June 2023: Strategic Plan Survey, Paid Vacation Reminder, Summer Weather Safety, HHF General Holiday Calendar, and May Staff Recogniton Program Winners

Posted on Jun 21, 2023

Strategic Plan Survey for Staff - Help Plan Our Future!

We have started work to update our Strategic Plan for 2024-2028. The Plan will give us our direction over the next four years - what we will focus on and what our priorities will be to meet the needs of our organization and those we serve.

Our Strategic Plan provides the foundational roadmap for our organization– outlining our Vision, Mission, Values and Priorities. The current Strategic Plan was developed in 2019. It is now time to look at our Plan again and identify where we are going and what we will focus on in the next four years to get there.

An important part of this process will be hearing from all employees. Your insights will help to paint a richer picture and ensure that the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Priorities align our efforts to support vibrant communities through affordable housing solutions.

Please share your ideas by completing our Strategic Plan Questionnaire by June 30, 2023. Your insights will help to inform the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategic Priorities for the 2024- 2028 Strategic Plan. For all employees who enter their name into the survey (survey results will be anonymous to HHF Leadership) – your names will be entered for a GIFT CARD draw.

For more information on the work being done to update our Strategic Plan, please contact Sarah Andrews. Thank you for contributing your voice to our future.

Paid Vacation Reminder

Heartland Housing Foundation recognizes the importance of personal time off for the health and well-being of its employees. That means HHF encourages employees to take time off for the purpose of rest and relaxation.

All permanent full-time employees (working 30+ hours each week) will accrue paid vacation days at a rate reflective of their years of service. All other employees who do not fall under full time will be paid out vacation pay on each cheque in accordance to HHF policy. Regardless of what group you may fall into, vacation is required and encouraged for all employees.

Vacations must be approved by your Manager prior to the employee making any vacation commitments such as flights. Employees will submit a vacation request form to their manager. You can ask your manager for this form. Once approved, your manager will confirm the acceptance and note your time away in Dayforce.

In the summer, vacation requests longer than 1-2 weeks may cause a strain on our staffing compliment as all employees like to enjoy the beautiful weather. Some vacation requests may not be approved depending on each site's requests and needs. Please work with your manager when trying to schedule your vacation time.

Enjoy your summer and happy travels!

Summer Weather Safety

It's getting hot out there! Summer is a time for family road trips, outdoor fun in the sun and hopefully lots of sunny weather. Here’s some tips to prepare for safe summer days!

Stay cool in the heat: Keep cool and hydrated and minimize your time in the sun between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Drink plenty of water, find shade, visit cool buildings, slow down, bathe in cool water and wear light-colored clothing. Never leave children or pets inside a parked vehicle. When the outside air temperature is 23°C/73°F, the temperature inside a vehicle can be extremely dangerous – more than 50°C/122°F.

When thunder roars, go indoors: Stay inside for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder. If you can hear thunder, you can get hit by lightning. Take shelter immediately in a sturdy, fully enclosed building with wiring and plumbing. If no solid building is available, you can take shelter in a metal-roofed vehicle.

Pack an emergency kit: You may have some kit items already, such as a flashlight, a wind-up radio, food, water and a manual can opener. Make sure they are organized and easy to find in case you need to evacuate your home. Make a kit to go in a backpack. Whatever you do, don't wait until a disaster happens to make a kit. Check out how to put together an emergency kit.

Connect with care: Don't mention going away on vacation in your social networking status updates. You may also want to delete messages from friends who mention these things to avoid the possibility of someone taking advantage of that knowledge while you are away. Avoid geotagging photos. Most smartphones and many digital cameras automatically attach the exact location where a photo was taken – and when you share it online, the geotag can give away your address or let criminals know that you're on vacation, which could make your home a target for break-in.

Reference: https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/sfttps/tp201407-en.aspx

General Holidays

HHF Recognizes 13 General Holidays (see chart below).

HHF provides time off and/or pay for these general holidays according as defined in Alberta Employment Standards. For more information or clarity on how general holiday pay works, please reach out to your Manager, Corporate Services, or review policy 3.11 General Holidays.

Below are the general standard for holiday pay for most employees :

Employees who have a regular schedule, who have been scheduled to work, and work will be entitled to general holiday pay at their average daily wage (5% of wages earned in the 4 weeks prior to the general holiday) + time and one half (1.5x) their wage rate for each hour worked on that day. Normally referred to as "double time and a half"
- For example: If you worked 7 hours regularly on the same day the stat falls on. And you worked 7 hours on the general holiday.
  You would get 7 hours at your normal rate of $17.64, and 7 hours at $26.46 (1.5x wage)
  (7 hrs x $17.64) + (7 hours x $26.46) $123.48 + $185.22 = $308.70
Employees who have a regular schedule who have been scheduled to work and do not work due to operational requirements will be entitled to their average daily wage. Normally referred to as "regular pay"
- For example: If you worked 7 hours regularly on the same day the stat falls on. You would be paid 7 hours for that day for general holiday pay.
  7 hrs x $17.64 = $123.48
Employees who have not been scheduled to work on the general holiday and works it will receive wages at one and one-half (1.5) times their wage rate for each hour worked on that day. They will not be eligible for the average daily rate. Normally referred to as " time and a half"
- For example: You worked 7 hours on the stat holiday. You would get paid 7 hours at $26.46 (1.5x wage)
  7 hrs x $26.46 = $185.22
Employees whose normally scheduled days of work fall within a regular work week (Monday through Friday) will be provided a day off in lieu at the average daily wage should a general holiday fall on a non-standard work day determined by HHF.

General Holiday	Definition of Holiday
New Year’s Day	January 1^st
Alberta Family Day	Third Monday in February
Good Friday	Friday before Easter
Easter Monday	First Monday following Easter
Victoria Day	Monday before May 25^th
Canada Day	July 1^st except when it falls on a Sunday, then it is July 2^nd
Heritage Day	First Monday in August
Labour Day	First Monday in September
Day of Truth and Reconciliation	September 30^th
Thanksgiving Day	Second Monday in October
Remembrance Day	November 11^th
Christmas Day	December 25^th
Boxing Day	December 26^th

May 2023 Employee Reward & Recognition Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the May's Employee Rewards and Recognition Program.

Dr. Turner Lodge - Nominee: Rowena Miciano

Clover Bar Lodge - Nominee: Stephanie Berry

Silver Birch Place - Nominee: Rama Mishra

Coordinated Services - Nominee: Katie Lyver

These people do extraordinary things each and every day. All it took was a special person to recognize that work and enter a ballot into a draw. The feedback and entries that we received in May told some remarkable stories. We can't wait to see the entries for June! Nominate your co-worker today!

Heartland Housing Foundation

For Staff