Illinois Heartland Library System is in the process of finalizing components for the updated IHLS Personnel Code, and a revised Adverse Weather Policy has been proposed. This policy has been vetted by legal counsel and was reviewed in a first reading at the Illinois Heartland Library System Board of Directors meeting on July 27, 2021. It is now being sent for member comment. Members of Illinois Heartland Library System are encouraged to review the proposed policies and share their comments. To make a comment, please use the form below.
Current Policy: Adverse Weather
In the event of extreme adverse weather, the Executive Director (or designee) will determine which IHLS locations will be opened or closed and at what time. The State Police or information from school districts may be consulted for road conditions. Some IHLS operations may be limited during a weather emergency.IHLS has established a telephone tree for each location that includes the names and telephone numbers of each full-time and part-time employee. If IHLS (or a location) is to be officially closed, the Executive Director (or designee) will notify each building manager. The building manager will notify each supervisor. Each supervisor will notify each of his or her employees by using the telephone tree. All employees should be notified before 6:30 am. If it is necessary to have a late opening, employees will be notified by 6:30 am that there will be a late opening. Staff will be notified of the official opening time by mid-morning. When IHLS (ora location) closes due to inclement weather, all employees scheduled to work will be paid for the number of hours they are scheduled to work that particular day. If an employee has scheduled time off or is on medical leave on an adverse weather day, his or her time will be credited for the amount of excused time allowed for the adverse weather.
Proposed Policy: Adverse Weather
In the event of extreme adverse weather, the Executive Director (or designee) will determine which IHLS locations will be open, closed, or have a delayed start. A variety of sources will be used to make the determination from using the Illinois Road Conditions map, to local closings and other sources that are deemed reliable. Some IHLS operations may be limited during a weather emergency. If an IHLS building is closed, delivery service will not operate. If an IHLS building is open, the Operations/Area Manager at each IHLS location will decide if any routes at that location will be canceled due to weather conditions. The primary factor in deciding whether a route is canceled is the safety of IHLS delivery drivers. IHLS will post information about closings, delayed starts, or other departures from standard procedures during inclement weather on the IHLS website home page, and an alert will be sent out via the IHLS text messaging service to inform of weather delays, building closures, and route changes.
Each supervisor will be responsible for notifying each of his or her direct reports. All employees should be notified before 6:30 am. If it is necessary to have a late opening, employees will be notified by 6:30 am that there will be a late opening. Staff will be notified of the official opening time by mid-morning. To sign up for the Text Alert system send a text with your hub location to 84483.
When IHLS (or a location) closes due to inclement weather, all employees scheduled to work will be paid for the number of hours they are scheduled to work that particular day. Exempt employees who are able to telework on any day the employee’s work location is closed are expected to work from home if possible. Any non-exempt employee whose duties are appropriate for telework may voluntarily choose to work from home (if the employee first receives approval to do so from his or her supervisor) and, if a non-exempt employee performs work from home, the employee will receive pay for time actually spent performing work on that day as well as inclement weather pay equal to the number of hours the employee was scheduled for the day. Inclement weather pay is not considered time worked for purposes of determining an employee’s eligibility for overtime pay in the week in which a closure occurs due to inclement/adverse weather. However, time spent actually working from home is considered as time worked for purposes of determining whether the employee has worked more than forty (40) hours during that particular week.
If an employee has scheduled time off or is on medical leave on an adverse weather day, his or her time will be credited for the amount of excused time allowed for the adverse weather.
Public comment will close after Monday, Sep. 6, 2021. IHLS Personnel Committee will review the comments at their next meeting, scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sep. 7, 2021.
Comments
Weather Policy comment
Permalink Submitted by Tina Hubert (not verified) on Wed, 08/11/2021 - 14:14
I think the new policy makes sense. The only question I have concerns "If an employee has scheduled time off or is on medical leave on an adverse weather day, his or her time will be credited for the amount of excused time allowed for the adverse weather." Does this mean the employee gains back his/her/their scheduled time off? If an adverse weather day occurs when a full-time employee is on, say, two weeks vacation, does that person then gain back that day that the System closed and therefore have another day of vacation to use at some point?
I assume this only applies to employees who would normally be scheduled on a day impacted by the weather policy. In other words, this weather policy does not impact part-time staff who would not have been scheduled on that particular day - is this right?
Weather policy
Permalink Submitted by Sandra West (not verified) on Thu, 08/26/2021 - 09:18
I understand the policy. Questions: If a FT member is already off and was not planning to be on shift, do they get their "closed system" day returned to them? It is hard to justify the need to return the day, because a weather closure happened, as the employee was already off, so they would not have been directly involved in the emergent closure. Slightly confused on the non-exempt statement. I get that a non-exempt is required to as permission to work via remote, but that is voluntary. Confusion part would be are that specific classification of non-exempt employees that are not in the pool of voluntary to work remotely due to weather issues? If the individual voluntarily work, do they not need to complete a normal amount of work via remote for their shift? Why would there be additional pay offered. Would it not be easier for accounting to just pay the non-exempt person a "weather incident day" and not have to worry whether the employee got permission, documented the time worked. People at home via remote work, can easily state they are working, but who is tracking the work done? If COVID shutdown has provided insight, it clear the some positions just do not have remote work.
Weather Policy
Permalink Submitted by C. Denise Karns (not verified) on Thu, 08/26/2021 - 14:10
Sounds good.