Table of Contents: Chapter 9
[+]905 NECESSARY WORK POLICY
Purpose Statement:To identify the work within the City that needs to continue when City operations are limited due to a crisis or emergency and the method to select employees who will perform such work.
Applicability: This policy only applies to core general employees. The reassignment of employees subject to a labor agreement shall be governed by the terms of the employee's labor agreement.
Determining What Qualified as Necessary Work
- "Necessary Work" means work that includes one or more of the following elements:
- Create something of value to the organization, such as accomplishing a task that is difficult to do under normal work conditions, or
- Complete a project or taks that has been lingering due to work load challenges; or
- Develop a plan that "looks ahead" and may assist in reacting to changing conditions in the work environment; or
- A procedure that can save time and or money in the future; or
- Document procedures or tasks that create a resource for future reference in case of absence
- Regular work position that has been determined as essential for City function
- Examples of necessary work include:
- Organizing, processing, and purging of documents as required to comply with the Records Retention Policy
- Retrieving and reviewing records in storage from Iron Mountain
- Minor or deferred maintenance for City facilities
- Review and update standard policies/procedures (may add more)
- Other work as designated by the City Manager's Office or designee
- Eligibility to Perform Necessary Work
- Selection of Employees. The City shall assign Necessary Work to qualified Regular employees before any part-time employee is eligible. If there are more Regular employees who are qualified to perform the Necessary Work that is available, the work shall be assigned to the employee who first requests the work and is determined by the City to be the most qualified for the assignment. If all Regular employees have had the opportunity to perform Necessary Work, a part-time employee is eligible to be assigned to such work.
- Qualification. An employee assigned to perform Necessary Work must be able to perform the job duties and essential functions of position which would normally be required for a position, such as a certain level of education, will not automatically disqualify a temporary service employee.
- Declining Assignment of Necessary Work. If an employee declines an assignment to Necessary Work, the employee shall go to the end of the list of employees eligible to perform such work.
- Vacation/Personal Leave. Any vacation or personal leave that would be used while the employee is assigned to perform Necessary Work must be approved, or re-approved if previously approved by the employee's regular supervisor, by the Department Director supervising the employee while the employee is performing the Necessary Work before the employee may use such leave.
- Payment of Re-Assigned Employees. If an employee is assigned, for 3 months or less, to perform Necessary Work in a job classification with a rate of pay that is less than the employee's regular rate of pay, the employee shall continue to receive the employee's regular rate of pay that is less than the employee's regular rate of pay, the employee shall continue to receive the employee's regular rate of pay.