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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHUR130-031 Disconnecting from Work ProcedureProcedure Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Procedure Number HUR 130-031 Reference HUR 130 Occupational Health and Safety Policy Employment Standards Act, 2000 Working for Workers Act, 2021 Date Originated (m/d/y) May 16, 2022 Date Revised (m/d/y) Pages 8 Approval: Chief Administrative Officer Point of Contact Director, Human Resources Procedure Objective The health and wellbeing of our employees is of the utmost importance to The Corporation of the City of Pickering (the City) and to our collective success. This Procedure will support a culture of compliance where the City and employees meet the requirements of the Working for Workers Act, 2021 and create an inclusive workforce where potential barriers to employment or advancement are minimized. The changing nature of work has impacted the boundaries between work and personal time. The City recognizes that employees have the right to, and should, disconnect from work outside of their normal working hours, unless there is an operational emergency or agreement to do so. The City is committed to promoting a healthy workplace for all employees and will encourage and support employees in prioritizing their own wellbeing. This Procedure is intended to promote a sustainable work-life balance and provide guidance to employees in ensuring that they practice healthy workplace habits by both fulfilling their hours of work obligations to the City, their employer; and, balancing those obligations with their personal lives by disengaging from the workplace during non-working time. Index 01 Definitions 02 Responsibilities 03 Employee Wellness and Disconnecting from Work Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 2 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 04 Workload and Productivity 05 Workplace Communications 06 Reporting Concerns 07 Operational Emergencies and Business Needs 08 Posting, Notice and Retention 01 Definitions 01.01 Agreement – the requirement to be on-call, perform stand-by duty or be available for operational emergencies resulting from the classification or nature of the employee’s position as defined in the associated job description and where applicable supported by a Collective Agreement. 01.02 Communication – using phone calls, emails, messaging apps, Microsoft Teams, etc. to contact employees and/or relay information. 01.03 Disconnecting From Work – to refrain from performing City work and work- related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls or the sending or reviewing of other messages, so as to be free from the performance of work. 01.04 Employee – an individual who works for the City and meets the definition of employee as defined in the Employment Standards Act, 2000. 01.05 On-Call/Stand-by – an established period of time where the employee is required to respond to after-hours operational needs. 01.06 Operational Emergency – an event beyond the control of the City such as sudden storm, flood or the potential thereof, an employee absence or departure which is characterized by little or no notice, and danger to life and/or property. 01.07 Job Description – a summary of the most important functions of a job, including the general nature of the work performed, specific task responsibilities and employee characteristics/competencies/prerequisites to be successful in the job. 01.08 Regular Working Hours – as defined by the applicable Collective Agreement or Procedure HUR 080-001 Compensation & Hours of Work – Non-union Employees. 01.09 Remote Work Agreement – a document that outlines the terms and conditions of periodic or long-term remote work (RW) arrangements per the Remote Work Procedure (HUR 040-002). Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 3 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 01.10 Right to Disconnect – an employee’s right to be able to disengage from work and refrain from engaging in work-related activities outside normal working hours. 01.11 Standard Business Hours – the hours between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, or as defined in the applicable Collective Agreement. 02 Responsibilities 02.01 Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)/Directors to: a) Ensure a safe workplace and promote a healthy work-life balance by respecting the regular hours of work for all employees. b) Address internal factors that contribute to employee stress. c) Treat mental health issues with the same importance as physical health and safety. 02.02 Immediate Non-union Supervisors to: a) Inform employees of their normal working hours and the circumstances in which they will be expected to engage in work-related communications outside their normal working hours. b) Promote work-life balance and support a work environment that allows employees to disconnect from work outside of normal working hours. c) Have an open-door policy to discuss employee concerns and assist employees to recognize the signs of stress caused by work-life imbalance. d) Regularly assess workload, productivity and expectations with employees, including addressing instances where employees demonstrate an ongoing pattern of normal job duties being performed outside regular working hours. e) Periodically review responsibilities of direct reports ensuring job duties can adequately be completed during regular working hours. f) Ensure employees are able to take applicable meal, rest periods and hours free from work as required by law, contract, City policies and procedures and/or applicable collective agreement language. g) Ensure employees are able to take their earned vacation or other leave entitlements as required by law, contract, City policies and procedures and/or applicable collective agreement language. 02.03 Employees to: Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 4 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 a) Take ownership of their work and manage regular working time effectively to meet operational needs, including when participating in a Remote Work Agreement. b) Fully cooperate with time and attendance documenting methods to accurately record working time, including obtaining prior approval before performing overtime work. c) Comply with applicable standby or call-in protocols as established, pursuant to the collective agreement, or the operational need to attend work. d) Be conscious of their work patterns and take the necessary steps to maintain a healthy work-life balance. e) Be mindful of colleagues, customers/clients, vendors and other third parties’ working hours. f) Use earned vacation and utilize scheduled meal breaks. 03 Employee Wellness and Disconnecting from Work 03.01 All employees have the right to disconnect from work outside regularly scheduled hours without the fear of reprisal. Increasing, technology creates a lack of separation between home and work and can contribute to employees continuing to work beyond the end of their workday. 03.02 Employees in agreement to, either by collective bargaining or by nature of their position as outlined in the associated job description, maintain the requirement to perform stand-by and on-call duties and respond to operational emergencies. 03.03 An employee’s time outside of work is meant to be used to recharge and should not be used to complete work-related tasks. We strongly encourage our employees to work within their regularly scheduled hours, adopt, and maintain a good work-life balance. 03.04 Employees who do not fully disconnect from work at the end of the day may experience stress and other mental health issues. Stress and poor mental health are associated with many of the leading causes of disease and disability, can negatively affect performance, mood, attendance, and personal and professional relationships. 03.05 How to disconnect from work: a) At the end of the work day step away from your computer. b) Keep separate devices for work activities so you will not be able to access work emails on your personal devices. Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 5 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 c) During your personal time, power down your computer and put away files and paperwork. d) Take your earned breaks and use that time to focus on something other than work. e) During remote work, dedicate a space to your home that is only for work. 04 Workload and Productivity 04.01 Effective time management and the ability to manage workload significantly contributes to a healthy work-life balance. Working additional hours does not always equate to higher productivity. Employees can maximize their productivity during their workday by using time management tactics, such as: a) Block off periods in their calendar to complete specific tasks or address communication. b) Break down projects and tasks into manageable sections. c) Minimize interruptions by setting their online status to busy or do not disturb. d) Try to have a dedicated work day each week without meetings. 04.02 Management should consider offering acting assignments, where applicable, during scheduled absences for the continuity of work and to avoid unnecessary disruptions of employees during their time off. 05 Workplace Communications 05.01 Where possible, emails should be sent during regular working hours to respect employee’s personal time, understanding that work patterns and schedules differ. We encourage a statement alleviating the expectation of an immediate response for communications sent outside regular working hours. 05.02 Where an employee receives communications outside their regular working hours, unless business and operational needs dictate that an immediate response is required, employees should not feel the need to respond and shall not be penalized for not doing so. 05.03 Employees should respect others and avoid direct communication with other employees outside regularly scheduled hours, during breaks, or during scheduled time off. 05.04 When an employee is assigned a City communication device to better facilitate work (phone, iPad, laptop, etc.) it does not automatically indicate that the employee is to make themselves available for work at all times. Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 6 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 05.05 Meetings should be scheduled with the participants’ normal work hours taken into consideration and should be avoided during break and meal periods. To respect the time of all employees, invite only those who will play an active role or may have something to contribute to the meeting. 05.06 Employees shall update their voicemail and utilize the Out of Office Assistant in accordance with the City’s Service Level Standards as noted in the Customer Service Policy (ADM 160) to alert others to scheduled time off and providing an alternate contact. These efforts will assist employees in uninterrupted scheduled time off. 06 Reporting Concerns 06.01 All employees are expected and required to report any concerns or issues they may have which they feel is affecting their ability to disconnect from work. 06.02 Employees should report such concerns or issues regarding disconnecting from work to their immediate non-union supervisor. If the matter cannot be resolved by doing so, employees should report their concerns to Human Resources, who will work collaboratively with the employee and the immediate non-union supervisor to identify any impediments to disconnecting from work. 06.03 Employees will not be subject to reprisal for reporting or voicing/raising concerns as outlined above. 07 Operational Emergencies and Business Needs 07.01 An employee’s ability to disconnect from work depends on the City’s operational needs and the duties and obligations of the employee’s position and/or job classification as outlined in their job description, subject to an employee’s employment contract, the Terms and Conditions of Employment – Non-union Employees, applicable collective agreement and/or their minimum statutory entitlements pursuant to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ESA”). 07.02 Nothing in the Procedure precludes the City or other employees of the City from contacting colleagues outside of what may be considered normal working hours or standard business hours, subject to any rights or entitlements the receiving colleague or employee may have under their employment contract, Terms and Conditions of Employment – Non-union Employees, applicable collective agreement and/or their minimum statutory entitlements under the ESA. 07.03 There are legitimate situations when it is necessary to contact employees outside of their normal working hours to meet the needs of the City, including but not limited to: a) When unforeseeable circumstances arise. Procedure Title: Disconnecting From Work Page 7 of 7 Procedure Number: HUR 130-031 b) During an operational emergency including urgent health and safety matters. c) An unexpected employee absence. d) To determine availability for work. e) When business and operational reasons require contact outside of normal working hours. 07.04 This Procedure does not afford employees a “right to disconnect” beyond what is within their individual employment contract, the Terms and Conditions of Employment – Non-union employees Policy, applicable collective agreement and/or their minimum statutory entitlements under the ESA, which may include rights or entitlements speaking to the normal hours of work and hours free from work, overtime pay, meal and/or rest periods, public holidays and public holiday pay, and vacation. 07.05 Nothing in this Procedure is intended to amend or supersede any grievance procedure or other aspect of any applicable collective agreement. 08 Posting, Notice and Retention 08.01 The City shall provide a copy of this Procedure to each employee within 30 calendar days of implementation. Should any changes be made to the Procedure after its implementation, the City shall provide employees a copy of the revised Procedure within 30 days of the changes being made. 08.02 The City shall provide a copy of this Procedure to all new employees upon onboarding and within 30 calendar days of commencing employment with the City. 08.03 The City shall retain a copy of this and any revised version of this Procedure for three years after it ceases to be in effect.