working days. The College will make every effort to accommodate you
if you request time off from work for a religious holiday not
observed by the College. Such a request will be approved, without
pay, as long as there is no interference with normal operations. If
you prefer to take the day off with pay, you may use a vacation day
for this purpose. Or, with your supervisor's approval, you may
arrange to work on one of the established College holidays instead,
and use a floating holiday for your religious holiday. Previous
SECTION 5: LEAVES OF ABSENCE 5.1 GENERAL INFORMATION This section
describes leaves of absence for medical, personal reasons and
military service. The College complies with all provisions of the
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. For all medical and personal
leaves, an "Application for Leave of Absence" must be completed. In
reviewing leave of absence requests, the College will review the
individual circumstances involved, taking into account the length
of service, number of requests, dates, work load, and whether such
work can be adequately performed by a temporary replacement.
Detailed leave of absence provisions and information on eligibility
requirements are available in the Human Resources Office. Your
benefits and sick/vacation accruals are suspended on the first day
of the month coincident with or following the beginning of any
unpaid leave. Accruals begin again upon your return to work. Should
you wish to continue benefit coverage during an unpaid leave, you
may arrange with the Human Resources office to do so by paying the
full cost of the premiums one month in advance of the coverage
date. An employee on a leave of absence is expected to keep in
regular contact with the supervisor and the Vice President of Human
Resources during the leave, and to advise both of any changes to
mailing address and/or telephone number during the leave.
Previous
21. Rest. Rest periods of short duration, running from 5
minutes to about 15 minutes, are common with in the company. They
promote the efficiency of the employee and are customarily paid for
as working time. They must be counted as hours worked. Compensable
time of rest periods may not be offset against other working time
such as compensable waiting time or on-call time. Meal. (a) Bona
fide meal periods. Bona fide meal periods are not worktime. Bona
fide meal periods do not include coffee breaks or time for snacks.
These are rest periods. The employee must be completely relieved
from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals. Ordinarily 30
minutes or more is long enough for a bona fide meal period. A
shorter period may be long enough under special conditions. The
employee is not relieved if he is required to perform any duties,
whether active or inactive, while eating. For example, an office
employee who is required to eat at his desk or a factory worker who
is required to be at his machine is working while eating.(b) Where
no permission to leave premises. It is not necessary that an
employee be permitted to leave the premises if he is otherwise
completely freed from duties during the meal period. Benefits:
Disclosure forms; contents; uniform health plan benefits and
coverage matrix (a) The director shall require the use by each plan
of disclosure forms or materials containing information regarding
the benefits, services, and terms of the plan contract as
22. the director may require, so as to afford the public,
subscribers, and enrollees with a full and fair disclosure of the
provisions of the plan in readily understood language and in a
clearly organized manner. The director may require that the
materials be presented in a reasonably uniform manner so as to
facilitate comparisons between plan contracts of the same or other
types of plans. Nothing contained in this chapter shall preclude
the director from permitting the disclosure form to be included
with the evidence of coverage or plan contract. The disclosure form
shall provide for at least the following information, in concise
and specific terms, relative to the plan, together with additional
information as may be required by the director, in connection with
the plan or plan contract: (1) The principal benefits and coverage
of the plan, including coverage for acute care and subacute care.
(2) The exceptions, reductions, and limitations that apply to the
plan. (3) The full premium cost of the plan. (4) Any copayment,
coinsurance, or deductible requirements that may be incurred by the
member or the member's family in obtaining coverage under the plan.
(5) The terms under which the plan may be renewed by the plan
member, including any reservation by the plan of any right to
change premiums. (6) A statement that the disclosure form is a
summary only, and that the plan contract itself should be consulted
to determine governing contractual provisions. The first page of
the disclosure form shall contain a notice that conforms with all
of the following conditions:
23. (A)(i) States that the evidence of coverage discloses the
terms and conditions of coverage. (ii) States, with respect to
individual plan contracts, small group plan contracts, and any
other group plan contracts for which health care services are not
negotiated, that the applicant has a right to view the evidence of
coverage prior to enrollment, and, if the evidence of coverage is
not combined with the disclosure form, the notice shall specify
where the evidence of coverage can be obtained prior to enrollment.
(B) Includes a statement that the disclosure and the evidence of
coverage should be read completely and carefully and that
individuals with special health care needs should read carefully
those sections that apply to them. (C) Includes the plan's
telephone number or numbers that may be used by an applicant to
receive additional information about the benefits of the plan or a
statement where the telephone number or numbers are located in the
disclosure form. (D) For individual contracts, and small group plan
contracts as defined in Article 3.1 (commencing with Section 1357),
the disclosure form shall state where the health plan benefits and
coverage matrix is located. (E) Is printed in type no smaller than
that used for the remainder of the disclosure form and is displayed
prominently on the page. (7) A statement as to when benefits shall
cease in the event of nonpayment of the prepaid or periodic charge
and the effect of nonpayment upon an enrollee who is hospitalized
or undergoing treatment for an ongoing condition. (8) To the extent
that the plan permits a free choice of provider to its subscribers
and enrollees, the statement shall disclose the nature and extent
of choice permitted and the financial liability that is, or may be,
incurred by the subscriber, enrollee, or a third party by reason of
the exercise of that choice.
24. (9) A summary of the provisions required by subdivision (g)
of Section 1373, if applicable. (10) If the plan utilizes
arbitration to settle disputes, a statement of that fact. (11) A
summary of, and a notice of the availability of, the process the
plan uses to authorize, modify, or deny health care services under
the benefits provided by the plan, pursuant to Sections 1363.5 and
1367.01. (12) A description of any limitations on the patient's
choice of primary care physician, specialty care physician, or
nonphysician health care practitioner, based on service area and
limitations on the patient's choice of acute care hospital care,
subacute or transitional inpatient care, or skilled nursing
facility. (13) General authorization requirements for referral by a
primary care physician to a specialty care physician or a
nonphysician health care practitioner. (14) Conditions and
procedures for disenrollment. (15) A description as to how an
enrollee may request continuity of care as required by Section
1373.96 and request a second opinion pursuant to Section 1383.15.
(16) Information concerning the right of an enrollee to request an
independent review in accordance with Article 5.55 (commencing with
Section 1374.30). (17) A notice as required by Section 1364.5.
25. (b)(1) As of July 1, 1999, the director shall require each
plan offering a contract to an individual or small group to provide
with the disclosure form for individual and small group plan
contracts a uniform health plan benefits and coverage matrix
containing the plan's major provisions in order to facilitate
comparisons between plan contracts. The uniform matrix shall
include the following category descriptions together with the
corresponding copayments and limitations in the following sequence:
(A) Deductibles. (B) Lifetime maximums. (C) Professional services.
(D) Outpatient services. (E) Hospitalization services. (F)
Emergency health coverage. (G) Ambulance services. (H) Prescription
drug coverage. (I) Durable medical equipment. (J) Mental health
services.
26. (K) Chemical dependency services. (L) Home health services.
(M) Other. (2) The following statement shall be placed at the top
of the matrix in all capital letters in at least 10-point boldface
type: THIS MATRIX IS INTENDED TO BE USED TO HELP YOU COMPARE
COVERAGE BENEFITS AND IS A SUMMARY ONLY. THE EVIDENCE OF COVERAGE
AND PLAN CONTRACT SHOULD BE CONSULTED FOR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF
COVERAGE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS. (c) Nothing in this section
shall prevent a plan from using appropriate footnotes or
disclaimers to reasonably and fairly describe coverage arrangements
in order to clarify any part of the matrix that may be unclear. (d)
All plans, solicitors, and representatives of a plan shall, when
presenting any plan contract for examination or sale to an
individual prospective plan member, provide the individual with a
properly completed disclosure form, as prescribed by the director
pursuant to this section for each plan so examined or sold. (e) In
the case of group contracts, the completed disclosure form and
evidence of coverage shall be presented to the contract holder upon
delivery of the completed health care service plan agreement.
27. (f) Group contractholders shall disseminate copies of the
completed disclosure form to all persons eligible to be a
subscriber under the group contract at the time those persons are
offered the plan. If the individual group members are offered a
choice of plans, separate disclosure forms shall be supplied for
each plan available. Each group contractholder shall also
disseminate or cause to be disseminated copies of the evidence of
coverage to all applicants, upon request, prior to enrollment and
to all subscribers enrolled under the group contract. (g) In the
case of conflicts between the group contract and the evidence of
coverage, the provisions of the evidence of coverage shall be
binding upon the plan notwithstanding any provisions in the group
contract that may be less favorable to subscribers or enrollees.
(h) In addition to the other disclosures required by this section,
every health care service plan and any agent or employee of the
plan shall, when presenting a plan for examination or sale to any
individual purchaser or the representative of a group consisting of
25 or fewer individuals, disclose in writing the ratio of premium
costs to health services paid for plan contracts with individuals
and with groups of the same or similar size for the plan's
preceding fiscal year. A plan may report that information by
geographic area, provided the plan identifies the geographic area
and reports information applicable to that geographic area. (i)
Subdivision (b) shall not apply to any coverage provided by a plan
for the Medi-Cal program or the Medicare program pursuant to Title
XVIII and Title XIX of the Social Security Act. Vacation (a)
Determining length of service for vacation eligibility. It has been
found that for many types of service contracts performed at Federal
facilities a successor contractor will utilize the employees of the
previous contractor in the performance of the contract. The
employees typically work at the same location providing the same
services to the same clientele over a period of years, with
periodic, often annual, changes of employer. The incumbent
contractor, when bidding on a contract, must consider his liability
for vacation benefits for those workers in his employ. If
prospective contractors who plan to employ the same personnel were
not required to furnish these employees with the same prevailing
vacation benefits, it would place the incumbent
28. contractor at a distinct competitive disadvantage as well
as denying such employees entitlement to prevailing vacation
benefits. (1) Accordingly, most vacation fringe benefit
determinations issued under the Act require an employer to furnish
to employees working on the contract a specified amount of paid
vacation upon completion of a specified length of service with a
contractor or successor. This requirement may be stated in the
determination, for example, as ``one week paid vacation after one
year of service with a contractor or successor'' or by a
determination which calls for ``one week's paid vacation after one
year of service''. Unless specified otherwise in an applicable
fringe benefit determination, an employer must take the following
two factors into consideration in determining when an employee has
completed the required length of service to be eligible for
vacation benefits: (i) The total length of time spent by an
employee in any capacity in the continuous service of the present
(successor) contractor, including both the time spent in performing
on regular commercial work and the time spent in performing on the
Government contract itself, and (ii) Where applicable, the total
length of time spent in any capacity as an employee in the
continuous service of any predecessor contractor(s) who carried out
similar contract functions at the same Federal facility. (2) The
application of these principles may be illustrated by the example
given above of a fringe benefit determination calling for ``one
week paid vacation after one year of service with a contractor or
successor''. In that example, if a contractor has an employee who
has worked for him for 18 months on regular commercial work and
only for 6 months on a Government service contract, that employee
would be eligible for the one week vacation since his total service
with the employer adds up to more than 1 year. Similarly, if a
contractor has an employee who worked for 16 months under a
janitorial service contract at a particular Federal base for two
different predecessor contractors, and only 8 months with the
present employer, that employee would also be considered as meeting
the ``after one year of service'' test and would thus be eligible
for the specified vacation. (3) The ``contractor or successor''
requirement set forth in paragraph (a)(1) of this section is not
affected by the fact that a different contracting agency may have
contracted for the services previously or by the agency's dividing
and/or combining the contract services. However, prior service as a
Federal employee is not counted toward an employee's eligibility
for vacation benefits under fringe benefit determinations issued
pursuant to the Act. (4) Some fringe benefit determinations may
require an employer to furnish a specified amount of paid vacation
upon completion of a specified length of service with the employer,
for example, ``one week paid vacation after one year of service
with an employer''. Under such determinations, only the time spent
in performing on commercial work and on Government contract work in
the employment of the present contractor
29. need be considered in computing the length of service for
purposes of determining vacation eligibility. (5) Whether or not
the predecessor contract(s) was covered by a fringe benefit
determination is immaterial in determining whether the one year of
service test has been met. This qualification refers to work
performed before, as well as after, an applicable fringe benefit
determination is incorporated into a contract. Also, the fact that
the labor standards in predecessor service contract(s) were only
those required under the Fair Labor Standards Act has no effect on
the applicable fringe benefit determination contained in a current
contract. (b) Eligibility requirement--continuous service. Under
the principles set forth above, if an employee's total length of
service adds up to at least one year, the employee is eligible for
vacation with pay. However, such service must have been rendered
continuously for a period of not less than one year for vacation
eligibility. The term ``continuous service'' does not require the
combination of two entirely separate periods of employment. Whether
or not there is a break in the continuity of service so as to make
an employee ineligible for a vacation benefit is dependent upon all
the facts in the particular case. No fixed time period has been
established for determining whether an employee has a break in
service. Rather, as illustrated below, the reason(s) for an
employee's absence from work is the primary factor in determining
whether a break in service occurred. (1) In cases where employees
have been granted leave with or without pay by their employer, or
are otherwise absent with permission for such reasons as sickness
or injury, or otherwise perform no work on the contract because of
reasons beyond their control, there would not be a break in
service. Likewise, the absence from work for a few days, with or
without notice, does not constitute a break in service, without a
formal termination of employment. The following specific examples
are illustrative situations where it has been determined that a
break in service did not occur: (i) An employee absent for five
months due to illness but employed continuously for three years.
(ii) A strike after which employees returned to work. (iii) An
interim period of three months between contracts caused by delays
in the procurement process during which time personnel hired
directly by the Government performed the necessary services.
However, the successor contractor in this case was not held liable
for vacation benefits for those employees who had anniversary dates
of employment during the interim period because no employment
relationship existed during such period. (iv) A mess hall closed
three months for renovation. Contractor employees were considered
to be on temporary layoff during the renovation period and did not
have a break in service. (2) Where an employee quits, is fired for
cause, or is otherwise terminated (except for temporary layoffs),
there would be a break in service even if the employee were rehired
at a later date. However, an employee may not be discharged and
rehired as a subterfuge to evade the vacation requirement. (c)
Vesting and payment of vacation benefits. (1) In the example given
in paragraph (a)(1) of this section of a fringe benefit
30. determination calling for ``one week paid vacation after 1
year of service with a contractor or successor'', an employee who
renders the ``one year of service'' continuously becomes eligible
for the ``one week paid vacation'' (i.e., 40 hours of paid
vacation, unless otherwise specified in an applicable wage
determination) upon his anniversary date of employment and upon
each succeeding anniversary date thereafter. However, there is no
accrual or vesting of vacation eligibility before the employee's
anniversary date of employment, and no segment of time smaller than
one year need be considered in computing the employer's vacation
liability, unless specifically provided for in a particular fringe
benefit determination. For example, an employee who has worked 13
months for an employer subject to such stipulations and is
separated without receiving any vacation benefit is entitled only
to one full week's (40 hours) paid vacation. He would not be
entitled to the additional fraction of one-twelfth of one week's
paid vacation for the month he worked in the second year unless
otherwise stated in the applicable wage determination. An employee
who has not met the ``one year of service'' requirement would not
be entitled to any portion of the ``one week paid vacation''. (2)
Eligibility for vacation benefits specified in a particular wage
determination is based on completion of the stated period of past
service. The individual employee's anniversary date (and each
annual anniversary date of employment thereafter) is the reference
point for vesting of vacation eligibility, but does not necessarily
mean that the employee must be given the vacation or paid for it on
the date on which it is vested. The vacation may be scheduled
according to a reasonable plan mutually agreed to and communicated
to the employees. A ``reasonable'' plan may be interpreted to be a
plan which allows the employer to maintain uninterrupted contract
services but allows the employee some choice, by seniority or
similar factor, in the scheduling of vacations. However, the
required vacation must be given or payment made in lieu thereof
before the next anniversary date, before completion of the current
contract, or before the employee terminates employment, whichever
occurs first. (d) Contractor liability for vacation benefits. (1)
The liability for an employee's vacation is not prorated among
contractors unless specifically provided for under a particular
fringe benefit determination. The contractor by whom a person is
employed at the time the vacation right vests, i.e., on the
employee's anniversary date of employment, must provide the full
benefit required by the determination which is applicable on that
date. For example, an employee, who had not previously performed
similar contract work at the same facility, was first hired by a
predecessor contractor on July 1, 1978. July 1 is the employee's
anniversary date. The predecessor's contract ended June 30, 1979,
but the employee continued working on the contract for the
successor. Since the employee did not have an anniversary date of
employment during the predecessor's contract, the predecessor would
not have any vacation liability with respect to this employee.
However, on July 1, 1979 the employee's entitlement to the full
vacation benefit vested and the successor contractor would be
liable for the full amount of the employee's vacation benefit.
31. (2) The requirements for furnishing data relative to
employee hiring dates in situations where such employees worked for
``predecessor'' contractors are set forth in Sec. 4.6. However, a
contractor is not relieved from any obligation to provide vacation
benefits because of any difficulty in obtaining such data. (e) Rate
applicable to computation of vacation benefits. (1) If an
applicable wage determination requires that the hourly wage rate be
increased during the period of the contract, the rate applicable to
the computation of any required vacation benefits is the hourly
rate in effect in the workweek in which the actual paid vacation is
provided or the equivalent is paid, as the case may be, and would
not be the average of the two hourly rates. This rule would not
apply to situations where a wage determination specified the method
of computation and the rate to be used. (2) As set forth in Sec.
4.172, unless specified otherwise in an applicable fringe benefit
determination, service employees must be furnished the required
amount of fringe benefits for all hours paid for up to a maximum of
40 hours per week and 2,080 hours per year. Thus, an employee on
paid vacation leave would accrue and must be compensated for any
other applicable fringe benefits specified in the fringe benefit
determination, and if any of the other benefits are furnished in
the form of cash equivalents, such equivalents must be included
with the applicable hourly wage rate in computing vacation benefits
or a cash equivalent therefor. The rules and regulations for
computing cash equivalents are set forth in Sec. 4.177. Holidays
(a) Determining eligibility for holiday benefits--in general. (1)
Most fringe benefit determinations list a specific number of named
holidays for which payment is required. Unless specified otherwise
in an applicable determination, an employee who performs any work
during the workweek in which a named holiday occurs is entitled to
the holiday benefit, regardless of whether the named holiday falls
on a Sunday, another day during the workweek on which the employee
is not normally scheduled to work, or on the employee's day off. In
addition, holiday benefits cannot be denied because the employee
has not been employed by the contractor for a designated period
prior to the named holiday or because the employee did
32. not work the day before or the day after the holiday,
unless such qualifications are specifically included in the
determination. (2) An employee who performs no work during the
workweek in which a named holiday occurs is generally not entitled
to the holiday benefit. However, an employee who performs no work
during the workweek because he is on paid vacation or sick leave in
accordance with the terms of the applicable fringe benefit
determination is entitled to holiday pay or another day off with
pay to substitute for the named holiday. In addition, an employee
who performs no work during the workweek because of a layoff does
not forfeit his entitlement to holiday benefits if the layoff is
merely a subterfuge by the contractor to avoid the payment of such
benefits. (3) The obligation to furnish holiday pay for the named
holiday may be discharged if the contractor furnishes another day
off with pay in accordance with a plan communicated to the
employees involved. However, in such instances the holidays named
in the fringe benefit determination are the reference points for
determining whether an employee is eligible to receive holiday
benefits. In other words, if an employee worked in a workweek in
which a listed holiday occurred, the employee is entitled to pay
for that holiday. Some determinations may provide for a specific
number of holidays without naming them. In such instances the
contractor is free to select the holidays to be taken in accordance
with a plan communicated to the employees involved, and the
agreed-upon holidays are the reference points for determining
whether an employee is eligible to receive holiday benefits. (b)
Determining eligibility for holiday benefits--newly hired
employees. The contractor generally is not required to compensate a
newly hired employee for the holiday occurring prior to the hiring
of the employee. However, in the one situation where a named
holiday falls in the first week of a contract, all employees who
work during the first week would be entitled to holiday pay for
that day. For example, if a contract to provide services for the
period January 1 through December 31 contained a fringe benefit
determination listing New Year's Day as a named holiday, and if New
Year's Day were officially celebrated on January 2 in the year in
question because January 1 fell on a Sunday, employees hired to
begin work on January 3 would be entitled to holiday pay for New
Year's Day. (c) Payment of holiday benefits. (1) A full-time
employee who is eligible to receive payment for a named holiday
must receive a full day's pay up to 8 hours unless a different
standard is used in the fringe benefit determination, such as one
reflecting collectively bargained holiday benefit requirements
issued pursuant to section 4(c) of the Act or a different historic
practice in an industry or locality. Thus, for example, a
contractor must furnish 7 hours of holiday pay to a full-time
employee whose scheduled workday consists of 7 hours. An employee
whose scheduled workday is 10 hours would be entitled to a holiday
payment of 8 hours unless a different standard is used in the
determination. As discussed in Sec. 4.172, such holiday pay must
include
33. the full amount of other fringe benefits to which the
employee is entitled. (2) Unless a different standard is used in
the wage determination, a full-time employee who works on the day
designated as a holiday must be paid, in addition to the amount he
ordinarily would be entitled to for that day's work, the cash
equivalent of a full-day's pay up to 8 hours or be furnished
another day off with pay. (3) If the fringe benefit determination
lists the employee's birthday as a paid holiday and that day
coincides with another listed holiday, the contractor may discharge
his obligation to furnish payment for the second holiday by either
substituting another day off with pay with the consent of the
employee, furnishing holiday benefits of an extra day's pay, or if
the employee works on the holiday in question, furnish holiday
benefits of two extra days' pay. (4) As stated in paragraph (a)(1)
of this section, an employee's entitlement to holiday pay fully
vests by working in the workweek in which the named holiday occurs.
Accordingly, any employee who is terminated before receiving the
full amount of holiday benefits due him must be paid the holiday
benefits as a final cash payment. (5) The rules and regulations for
furnishing holiday pay to temporary and part-time employees are
discussed in Sec. 4.176. (6) The rules and regulations for
furnishing equivalent fringe benefits or cash equivalents in lieu
of holiday pay are discussed in Sec. 4.177. Educational Assistance
Program Purpose The purpose of the educational assistance program
is for workforce planning and development. It provides a tool for
managers and employees to support academic activities that directly
relate to the organization's identified knowledge, skills, and
behaviors (organizational competencies), and which support the
mission, vision, and values of the organization. The educational
assistance program is not an employee benefit, right or
entitlement; it is a management program for workforce development.
Denial of participation in the educational assistance program is
not grievable, except on grounds of discrimination. Use of the
educational assistance program shall be identified, described, and
documented in the employee's development plan within his/her work
plan. This provides a measurable link between the employee's
increased competency and the agency's workforce planning
efforts.
34. The educational assistance program provides reimbursement
of academic costs if funds are available at the agency level,
and/or time off the job if the course is available only during
working hours. Eligibility Eligible: Permanent and time-limited
employees regularly scheduled 20 hours or more per week and
probationary and trainee employees after satisfactory performance
for a period of not less than three months, as determined by
management. Selective Service Registration: NCGS 143B-421.1
requires those eligible for selective service to be registered in
order to be reimbursed academic costs. The federal Selective
Service law specifies that males, both US citizens and immigrant
aliens residing in the US and its territories, ages 18 through 25,
shall register with the Selective Service. Not Eligible: Permanent
part-time employees regularly scheduled less than 20 hours per week
and all temporary employees. Origination of Request Requests for
educational assistance may be initiated by the employee or
management. Employees may initiate requests for educational
assistance to: Maintain/enhance current skills Develop new
skills/competencies for career development within the agency
Management may initiate requests for educational assistance to:
Ensure employees have mandated licensure or certification Address a
shortage of skilled workers in specific classifications Develop a
pool of employees for succession planning Build specific high
priority skills Address performance expectations of the employee as
specified on the performance management improvement plan.
Job-related degrees and corresponding non-work related courses
within a degree program may be approved at the discretion of
management. Academic Sources and Approved Courses
35. Academic Courses Eligible Sources - Academic courses are
defined as a course/degree provided by an accredited community
college, college, or university. Academic courses/degrees provided
through traditional classroom, video-based, distance learning,
web-based, e-learning and certain correspondence courses (see
Ineligible Sources below) are eligible for approval. The course
must provide academic credit (as opposed to CEUs), be listed in the
college/university course catalog and charge tuition in the
traditional meaning of tuition (as opposed to only registration
fees). Accreditation must be via an accrediting agency authorized
by the US Department of Education. Ineligible Sources -
Correspondence courses not accredited by the US Department of
Education or the American Council on Education/CREDIT for academic
credit are not eligible under this policy. Approved Courses
Management, when making the determination whether to provide
educational assistance to take a specific course, must consider the
basic principle: "deemed beneficial to both the University and the
employee." Completion of the course should have a direct benefit to
the University. The improved knowledge, skills and abilities gained
by the employee should benefit the individual in completion of
his/her current and/or potential job duties. Management should
consider workforce planning, succession planning and career
development in approving employees to receive educational
assistance. Guidelines to consider in course selection are: Courses
which provide knowledge and skills directly related to maintaining
or improving current job skills; Courses mandated by law or
regulation as a job requirement for continued employment; and
Courses directly related to the employee's current job or a
documented workforce need. When approving courses, management must
consider workforce planning in developing employees who demonstrate
the ability to perform at a higher level of responsibility. Hard to
recruit classifications are areas in which an employee could be
approved to take courses outside his/her current classification
level to meet future work needs. Examples of this are: Technicians
working on a college degree to fill professional engineering
positions; or Health care workers participating in a nursing
program; or Courses included in an academic program which are
necessary to complete a management approved degree program.
Educational assistance shall not be approved for courses where
management
36. has determined that neither the course nor degree is of
benefit to the University. The Director of Benefit Program
Administration, Office of Human Resources may approve exceptions to
the approved course policy. Audited Courses - Academic courses
which are audited are eligible for educational assistance; however
an employee may be reimbursed for the same course or course
equivalent only once. Reimbursement requires a statement written on
school letterhead and signed by the instructor that the employee
attended at least 85% of the scheduled class meetings during the
academic term. Certification/Licensing (Post-Employment) -
Incumbent employees who meet minimum educational requirements for
employment and for whom certification/licensing is required after
employment or is deemed desirable by management are eligible for
educational assistance under the following conditions:
Certification/licensing is mandated or is a policy requirement of
the University or hiring department. Educational assistance is
authorized for certification or licensing only if the certification
or license is attained via academic course work. Coursework for
certification or licensure will be considered "At Agency Request"
as described in this policy. Reimbursement Academic Costs -
Eligible employees approved for educational assistance may be
reimbursed academic costs charged by the academic source at which
the employee is enrolled. Academic costs are defined as charges
assessed by an academic source to every person enrolling for the
course. These charges are required of everyone and are neither
negotiable nor discretionary for the individual enrolling in the
course. Academic costs include in-state tuition, fees and
course/lab fees. Course/lab fees must always be itemized.
Reimbursement of course/lab fees may require a written statement
from the academic source justifying the fee as a required fee in
addition to other fees. Amount of Reimbursement - Eligible
employees may be reimbursed academic costs charged by the academic
source where enrolled. Departments may reimburse all academic costs
as specified in the paragraph "Academic Costs," or reimburse only
tuition and other academic-related fees, but not fees unrelated to
registering for a course or a degree program, such as dorm, student
union construction, athletic fees, student health service, cultural
event fees, etc. Management may also, with a bona fide business
justification, reduce the amount of reimbursement per employee to a
set amount less than the tuition and fees and/or limit the number
of courses for which any one employee may be reimbursed in an
academic term. Management choosing to reimburse an amount less than
the academic costs specified in the paragraph
37. "Academic Costs" shall make this information available to
all employees at the beginning of the fiscal year and apply this
limitation in a fair and equitable manner to all employees
requesting educational assistance in that fiscal year. (See also
"Reimbursement without Department Funds" section below.) For study
at University of North Carolina Institutions or the Institutions of
the North Carolina Community College System, eligible employees may
be reimbursed for 100% of academic costs for up to 20 credit hours
per fiscal year. For study at all academic institutions other than
institutions of The University of North Carolina and Institutions
of the NC Community College System, eligible employees may be
reimbursed up to the maximum academic cost charged by the UNC
institutions for up to 20 credit hours (or 32 quarter hours per
fiscal year). This amount will be determined by the Office of State
Personnel and published within 10 working days of the adjournment
of the General Assembly and the meeting of the UNC Board of
Governors to approve fees (see Related Subjects below).
Reimbursement of tuition and fees from out- of-state
colleges/universities shall not exceed the amount as specified
above. Special Graduate Programs - Graduate professional programs
(medicine, veterinary medicine, business, etc.) with unusual
course/lab fees, tuition or other fees will be considered on a
course by course basis. The Director of Benefit Program
Administration, Office of Human Resources, may approve payment of
these academic costs. Non-reimbursable Expenses - Reimbursement
shall NOT be made for: Charges specifically related to processing
or receiving continuing education units (CEUs) Application,
examination, and graduation fees Transportation costs Textbooks *
and supplies * See Sections "Courses Taken at Agency Request" and
"Reimbursement without Department Funds" below for other textbook
reimbursement provisions. Other Financial Assistance - Financial
assistance from any other financial aid program shall not be
duplicated under this program. (If eligible for Tuition Waiver
and/or Student Fee Waiver, the employee must apply these programs
first.) However, the difference, if any, between such aid and the
allowable costs under the Educational assistance program may be
reimbursed. Tax Status - Congress enacted the Economic Growth and
Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 which allows an employer to
offer its employees up to $5,250 in tax-free (job related and non
job-related) educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate
level courses begun after December 31, 2001. Requirement for
Reimbursement - Management may consider any current disciplinary
action for job performance or personal conduct prior to approval of
the application for reimbursement. If funds are available, the
applicant shall receive reimbursement of approved academic costs
upon
38. submitting evidence of satisfactory completion of a
preapproved course. Completion is defined as "Satisfactory,"
"Pass," or a grade of "C" or better for undergraduate courses, and
a "B" ("P") or better for graduate courses. An "Incomplete" shall
not be reimbursed until a final grade is issued. Requests for
reimbursement must be submitted within 30 calendar days of
completion of the course. Employee Transfers and Separations - If
an employee transfers to another department or State agency, and
subsequently completes an approved course, the employee shall
submit a request for reimbursement to the employing agency or
department. The employing agency is responsible for processing the
request per the provisions of this policy, and providing
reimbursement if funds are available. Employees who separate from
State service prior to the completion of the course are not
eligible for reimbursement. Employees who separate by reduction in
force (layoff) remain eligible for approved coursework completed
within 12 months of the employee's separation date. Courses Taken
"At Agency Request" Because of specific high priority skill needs
of the University or department, management may require employees
to take specific courses or degree programs "at agency request".
Under these circumstances, the following applies: All limitations
under the provisions of this policy are waived. Employees are still
responsible for requirements for withholding taxes and FICA. All
expenses to the individual shall be reimbursed related to acquiring
the necessary course or degree, to include: travel costs;
examinations and administrative fees; textbooks and other course
materials. (Any books or materials paid for by the department
become the property of the department.) If courses taken "at agency
request" exceed the credit hour per fiscal year limitations of the
educational assistance program, then the situation shall be
administered under the policy provisions for Extended Educational
Leave. Not all courses specified as part of an employee's
improvement/development plan are necessarily considered to be "at
agency request" unless specifically approved as such by the
department head or designee and approved by the Director of Benefit
Program Administration (see "Application Procedures" section
below). Leave An approved course should be taken on the employee's
own time. If a course can be taken only during working hours,
eligible employees must request Educational Leave prior to the
beginning of the course allowing sufficient time for the
educational assistance request to be reviewed. Educational Leave
may be granted unless the supervisor identifies work conditions
that will not permit the employee to be absent from the job.
Supervisors are encouraged to develop alternate work arrangements
to complete the work assignments and also grant Educational Leave.
Reasonable travel time as determined by the
39. supervisor may be permitted to attend approved courses.
Management may approve Educational Leave, and, if approved,
Educational Leave shall not be charged to the employee's vacation
leave. Educational Leave during work hours shall not exceed one
course up to five hours academic credit per academic term.
Exceptions to the leave restriction may be addressed using the
Educational Leave with Pay provisions of this policy.
Thesis/Dissertation Research Courses - Job-related
thesis/dissertation research courses at the masters/doctoral level
are restricted as follows: All required written examinations for
the degree shall be successfully completed before the course is
approved. A maximum of 15 hours leave may be approved for each
academic credit hour. All leave hours shall be used during the
academic term and may not be accumulated. A maximum total of 9
academic credit hours are allowed for any one employee. Extended
Leave Situations Courses taken at agency request that exceed the
credit hour per fiscal year limitation must follow the Extended
Educational Leave policy. An agency wishing to initiate a program
for a number of employees to participate in a degree or certificate
program must also refer to the Extended Educational Leave policy.
Extended Educational Leave - The department may provide leave with
pay or leave without pay for certain types of academic courses. The
references to these specific policies are set out below.
Educational Leave Without Pay - Extended Educational Leave without
pay may be granted by department management in accordance with the
normal Leave Without Pay Policy. Educational Leave With Pay -
Extended Educational Leave with Pay is allowed only with advance
approval of the Director, Benefit Program Administration, Office of
Human Resources Justification for the paid leave must be attached
to the Educational Assistance Application at the time of
pre-approval (see "Application Procedures" section below).
Management may consider any employee (permanent, probationary,
trainee or time-limited) for extended Educational Leave to
participate in job or career-related work-study, scholarship or
fellowship programs based upon the following criteria: Verification
that both labor market and organizational needs exist for
development in the program requested. Equal opportunity provided in
selection of candidates.
40. Employees are informed of University and/or department
policies and procedures regarding: Announcement and application
procedures, Screening and selection of employees, Limitations and
restrictions on academic courses, Leave, salary, benefit
conditions, withholding taxes and FICA, and Reimbursement
agreement. Requests for extended Educational Leave initiated by the
employee and which do not meet with the above criteria will be
administered according to the Leave without Pay Policy. Maintaining
Records Benefit Program Administration in the Office of Human
Resources is responsible for retaining records, on a fiscal year
basis, of educational assistance activity. This information shall
be reported annually to the Office of State Personnel upon request
and shall include the following: Number employees participating in
the program, Amount (tuition and fees) reimbursed, Number employees
granted Educational Leave, Number employees taking courses at
agency's request, Number employees granted extended education
leave, Number of employees taking courses for mandated/required
certification/licensing Benefit Program Administration will request
additional information from University departments as needed.
Reimbursement without Department Funds The University allocates a
calculated amount of money for this program based on usage in prior
years in order to provide some benefit for all eligible University
employees. Eligible employees who are from departments that may
lack necessary funds for reimbursement under the Educational
Assistance Program, or who are taking academic coursework that is
not work-related, may request reimbursement through the Office of
Human Resources. Employees may also request textbook reimbursement
through this program. The maximum reimbursement an employee may
receive through the Office of Human Resources for tuition expenses
for coursework approved under this policy is $500 per fiscal year.
The maximum reimbursement an employee may receive through the
Office of Human Resources for textbook expenses related to
coursework approved under this policy is $100 per fiscal year.
Application Procedures Pre-Approval (Part I of the Educational
Assistance Application)
41. Deadline: Educational Assistance Application must be
approved prior to the start date of the course. Employee submits
Educational Assistance Application to his/her supervisor.
Supervisor reviews request and authorizes any departmental
contribution to the employee's coursework. The supervisor must
forward the Educational Assistance Application for pre-approval to
Benefit Program Administration, CB# 1045, ONLY if requesting: o "At
Agency Request" Designation o Paid Extended Educational Leave o
Exceptions to the Approved Course Requirements If required, Benefit
Program Administration will review the Application, verify employee
and course eligibility, and return the Application to the employee.
Reimbursement (Part II of the Educational Assistance Application)
Deadline: Educational Assistance Application and all supporting
documents must be submitted within 30 calendar days of completion
of the course. Employee submits Educational Assistance Application
(Parts I & II) to his/her supervisor and attaches the following
documentation: o Proof of completion of the course, including grade
(If an audit course, the employee must provide a letter on the
institution's letterhead certifying that the employee attended at
least 85% of the course sessions) o Receipt of course expense(s) o
Checklist for Taxability of Tuition Waiver & Educational
Assistance Reimbursement Supervisor reviews documentation
authorizes reimbursement, and completes the Educational Assistance
Application. o If only leave has been given to the employee - The
department completes the Educational Assistance Application. o If
the employee's department will reimburse the employee for all or
part of the course - The Department completes the reimbursement
process with Disbursement Services. o If the employee's department
will provide partial or no reimbursement, and reimbursement is
requested through the Office of Human Resources - The department
completes the departmental reimbursement (if any) and forwards the
Educational Assistance Application with all supporting documents to
Benefit Program Administration, CB# 1045. Benefits will complete
the reimbursement with Disbursement Services.
42. Employee Counseling I. NON-DISCIPLINARY PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT COACHING As it relates to performance management,
coaching is a process that is used primarily to motivate and/or
teach employees certain tasks/responsibilities. Coaching is a
method especially useful in assisting employees to address complex
problems and/or attain significant goals in a highly individualized
fashion. Coaching is a collaborative process, one where a
supervisor and employee continually set short and long term
performance goals; listen actively to each other during coaching
sessions; and ask questions, share views, and negotiate approaches
for further development. Coaching is not disciplinary, and occurs
BEFORE performance problems occur. There are three major steps to
coaching: 1 Preparation 2 Discussion 3 Follow-up Preparation is the
key to coaching success. A good coach writes a discussion plan
beforehand identifying the things that need to be covered during
the coaching session. The employee should also write a discussion
plan prior to each coaching session. In the coaching session both
coach and employee should agree to and list areas where results
were achieved or exceeded; areas where results did not meet
expectations; action plans for remedying problems where desired
results did not occur; and additional short and long term
performance goals. Follow up should occur on a regular basis. Good
coaches continually reinforce positive performance results and
address issues arising when goals are not reached. The difference
between coaching and counseling: COACHING is meant for when a
person does not know how to do the task/assignment. Coaching takes
place BEFORE problems occur. COUNSELING is for when a person knows
how to do the assignment but is not able to or not willing to do
it.
43. 1 COUNSELING The counseling session is a meeting held
between the supervisor and employee to discuss either specific
general work performance areas in need of improvement or a
violation of policies or work rules. Frequently, problems that are
recognized early can be resolved by counseling. Privacy and
sufficient time devoted to the meeting are essential. It is
generally helpful to prepare for the counseling session by
developing a written outline of specific problem areas with
corresponding suggestions/directives for improvement. A positive
approach to the discussion, coupled with constructive counseling,
serve as key elements to the counseling session. Documentation of
the session on the appropriate counseling form or kept in
supervisory notes is strongly urged. This provides a basis for
follow-up at future meetings with the employee, and gives you a
source of documentation if the problem persists. When Counseling Is
Used Counseling is used at first indication that improvement is
necessary. It is important to remember that although counseling
sessions may precede written warnings and official disciplinary
action(s), it is not in and of itself considered disciplinary. Some
supervisors feel that because a topic has been mentioned in a
conversation with the employee at some time, counseling has
occurred. However, a casual conversation, combined with other
topics, may not have the desired impact on the employee. Counseling
is a private discussion with a closed door and limited
interruptions. It is meant to impress upon the employee the
seriousness of your expectations, and permit the exchange of
information that is critical to the employees success. If feasible,
the situation should be reviewed with facility Human Resource staff
prior to proceeding with the meeting. If the employee does not
improve, or the problem is not corrected following counseling, it
may be necessary to move to progressive discipline. A general rule
of thumb is that if a person has been counseled twice without
improvement, it may be appropriate to move on to progressive
disciplinary procedures. When counseling an employee, remember that
the proper objective is corrective action, not punishment. DO tell
the employee at the outset, This is a counseling session. DO tell
the employee what the SPECIFIC problem is. DO tell the employee the
expected improvements. DO NOT threaten the employee with
discipline. DO NOT describe adverse consequences if no improvement
is made. A calm and thoughtful approach will keep the supervisor in
control of the situation and hopefully allow the employee to move
positively towards a productive goal without causing resentment or
embarrassment.
44. 2 A counseling session is not discipline, and the employee
has no contractual right to union representation. If an employee
insists upon union representation during a counseling session, the
supervisor may comply with such requests, in accordance with
specific bargaining unit language. Consult with your Human Resource
Officer if you have questions about this. Record of Counseling Make
a written record showing the date and circumstances of the
counseling session. This may be done in one of several ways: 1 The
counseling session may be documented by informal notes in the
supervisors administrative file or notebook and on his/her
calendar. The notes should include the date the counseling session
was held, who attended, and what was discussed. 2 The Immediate
Supervisors Record of Counseling form may be completed and kept in
the supervisors administrative file. (See Appendix). 3 A memo to
the employee should be issued confirming that the verbal counseling
session was held on a given date. This is strictly a communication
between the supervisor and the employee. It should restate the
problem that was discussed, indicate who attended the meeting, the
supervisors specific expectations, a description of the objective
and a target date, and state what assistance the supervisor will
provide. The memo must NOT include any warning of consequences if
the objective is not met, and it must NOT include any reference to
discipline or further disciplinary action. A copy of this memo
should be placed in the supervisors administrative file. A copy is
NOT placed in the employees official personnel file. PLEASE NOTE:
The collective bargaining agreement may require written notice to
the employee of counseling under some circumstances. The memo
confirming the counseling session as described above will fulfill
such a contractual requirement. A facility Human Resource staff
member should be consulted for guidance. This process also applies
to managerial employees. POINTS TO REMEMBER DURING ANY DISCUSSION
WITH AN EMPLOYEE BE IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF Nothing constructive is
accomplished with loss of temper. Things are likely to be said and
accusations made that will later be regretted. By being in control
and thinking clearly, the supervisor can maintain a positive
environment. SPEAK WITH THE EMPLOYEE IN PRIVATE Labor contracts as
well as counseling objectives require that it be done in private.
Safety violations which endanger others or department property must
be stopped immediately, but even in those situations, the employee
should be taken aside at the first opportunity and counseling
should be conducted in private. BE POSITIVE OF YOUR FACTS
45. A supervisor should be certain that counseling is
necessary. Therefore, it is important that the supervisor does not
rely on gossip, rumors, or hearsay. What did the person do wrong?
What are the consequences? Has the individual committed similar
infractions in the past? How long ago? The supervisor needs all the
facts in order to be well prepared. Supervisors who impulsively
counsel an employee and then discover that the counseling was not
warranted may find the employee and the work environment negatively
impacted. Plan your comments and directives before the meeting.
Make an outline of subjects to be discussed in order to address all
of the important issues. Dont rely on memory alone. GET THE
EMPLOYEES SIDE OF THE STORY By listening attentively and
courteously to the employees explanation, the supervisor shows
concern for fair treatment of the individual. Facts may need to be
verified and/or mitigating circumstances considered. This may
revise the supervisors approach or treatment of the subject(s) to
be covered. The success of the counseling session will depend on
the supervisors approach to understanding the employees side of the
story and the facts of the issues being discussed. BE FIRM BUT FAIR
MEASURE THE EMPLOYEE BY A REALISTIC STANDARD The supervisor should
explain that the employees performance is below what is expected or
that her/his behavior is unacceptable, how the performance or
behavior violates the supervisors expectations or the rules, and
the reasons for these expectations and rules. In order to be fair
in counseling, the supervisor and employee should set an objective
for the employee to reach in a reasonable period of time by a
certain date.
46. 4 SHOW CONFIDENCE IN THE EMPLOYEES ABILITY TO LEARN AND
CHANGE An employees fear of counseling can be lessened if a
supervisor shows that s/he has confidence in the ability of the
employee to change his/her behavior or meet performance standards.
Showing confidence in the employee is a strong, positive way to
conclude the session. MAKE A WRITTEN RECORD OF THE COUNSELING A
record of the counseling in the form of supervisory notes or a memo
to the employee should be completed immediately after the
counseling session. It should confirm that a counseling session was
held on a given date, restate the problem and the supervisors
expectations, describe the specific objective(s) and target date,
and offer assistance to the employee to reinforce the need for
change. FOLLOW-UP If the employee has met the objective(s), tell
the employee and compliment him/her. If the employee fails to meet
the objective(s), disciplinary action may be necessary. A key point
to remember in the non-disciplinary process is that clear and
thorough communication of work rules, policies and procedures is a
critical first step to ensuring employee compliance. In fact,
ensuring that employees know and understand all rules, policies and
procedures can sometimes help you avoid having to take disciplinary
action. EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Solutions EAP (Employee
Assistance Program) is a program of Behavioral Health Connecticut,
LLC. Solutions provides Employee Wellness Program services to DMHAS
employees and their families. If you believe that an employee may
be having problems that require outside assistance you may mention
the EAP in your counseling session with them. In some cases a
statement on EAP may be placed into the text of a letter of
warning, usually stating If you are experiencing problems that are
affecting your work performance you may contact the DMHAS Employee
Assistance Program at 1- 800-526-3485. The website for Solutions is
at www.solutions-eap.com.
47. 5 II. THE PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE PROCESS Progressive
discipline is a generally accepted supervisory practice that
establishes penalties of increasing severity for repeated
infractions or work performance issues. Done correctly, it provides
a fair, consistent method of addressing unsatisfactory performance
or inappropriate behavior. Progressive discipline offers the
employee the opportunity to correct unacceptable behavior before
being discharged. Disciplinary action will normally begin at the
lowest step in the progressive discipline process, but may be
advanced d