M E M O R A N D U M

 

 

TO:                 Lt. Jim Baker, Training Officer

           

FROM:           Chief Paul Barker

 

DATE:            March 10, 2000

 

SUBJECT:     Procedure for Shift Personnel Outside Training

                                                                                                                                                           

 

With the recent interest in off-site training opportunities, the question of when our employees should return to duty following a training activity or educational opportunity has been brought up by several people.

 

In order to clarify the issue, let me say “it depends”. It depends on how long the individual will be gone, the amount of physical activity involved in the class, and when the individual’s next shift is due to occur. But let me give you some of the guidelines I would like to use and we can handle all the exceptions on a case-by-case basis:

 

  1. If the employee is engaged in class work or business travel for a period longer than three days (a 24- to 40-hour class), then the employee should have a full 48 hours off before returning to work on the next shift.
  2. If the employee is engaged in class work or business travel for a period longer than two days (a 16- or 20-hour class), then the employee should have a full 24 hours off before returning to work on the next shift.
  3. If the employee attends a one-day, light duty training event such as an Excel class from 08:00 to 16:00 and they are due for duty the following day, they should be given off the same number of hours that they put into the class (including travel). So, in this example, if the class was at Eanes and there was no travel, the employee should report to work at 15:00 the next day to “complete” their regular shift. – If the class is two days or more, then the employee should have a minimum 24 hours off before the next shift.
  4. If this same employee attends a one-day, bust-your-butt rescue or haz-mat class he/she should not be expected to report for duty the next day—I think we should give them the shift off to fully recover before returning to duty. If the bust-your-butt class is two days or more, then the employee should have a minimum 48 hours off before the next shift. –Now, if it’s a class in something the employee is really interested in but we don’t think we have much of a need for it on the Department, then we should use some common sense in what the taxpayer pays for.