Purpose
Mt. Hood Meadows encourages employees to participate in volunteer activities by providing paid time off for volunteering. Employees may use the volunteering benefit to contribute to their time and talents to recognized 501c3 charities, causes or not-for-profit organizations, making a positive difference in our communities.
Our company recognizes the importance of giving back to our community, and that is why we have established a policy for paid volunteer days. These special occasions will allow us to support those in need while connecting with one another through meaningful service projects.
Eligibility
All full-time year-round employees in classes A, B, C or E are eligible to use the volunteering benefit. Seasonal and part-time Team members are not eligible to participate. The paid volunteer hours allocation is refreshed at the beginning of each fiscal year (July 1st). The days do not carry over to the next fiscal year or time period. Volunteering is never paid out if it is not used. Usage of volunteering or lack of usage does not affect the accrual of vacation or any other type of time off.
Exceptions: Employees on leave of absence of any kind may not participate. Any employee who has been placed on suspension or administrative leave may not participate.
Time Allocation
Both salary and hourly employees within classes A, B, C or E may take up to 8 hours of paid time off per fiscal year to volunteer for a qualified charitable organization or cause in accordance with this policy. To qualify as volunteering time off, the volunteer work must be performed during the employee’s working hours.
Volunteer work is typically performed during the employee normal working hours, but employees may use their volunteer time outside of working hours (i.e., weekend) and it can be accounted for as paid volunteering. For example, normal working hours are Monday through Friday, but an employee wants to volunteer at an event on Saturday. The employee should work with their manager to ensure coverage (as they would with any other paid time off) to volunteer on Saturday, taking another day during the work week in lieu of the volunteer time (Workday requires that time must be recorded during an employee’s normal working hours).
Volunteering will be granted as paid time off if it is applied for the sole purpose of volunteering and cannot be counted as hours worked for the purpose of overtime. Time will be billed to home department at your primary rate.
Examples
Framework
Team Members are encouraged to work together or individually to contribute their skills, expertise and efforts in areas that focus on three key areas:
- Improving health and wellness
Support programs and activities encouraging health and well-being in our communities and the workplace, as well as human rights. For example, employees can participate in education and fundraising for health, safety and disease prevention charities and education, as well as gathering medical supplies or items for food banks. - Advancing education
Support education, especially for the benefit of youth. Employees can use their volunteering to support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) or promote equal access to education, regardless of race or gender. Among a host of activities, some employees can also support literacy or help to provide books and school supplies. - Environmental stewardship
Reduce our impact on the environment. For example, employees can support programs for recycling in the workplace, cleaning a local river or park, planting trees in their communities or supporting environmental education programs. - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Support causes or organizations who are making a difference in improving inequalities.
Approval
Approval is at the discretion of each employee’s manager. Managers retain the right to request documentation about the organization being served, time volunteered and attendance specifics. Company business takes precedence should there be a conflict with scheduling. If any concerns arise, please speak with your director.
Important: The volunteering benefit may not be used for organizations that discriminate based on creed, race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, sex, gender, identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or any other legally protected classification
Recording
All employees are expected to record their volunteering in Dayforce and all managers are expected to respond to these requests just like any other time off request such as vacation or holiday pay.
How to request a volunteering day
Employees are expected to request volunteering time from their manager through Dayforce. Record the name of the organization and a short description of the volunteering activity. If the beneficiary is a school or national park, then put in the name of that entity as the organization name.
Acceptable uses of volunteering policy:
- Donating time at Fish or any other bank.
- Cleaning up a river, highway or park.
- Collecting items, then filling and distributing back to school packs.
- Participating in a Multiple Sclerosis bike-a-thon fundraiser.
- Organizing a Cancer walk or run.
- Volunteering in a classroom or school field trip.
- Volunteering at an animal shelter.
- Helping with events for a hospital program on health and wellness.
- Doing skills-based volunteering at a not-for-profit location.
- Helping at a homeless shelter.
- Providing activities or education to historically excluded groups/individuals.
- Helping build a float for Pride Day / participating in allyship events.
Not acceptable uses of volunteering policy:
- Attending a parent/teacher conference
- Participating in activities of a religious nature (i.e., attending a religious conference or camp; any event where the activity involves promoting, teaching or proselytizing religion)
- Participating in activities of a political nature (i.e., staffing voting booths or activities supporting political issues or campaigns)
- Participating in neighborhood association events
- Giving ski lessons free while on a ski vacation
- Doing any fundraising that does not meet the guidelines.
- Walking in a parade
- Attending an educational event such as a lecture, class.
- Coaching or playing in adult sporting leagues with no charitable fundraising purpose