Personnel Policy
The following personnel policy of the Macsherry Library is effective April 9th, 2008 as adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Macsherry Library. Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action It is the policy of the Library to administer its personnel system in agreement with the New York State Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policies.
Hours: The library is open 56 hours per week. The Library Director will schedule employees so that the library is adequately staffed. Overtime: Overtime is defined to be any hours over the regularly assigned hours that each employee works. Any time which is overtime is to apply as salary at the employees regular hourly time rate. No overtime is to be worked without the approval of the Library Director.
Employee Benefits Social Security: All employees are covered under the Social Security Act. Medical Benefits: The library does not provide medical benefits. A group plan is available through the Chamber of Commerce and will be paid by the employee in its entirety. Ask the Director for information on this option. Each employee who has been a full-time employee for the entire year shall be entitled to the accrual of ten vacation days and ten sick days for that year.Vacation and sick time begin to accrue at the end of the three month probationary period. An employee shall be considered a full-time employee if he or she works an average of 20 hours per week and/or 1000 hours per year. A day shall equal 5 hours for the purpose of accrual and payment of vacation and sick time. Vacation time: Unused vacation time may be carried over to the following year(s) to a maximum of 120 hours. Two weeks notice should be given to the Director for planned vacation time. Sick Leave: Unused sick time may be carried over to the following year(s) to a maximum of 120 hours. An employee calling in sick should do so as soon as possible but no later than one hour before their assigned hours.
Paid Holidays: The Library is closed on the following legal holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas. Any employee who would have been scheduled to work on that day will be compensated for those hours at their regular pay rate.
Disability: In the event that the Library employee cannot perform their duties because of illness or incapacity, they will become eligible for New York State Disability Insurance or New York State Workers Compensation. The employees full compensation rate will be reinstated upon return to work.
Training and Staff Development The Board of Trustees wishes to encourage attendance at courses and conferences related to both library services and employees duties as a means of enhancing the librarys offering to the community. Accordingly, it pursues a policy of paying expenses to staff members as outlined below: An employee attending authorized classes at NCLS or NNYLN will be paid for class time and reasonable driving time to and from the class. Employees will also be compensated for mileage at the current federal rate. Leaves without pay may be granted at the discretion of the Board of Trustees for a period not exceeding three months. Requests for a leave of absence without pay must be submitted in writing to the Director. All requests, accompanied by recommendations of the Director, must be submitted for the approval to the Board. The Board reserves the right to stipulate any conditions for such leave.
Salary Administration All positions in the library are categorized and a salary schedule for each type of position has been established by the Board of Directors in order to provide fair and reasonable compensation for all library employees.
Performance Evaluation It is the policy of the library to have a written evaluation of employees. For a new employee, these written evaluations should be completed at the beginning of the sixth month of employment by the Director. Each employee will be evaluated against his/her job description. The Director shall personally conduct annual evaluations of the work performance of all staff members. A Board committee will provide for the Directors evaluation. The purpose of such reviews shall be to help employees make progress in their work and learn where they stand. The performance review must be accompanied by a personal conference in which the employee may examine the review and have an opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Disagreement with the performance rating may be expressed in writing to the Director and the Board of Trustees. Performance evaluations will be considered as one factor in determining salary increase, promotions, or dismissals. These performance evaluations shall be made available to the Board of Trustees for annual salary review. Evaluations, as well as any written comments that the employee should make about the evaluation, will be kept in the personnel file. All employees have access to their evaluations and may examine them at any reasonable time. On all evaluation forms, the employee will be given the opportunity to write his/her comments about any and all written comments.
Rules of Conduct
Most employees never violate any Library rules or give the Administration any reason to impose discipline. However, there is the probability that there will be some employees at the Library who will require discipline, up to and including dismissal, for actions that are detrimental to the Library or to other employees. The following is a list of some, but not all, of the acts which would result in disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. Repeated absences or tardiness. Persistent negativity or numerous petty complaints that undermine the morale of co-workers, or interfere with the normal flow of work. Misuse of time: extended breaks or lunch hours; persistent or extended personal telephone or cell-phone calls. Interrupting working employees with personal or frivolous conversations. Disrespectful behavior toward management, patrons, or other employees. Insubordination (Refusal to do work or carry out a reasonable request). Any act of dishonesty, deception or fraud. Abandonment of job or failure to report to work without notifying a Supervisor. Committing deliberate damage to Library property. Unauthorized use of Library facilities, tools or equipment. Disorder language, etc. Falsifying Library records. Allowing unauthorized person(s) access to Library facilities. Possessing, or being under the influence of, alcohol or illegal drugs while at work. Harassment of any nature, including sexual harassment. Possession of firearms or other weapons on System property. Illegal use of e-mail or communication systems. Removing, sending, or furnishing Library records and information to unauthorized persons. Abuse or violation of State or Federal laws adversely affecting employment. Any conduct contrary to common decency or morality, or liable to incite, or provoke against anyone because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, veteran status, or disability.
The examples used above are not intended to be an inclusive list of inappropriate behavior subject to disciplinary action. These examples are given only as guidelines. The Macsherry Library Board of Trustees reserves sole managerial discretion to determine what conduct or behavior is subject to discipline and to determine the extent, severity, and timeliness of such discipline. Resignation The library employee should provide two weeks notice. The employees written and signed resignation should be dated when received and retained in the personnel file.
Staff Grievances Dissatisfaction with alleged unfair treatment, work schedules and assignments, library policies and procedures, or working conditions should be brought to the attention of proper levels of authority within the Library. Many grievances can be settled informally and verbally by the Library Director. However if a matter is deemed important and can not be resolved through the Library Director, the employee may address their concerns to the Board President in writing for the consideration of the Board of Trustees at the next scheduled meeting. Emergency Closings The Library Director may authorize closings due to extreme weather conditions or other emergency situations. Such closings will be reported to area media outlets.