Untitled Document

3.001 Personnel Policies and Procedures

Last Reviewed: February 15, 1990

The policies and procedures contained herein are intended as guidelines for the equitable treatment of all University Christian Church employees. As with all guidelines these policies will not be all-encompassing. They should, however, provide necessary information which will enable employees to understand what the Church expects from them and what they may expect from the Church.

The employees of University Christian Church are here to provide the services and support which are necessary to make the programs and ministry of this church possible. It is therefore essential that you meet your first responsibility by maintaining the following standards:

Be at work on time every day.
Take pride in your work.
Be courteous and considerate towards everyone.
Show respect of other employees.
Present a neat appearance through good grooming and cleanliness.

THE PERSONNEL COUNCIL

The Personnel Council of University Christian Church assists the Senior Minister and the Church Administrator in all matters related to personnel administration and management. Responsibilities include such areas as employment, salaries, benefits and personal services. The Personnel Council serves as the official liaison between the staff and the congregation for the purpose of promoting mutual understanding and effective work.

The Council meets on a regular basis to address the following areas:

Employment/Employee Relations
Compensation and Benefits Administration
Personnel Services.

BUSINESS OFFICE

The Church Administrator is responsible for implementing the policies and procedures established by the Personnel Council through the church business office. The office will maintain personnel records on:

Attendance and Sick Leave
Vacation and Emergency Leave
Benefits Records
Employee Reviews
Miscellaneous Records.

Employees may review their own personnel records with the prior approval of and in the presence of the Church Administrator or, upon request, the Senior Minister.

Management of all employment activities originates through the business office and is the responsibility of the Church Administrator for the effective and timely administration of all ministerial and church activities.

EMPLOYEE STATUS

All employees of University Christian Church are ultimately responsible to the Senior Minister. Support staff consists of those employees working within the areas of secretarial, general clerical, building maintenance, etc. Ministerial support staff includes youth workers, section leaders, musicians, etc. A role description will be provided outlining primary duties of all these positions.

Full Time Employees--Persons hired for a work week of 35-40 hours or more on an annual basis.

Part Time Employees--Persons hired to work less than 35 hours per week on an annual basis.

Temporary Employees--Persons hired to work irregular schedules for periods of time other than annually. As such they are not entitled to staff benefits, but are governed by the same employment policies as full time and part time employees.

HOURS OF WORK

The normal hours of work are five (5) days a week - Monday through Friday and eight (8) hours per day. Hours of work for evening and part-time employees are set by their supervisors and vary according to the nature of the assigned job.

Church Office hours are normally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Although there will be exceptions, employees are scheduled to work during that period of time unless otherwise requested.

Lunch and Break Periods

Employees are entitled to a lunch period of one (1) hour, to be scheduled not earlier than 11:00 a.m. or later than 2:00 p.m., with one fifteen (15) minute break in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Overtime

Overtime may be compensated by straight time for work over forty (4) hours, or may be considered comp time and taken at a later date as arranged with the Church Administrator. Employees shall be expected to perform overtime work as required by their supervisor. An endeavor will be made to give employees 24 hours advance notice of scheduled overtime work. Comp time must have prior approval of the Senior Minister.

Pay Periods

All full time employees and part-time office staff will be paid twice each month. Normal pay days are the 15th and the last day of the month. When a pay day falls on a weekend or a holiday, paychecks will be issued the last working day prior to the normal pay day. All other part-time employees will be paid on the last day of the month. Pay advances are discouraged and should be confined to emergencies only.

FEDERAL SOCIAL SECURITY

All University Christian Church employees have deducted from their paychecks a percentage of total earnings which is applied toward the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA), as required by law. The church in turn pays an equal amount for each employee, as required by law.

FEDERAL WITHHOLDING TAX

Upon employment, each employee will be required to complete a W-4 Form, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. The form has two basic purposes:

To provide the employer with employee’s social security number and current mailing address and,
To notify the employer of the number of deductions the employee wishes to claim in regard to the amount of federal tax withheld.

This W-4 form MUST be updated when:

The employee’s name or address changes
The employee wishes to adjust the number of deductions.

PROOF OF U.S. WORKER STATUS

All employees must show proof of U.S. Citizenship or approved U.S. worker status within the first three weeks of employment. Failure to supply the required documentation will result in termination.

ATTENDANCE

Absences from normal work schedule must be approved in advance, when possible, by the Church Administrator. Illnesses should be reported by the employee to the church office no later than 30 minutes following the scheduled time to begin work for that day. Failure to do so may result in loss of sick pay for that day. Days absent cannot be made up unless approved by the Senior Minister.

Personal Illness

Sick leave will be earned at the rate of one day per calendar month worked, and can be accumulated up to fifteen (15) sick days per year. Sick leave cannot be carried over from one year (based on employee’s anniversary date) to the following year and shall not constitute a claim for reimbursement when an employee leaves the employment of the church.
With the approval of the Senior Minister, serious illness in the immediate family may be considered as a personal illness.

Extended Personal Illness

Employees with three years of continuous service may receive full pay up to three (3) weeks for an illness requiring the employee to be away from work for ten (10) consecutive work days or longer. This benefit cannot be used for more than fifteen (15) paid days leave during any one calendar year or thirty (30) days total.
Employees with six or more years of continuous employment may receive full pay up to six (6) weeks for an illness requiring the employee to be away from work for ten (10) consecutive work days or longer, and 50% salary for the next 4 1/2 months for a total of six (6) months disability payments. This benefit is limited to one full six calendar month benefit in any one calendar year, and a total of two full six calendar month benefits during the employee’s tenure with University Christian Church.
Earned vacation may be applied to cover additional illnesses.

Personal Time Off

All personal time off will be without pay and must be approved by the Church Administrator or the Senior Minister. If approved, the employee may arrange work make-up hours to maintain a full work week without penalty. Make-up hours must be worked during the same week personal time off is taken.
Upon approval by the Senior Minister, an employee may use sick leave, in no less than four hour increments, for personal time off, up to two sick days a year.

Other Absences

Death in immediate family:

In case of death in the immediate family (father, mother, sister, brother, spouse, child, spouse’s child, spouse’s parent, or other relative residing in the household) the employee may be paid for the absence from scheduled work for a period not exceeding three (3) working days. Two additional days off may be taken using accrued sick leave. Leave in excess of five days must be approved by the Senior Minister.

Absence due to death of relative other than immediate family:

In case of death of a relative other than the immediate family, the employee may be paid up to three (3) working days per year and will be deducted from accrued sick leave.

Jury and Witness Duty:

An employee is paid for the time absent on such duty up to five (5) working days for each term served, not to exceed ten (10) working days per year. Any court reimbursements will be deducted from the employee’s wages during the time off. Employee must provide the jury summons prior to absence and a Jury/Witness Service Certification from the court upon return to work.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence shall be granted to full time employees for the following reasons:

Maternity - Full time employees having one complete year of employment will be allowed up to sixty (60) days of approved leave without pay. Employee must provide a physician’s release without restrictions prior to return to work.
Illness or injury not covered in this publication.
Military Leave - Short periods of military active duty to undergo annual or special training.
Emergency leaves of absence otherwise not covered in this publication.

Due to limited staff positions, no employment after a leave of absence is guaranteed by University Christian Church.

VACATION AND PERSONAL DAYS POLICIES

Full Time Employees

Full time employees are entitled to ten (10) days of paid vacation after one complete year of employment. Vacation days may be taken after the anniversary date of the first year, or at the discretion of the Church Administrator. Vacation days include only regularly scheduled work days. An additional day off shall be given for any paid holiday occurring during the normal vacation period.

Earned vacation time to which an employee is entitled shall be computed on the employment anniversary date. Vacation pay shall consist of eight (8) hours of pay at the employee’s regular straight time hourly rate for each day of vacation earned. Vacation days are interpreted to mean working days exclusive of Saturday or Sunday.

Vacations cannot be carried over from one year to the next. After establishing the right to an earned vacation, any full time employee who resigns by giving thirty (30) days written notice shall be paid accrued, unused vacation time proportionate to the amount of months worked into their anniversary year at a rate of one (1) day per month. Sixteen days or more of a month shall be counted as a full month. Example:

A full time employee with 10 days of unused vacation time who resigns 6 months into his anniversary year would receive 6 days of vacation pay.

After eight (8) years of continuous service, employees will be entitled to fifteen (15) vacation days; after fourteen (14) years of continuous service, employees will be entitled to twenty (20) vacation days.

Part Time Employees

A part time employee is defined as one who works at least twenty (20) hours a week on a regular basis and as result, is entitled to vacation days proportionate to days per week they work after having completed one (1) year of continuous employment. Example:

A 20 hours a week part time employee who has worked 1 year would receive 5 days paid vacation time.

Vacation requests should be submitted to the Church Administrator as soon as a date is decided upon. In the event of a conflict in scheduling, the employee with the greatest seniority will be given deference.

If a holiday falls during a vacation, an additional one (1) day may be taken. If a pay day occurs during a vacation, the employee may request a salary advance, not to exceed the net amount for the next pay period.

In addition to vacation, after one full year of employment, each employee is entitled to one paid Personal Day - or equivalent time off subject to advance approval from the Church Administrator.

HOLIDAYS

In addition to vacation and personal leave, employees are entitled to the following holidays:

New Year’s Day Thanksgiving Day

Memorial Day Friday after Thanksgiving

Independence Day Christmas Day

Labor Day Extra Christmas Day

If any holiday falls on a Saturday, the holiday will be observed on the last working day before the holiday. If the holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday will be observed on the first working day after the holiday.

If an employee works on an observed holiday at the request of the church, then he or she will receive commensurate time off for all hours worked on the holiday or equivalent extra pay. If a holiday or observed holiday falls on a scheduled day off (other than Saturday or Sunday), the employee will be allowed another day off or an extra day’s pay.

EMPLOYMENT, REVIEW AND TERMINATION

The Church Administrator, in conjunction with the Personnel Council, is responsible for establishing the rate of compensation for all employees. When applicable, the person employed will be interviewed and approved by the professional or supervisory staff person for whom he or she will be working.

The rate of pay at which an employee is hired will normally be in effect for a period of one year. When annual merit salary increases are given, employees having less than one year’s service may be given a salary adjustment pro-rated in accordance to length of employment.

If any employee does not receive a salary review/increase at least annually, they shall be advised in writing as to the reason(s). All salary levels/increases shall be established by the Personnel Council in consultation with the Senior Minister.

At least annually, a performance review will be conducted for all support staff employees. These reviews will be conducted with recommendations from the professional or supervisory staff person to whom the person reports. The reviews will be discussed with the employee. The employee will then be given the opportunity to offer written comments regarding the review. The review and the comments will become part of the employee’s permanent file.

Termination of any support staff employee shall be conducted through the Personnel Council. While cause for termination may be for any number of reasons, documentation should be in the employee’s permanent file reflecting work habits, performance, or other cause for termination. In all cases, the reason(s) for termination of an employee shall then be in writing and made a part of their permanent file.

Every employee shall begin on a 90-day probationary period. After the 90 days, either party may terminate the association without reason. An employee having less than six (6) months of service is not required to receive advance notice of termination or severance pay. After six months of service, the length of notice of termination or equivalent severance pay shall be determined by the Personnel Council, in consultation with the Senior Minister. Two weeks for either is normally the minimum.

WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION

In the event of occupational injury, all employees are protected under benefits of the Texas Worker’s Compensation Law. While such payments are made according to State Law, they are paid for by University Christian Church through the church’s Worker’s Compensation Insurance Program.

INJURY ON THE JOB

Employees who are injured while on the job must report the injury to the Church Administrator or business office within 24 hours of the injury. First Aid supplies are available for any injuries. Even the smallest scratch can result in a serious infection.

GROUP HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE

CONTINUING EDUCATION

3.002 Personnel Review Procedures

Last updated: March 20, 2007.

The personnel review process is conducted by the Personnel Council by provision of University Christian Church bylaws. The purpose of the process is to review the work and ministries of the past year in light of the vision and mission of UCC, and to make plans for the coming church year.

· All performance reviews will be based on current role descriptions and will reflect the general ministries and responsibilities of the staff member in light of the vision and mission of UCC.

· All performance reviews will be completed annually no later than six weeks before the beginning of the fiscal year.

· All performance reviews will be filed in the respective confidential personnel file.

Senior Minister. The Personnel Council has the direct responsibility of conducting the Senior Minister’s performance review.

1. Prior to the completion of the review, the Personnel Council will solicit participation from members of the congregation, including but not limited to:

· President of congregation

· Secretary of congregation

· Treasurer of congregation

· Past president of congregation

· Council chairs named in job description

· Chair(s) of elders

· Three members of the congregation jointly selected by the minister and the Personnel Council

The Personnel Council will devise a written questionnaire, based on the Senior Minister’s ministries as reflected in the role description, to be presented to the above-named members to solicit their comments. Such questionnaire will include ample opportunity for comment on core ministries as reflected in the role description as well as any other areas or issues the respondent may want to address. Each person asked to return a questionnaire should include perceived ministerial strengths and weaknesses in advancing the vision and mission of UCC as it relates to the ministries of which the reviewer has personal knowledge or observations. All completed questionnaires will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

In addition, the chair of the Personnel Council will notify the congregation through the Caller and/or UCC Happenings that the review process is under way and seek comments from the general membership. Names, email addresses and telephone numbers of Personnel Council members will be attached to the announcement. Congregational comments may be presented formally or informally to the Personnel Council members. All responses will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

In addition, the Associate Minister, at his/her discretion, may submit a performance review of the Senior Minister to the Personnel Council. Any response will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

The Senior Minister will be asked to assess his/her own effectiveness in advancing the vision and mission of the church in the year that is ending, his/her ministerial strengths and weaknesses, and his/her goals for the coming year, and to submit that review to the Personnel Council. In addition, the Senior Minister will review the congregation’s performance in supporting each aspect of his/her ministry, as appropriate, including perceived congregational successes and failures in helping the minister advance the vision and mission of UCC. All reviews will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

2. The Personnel Council will compile all performance review information, including the minister’s self-assessment, the survey results from selected members of the congregation, and any additional input received.

3. The Personnel Council will meet with the Senior Minister to discuss the previous year’s accomplishments and the information gathered through the process described above. This meeting will focus on goals for the coming year and examine ways in which the congregation can support the Senior Minister in his/her ministries. When all parties agree on the performance review, a summary document will be written by the Personnel Council chair, to be signed by the Senior Minister and Personnel Council chair. If agreement cannot be reached, the performance review will be referred to the Board.

4. All performance reviews will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

5. Based on the final performance review, adjustments to the Position Description and corresponding objectives should be made, as appropriate.

Other Ministerial Staff. The Personnel Council and the Senior Minister have the shared responsibility of conducting the performance reviews of other ministerial staff.

1. Prior to the completion of the review, the Senior Minister and/or the Personnel Council will solicit participation from members of the congregation including but not limited to:

· President of congregation

· Secretary of congregation

· Treasurer of congregation

· Past president of congregation

· Council chairs named in job description

· Chair of elders

· Three members of the congregation jointly selected by minister being reviewed and the Personnel Council

The Senior Minister, in consultation with the Personnel Council, will devise a written questionnaire based on the Minister’s ministries as reflected in the role description, to be presented to the above-named members to solicit their comments. Such questionnaire will include ample opportunity for comment on core ministries as reflected in the role description as well as any other areas or issues the respondent may want to address. Each person asked to return a questionnaire should include perceived ministerial strengths and weaknesses in advancing the vision and mission of UCC as it relates to the ministries of which the reviewer has personal knowledge or observations. All completed questionnaires will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

In addition, the chair of the Personnel Council will notify the congregation through the Caller and/or UCC Happenings that the review process is under way and seek comments from the general membership. Names, email addresses and telephone numbers of Personnel Council members will be attached to the announcement. Congregational comments may be presented formally or informally to the Senior Minister or Personnel Council members. All responses will be held in confidence by the Senior Minister and Personnel Council.

The Minister will be asked to assess his/her own effectiveness in advancing the vision and mission of the church in the year that is ending, his/her ministerial strengths and weaknesses, and his/her goals for the coming year, and to submit that review to the Senior Minister and the Personnel Council. In addition, the Minister will review the congregation’s performance in supporting each aspect of his/her ministry, as appropriate, including perceived congregational successes and failures in helping the minister advance the vision and mission of UCC. All reviews will be held in confidence by the Personnel Council.

2. The Senior Minister and/or Personnel Council will compile all performance review information, including the minister’s self-assessment, the survey results from selected members of the congregation, and any additional input received.

3. The Senior Minister and Personnel Council will meet with the Minister to discuss the previous year’s accomplishments and the information gathered through the process described above. This meeting will focus on goals for the coming year and examine ways in which the congregation can support the Minister in his/her ministries. When all parties agree on the performance review, a summary document will be written by the Personnel Council Chair and/or the Senior Minister, to be signed by the Minister, the Senior Minister, and the Personnel Council chair. If agreement cannot be reached, the performance review will be referred to the Board.

4. All performance reviews will be held in confidence by the Senior Minister and Personnel Council.

5. Based on the final performance review, adjustments to the Position Description and corresponding objectives should be made, as appropriate.