1. Creative Concepts for Living offers Personal Leave Time (PLT) as a benefit to eligible employees for the purpose of rest, recreation, sick days, and personal activities while employed by Creative Concepts for Living. PLT provides employees with the opportunity to take time off to meet personal needs, while recognizing their individual responsibility to manage their PLT usage.
  2. PLT is not compensation for any time worked. If Creative Concepts for Living ceases to operate, it would not be liable for any monetary amounts for time off that had been accrued but not used or paid out.  As of the date Creative Concepts for Living announces an imminent end to operations, any accrued PLT balance(s) would be eliminated.
  3. CCL requires employees to use any unpaid PLT during leave of absence. Leave of absence is any period of time that an employee must be away from scheduled work, while maintaining status of employee. When an employee has PLT available, it will be applied automatically for any work week in which the employee works less than their scheduled hours. PLT will be applied for any scheduled time that is not worked by employee with the only exceptions being a corrective action suspension or ineligible to work due to not meeting job requirements, jury duty, or military leave. Examples include but are not limited to: pre-approved/scheduled time off, holidays, unscheduled absences related to emergencies or illness, hours not provided due to change in consumer needs, time missed due to being tardy and/ or leaving shift early.
  4. Key dates throughout the year call for special consideration of agency staffing needs. Those dates include, but are not limited to: holidays, dates consumer day services are closed, dates with high demand for requests off. The Administrative Team will meet quarterly to address key dates for upcoming quarter and will announce any variations from standard procedure to all personnel via email in the monthly newsletter. (See Key Date policy)
  5. PLT hours never count toward overtime calculations.
  6. Regular status employees who work at least 35 hours per week are eligible to receive PLT benefits.
  7. If a full time employee transfers to part time status, they may maintain any PLT balance they have but will not accrue any new PLT.
  8. If a full time employee transfers to PRN status, they will be paid out any PLT balance they have after fulfilling a minimum of two weeks’ notice of resignation from full time schedule. They will not accrue any new PLT and are not eligible to maintain any PLT balance.
  9. All advance notice requests to use PLT use must be submitted electronically. For Direct Support Professionals, Support Coordinators, and any personnel who provide direct care, the request off is submitted via When to Work scheduling software. For other personnel, to include Administration and Office Support Workers, request off including specific dates must be emailed to immediate supervisor.
  10. ACCRUAL: The amount of PLT that employees accrue each year is based on length of service with CCL.
    • PLT accrues according to the Accrual Schedule chart, as determined in an annual budget meeting. This amount will be announced via email to all employees at the beginning of each fiscal year.  Accrual Schedule chart will also be included in July newsletter and posted on CCL payroll calendar.
    • PLT is accrued based on years of active, consecutive, full time service with CCL. 1. Employees who are suspended or on a leave of absence that extends beyond two weeks will not accrue PLT, unless other provisions are made as part of leave agreement.
    • Employees who transfer to part time/PRN status will stop accruing any new PLT. Any PLT balance they have at time of transfer may be retained and utilized per policy, and take up to 40 hours per week at PRN status.
    • If employee who was once Full Time transfers Part Time/ PRN, and then back to Full Time again, the date of return to Full Time Status is date used to calculate years of service for PLT accrual.
    • Employees will not receive any personal leave time prior to his/her accruals, nor can they borrow against time.
    • PLT amounts will be added to payroll record upon receipt of evaluation form processed by Human Resources department.
    • The year to date PLT balance for each employee will appear on direct deposit slip.
  11. MANAGEMENT OF PLT: Employees are responsible for managing their own PLT accounts.  This means developing a plan for taking vacations, as well as doctors’ appointments and personal business.  It is recommended that employees accumulate and maintain PLT in “reserve” for the unexpected, such as emergencies, illness, or bereavement.
  12. NOTICE AND SCHEDULING: Employees are required to provide their immediate supervisor with as much advance notice as possible and obtain written approval prior to using PLT. (Refer to scheduled time off policy.)
  13. MAXIMUM BALANCE: Employees are allowed to carry over unused PLT time from year to year; there is a cap on the amount of PLT employees can accumulate.
    • Maximum PLT accrual for employees with 1-9 years of service is 240 hours.
    • Maximum PLT accrual for employees with 10 or more years of service is 320 hours.
    • Once this maximum is reached, no PLT will be added until the following annual evaluation cycle.
    • Employees will not receive retroactive credit of PLT for any time their balance was over the maximum.
    • Employees are encouraged to monitor their PLT balance on their check stub and use their time prior to reaching maximum amount.
  14. TERMINATION: Upon the employee’s termination of employment, employees who have given the proper written notice will be paid out any unused PLT.
    • Proper notice is a minimum of 2 weeks.
    • Any amounts granted, will be paid on employee’s final check or paid out according to termination agreement.
    • Employees will be paid PLT hours at his/her rate of pay on the date of termination (annual salary/2080 hours available).
    • Employees who are involuntarily terminated or who quit without proper notice will forfeit any unused PLT.
    • Employees who give proper notice but then fail to complete his/her regular shifts will forfeit any accrued PLT.
  15. PROVISIONS:
    1. NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
      • PLT is applied at one quarter-hour or greater intervals (15 minute).
      • PLT will only be paid to replace regularly scheduled hours.
      • Non-exempt employees may be eligible for a “cash out” option of PLT balances.
        1. Cash-Out option is available only once every six months.
        2. Cash- Out payment will be one hour of regular pay for every two hours of PLT cashed in.
        3. Request forms can be obtained at the office or from supervisor.
        4. Request can be denied or adjusted at the Executive Director’s discretion.
        5. Once the request is verified and approved, it will be paid on the next available payroll check.
      • Employees who are scheduled for sleep overnights may choose to use additional PLT hours to cover this stipend when they take time off.
        1. It is the employees’ responsibility to note on his/her time sheet that they wish to be paid PLT to cover these asleep stipends.
      • Employees who cannot fulfill his/her full-time schedule on a consistent basis will be subject to losing his/her full-time position and all associated benefits.
  16. EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
    1. Exempt employees will be required to use PLT for time that they are “off-call”, only after on call responsibilities have been handed over to another Creative Concepts for Living employee and/or if he/she is unable to perform the duties that he/she is responsible for.
      • PLT usage will be based on an 8-hour day, 40-hour work week.
      • Exempt employees must use PLT in 8 hour increments.
    2. Some Directors and/or officers of Creative Concepts for Living may accrue and use personal leave time based on individual employment contracts in lieu of standard policy.

Creative Concepts for Living follows guidelines set by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All clients’ records and communications about clients are to be kept confidential. Violation of this policy by an employee will lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination.