Personnel Policies and Procedures STAFFING MANAGEMENT

Policy #: HPH-140

NHPCO Standard(s):

BOD Review/Approval 10/13/16

Regulatory Citation(s): POLICY High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. (HPHPC) will treat employees in a sensitive, fair, just and equitable manner, without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or veteran status should circumstances necessitate a temporary or permanent reduction in the workforce, A reduction in employee work schedule can be temporary or permanent and must be authorized as such by the Executive Director; the Board of Directors will be notified. Employees will be given a notice when this decision is made. A. Reduction in Work Hours is used to balance staffing with workload in accordance with patient census. Employees will first be asked to volunteer to take time off. If employees do not volunteer, time off will be assigned in an equitable manner B. A layoff is a temporary situation that is anticipated to be no more than 90 days during which time the employee is not working or receiving regular pay. Should the employee not be recalled during the 90-day period, and if the layoff period has not been extended, the reduction will be reclassified as an economic separation. C. Economic separation is defined as the termination of employment due to lack of work with little or no probability of being re-employed in the next twelve months. DISCLAIMER: This policy does not supersede the doctrine of employment at will. This policy and its procedures are subject to the discretion of HPHPC management.

PROCEDURE 1. Alternate cost saving measures will be explored prior to a reduction in force such as a hiring freeze, other cost reduction programs, inter-team transfers, use of accrued paid leave, voluntary leaves without pay, voluntary work schedule reduction, normal attrition, and termination of outside agency or temporary personnel. 2. Reduction in Work Hours:

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Personnel Policies and Procedures

A. Employees will be notified by their supervisor when a decision is made to utilize the Reduction in Work Hours procedure B. When employees are required to take time off as a result of this policy, they may choose to take accrued paid leave or unpaid time off. C. The guidelines that will be used for assigning time off will be to share this time as equally as possible among all employees with the same job title. D. A record of time taken off under this policy will be maintained to insure that this time off is distributed as equitably as possible among affected staff. E. Time off under this policy will not adversely affect the employee's benefits. 3. Reduction in Staffing: A. When a reduction in staffing is anticipated to meet budgetary or business objectives, the Executive Director will review the situation with the management team. If reductions are still determined to be necessary after appropriate alternative cost saving measures have been implemented, the management team will decide based upon the following in order of priority by designated job classification: 1) Employees classified as temporary 2) Employees classified as unsatisfactory on their most recent performance appraisal 3) Employee's seniority at HPHPC: Seniority will be based upon continuous service with HPHPC, without regard to authorized hours, leave of absence, etc. Employees with the same hire date will be reduced on the basis of their last performance appraisal with the employee having the lowest performance appraisal score being reduced first. 4) A list of positions to be considered for reduction will be compiled. A revised staffing plan and identification of positions to be reduced will be submitted to the Board of Directors or its designated committee for final review and approval. B. If the reduction in staffing is significant, the Executive Director will conduct an operational review of the program and site. The review will identify the most effective mix of job classifications or skills required and the number of personnel required in each position. During the process of staff reduction, it may occur that certain employees affected by a staff reduction are providing key services or have particular areas of specialization and competence. When the loss of such employees will have a cost impact or impair HPHPC’s ability to complete its mission, an exception to the reduction in work force process may be made as the Executive Director determines. C. The list of personnel designated for reduction will be reviewed and approved by the Executive Director to ensure that all criteria have been applied in a fair and equitable manner; the Board of Directors will be notified. 4. If a position identified for elimination is a "single incumbent" position, the individual holding that specific position would generally be laid off or economically separated, regardless of length of active service. However, if HPHPC determines it is in the best interest of patient care or hospice operations to combine single

Staffing Management HPH140

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incumbent positions with other positions that have similar responsibilities for the purpose of layoff or economic separation, HPHPC may do so. 5. When multiple teams and/or job classifications are identified for a reduction, management may elect but is not required, to combine the teams and/or job classifications for purposes of identifying employees who will be affected. 6. Staff reduction may require that those employees not laid off or economically separated, be reassigned to different work schedules or teams in order to assist HPHPC in meeting its mission. When this is necessary, HPHPC will make every effort to accommodate more senior employees as it relates to the reassignment. If an employee is unable to accept a reassignment, it may be necessary to layoff or economically separate the employee and retain another employee with less total continuous service who is willing to accept the reassignment. 7. Transfer/Retraining: A. Due to changes in HPHPC’s operations and the ongoing need to enhance productivity, HPHPC may need to transfer employees from positions where it has been determined that the position has more budgeted hours than required for the current workload. 1) Employees can be transferred into positions for which the employee has the qualifications included in the job description and is able to meet the performance standards. 2) This procedure is designed to equitably distribute personnel based on HPHPC's needs and avoid hiring from the outside when current qualified employees are available for transfer from areas where staffing needs to be reduced. B. For purposes of flexibility and increased productivity, HPHPC may cross-train employees within particular job classifications in new skills and/or duties, without a formal change in that employee's rate of pay if those skills and duties are determined to be equivalent to their former skills/duties. In those situations in which employees' job duties change significantly, the Executive Director shall evaluate the new position and, as indicated, reposition it in the pay system. C. When it is necessary to transfer employees, HPHPC will ask for volunteers. 1) If there are not a sufficient number of volunteers, seniority will be one of the factors for selection so the employee who has the least amount of seniority shall be the first to be transferred. The second least senior shall be the next to be transferred, and so forth. 2) Reasonable effort shall be made to provide the employee with similar hours and work schedule. 3) Special qualifications, circumstances or skills are considered when appropriate. D. Before employees are laid off or separated due to economic reasons, all reasonable possibilities for reassignment will be explored.

Staffing Management HPH140

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8. The coordination of all activities related to any reduction in force will be the responsibility of the Executive Director. 9. NOTICE/SEVERANCE PAY AND BENEFITS A. If a decision is made to institute a layoff, employees will be given a notice period or pay in lieu of notice. (Temporary employees would not be eligible for notice pay.) B. Eligibility for benefit programs for employees who are laid off or economically separated will be provided by the Business Office. 10. NOTIFICATION TO AFFECTED EMPLOYEES A. The supervisor and Executive Director will meet privately with employees affected by a reduction in force. The separation interview will include: 1) Discussion of organizational or economic circumstances precipitating the reduction in force, and previously implemented cost-containment measures. 2) Method used to determine employees affected by the staff reduction and the number of employees affected. 3) Written notice of reduction and its effective date (prepared by Executive Director). 4) Call back procedures (if applicable). 5) Written notice of pay and benefits, including unemployment benefits (prepared by Business Office, if applicable). 6) Assurance that HPHPC will be supportive of the employee's search for other employment. Support by Hospice will include a letter of reference and appreciation for services rendered. B. Employees are responsible for keeping their current telephone number and address on file with the Business Office as well as their employment status C. Employees who are out of work due to extended paid leave, disability leave or an approved leave of absence will be notified of their layoff or economic separation by certified mail. 11. CALLBACK/REASSIGNMENT PROCEDURES A. Laid off employees will be placed on a callback list for vacant positions in their job classification for twelve (12) months following the date of the staff reduction and will be called back based on hospice seniority. If the employee is not called back by the end of the callback period, she/he will be terminated. B. Laid-off employees may be considered for other vacant positions for which they are qualified for by experience, education or training. Employees with the most continuous service will be considered for a vacant position first. C. Economically separated employees will have no recall rights to their former position. Employees affected by an economic separation will, however, be placed on a preferential rehire list and will be contacted if a position becomes available that the separated employee may be eligible for through experience, training, education and/or other qualifications. Rehire consideration shall be for a period of one year.

Staffing Management HPH140

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High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care

Personnel Policies and Procedures

D. The Executive Director will coordinate all reassignments/job offers/callbacks. E. Employees on the callback list will have one (1) business day (MondayFriday) to make a decision if a position is offered. F. Upon accepting a job offer, an employee will be given five (5) working days to report back to work or she/he will forfeit callback rights and be terminated from HPHPC. G. Upon accepting a job offer for a vacant position, 1) Employee's wages will be adjusted in accordance with HPHPC compensation policies 2) Employee will be removed from the callback list and required to follow the normal procedures for any future job openings 3) Employee must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the new position within a reasonable period of time (as defined in the job description and performance standards) 4) Benefit coverage eligibility will be determined by the provision of the benefit plans in effect when an employee is called back. H. If an employee refuses to accept a job offer for a vacant position, with HPHPC approval she/he may still continue to remain on the callback list for the remainder of the call back period. I. Temporary and unsatisfactory employees will not be placed on the callback list.

LAST REVIEW DATE: Admin Committee 04/17/15, BOD 05/19/15 LAST UPDATED: COO/ED 04/10/15, Comp Coor 10/31/16 BOARD APPROVAL: 10/13/16

Staffing Management HPH140

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