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Hernando Today

County Leave Policy Under Fire

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: September 21, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Back in February, Budget Director George Zoettlein raised a few eyebrows when he took a five-day vacation from his duties.

Normally, that is not a headline-grabber. But for Zoettlein, who prides himself in keeping his nose to the grindstone, it was something of an event. It was only the second vacation the man has taken in the nine years he's been the county's budget director, according to records supplied by the human resources department.

At the time, Zoettlein joked he is not used to taking time off from the job.

But while he may not be taking vacations, he is still getting paid for them even when he doesn't take them. Or rather, taxpayers are paying for the time he puts in at the office in lieu of taking those days off.

And it's not only vacations.

The "compensated absences" policy allows employees to build up a financial nest-egg they can cash in annually or upon retirement and essentially amounts to double time payments to employees

Zoettlein, according to human resources statistics, has banked more leave time balances than any other department director and would receive the largest cash-out, $30,768, if he left today.

That includes 304 hours of unused vacation days, totaling $14,284; 320 hours of sick time, totaling $3,759; and almost 339 hours of paid-time off hours, totaling $12,724.

The compensated absences policy has created a substantial financial liability for the county.

For fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2007, the county shows $4.6 million in liability due within one year for compensated absences and another $2.9 million on the books for absences due in more than one year.

However, this practice of banking hours and cashing out upon retirement or a new job may be nearing an end.
County Administrator David Hamilton said he will meet with new Human Resources Director Cheryl Marsden when she starts in November and draft a policy to present to county commissioners that would require Zoettlein and other employees to use their vacation days by the end of the year - or lose them.

Further tweaking of the compensated absence policy is also on the way.

The county's vacation policy is meant for people to take their vacations, Hamilton said. It was never meant to be a mechanism for employees to accrue those days and cash out with a big paycheck.

"It's costing us money and I believe it's costing us productivity," Hamilton said.

He admits that federal guidelines on labor law force him to tread carefully when it comes to tweaking some employee entitlements. However, he sees no such problem in enforcing a "use it or lose it" vacation policy.

Hamilton said studies have shown that employees who take time off from their jobs are more productive workers.

While it may be commendable for Zoettlein not to take his vacations, it does not necessarily mean that it is good for him, he said.

First, he said it sends the wrong message to other employees that one must always be at the job.

Second, it is costing the county money.

"The (policy) is not meant to be a de facto retirement plan where you work yourself literally to death," he said.

Repeated attempts to contact Zoettlein were unsuccessful. He was not available for comment Friday because that is his scheduled day off.

No More "10-4?"

Another employee option that may be on the way out is the "4-10" week - 10 hours a day Monday through Friday.

Zoettlein has been on that schedule and Hamilton doesn't believe it is conducive to good management when the director of a department is not available every work day.

Zoettlein has said he has cross-trained his office staff to take over when he's not available.

But that's the not the idea, Hamilton said.

The "4-10" rule came about under a previous HR manager and doesn't fit with Hamilton's personal management philosophy.

"I wouldn't even consider 4-10," he said.

Because managers are considered exempt employees, they don't have to punch a time clock. They are responsible for filing time sheets, but there is no uniformity among departments and it can lead to a huge bookkeeping mess, he said.

Rocco: Change Is Coming

County Commissioner Rose Rocco Friday reiterated her displeasure with the county's employee cash-out program that allows government workers to receive money earned at a lower rate and paid out at a higher rate.

Rocco said the policy has too much potential for abuse and is too costly to the county.

Rocco said she has talked with Hamilton and Marsden about the compensated absence policy and agrees that it is time to throw it out. Each employee should get a bank of vacation, sick and PTO hours at the start of each year and then have 12 months to use all of it.

If they don't, it's gone and they get a new slate the following year.

"Nothing is being taken away," Rocco said. "They are still getting their days off and their entitlements. But rather than having (their time) banked, they will take it by the end of the year. If they know they have to take it, they will work it out."

The compensated absences policy has gotten out of hand and has allowed each department to set up different tracking systems, which can lead to problems, she said.

For example, Rocco said there is no way of knowing whether an employee right now is actually working the number of hours he or she says or if someone is sneaking in a possible vacation day.

That has to stop, she said.

The compensated absence policy may have been started with good intentions, but it has evolved into a way for employees to store up money and cash out big when they leave.

"That's never what it was meant to be," she said. "But that's what it has become."

Employees should be encouraged to take time off to prevent burn-out, she said.

Rocco said employees will adapt to the new leave policies in time, especially if each department manager has a good in-house tracking system that allows for proper staffing of their office while someone else is away.

"Change is hard," she said. "Nobody really likes change. But we're at the point now at the county where we have to look at a lot of things.

"In order to be productive, we have to make changes and this is one."

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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