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2009-03-23_Supplemental Agenda Packet--Dossier de l'ordre du jour supplémentairem; City of Saint John Common Council Meeting Monday, March 23, 2009 Location: Common Council Chamber Supplemental to Agenda 13.3 Committee of the Whole Report: Terms and Conditions of Employment - Management Professional. City of Saint John Seance du conseil communal Le Lundi 23 Mars, 2008 Lieu : Salle du conseil communal Ordre du jour supplementaire 13.3 Rapport du comite plenier : Conditions de travail du personnel de direction et des employes professionnels City of Saint John Terms and Conditions of Employment Management/Professional Personnel January, 2009 City of Saint John 1 Januaal), 2009 Terms and Conditions ofEniploynient-Management/Professional Personnel TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction • 4 Employer 5 Effective Date 5 Coverage and Application 5 Policy Statements 6 FART ONE: Hours of Work. 7 Regular Hours of Work 7 Overtime 7 Extraordinary Overtime 7 Can-Call Assignments 7 Extraordinary On-Call 8 Saint John Emergency Management Organization 8 PART TWO. Salaries 8 Salary Administration 8 Remuneration for Service beyond established. hours of work 9 PART T E. Benefits 10 Azmual Vacation . 10 Statutory, Designated and. Proclaimed Holidays 11 Health & Dental 11 Basic Life Insurance 12 Optional Life Insurance 12 Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment 12 Employee and Family Assistance Program 12 Deferred Salary Leave Program 12 PART FOUR: Absences due to Illness, Injury or Disability..... 13 Sick Leave: defined 13 Sick Leave benefits 13 Return to Work 14 Long-Term Disability 14 City of Saint Joh 11 2 Janna?3~ 2009 Terms and Conditions of Employment - ManagementJProfessional Pers077nel PART SIX: Maternity and Paternity Leave 15 PART SEVEN. Health. & Wellness 16 PART EIGHT. Employee Development 16 PART NINE. General 1 Probationary Period 17 Workplace Conflict Resolution 18 City of FaintJohn 3 Jannai3+ 2009 Teams and Conditions ofEmployanent -.AlartageattetttlProfessioaual Personnel TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT Management/Professional Personnel Introduction This document sets out the terms and conditions of employment for Management/Professional personnel employed by the City in full-time permanent positions. Clearly articulating Terms & Conditions of Employment represents best practice for any employment relationship. It is a foundational document that helps establish trust in the employment relationship. The City of Saint John Corporate Strategic flan establishes the following goal: Corporate Goal The City of".Saint John is a great place to ivory, a people-~vcrrsccl oI-ganization that recognizes the value oaf individuals united in public sei-vice, Our commitment to public service is clearly articulated in our Mission, Vision & Values: Our Fission - Why We Exist To serve our City with pride, to provide our citizens with quality service, and to contribute to the overall economic, social and environmental well-being of Saint John. Our Vision - What We Want To Be We are energized, engaged people committed to working together to provide services that are responsive to Community needs and delivered in a sustainable, cost-effective way. Our Values - How We Do It Commitment - fulfilling the expectations we create in our promises, both direct and implied. Integrity - conducting oneself honestly, fairly, respectfully and ethically. Responsibility - accepting accountability, expectations and values based decision- making. City of Saint John 4 Januaay, 2009 Ternxs aatd Conditions ofEmployment -.Alariagei)aeritlPi-ofessioiiaT Personnel Employer The City of Saint Jahn, hereinafter referred to as "The Employer", is a body corporate in the County of Saint John, in the Province of New Brunswick. Effective Gate Effective January 1, 2009, these Ternrs and Conditions of Employment - Managernent/Professional Personnel will supersede all previous versions and amendments of applicable Human Resource Policies. Human Resource Business Practices, approved by the City Manager, will be developed as needed to provide administrative direction associated with this document. These Terns & Conditions will be reviewed at least once in every 5 year period and updated as necessary. Coverage and Application These Terrns and Conditions of Employment apply to all full-time permanent management and professional employees of the Employer. In cases where individuals are engaged in any of these positions under an employment contract the provisions of the contract will prevail.. Within the document, the terra "Supervisor" refers to the person who supervises the position, the supervisor in some cases may also be the manager;, and the term "Manager" refers to the division level manager. Questions regarding the contents or administration of the Terms and Conditions of Employment - Management Personnel may be directed to Human Resources personnel. The City Manager is responsible for maintenance of these Terms and Conditions of Employment with all amendments being subject to approval of Common Council. Managers and Supervisors are responsible for: - developing a sound working knowledge of this document and associated Business Practices, including revisions and additions; making every effort to ensure that staff are aware of and understand applicable policies and practices; applying policies and practices in an equitable and fair manner, utilizing sound judgment, and; reporting as necessary the need for periodic revisions or additions. All City of Saint John employees have a responsibility to be familiar with the Municipality's policies and practices as they relate to their role and employment. City of Saha Johi 5 .Januaay, 2009 Terins and Conditions of Employment - ManagementlProfessional Personnel POLICY STATEMENTS These Tenns and Conditions of Employment have been developed to provide clarity and direction with regards to the employment relationship between the Employer and its Management/Professional personnel. The following policy statements have guided the preparation of this document. Organizational Performance The City of Saint John is committed to achieving excellence throughout its operations. To meet this objective, we will ensure our workforce is skilled and knowledgeable, consistently demonstrating commitment, integrity and responsibility in our service to the citizens of Saint John. Employee Remuneration The City of Saint John recognizes the contributions and achievements of employees and provides a total compensation package, which is intended to achieve the following three objectives: (1) To attract, retain and motivate highly qualified employees. (2) To contribute to the recognition and reward of employees' individual performance. (3) To maintain a competitive compensation structure that compares favorably with others in the marketplace and can be supported by the financial position of the City. Employee Development The City of Saint John supports employee learning and development as a strategic opportunity to develop a qualified and motivated workforce. Employee Wellness and Productivity The City of Saint John promotes employee wellness that encourages a shared responsibility to develop and achieve personal and organizational goals. City of Saint John 6 .Tarauaiy, 2009 Terms and Conditions of Employment - AlanagementfPr•ofessional Personnel T E: Hours of Work Regular Hours of Work Business hours as well as the "regular" hours of work for City employees vary from department to department and employee group to employee ,group. For instance the City's Inside Workers have a 35-hour work week, Outside Workers have a 40 hour regular work week and Fire Operations average a 42 hour regular work week which does include meal time. The large diversity in "regular" hours of work among employee groups presents a problem in clearly defining the regular hours of work for management and professional personnel. For all intents and purposes, the regular hours of work for each manager shall be directly related to the regular hours of work of the reporting employee group. If the manager has no employees reporting to hint /her; then the regular hours of work will be based upon the public business (office) hours of that department or division. Overtime It is anticipated that managers and professional personnel will be required to work extra time reasonably required to get their job done. This additional commitment is inherent to every management job and accordingly is incorporated in the compensation structure. It is considered reasonable for management staff to be required to work up to 50 hours in any given week. This overtime requirement however is not to be considered acceptable, nor should it be expected to occur for more than two consecutive weeks and in no way should be considered acceptable for scheduling of regular work duties. Extraordinary Overtime Time worked in excess of 50 hours in any given week shall be considered extraordinary overtime. On-Call Assignments Some Management and Professional personnel are expected to support public and employee safety by being on-call. Where operationally feasible such assigrunents will be rotated amongst the applicable managers. To support the health and wellness of employees, it is the Employer's objective not to place an employee in a weekly on-call assignment more often than once in a 12 week period; however it is still considered. reasonable to be given an on-call assignment on average of once in every eight weeks. An employee cannot be on-call during vacation leave. This includes weekends (or regularly scheduled days off) that abut the vacation leave as well as any statutory holidays that abut or fall within the vacation leave. City of Saint Jolrrr 7 Jantmy, 2009 Terms and Conditions of L"rnplQ wrent - n1'eniagenrent✓Pr ofes°sional f'ersomiel Extraordinary On-Call On-call assignments that occur more frequent than once in every S weeks on average shall be considered extraordinary on-call. Saint John Emergency Management Organization A call-out or an extended response to a matter of public emergency, public safety or incident mitigation shall be included in the tabulation of regular hours worked, reasonable overtime and extraordinary overtime.. PART Ti W : Salaries The City Manager is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations to Common Council regarding total compensation initiatives as they fit into the organizations overall total compensation strategy. The City Manager will recommend inclusion of sufficient resources in the annual budget and plan to implement salary and other total compensation initiatives once approved. In conjunction with the annual budget approval process, the City Manager shall make a. recommendation to Council as to an appropriate adjustment to the Pay Scale for management personnel. The recommendation shall be based upon: • Economic factors such as Cost of Living, Inflation rates, etc. + Fair and equitable internal comparisons with other City of Saint John employee groups; • Comparisons with relevant external employers for the purposes of attaining and maintaining market competitiveness and thus suitable attraction and retention; and • Consistent policy directions and programs and services for all City of Saint John employee groups. • Any specific direction provided by Common Council. Principles of Salary Rama Administration The following basic principles apply to salary administration: • lobs will be assigned to various classification levels in the salary system based on job evaluation. w The City Manager has the authority to adjust the classification group up or clown one level based on: the accountabilities of the role; the gap between supervisor and reporting employee group(s); or market conditions. All other adjustments require the approval of Common Council. Ciz v of Sadrrt John 8 Jararra)3~ 2009 Terms and Conditions ol'E ployinent - ManagenjenilProfessional Personnel • There is a salary established for each position that is based on an individual having all of the necessary qualifications and experience to carry out the full responsibilities. Individuals are placed in these positions at a salary level that is 90-93% of that set for the fully qualified individual. The employee moves toward the fully qualified salary on an annual basis based on satisfactory performance appraisals. • The scheduled date for adjustments within the salary range will be the anniversary date of appointment to the job. The due date of the completed performance planning and appraisal report shall be 60 days prior to the employee's anniversary date. • An employee who has not performed the job in a satisfactory mariner duly addressed with the employee and documented by the supervisor through the performance appraisal process will not be eligible to receive a salary adjustment. In such cases a performance improvement plan will be prepared and monitored by the manager and/or supervisor, • There will be no further salary adjustments once an employee's salary has reached the maximum of the job classification. Remuneration for Service beyond established Hours o►f'Work On-Call When an employee is required to be on-call they shall receive one day off with pay for each week on-call to be taken immediately following the weep. If a Statutory Holiday falls wtliin the on-call week and additional day off will be granted to be taken immedKitcly following the week. Extraordinary On-Call When an employee's average on-call rotation exceed that considered to be part of.a. normal rotation as defined in the ]Flours of Work, the employee will be remunerated for the additional on-call time at the rate of one day's pay for each week on-call. Extraordinarv Overtime When an employee's weekly accumulative hours of work (including; call-outs) exceeds that considered to be reasonable overtime as defined in the Flours of Work, the employee will be given equivalent time off (with pay). In extreme cases where operational requirements do not allow for scheduling of time-off the employee will be remunerated for each additional hour of work at his/her straight time rate of pay. Service Pav Consistent with the policy direction established by Common Council, service pay will continue to be paid only to permanent members of management staff employed on or City vf'SeahaJohn 9 Jaruaar1,, 2009 Terns and Conditions of Employment -Management/Pr•ofessional Persanrzel before 1 June 1992. Members of management staff hired after 1 June 1992 are not eligible for service pay. Retirement Pav For those management employees who are eligible, upon retirement they will receive one month's pay for every five years of service or fraction thereof to a maximum of six months pay. To qualify, an employee must have a minimum of five years continuous service with the Employer. The benefit shall not apply when an employee resigns from service or is dismissed for cause. The employee may request in writing a one-time-only payment in lieu of retirement pay at any time prior to retirement. Such payment shall be made in an amount as defined above, based on the date the request is made. To qualify, the employee must have a minimum of five (5) years continuous service. Upon such payment the employee would waive all entitlement to further retirement pay. Employees who are leaving the organization within ninety (90) days shall not be eligible for the retirement pay option outlined herein. Retirement pay will continue to be paid only to permanent members of management staff employed on or before March 23, 2009 and who have not chosen the opting out provision. PART THREE Benefits Annual Vacation Management personnel of the City of Saint John shall earn vacation as follows: 0 Less than 6 years continuous service - 3 weeks. • Six 6 years continuous service - 4 weeks. • Thirteen 13 years continuous service - 5 weeks. o Twenty 20 years continuous service - 6 weeks. e After 25 years of continuous service each employee shall receive 1 additional day per further year of continuous service to a maximum of 5 days. All employees follow the above schedule except in cases where a different entitlement was negotiated at the time of appointment and agreed to by the City Manager, City Solicitor, Common Clerk or Common Council as applicable. In such cases the employee will progress through the above schedule as if he/she had the continuous years of service to earn the vacation negotiated at the time of hire. The vacation year shall be from January 1 to December 31. Vacation must be taken in the current calendar year and is to be scheduled by a supervisor or manager in consultation with the employee. City of Saint Jolara 10 Janrrary, 2009 Ter ins and Conditions of F"~rapl'gymenf -Afaiiaget)ieiitIPi-ofessioiiaI Personnel An employee may carry from one calendar year to the next, a maximum of two weeks vacation. An employee may accumulate up to a total of four weeks of vacation carryover at any time. Any additional vacation carryover must be approved by the City Manager, An employee who has used vacation time and terminates employment before his/her anniversary date of continuous service shall repay the applicable pro-rated proportion of vacation. Such payment will be deducted from any severance pay or hold back. Displacement of Vacation If an employee is hospitalized during his/her vacation period, such time in the hospital shall not be considered vacation time but shall be considered sick leave. Statutory, Designated and Proclaimed Holidays /Management staff shall be entitled to Statutory, Designated and Proclaimed. Holidays as follows; New Year's Day, Good Friday, Faster Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, New Brunswick Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and any other day proclaimed by the Federal, Provincial or Municipal Governments as a holiday. /Management staff are entitled to statutory, designated and proclaimed holidays from the date of commencement of work with the City of Saint John.. In addition to the above Statutory, Designated and Proclaimed Holidays, each management person who has completed one (1) year of continuous service shall be entitled to one day as a floating, holiday, to be taken at a mutually agreed time, each calendar year. There shall be no carry-forward of this holiday or any pay-out of the holiday upon termination of employment. Health and Dental All management employees as well as their spouses and dependent children are eligible to participate in this plan. Participation in the plan is mandatory for all employees hired after May 1, 2004. The costs of the program are shared at 75% from the Employer and 25% from employees. Any employee who is not a participant in the plan shall not be entitled to a cash payment in lieu of the Employer's contribution to the cost. Effective May 1, 2004 current employees not participating in the plan will no longer be eligible to participate in the plan now or in the future. Employees impacted by this provision will be eligible to enter the plan provided they register no later than April 1, 2004. City ofSairrt.Tohn l 1 Jeurrrai),a 2009 Tears and Conditions ofEmploprent-1Wlanagernent/Professional Personnel Basin Life Insurance Basic Life including Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance is a mandatory benefit for all permanent management employees. The Employer contributes 75% of the cost of the progrann with employees being responsible for the remaining 25%. Upon retirement the employee will be entitled to a $5,000 life insurance policy with monthly premium costs being paid for by the City. Optional Life Insurance Optional Life Insurance, through the City's insurance provider, is not a mandatory benefit. It is, however, available for purchase for employees, their spouses and dependants. Employees are responsible for 100% of the premium. Voluntary Accidental Death & Dismemberment Voluntary AD&D is available for employees, their spouses and dependants. Employees are responsible for 100% of the premium.. Employee and Family Assistance Program The Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is a service that provides confidential, professional assistance to employees and their family members to resolve problems that affect their personal lives and in some cases job performance. The EFAP is provided at no cost to employees or immediate family members subject to certain exceptions that are detailed in a separate Business Practice. Deferred Salary Leave Program The City of Saint John wants employees to have opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge to the utmost. To assist permanent employees who aspire to develop themselves by attaining further education or who wish to have time off for personal growth, the City of Saint John will hold a portion of an employee's salary for a specified period of time and then allow the employee to take up to one year off with pay equivalent to the amount withheld. Employees who wish to participate in this program must apply in writing to their department head. The department head will consider the request and forward it, along with a recommendation, to the City Manager for a decision on the request. Under these terns and conditions, the employee would agree to be paid a reduced percentage of his or her gross salary for a specified period of time not to exceed five years. The remaining portion of the employee's salary would be paid out at regular intervals (i.e., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) once the employee begins the leave of absence. City of Saint John 12 January, 2009 Terms and Cmidiflous of Erarplo,ymew - Afarraragerraer°atPPrxrfessiorial P'ersoaarael During the entire term of the program, including the leave of absence, the employee would continue to pay his portion of benefit costs through payroll deduction and benefits coverage would continue. Participants would make Pension Plan contributions in accordance with the provisions of the City of Saint John Pension Act. Canada. Pension Plan premiums, Employment Insurance premiums and income tax would be deducted in accordance with revenue Canada guidelines. I T FOUR: absences due to Sickness,, Injury or Disability Sick Leave Defined' Sick Leave means the period of time an employee is absent from work by virtue obeing sick or disabled, or under examination or treatment of a physician, chiropractor, or dentist or because of an accident for which compensation is not payable cinder the \workers' Compensation Act. Routine examinations by or visits to physicians, chiropractors, or dentists are not considered to be part of sick leave. Sick Leave Benefits The City of Saint John will continue to pay the salary of employees for a period of six (6) months while on sick leave, provided the employee meets their obligation to the employer with respect to the Return to Work Program. All absences of ten continuous working days or greater will be referred to a third party Occupational Medical Advisor (OMA) or Medical Doctor in order to be considered for ongoing Sick Leave Benefits. Also, if an employee has accumulated 10 days of sick leave within a calendar year the City of Saint John has the right to request medical evidence at any time in order for the employee to be considered for ongoing Sick Leave Benefits. Employees off work due to illness or injury will continue to earn a vacation entitlement for absences up to six (6) months in duration. Return to Work A return-to work team shall be established to work with the employee in circumstances where a return-to-work plan is required. The team shall include the employee, a person Ch), ofSahrt John 13 Jaauarar:}r, 2009 Terms and Conditions vf`, `niploainaeiat - lciiiager;:eoitr'Pr°afessioizal Peisoiiii el designated by the Employee (optional) and a person designated by the Department lead, and will be administered by a Case l au a er (from Human Resources stiff). The City will appoint an ClMA. to objectively assess medical information to make recommendations for design of individual return-to-work plans, and to act as a liaison with the en_l,loyee''s attending physician to understand relevant restrictions or limitations. The CMMA shall be knowledgeable of the Employer's and the Employee's obligations and responsibilities concerning accommodation and return-to-work, as well as the various ageneies and professionals available to assist in the return-to-work process. The involvement of an. CyMA4 is aimed at the individual's prognosis and assisting in. determining steps that need to be taken to facilitate a timely return to work.. The focus during this process will be on working with the individual employee directly or through their doctors to ensure a timely return to work. Using a case management approach the +CMA will provide the following: identification o functional abilities - determination of whether a disability exists - determination of anticipated duration of illness or disability - identification of work accommodations that might promote an earlier return to work. At any time during this process when it appears that the individual will meet the requirernents for long-term disability as set out in the City of Saint John Employee Pension plan an application will be filed by the employee with the Board of Trustees of the Plan. Upon approval of a Disability Pension Benefit, the Sick Leave benefit will terminate and the claimant will be transferred to the City of Saint John Pension flan subject to the terms conditions applicable to that Plan. All costs associated with the OMA service including any fees associated with medical advice required by the service will be paid for by the Employer. Iwon -Term Disability, The City of Saint. John shall establish and, maintain an insured Long-Term . Disability Plan. which provides: - payment equal to 66 of salary for a period of up to two years where an individual is unable to return to their own occupation due to illness or disability. payment equal to 66 /3% of salary until age 65 where an individual is unable to return to any occupation. The full details of the plan will be deterrnined through negotiation with the insurance provider. It is the intention of the City to structure the coverage so that it is coordinated with all other disability programs (ie. Canada Pension Plan, City of Saint John Employee Pension Plan) such that an individual's total disability compensation is no greater than 90% of their current net salary. In addition changes may be required to the City of Saint. City gfSainl John 1.4 Jenanarly, 2009 Terms and Conditions ofEmployrrent -Alanagenzent/Professional Personnel John Employee Pension Plan to ensure that individuals in receipt of insured disability benefits continue to accumulate years of service in the Plan. Adjudication and administration of all claims under this Policy will be the responsibility of the insurance provider. Until such time as this insured program is established the City will continue its existing practice of paying an employee their salary, in addition to the provision of the Sick Leave benefit, for up to eighteen (18) months subject to the employee fully cooperating with the requirements set out by the OMA and Return to Work Committee. PART SIX: Maternity and Maternity Leave Maternity Leave Maternity Leave shall cover a period of 17 weeks. An employee who resigns for maternity reasons shall be considered as having been on leave without pay if she is re- employed within six (6) months of the date of her resignation. Sunnlementarv Unemr)lovment Benefit Plan a) This plan is conditional upon the approval and continued approval of the Federal Government. b) An employee who provides proof that she has applied for and is eligible to receive Employment Insurance Benefits pursuant to the Employment Insurance Act, shall be eligible to be paid a maternity leave allowance in accordance with the Supplementary Unemployment Benefit Plan for a period not to exceed seventeen (17) continuous weeks inclusive of the two (2) week waiting period for Employment Insurance benefits. c) In respect of the period of maternity leave, payments made according to the Supplementary Unemployment Benefit Plan will consist of payments equal to the difference between the Employment Insurance benefits the employee is eligible to receive and ninety percent (90%) of her regular rate of pay at the time maternity leave commences, less any other monies received during the period which may result in a decrease in employment insurance benefits to which the employee would have been eligible if no extra monies had been received during this period. d) Regular rate of pay shall mean the rate of pay the employee was receiving at the time maternity leave commences, but does not include. overtime, or any other form of supplementary compensation. During the period of maternity leave, if permissible under the relevant plan, the Employer shall continue to pay its share of Pension, Health & Dental and Group Life Insurance. The employee also agrees to pay her share. When an employee decides to return to work after maternity leave, she shall provide the employer with at least two (2) weeks notice. On return from maternity leave, the employee shall be placed in her former position or if that position no longer exists one of equivalent stature within the organization. City of Saint John 15 Jantimy, 2009 Terms and Conditions ofErrrtr/Qy meat -illcznagerrrentlPr°ofessional Personnel Employees shall be permitted to accumulate vacation credits while on matemity leave. Parental Leave Parental leave shall be unpaid and cover a period of up to thirty-seven (37) weeps after the birth o`a child or adoption of child under the age of nineteen. During the period of parental leave, if permissible under the relevant plan, the Employer shall continue to pay its share of Pension, Health Dental and. Group Life Insurance. The employee also agrees to pay his/her share. When an employee decades to return to worl~. aitur parental leave, he/she shall provide the employer with at least two weeps notice. On return from parental leave, the employee shall be placed in his/her former position or if that position no longer exists one of equivalent stature within the organization. Employees shall not accumulate vacation credits while on parental leave. PART SEVEN: Health and' Wellness The Employer shall reimburse an employee 50% of the costs, up to a maximum of x;600 plus HsT per calendar year, for fees associated with: • Membership in a fitness centre, aquatic centre or gymnasium. • participation in healthy living, healthy eating or weight loss/management programs. • smoking cessation. • any physical or medical examination(s) that facilitate optimal participation in any of the above related activities / programs.. PART EIGHT: Employee Development The City of Saint John is committed to providing assistance to all management and professional employees in their on-going professional development. The Employer agrees to pay all or a portion of tuition and related fees (including books) to be incurred by the employee to acquire any certifications, designations, under graduate or graduate degrees that would help fulfill their current or potential future responsibilities with the Employer. The degree to which a particular program will be supported will be based on its applicability to the needs of the organization. This shall include travel costs, if travel is required to meet course requirements. Payment by the Employer is to be Q), of&iw John 16 Jaintag, 2009 Terms and Conditions of Employment -Managemerrt/Pi°ofessrorral Persoxrnel agreed to by the employee, his/her manager and the City Manager or designate prior to registration or participation in any course or program. Employees receiving financial support from the City to pursue under graduate or graduate degrees shall be rewired to continue working for the employer for a minimum of four years following completion of the degree. In the event that the employee terminates their employment with the City prior to completion of this requirement they shall reimburse the City for a pro-rated portion of the costs incurred. The employee shall work on all courses and assignments on his/her own time, however, when the employee is required to travel to a conference, course, or program during normal business hours, the employee is not required to make the time up and shall be paid as if at work. Nothing herein shall guarantee a promotion as there are other factors beyond education that determine the best qualified person for a position. Maintenance of Professional Designations or Certifications Maintenance of professional designations and certifications is a demonstration of competence that is an essential component to the effective delivery of many City Services and in many cases is a prerequisite for carrying out certain responsibilities on behalf of the employer. Accordingly, the Employer agrees to pay the cost(s) associated with the employee maintaining his/her professional designation or certification. Transfer of Knowledge If a certification, designation, under graduate or graduate degree was obtained with the financial support of the Employer, then at the request of the Employer, the employee will. participate in any program or initiative that helps transfer the employee's acquired knowledge to other employees of the organization. Such an expectation will be discussed. with the employee prior to participation in the subject course or program. PART IN : General Probationary Periods All newly hired employees must serve a probationary period of 12 months from the date of appointment. During such period the Employer shall evaluate the suitability of the employee for continued employment. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the employee shall be confinned in the position. City of Saint John 17 .lame y, 2009 Terms and Conditions nf'Trtrplgjwient Matiagement Professaonal Personnel Workplace C nfl'ict Resolution Procedure Workplace conflicts are to be resolved quickly, in an orderly fashion with the least possible anxiety for all concerned. The Employer is committed to the development and maintenance of a conflict resolution procedure whereby employees can bring matters of concern to their supervisor; ensure fair and equitable treatment for all employees; eliminate dissatisfaction, and resolve problems so that constructive workplace relationships are established and retained. In collaboration with our employees the City of Saint John will develop a Business Practice detailing procedures to be followed with regards to conflict resolution,. City vfSxairrt JcrJrrr 18 Jcrra rrrr 2009