[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Morris 12-21-2022 by Ord. No. 25-22.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance repealed former Ch. 15, Personnel Policies, which consisted of Art. I, General Policies, adopted 12-20-1995 by Ord. No. 51-95 (Ch. 15, Art. I, of the 1969 Code); Art. II, Defined Contribution Retirement Program, adopted 7-16-2008 by Ord. No. 23-08 (Ch. 15, Art. II, of the 1969 Code); and Art. III, Direct Deposit, adopted 7-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-14; amended in its entirety 4-15-2015 by Ord. No. 11-15.
A. 
There are hereby established in and for this municipality the following personnel policies relating to all present and future municipal employees. The Township Committee shall adopt an employee handbook based upon these general personnel policies and shall amend or revise as needed. In the event there is a conflict between these policies and any collective negotiations agreement, personnel services contract, or federal or state law including the Attorney General's guidelines with respect to Township personnel matters, the terms and conditions of that contract or law shall prevail. The Employee Handbook shall establish the policies based upon the following:
(1) 
To recruit and retain for each position the best qualified person available within fiscal and organizational standards.
(2) 
To provide for all employees the best possible direction, leadership, supervision, guidance, instruction and working conditions.
(3) 
To base promotion and job security on ability, performance, experience and interest.
(4) 
To maximize use of employee skills and abilities to ensure maximum level of service at minimum expense to the taxpayer.
(5) 
To give first consideration to qualified Township personnel for promotion.
(6) 
To treat each employee with justice, respect, courtesy and consideration.
(7) 
To require each employee to do the best work possible and extend to others consideration and courtesy.
(8) 
To urge the self-betterment of each employee by encouraging study as a means of self-improvement.
(9) 
To pay fair and adequate salaries for each position and in return to expect and require consistently a good job from the employee (i.e., a fair day's work for a fair day's pay).
(10) 
To impress each employee with the concept of responsible public service due the citizens, taxpayers and the general public.
(11) 
To inculcate and maintain in each employee a feeling of pride and job satisfaction as each employee is an important part of the finest community in the State of New Jersey.
B. 
It is the policy of the Township of Morris that each employee shall always be treated fairly, courteously and with respect. Conversely, each employee shall always accord the same treatment to his fellow municipal employees, associates, department heads and to the general public.
C. 
It is of the utmost importance that each employee of this municipality shall always conduct himself or herself in a proper manner and in such a way as not to reflect unfavorably upon the employee or the Township. This provision pertains to off-duty times and hours as well as to times and hours of employment. Each employee shall be diligent in obeying all state and federal laws and rules, regulations and ordinances of the Township of Morris and encourage others to do likewise. Each employee shall be careful that his or her behavior, actions, language, dress or conduct does not reflect to the detriment of the Township of Morris.
D. 
The Township of Morris does not discriminate based on disability, pregnancy, pregnancy-related medical condition or childbirth. The Township will endeavor to make every work environment handicap accessible and all future construction and renovation of facilities will be in accordance with applicable barrier-free federal and state regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, as well as the ADA Amendments Act.[1] The Township will not discriminate against any employee or job applicant with respect to any terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on the basis of a known or perceived disability, pregnancy, breastfeeding, pregnancy-related medical condition or childbirth. The Township will also make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of all employees and applicants with disabilities or pregnant employees, provided that the individual is otherwise qualified to safely perform the essential functions of the job and also provided that the accommodation does not impose an undue hardship on the Township.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.
E. 
The Township is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Township's policy to extend equal treatment to all individuals in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, domestic partnership status, civil union status, atypical heredity, cellular or blood trait, genetic information, disability (including AIDS or HIV infection), pregnancy (including pregnancy- related health condition), childbirth, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, gender identity or expression and/or other protected classification under federal or state law.
A. 
The policies pertaining to vacations and holidays shall be contained in the Township Employee Handbook and shall be revised and/or modified as necessary following these general principles:
(1) 
All employees shall be granted the following annual leave for vacation purposes, with pay, in and for each calendar year, except as otherwise herein provided:
Length of Service
Vacation Days
Completion of 6 months but less than 1 year
5
From 1st anniversary to 5th anniversary
10
From 5th anniversary to 12th anniversary
15
From 12th anniversary to 17th anniversary
20
From 17th anniversary to 22nd anniversary
25
After 22nd anniversary
30
(2) 
All employees entering full-time employment with the Township of Morris on and after January 1, 2012, shall be granted the following annual leave for vacation purposes, with pay, in and for each calendar year, except as otherwise herein provided:
Length of Service
Vacation Days
Completion of 6 months but less than 1 year
5
From 1st anniversary to 8th anniversary
10
From 8th anniversary to 16th anniversary
15
From 16th anniversary to 22nd anniversary
20
After the 22nd anniversary
25
B. 
Where in any calendar year the vacation or any part thereof is not granted by reason of the pressure of business, such vacation periods or parts thereof not granted shall accumulate and shall be granted during the next succeeding year only and is to be used within the first nine months of the succeeding year, along with that year's vacation allotment. Carryover vacation not taken in the first nine months of the succeeding year shall be forfeited. No annual vacation leave shall be taken without permission of the department head or the Township Administrator.
C. 
If any official holiday as listed in Subsection E occurs during an employee's vacation, the employee shall not be charged with use of a vacation day for the holiday.
D. 
The following 13 days are designated as official holidays. In January of each year, an annual list shall be published indicating the dates that each holiday will be celebrated.
(1) 
New Year's Day.
(2) 
Martin Luther King Day.
(3) 
Washington's Birthday (President's Day).
(4) 
Good Friday.
(5) 
Memorial Day.
(6) 
Juneteenth.
(7) 
Independence Day.
(8) 
Labor Day.
(9) 
Columbus Day.
(10) 
Veterans Day.
(11) 
Thanksgiving Day.
(12) 
Day after Thanksgiving.
(13) 
Christmas Day.
E. 
Effect of retirement, termination or resignation of employment upon vacation. Upon resignation, retirement or termination of employment, an employee will be credited with annual vacation for only those months of the calendar year worked, on a prorated basis of vacation earned on the schedule in Subsection A for each month of actual service. An employee who has, pro rata, used more annual vacation time than entitled to at the time of termination shall have an amount equal to his/her daily rate of pay deducted from his/her final pay for each day of annual vacation taken in excess of the number to which he/she was entitled. An eligible employee will earn vacation during the last month of employment in accordance with the following schedule:
(1) 
Employment ends on the 24th day or later. The employee will earn full month's allowance.
(2) 
Employment ends on the ninth through the 23rd day. The employee will earn 1/2 month's allowance.
F. 
No employee shall receive compensation for any accumulated vacation time upon retirement or resignation from employment with the Township. In the event of the death of an employee, the estate of the deceased will be compensated for pro rated accumulated vacation leave, which shall be the full amount of unused days for which the employee would have been entitled during the year in with the last day of active service is considered the day preceding the date of death.
G. 
Effect of extended absence upon vacation. An employee who, during the calendar year, returns from a continuous period of absence of more than six months due to a disability, leave of absence or layoff shall not be eligible for a vacation in that year until he/she has completed six months in the performance of duty after returning from such absence. These six months need not be continuous, but any period of absence of eight days or more shall not be credited in computing the required six months. Vacation is not earned during periods of leave of absence without pay.
A. 
Each full-time employee shall receive a copy of the Employee Handbook of the Township of Morris, which shall be studied and retained for future reference. After a careful study of the policies, practices and rules set forth therein, and in this article, the employee is required to sign the statement signifying that he received a copy of this article and agrees to conform. The signed statement shall be returned to the office of the Township Administrator to be placed in the employee's personal history file.
B. 
The personnel policies, practices and rules may be added to, changed, interpreted or eliminated whenever it appears to be in the best interest of the Township to do so.
C. 
Copies of changes, additions or deletions shall be issued to each employee for retention with his copy of the personnel policies and practices of the Township of Morris.
D. 
A personal history file shall be established and maintained for each employee of the Township of Morris by the Township Administrator.
(1) 
Personal history files are confidential records and shall be maintained in the office of the Township Administrator in a locked file. The files shall be in two groups: "active," representing employees on the payroll, and "closed," for employees no longer in the service of the Township.
(2) 
Only the Township Administrator shall have access to any or all of the personal history files. The department heads shall examine the files of departmental personnel only for official purposes. Any employee may, at reasonable times, in the office of the Township Administrator, examine his own personal history file (except employment references).
(3) 
All personal history files will be carefully maintained and safeguarded permanently. Nothing placed in any file shall be removed therefrom.
(4) 
When, in the opinion of the Township Administrator, derogatory material is placed in an employee's personal history file, the employee shall be notified, in writing, of the action.
This article is intended to be general in character and cover all employees and departments of the Township where there is not now or there is not hereafter adopted a specific ordinance, separate contractual agreements or policies in the Employee Handbook adopted by the Township Committee covering the same subject matter. Where there is a specific ordinance or statute, separate contractual agreements or rules and regulations adopted by the Township Committee covering a particular employee or department, the same shall be controlling.
All full-time employees and elected public officials who receive compensation from the Township of Morris are mandated to have direct deposit of their compensation.
Seasonal and temporary employees who are employed by the Township of Morris are exempt from the direct deposit mandate.
Municipal employees may request, in writing, an exemption from the direct deposit mandate, such request to be addressed to the Township Administrator, who may grant an exemption for good cause.