Byrdstown Aldermen approved several changes to the town’s employee handbook after discovering that some of the policies needed to be updated
Byrdstown Mayor Sam Gibson said the changes were made after an auditor pointed them out during its yearly audit.Gibson said one policy update involves the town’s mandatory 30-minute lunch break requirement for employees. Gibson said the change allows water and sewer plant staff to forgo the break when necessary to complete tasks that keep the facilities operating.
“You don’t want to stop in the middle of it and then have to start it over,” Gibson said. “So things like that are sometimes a little simple thing that has to be done at the water plant.”
Gibson said the other change to the handbook was clarifying the town’s policy on unused sick time. Gibson said the town has paid employees for unused sick leave if they are set to retire and the new language is just to clarify the policy.
“Put it in the policy to make it clear to individuals that yes, we can do that,” Gibson said. “But that individual also could use those unused sick days toward their retirement to give them more service time.”
Gibson said the town has not had any previous issues regarding these policies.
“It’s always good to have things written out in policy in your handbook,” Gibson said. “You know, every now and then you’ve got to refer back to that.”