OCTOBER 2014

 

 

ICSWO MISSION/VISION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

This Human Resources Policies & Procedures Manual (“manual”) is a summary of policies, procedures and practices related to human resource management at The Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario (ICSWO)

 

The Board of Directors (“Board”) is accountable for leading an effective employee team and is thereby accountable for the development and implementation of the policies outlined in this manual.

 

SCOPE

 

This manual applies to all employees and workers, including contract workers, independent contractors, volunteers and consultants doing work on behalf of ICSWO. This manual does not apply to the Board of Directors, who are governed by the by-laws of the organization.

 

PURPOSE OF THE MANUAL

 

The ICSWO seeks to create a work environment that is effective in achieving the organizations objectives.  The policies and practices of ICSWO reflect applicable federal and provincial statutory provisions, as well as the Mission and Values of the organizations as established by the Board of Directors.  It is recognized that an optimum work environment is one in which employer and employee understand their respective rights, responsibilities and obligations, the conditions under which they work are clearly understood, and the work environment is safe productive and mutually satisfying.  Therefore, the purpose of this manual is to clarify policies and procedures for the practice of employees in carrying out their responsibilities in accordance with the mission, values, policies and by-laws of ICSWO.

 

At all times the ICSWO remains solely responsible for the interpretation of the provisions in this Manual and their applications.  In additions, it may become necessary to modify, change, update, revoke, replace or even terminate some or all of the policies outlined in the is Manual in response to such things as changing laws, changing working conditions and/or business need, and the ICSWO reserves the right to make such changes at any time at its discretion.  Generally, employees will be informed about any changes, but changes can also be made without notice.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ROLE

 

The Board of Directors is responsible for the development and sound Human Resources Policies and Procedures.

 

The Board of Directors has delegated responsibilities for the application and maintenance of sound Human Resources Policies and Procedures to the Executive Team and HR representative.

 

This manual is distributed to each employee within the organization.  The Human Resources representative on the BOD Executive team is responsible for communicating these policies and procedures to ICSWO staff.  Every ICSWO employee has a right to have access to the HR policies and procedures manual of the organization.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND ADMINISTRATION OF HR POLICIES

 

The HR representative shall:

• Provide a work environment that ensures broad participation and open communication
• Operate with written HR Policies and Procedures which conform to legislative requirements, clarify rules for staff, provide for effective handling of grievances, encompass anti-racist values of the organizations, protect human rights, and prohibit discrimination of any kind.
• Not discriminate against any staff member for expressing an ethical dissent
• Allow staff to complain to the Board when internal grievance procedures have been exhausted and the employee alleges either

(1). the Board policy has been violated to his or her detriment or

(2)  That Board policy does not adequately protect his or her human rights.

 

• Subsequent to all other routes being exhausted, an employee may fill out the attached Board Complaint Form and take the completed written complaint, in a sealed envelope to the HR representative of the Executive Team. The HR rep is then required to notify the Board as soon as it is practical that a complaint has been filed.
• The Board will respond to the employee as soon as it is reasonably possible. The Board is entitled to undertake an investigation regarding the complaint and may gather information in this regard.

 

 

ICSWO STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY

 

Employment Equity

 

In accordance with The Canadian Human Rights Act, ICSWO is an equal opportunity employer and employs personnel without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, color, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical and/or mental handicap or financial ability.

 

While remaining alert and sensitive to the issue of fair and equitable treatment for all, in accordance with the Employment Equity Act, ICSWO has a special concern with the participation and advancement of members of four designated groups that have traditionally been disadvantaged in employment: women, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities.

 

ICSWO wishes to maintain a work environment that fosters personal and professional growth for all employees. Maintaining such an environment is the responsibility of every employee.

 

It is the responsibility of all employees and volunteers to:

• Foster cooperation and communication among each other
• Treat each other in a fair manner, with dignity and respect
• Promote harmony and teamwork in all relationships
• Strive for mutual understanding of standards for performance expectations, and communicate routinely to reinforce that understanding
• Encourage and consider opinions of other employees or members, and invite their participation in decisions that affect their work and their careers
• Encourage growth and development of employees by helping them achieve their personal goals at ICSWO and beyond
• Seek to avoid workplace conflict, and if it occurs, respond fairly and quickly to provide the means to resolve it
• Administer all policies equitably and fairly, recognizing that jobs are different but each is important; that individual performance should be recognized and measured against predetermined standards; and that each employee has the right to fair treatment
• Recognize that employees in their personal lives may experience crisis; show compassion and understanding

 

Employee Definition

 

According to the definitions outlined by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, a worker can be classified as an employee if the following characters are present:

• Works exclusively for the payer
• Payer provides tools
• Payer controls duties, whether that control is used or not
• Payer sets working hours
• Worker must perform services
• Worker is paid vacation pay
• Payer pays expenses
• Paid salary or hourly wage
• Reports to payer’s workplace on regular basis

 

A worker can be classified as an independent contractor if the following characters are present:

• May work for other payers
• Worker provides tools
• Worker decides how the task is completed
• Sets own working hours
• May hire someone to complete the job
• Not allowed to participate in payers benefit plans
• No vacation pay, and no restrictions on hours of work, or time off
• Worker pays own expenses
• Worker is paid by the job on predetermined basis
• Submits invoice to Payer for payment
• Worker may accept or reject work

 

Volunteer Definition

 

A volunteer is a person who agrees to provide a service to the ICSWO without any financial gain and may or may not be on a regular or long term work period with the ICSWO.

 

 

EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

 

It shall be the policy of the ICSWO to fill job vacancies with the best qualified candidate(s), having orientation to and awareness of anti-discrimination, cultural sensitivities, cross cultural communication and whose job performance demonstrated their ability to meet the defined needs, goals and policies of the ICSWO in order to ensure the best organizational performance pursuant to the mission and goals of the ICSWO and subject to policy constraints determined by the Board of Directors.

 

All employment opportunities at ICSWO will be posted on ICSWO’S website, on employment websites, and/or in local media classifieds. Applications are encouraged from current employees but will be screened in the same manner as applications received from outside applicants. Applicants are invited to submit their application, along with a current resumé, demonstrating that they meet the minimum criteria for the position being sought. At the closing date, all applications are screened, and candidates selected for interview are contacted. If the interview is positive, references will be contacted.

 

Offer of employment may be conditional upon the passing of a police criminal background check with vulnerable sector screening. Applicant may submit a copy of their background check if one has been done within the past year. If the background check yields a positive result for an offence, offer of employment may or may not be rescinded at the discretion of the Board, taking into consideration the nature of the offence, how recent it was, and other factors.

 

Depending on the feedback provided, a position may be offered to the applicant along with an Offer of Employment letter detailing further information on the position, including but not limited to: job title, start date, rate of pay, pay period information, vacation entitlement, hours of work, and probationary period. Upon acceptance, the candidate must sign the letter and it will be placed in the employee’s personnel file.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

 

Eligibility for Employment:  In compliance with federal legislation, new employees, if requested, and as a condition of employment, must present documentation establishing their identity and their eligibility to legally work in Canada.  A valid Social Insurance Number, landed immigrant papers, employment visa, or temporary work permit is deemed sufficient for this purpose.  Failure to prove eligibility for employment in Canada constitutes just cause for immediate dismissal, without notice or compensation in lieu of notice.

 

Employment Application:  Any misrepresentations, falsifications, or material omission in any data requested on the Employment Application or data requested during the hiring documentation process shall result in the exclusion of the individual from further consideration for employment or, if the person has been hired, termination of employment for cause, without notice or compensation in lieu of notice.

 

Employment Reference Checks:  ICSWO will check the employment references of all final candidates for employment.  Offers of employment are contingent upon obtaining satisfactory reference checks.  In order to protect the applicants privacy and so as not to jeopardize his or her current employment, reference checks with a candidate’s current employer are not made unless the candidate’s permission is obtained.  Reference checks from current employers are requested only after a conditional offer of employment is accepted.

 

Probationary Period:  all newly hired employees are required to serve a Probationary period of at least the first six (6) months after their date of hire, as stipulated in the letter of offer and employment contract, except where the employee has been offered term or occasional employment.  This probationary period can be up to a maximum of 12 months after the date of hire.  The length of the Probationary Period will be directly related to the complexity of the position and the time that it may take for an individual to have exposure to each function of their job description.  Significant pre-approved absences during the Probationary Period will automatically extend the probationary period by the length of the absence

 

Confidentiality and Insider Information Agreement:  It is essential to the success of ICSWO that the business and affairs of the organization be kept in the strictest confidence.  Therefore, employees shall not at any time nor in any manner, except where authorized or required by law or by the Executive Team, divulge, disclose or communicate to any person, firm or corporation any information concerning any matter affecting or relating to the enterprise of the organization, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any information concerning the organization’s clients, records, employees or budgeting information.

 

All employees are required to sign an Employment Contract Agreement which includes non-disclosure agreement titled the Confidentiality and Insider Information Agreement to refrain from the use of or unauthorized transmission of any confidential or privileged information while working for ICSWO, and for two years after leaving the organization.

 

DISCIPLINE

 

Discipline at ICSWO shall be progressive, depending on the nature of the problem. Its purpose is to identify unsatisfactory performance and/or unacceptable behavior. The stages may be:

1. Verbal reprimand
2. Written reprimand

iii. Dismissal

Some circumstances may be serious enough that all three steps are not used. Some examples of these types of situations are: theft, illegal or violent actions, performance of assignment(s) while under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering drugs, willful neglect of duty, misappropriation of ICSWO funds, falsification of ICSWO records, chronic absenteeism, insubordination and refusal to follow direct instructions, harassment, or misrepresentation of personal information. In all cases, documentation should be included in the employee’s personnel file.

 

 

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

 

ICSWO views terminations of employment as a serious matter.  While employee’s development and retention are among ICSWO goals, ICSWO recognizes that employees may choose to leave ICSWO or ICSWO may decide to terminate employees from time to time.  All terminations should be handled in a fair and consistent manner.

 

Employees who voluntary terminate their employment at ICSWO may be asked to participate in an Exit interview.  Exit interviews are used by ICSWO to try and understand why the employee decided to leave.  Conducting this interview is a way to improve our relationships with employees at ICSWO and reduce turnover within the organization.

 

An employee who is terminated due to an inability to perform work and/or other disciplinary reasons (except where the termination is form cause) will generally receive a warning, written or otherwise.

 

Departure

 

Terminations are to be treated in a confidential, professional manner by all concerned. Notice of termination of any permanent employee who has been continuously employed for at least three (3) months shall be given in writing. A termination at the end of an agreed to term of employment shall require no notice. At the termination of employment, whether by resignation or dismissal, any outstanding entitlements owing to the employee shall be paid in full. At the termination of employment, whether by resignation or dismissal, the employee shall immediately pay in full any outstanding amounts owing to and return any equipment owned by ICSWO. The Employer is not required to give an employee a reason why his or her employment is being terminated.

 

An employee who does not receive the written notice required under the ESA must be given termination pay in lieu of notice. An employee earns vacation pay, if applicable, on his or her termination pay. Termination pay must be paid to an employee either seven (7) days after the employee is terminated or on the employee’s next regular pay date, whichever is later.

 

Termination for Cause

An employment contract may be terminated by the Employer at any time for cause, without notice or payment in lieu of notice or severance pay whatsoever, except payment of outstanding wages, overtime and vacation pay, as applicable, to the date of termination. Cause includes, but is not limited to: any act of dishonesty; theft; falsification of records; misrepresentation of personal information; conflict of interest; misappropriation of funds; breach of confidentiality; illegal, violent, or unsafe actions; harassment; abusive treatment of clients or co-workers, either physically or mentally; gross misconduct or insubordination; performance of assignment(s) while under the influence of alcohol or mind-altering drugs; or careless, negligent or documented poor work performance.

 

Termination Without Cause

An employment contract may be terminated by the Employer at any time and for any reason on a without cause basis, upon the provision of notice or payment of notice instead, and severance pay if applicable, as is minimally required by the ESA, as amended from time to time..

 

Resignation

After completion of the first ninety (90) days of the probationary period, employees must give the Employer two (2) weeks’ notice of resignation. The Employer may waive the resignation notice period in whole or in part at any time by providing payment of regular wages for the period so waived.

 

Lay off

Operation requirements are subject to change based on workload and the funding levels received on an annual basis. All efforts will be made to keep employees in a position similar, in scope and salary, to that they have become accustom to. If the organization is unable to do this, then employees will receive one (1) week notice for each year of service, as required by the Ontario Labor Code.

 

Employer Property

Upon termination of employment for any reason, all items of any kind created or used pursuant to the employee’s service or furnished by the Employer including but not limited to computers, reports, files, diskettes, manuals, literature, confidential information, or other materials shall remain and be considered the exclusive property of the Employer at all times, and shall be surrendered to the Chair or designate, in good condition, promptly and without being requested to do so.

 

ICSWO will comply with its obligations under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 with respect to all terminations.

 

Employment of Relatives/Nepotism/Conflict of Interest

 

No candidate shall be hired for a position where they may report to, or supervise a member of their immediate family. Immediate family is defined as: parent(s), step parent(s), foster parent(s), sibling(s), grandparent(s), spouse, step children or ward of the employee member, father-in-law or mother-in-law. Personal relationships with other employees or members ICSWO’s Board of Directors should be disclosed prior to accepting any offer from the employer.

 

In other cases where a conflict or the potential for conflict arises, even if there is no supervisory relationship involved, the parties may be separated by reassignment.

 

An employee who is related to a candidate for employment shall not be involved in any aspect of the recruiting process so as to avoid any conflict of interests or allegations of preferential treatment.

 

An employee shall refrain from all Conflicts of Interest.  If an employee becomes aware of, or becomes involved in, a Conflict of Interest, he or she shall immediately disclose such Conflict of Interest to the HR representative of the Executive Team.

 

The HR representative will determine whether a Conflict of Interest exists, the seriousness of the potential or actual Conflict of Interest and what steps are necessary to protect ICSWO against the Conflict of Interest.

 

The HR representative may institute one or more of the following steps:

 

• Require that the employee cease to be involved in the situation giving rise to the Conflict of Interest
• Remove the employee from a position of influence to cover the organization with respect to matters which give rise to the Conflict of Interest
• Discipline the employee up to and including termination for cause, for being involved in the Conflict of Interest

 

 

PERFORMANCE AND REVIEW POLICIES

 

Job performance standard are developed and documented for each job against which the incumbent’s job performance is evaluated.

 

Regular feedback is provided to employees on their job performance by the HR Representative of the Executive Team.

 

Performance Review

Performance reviews, for all employees, will occur near the end of June, and annually thereafter. The review will be conducted by the HR Representative from the Executive Team in a private setting. The employee should be given advance notice of the appraisal in order to prepare for their assessment.

 

Objectives of the performance appraisal include:

• To review successes and challenges from the preceding year, and to establish

the objectives for the coming year

• To measure and evaluate an employee’s job-related attributes, behaviors

and results

• To ensure the employee and the organization are both clearly aware of the

goals, performance measures and results

• To ensure that goals are realistic and attainable
• To determine what training and development is required, if any
• To discuss any salary increases and/or promotion of an employee in the

position

• To continually monitor employee’s progress and communicate any ongoing

issues to assist the employee in reaching goals and aligning expected performance        levels with corporate goals and objectives

 

Although this is a formal evaluation process, informal and timely performance feedback should be on-going throughout the year. Supervisors are encouraged to meet with employees at a mid-year point after the appraisal to review performance and achievement to date. Employees may request a performance meeting with their supervisor at any point in the year. In addition to proving feedback, supervisors should be providing coaching and other resources to assist employees who are not achieving performance standards.

 

Both the employee and supervisor comments should be recorded on the appraisal form. If the employee has a conflict or concern with the review, this should be documented on the review. Once complete, both parties shall sign off on the final document and it shall be added to the employee’s personnel file. In order to ensure that job evaluations are kept current, existing job descriptions will be reviewed every two years.

 

Absenteeism

Employees are expected to attend work and be punctual on every scheduled day.  Any incident of employee absenteeism shall be recorded on the employee’s Attendance Record.

 

In the case of authorized absences, including but not limited to sick leave, vacation, jury duty, maternity/parental leave, discretionary leave, the employee is required to submit the appropriate documentation for leave authorization, wherever possible, prior to commencing the leave.

 

Employees will be subject to counselling and/or formal discipline if they are late without authorization for six (6) occurrences in a twelve (12) month period.

 

Employees will be subject to counselling and/or formal discipline each time they are absent without authorization.

 

Absence from work for three (3) consecutive workdays, without notification to the immediate supervisor, is considered to be a voluntary resignation of the employee form employment.

 

Employees may eliminate recorded absence occurrences if they are occurrence-free for a fifty-two (52) week period after the last recorded occurrence

 

 

BENEFITS

 

ICSWO does not currently offer its employees any medical, dental, life, or AD&D group benefits, nor Group RRSP plan.

ICSWO does not currently have paid benefit plans for sickness, bereavement and other leaves of absence and these plans aren’t required by the ESA.

 

 

TIME AWAY FROM WORK

 

Vacation Time and Vacation Pay

As vacation is designed to give employees a chance to rest and rejuvenate, therefore taking vacation is encouraged and supported by the Employer.

 

All salaried employees are entitled to a minimum of two weeks of vacation time after each 12-month vacation entitlement year beginning on the date of hire. Employees may wish to receive vacation pay included on each pay cheque in lieu of paid vacation time. Vacation will be paid on the basis of gross wages earned (excluding any vacation pay) earned in the twelve (12)-month vacation entitlement year. The employee’s wage statement will show clearly the amount of the vacation pay being paid and this amount will also be shown separately from any other amounts paid.

 

For contract workers, vacation terms will be determined and specified in their respective contracts and will be no more than (4%) of the total contracted amount.

 

Part time employees will receive four (4%) vacation pay included on each pay cheque in lieu of paid vacation time.

 

An employee who is on a leave of absence under the ESA will not lose any vacation time or vacation pay because he or she is on a leave. Because there is no break in the employment relationship during a period of ESA-designated leave, the time on leave counts toward the completion of a vacation entitlement year. The vacation pay earned during the vacation entitlement year would still be four percent (4%) of any wages actually earned during the year.

 

An employee who does not complete the full vacation entitlement year does not qualify for vacation time under the ESA. However, employees earn vacation pay as they earn wages and are entitled to four percent (4%) of each worked hour’s wages as vacation pay.

 

Employees are encouraged to take their vacation in the year in which it is earned. Annual vacation to which an employee is entitled may be taken in one unbroken period or several periods.

Employees are required to notify the HR representative from the Executive Team, in advance and in writing, of planned vacation days. As a courtesy, the Administrative Coordinator should also be notified of vacations. If a statutory holiday occurs during an employee’s annual vacation, that day shall not be deducted from their vacation balance. Any unpaid vacation pay will be calculated upon termination and will be paid on the final pay cheque according to the Employment Standards Act.

 

Leave of Absence

Employees on the active payroll may apply for personal leave of absence at any time.  This policy will apply, unless another leave of absence policy applies.  All request for personal leave are deemed to be for personal reasons and may or may not be granted in the sole discretion of the HR representative of the Executive Team.

 

Personal Emergency/Sick Leave

ICSWO does not currently provide for paid sick leave. As per the provisions of the Employment Standards Act (ESA), for employers with less than fifty (50) employees, there is no requirement to provide Personal Emergency Leave. Personal Emergency Leave is defined as unpaid, job-protected leave of up to ten (10) days each year and taken in the case of a personal illness, injury or medical emergency, or a death, illness, injury, medical emergency of, or urgent matter relating to, certain relatives.

 

 

 

Family Medical Leave

All employees who are governed by the provisions of the ESA are entitled to family medical leave, regardless of the size of their workplace. Family medical leave is unpaid, job-protected leave of up to eight (8) weeks in a twenty-six (26) week period. Family medical leave may be taken to provide care or support to certain family members and people who consider the employee to be like a family member in respect of whom a qualified health practitioner has issued a certificate stating that he or she has a serious illness with a significant risk of death occurring within a period of twenty-six (26) weeks.

The earliest an employee may start the leave is the first day of the week in which the twenty-six (26)-week period identified on the medical certificate begins. The latest day an employee can remain on leave is: the last day of the week in which the family member dies, or the last day of the week in which the twenty-six (26)-week period expires, or the last day of the eight (8) weeks of family medical leave, whichever is earlier. Based on the definition of “week” for family medical leave, the leave would always end on a Saturday.

 

Compassionate/Bereavement Leave

ICSWO will grant up to three (3) consecutive working days per event on the occasion of a death in the employee member’s immediate family. Immediate family is defined as: parent(s), step parent(s), foster parent(s), sibling(s), grandparent(s), spouse (including common law and/or same sex partner), child(ren), step child(ren) or ward of the employee member, grandchild(ren), father-in-law or mother-in-law (including parent of same sex partner).

Compassionate leave shall be extended up to a maximum of two (2) days for travel in excess of three-hundred and twenty (320) kilometers one-way from the employee’s residence.

Additional compassionate leave may be granted at the discretion of the Board for reasons not covered elsewhere in this manual. These requests should be discussed in person with the Chair and followed by a written submission.

ICSWO does not currently have a paid benefit plan for compassionate/bereavement leave and as such those days off on leave will be job-protected but unpaid.

 

Jury or Witness Duty

Under the ESA, a juror is considered to be on unpaid leave for the period of jury duty. The employee is considered to be in continuous employment for the purposes of calculating annual vacation, termination entitlements, as well as for pension, medical or other employee benefit plans if applicable. The employee is also entitled to all increases in wages and benefits which he or she would have received if not on jury duty. Further, the employer may not terminate an employee on jury duty, or change a condition of employment, without the employee’s written consent. As soon as jury duty ends, an employee must be returned to his or her former position or comparable position. A copy of the notice to serve should be provided for inclusion in the employee’s personnel file.

The same conditions above apply to employees who are required to act as a witness in a non-work related legal proceeding.

 

Time off to vote

ICSWO encourages all employees to participate in the electoral process, including voting in all municipal, provincial, and federal elections. The Election Act requires that employers give employees time off if they would otherwise not have time to vote. To ensure that employees have adequate time to exercise their franchise to vote, ICSWO will not prevent employees from having three consecutive hours free to vote during the hours the polls are open. ICSWO reserves the right to schedule this leave and will endeavor to minimize the time away from work.

 

Disability Leave

Currently, ICSWO does not provide paid benefits for Short Term or Long Term Disability.

 

Maternity, Parental and Adoptive Leave

Maternity/Parental/Adoptive and other government supported Leave shall conform to the provisions of the Employment Standards Act. The full period of the leave is granted without pay. ICSWO will issue a Record of Employment on commencement of leave which allows the employees to make claim for Employment Insurance Benefits. When the employee returns to work, employment is guaranteed in a similar position at the same salary level. During the full period of leave, any applicable vacation and sick leave shall continue to accumulate. Every attempt will be made to return employees to a position of equal responsibility on return from leave status, however, no guarantees exist that the exact position left will be available on return.

Pregnant employees have the right to take Pregnancy Leave of up to 17 weeks of unpaid time off work. Employers do not have to pay wages to someone who is on pregnancy leave.

 

New parents have the right to take Parental Leave – unpaid time off work when a baby or child is born or first comes into their care. Birth mothers who took pregnancy leave are entitled to up to 35 weeks’ leave. Birth mothers who do not take pregnancy leave and all other new parents are entitled to up to 37 weeks’ parental leave.

Parental leave is not part of pregnancy leave and so a birth mother may take both pregnancy and parental leave.

 

Currently ICSWO does not offer top-up payments to the Employment Insurance Benefits.

 

Every employee who intends to take a leave of absence from employment shall give at least four (4) weeks’ notice in writing to ICSWO before the leave is to begin, shall inform ICSWO in writing of the length of leave intended to be taken, and give at least four (4) weeks written notice of any changes in length of the leave period.

 

Professional Development

At the discretion of the Board of Directors, employees may be able to attend conferences, courses, seminars and meetings which may be beneficial to the employee’s professional development. If these opportunities are directly related to the employee’s position, and are suggested by the Board of Directors, then ICSWO will cover the cost of registration, course materials and some travel expenses.

Time taken for professional development will not constitute overtime, and will not place an employee in an overtime situation if the time off is taken during a regular workweek.

 

Paid Holiday’s

The Province of Ontario has nine (9) public holidays for which employees will be paid. They are:

• New Year’s Day
• Family Day
• Good Friday
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
• Boxing Day

 

ICSWO does not nor is required by the ESA to give employees a holiday on: Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, the first Monday in August, or Remembrance Day; however, although it is optional, ICSWO chooses to give employees a paid holiday on the first Monday in August.

 

Where a statutory holiday falls on a Saturday the holiday will be observed on the preceding Friday. Those falling on a Sunday will be observed on the following Monday.

 

Employees are not required to work on a public holiday unless they agree to do so in writing.

 

If a public holiday falls on a day during which an employee is on vacation, and the employee works regular hours on the day before their vacation and after their vacation, or has reasonable cause for failing to do so, the employee will qualify for the paid public holiday.

 

According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, in order to accommodate the religious holidays of other faiths within appropriate guidelines, employers in Ontario have a duty to accommodate an employee who practices another faith with two (2) days of religious holidays as provided for in the employment standards. These days are in addition to the statutory holidays legislated by the province. The onus is on the employee to request the religious accommodation. Equality of treatment requires at a minimum that employees receive paid religious days off, to the extent of the number of religious Christian days that are also statutory holidays, namely two (2) days (Christmas and Good Friday). Beyond this point, individuals may still seek accommodation through unpaid leave.

 

EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

 

ICSWO will pay all normal and reasonable expenses for employees who must be away from their regular place of employment, when their supervisor – prior to spending – has approved expenses. Reimbursement is contingent upon a properly completed and approved monthly mileage and expense report. Original receipts are necessary for all expenses turned in on your expense report. For the purposes of reimbursement, receipts may include credit/debit card receipts, detailed merchant receipts, and original boarding passes for airplane/train travel.

 

Invoices and expense receipts are to be submitted to the Treasurer for approval. The Treasurer is also responsible for the signing and issuing of reimbursement cheques.

 

Reimbursable expenses include, but are not limited, to:

• Long distance telephone calls directly relating to your job
• Mail and courier charges directly relating to your job
• Reasonable meal expenses when incurred as part of your responsibilities in fulfilling your job function (including taxes and gratuities up to 15%)
• Hospitality expenses that may occur when hosting a business associate to a meal when necessary and for legitimate business reasons and with prior approval given by Chair
• Accommodations for a standard single room when an employee is required to be away overnight on ICSWO business.

 

Mileage & Transportation

ICSWO will reimburse mileage (except to and from work) according to a per kilometer traveled rate that is set by the Board to cover business related mileage and additional expenses as approved by the Chair.

For travel by other means than a personal automobile, ICSWO shall pay the equivalent of an economy/coach class fare (air, train, or bus) with the lowest available fare for non-stop travel and, in the case of an automobile rental, the compact rate and reimbursement for fuel costs associated with renting a vehicle. Other reimbursable expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Public transit fares (except to and from work)
• Parking meter fees
• Taxicab fares (except to and from work) when timing, emergency, or transit of heavy materials warrants the use of a car
• Parking fees
• Airport transfers

The HR Representative from the Executive committee must authorize all travel for business purposes. Once approved and authorized, employees are responsible for booking their own travel arrangements and making sure that they fall within the set parameters discussed above.

 

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

 

Confidential Information

From time to time, employees of ICSWO may come into contact with confidential information, including but not limited to information about ICSWO’s members, suppliers, finances and business plans. Employees are required to keep any such matters that may be disclosed to them or learned by them confidential.

Furthermore, any such confidential information, obtained through employment with ICSWO, must not be used by an employee for personal gain or to further an outside enterprise.

 

Intelectual Property

Any intellectual property, such as trademarks, copyrights and patents, and any work created by an employee in the course of employment at ICSWO shall be the property of ICSWO and the employee is deemed to have waived all rights in favor of ICSWO. Work, for the purpose of this policy refers to written, creative or media work.

 

IT Information Storage and Security

Any storage devices (CD’s, USB’s, Floppy Discs, External Hard Drives, etc.) used by employees at ICSWO acknowledge that these devices and their contents are the property of ICSWO. Furthermore, it should be understood by employees, that organization equipment and e-mail addresses should be used for company business only during normal working hours.

Employees may be allowed to browse the Internet for personal use as well as business purposes as long as the personal use is done sparingly and does not conflict with regular work responsibilities or is harmful to the equipment and software of the organization, including but not limited to: downloading or emailing content that may be deemed offensive, abusive, fraudulent, violent, harassing, illegal, obscene, and/or pornographic in nature. At all times, generally accepted standards of e-mail etiquette are expected. Screen savers and wallpaper backgrounds on work computers are to be appropriate and non-offensive in nature. Personal web browsing and emailing, if it must be done, is preferred to be accomplished during lunch breaks.

Individuals may not make copies or modify copyrighted software, except to the extent permitted in the license agreement. Acquisition of software packages must be approved by the Chair, Treasurer, or designate(s).

Official ICSWO e-mail should be used for business related information only. The following may not be sent or distributed by any Employee of the organization via

official

ICSWO e-mail under any circumstances:

• No confidential data should be sent outside of the office via e-mail unless the source(s) are completely a trusted source.
• Written or pictorial discriminatory slurs (even in joke form).
• Written or pictorial sexual harassment.
• Distribution of organization data/material without authorization.
• Distribution of copyrighted material
• Bulk e-mail (a.k.a. SPAM)
• Any other written or pictorial data containing obscene, pornographic, violent,

or hate propaganda.

 

It is the responsibility of the individual users to provide good housekeeping of their e-mail files. When sending messages, employees shall identify themselves clearly and accurately. Sending of anonymous or pseudonymous messages is forbidden.

 

HEALTH AND SAFETY

ICSWO, along with its employees, must take reasonable precautions to ensure that the workplace is safe. The organization complies with all requirements for creating a healthy and safe workplace in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario.

 

Alcohol consumption and/or illegal drug use is not permitted and smoking is not permitted at the organization’s premises.

 

Accident and Injury Reporting

Any accident that results in a workplace injury (no matter how slight) or could cause a disabling injury or property/equipment loss must be reported immediately to the employee’s immediate supervisor.  At a minimum and in all cases, accident and/or injury reporting shall comply with the requirements of Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

 

ICSWO is required to comply with statutory regulations related to the reporting of occupational injuries, illnesses and accidents.  This Statement of Policy and Procedure is intended to bring consistency throughout all operations in complain with our responsibility to record and report certain incidents and to notify the necessary authorities within prescribed time limits.

 

Each employee is responsible for immediately reporting any workplace injury, accident or illness to his or her immediate.

 

The HR representative is responsible for ensuring that accident and injury reports are properly prepared and issued in a timely manner to appropriate authorities consistent with the reporting requirements specified in Ontario statutes; and for ensuring all employees are familiar with this policy and related forms.

 

HARASSMENT AND WORKPLACE VIOLENCE

 

ICSWO wants to provide a harassment-free environment for its employees and volunteers. Mutual respect, along with cooperation and understanding, must be the basis of interaction between members and employee. ICSWO will neither tolerate nor condone behavior that is likely to undermine the dignity or self-esteem of an individual, or create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

 

Workplace violence can be defined as a threat or an act of aggression resulting in physical or psychological damage, pain or injury to a worker, which arises during the course of work. Further to the definition of violence, is the definition of abuse. Abuse can be verbal, psychological or sexual in nature. Verbal abuse is the use of unwelcome, embarrassing, offensive, threatening or degrading comments. Psychological abuse is an act which provokes fear or diminishes a person’s dignity or self-esteem. Finally, sexual abuse is any unwelcome verbal or physical advance or sexually explicit statement.

 

ICSWO has a zero tolerance limit with regards to harassment and violence. Employees and volunteers must read and familiarize himself/herself with the content of the ICSWO policy on Harassment and abuse and shall sign the acknowledgement form. Employees or volunteers engaging in either harassing or violent activities will be subject to discipline, which may include termination of employment, removal from Boards or committees and possibly criminal charges.

 

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Regrettably, conflict can occur in any working environment. In an effort to resolve conflict in an expedient, yet fair manner, ICSWO recommends the following process for conflict or dispute resolution:

• Speak to the person you are having the dispute with. Many times disputes arise due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.
• If speaking to the individual does not work, speak to the HR rep. The HR rep will arrange a meeting between those involved in the dispute, to determine a resolution.
• If the HR rep is unable to resolve a workplace dispute, the parties may be referred to mediation by the Board of Directors. The resolution of the Board of Directors is final and binding on both parties of the dispute.