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SOP-SSD-18 Dispatch Time OffSupport Services Division SOP-SSD-18 Date Issued: 10/14/2017 Date Revised: 10/5/2021 Date Revised: 4/4/2022 SUBJECT: DISPATCH CENTER TIME OFF POLICY PURPOSE AND SCOPE: To define minimum staffing requirements, critical staffing requirements, and leave usage for the Dispatch Unit. To establish standard procedures for the approval or denial of time- off requests. The goal of this policy is to create consistency in the dispatch center with how time off is requested and reviewed. PROCEDURE A. Minimum Staffing Requirements 1. Minimum required staffing is two dispatchers on duty, 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. a. Minimum staffing levels can be increased to three or more dispatchers based on known or anticipated workloads. 2. Critical staffing is defined as any time the number of trained Public Safety Dispatchers does not allow for minimum staffing levels to be covered. This typically occurs when there are fewer than nine full-time dispatchers and/or no part-time dispatchers to work the necessary shifts. a. Training requests may not be approved if another dispatcher is off on leave. b. In order to balance time off and ensure minimum staffing, restrictions within the time off policy will be indicated in applicable sections of this policy. c. The decision to move to critical staffing is at the discretion of the dispatch supervisor(s) or support services manager. B. Annual Vacation leave – Seniority Sign-up 1. All full-time dispatch personnel shall have the opportunity to take vacation leave on an annual basis. Requests for annual vacation leave shall be considered for approval on a seniority basis, beginning with the dispatcher with the most seniority. a. General Time-Off Guidelines i. The dispatch supervisor will guarantee seniority annual vacation time off. Overtime, including mandatory overtime, will be used to cover seniority vacations. ii. Seniority vacation sign-ups shall consist of consecutive days and no fewer than 10 hours. iii. Dispatchers may sign up for up to 240 hours per year. iv. A dispatcher may sign up for what they can accrue prior to the start of their annual leave, plus any time they have already accrued at the time of vacation sign-ups. v. Each dispatcher will have three days (72 hours) for each vacation sign- up. If a dispatcher requires additional time, they can request up to two more days to determine their dates. If vacation time is not added within those additional two days, that dispatcher moves to the end of that sign-up round and the next senior dispatcher may sign up. vi. One dispatcher may be off per day except during times of critical staffing. vii. Once sign-ups have been completed, no changes will be permitted without the approval of a dispatch supervisor. b. Annual Vacation Request i. One seniority vacation sign-up will occur in October for the next calendar year. The calendar year will begin on the first Sunday in January. If a dispatcher elects to pass on their sign-up they may use it at a later date. A dispatcher who chooses to pass may not bump a dispatcher who bid after they passed. ii. An unused annual vacation request may be submitted up until the day before the shift rotation vacation bid begins. Once the shift rotation vacation bid begins for the next shift rotation a dispatcher may not use their annual vacation request to jump ahead in the current shift rotation vacation bid. They must wait for their seniority sign-up. c. Shift Rotation Vacation Request i. Shift rotations are January – April, May – August, and September – December. Rotations will occur on the first Sunday of January, May, and September. ii. Seniority shift rotation vacation sign-ups will occur during shift bid for each rotation in October, February and June. Each dispatcher will choose their annual leave for that rotation period based on seniority via a round robin sign-up. The seniority process will continue until dispatchers have chosen their time. iii. If a vacation request rolls into the next shift rotation, the dispatcher shall include this is the shift rotation vacation request for the bid the vacation begins in. If the dispatcher does not include the time, they will have to wait until the beginning of the next shift rotation vacation request to request the time. iv. A dispatcher may pass a round if they do not have specific dates in mind and submit a time off request for annual leave at a later time, provided the time is open. Any time off requests after each shift rotation vacation request will fall under other time off request guidelines. C. Cancelling Seniority Sign-Up Vacation 1. If a dispatcher needs to cancel a vacation listed on the Seniority Sign-up list, they shall notify the supervisor as soon as possible. The supervisor will determine if the time can be offered up or left unavailable. The supervisor will consider staffing, leaves, training, disasters or other unforeseen circumstances. If the time cancelled occurs after the overtime schedule has been released the time will not be opened for seniority sign-ups. If the cancelled vacation time occurs before the overtime signups have been released the supervisor will send an email advising dispatchers of the cancelled time and allow time off requests to be submitted on a first come first serve basis. 2. A dispatcher may elect to cancel part of their vacation request but the days cancelled must be consecutive. 3. If a dispatcher chooses to cancel an Annual Vacation Request or Shift Rotation Vacation Request time they will not be credited back the hours cancelled to their 240 hour limit. Once the dispatcher has reached their 240 hour time limit they will not be allowed to bid for more vacation time during the Shift Rotation Vacation Request and will need to wait for the sign up to close and the Other Time Off Request Period to open. (Note: this is a time limit only and has no effect on the dispatcher’s accruals.) D. Other Time Off Requests 1. Additional time off that was not included in the Seniority Sign-Ups may be submitted to the dispatch supervisor after the Shift Rotation Vacation Requests are completed for the next rotation. 2. Time off requests will be covered by the department if the request is submitted before that months schedule is released to full-time dispatchers. This will ensure the time is included in the overtime sign-ups. For example: time off requests for December would need to be submitted prior to October 25th. 3. Time off requests after the schedule has been released will be added to the schedule, however, mandatory overtime will not be assigned. If the overtime remains unfilled and minimum staffing requirements have not been met, the dispatcher will need to find their own coverage or cancel their time off. 4. During regular staffing, the vacationing dispatchers’ days off will be available for other time off requests. 5. During critical staffing, the vacationing dispatchers’ days off will be unavailable for other time off requests. E. Shift Trades 1. Shift trades must be approved by the dispatch supervisor 2. Shift trades are limited to one additional dispatcher off in addition to the dispatcher on approved time off. More than two dispatcher off on a 24 hour day will be on a case-by- case basis and subject to supervisor discretion. 3. Trades must be repaid in time. 4. Enforcing trade payback is not the responsibility of the dispatch supervisor. 5. A dispatcher working a trade assumes responsibility for shift extensions and the particular duties of the shift. 6. The dispatch supervisor has the discretion to deny trades based on available staffing at the time of the request. 7. The dispatcher requesting a trade must find coverage for any unfilled required overtime on the day of the trade.