(Facebook/Town of Battleford)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

EDO

Town introduces Earned Days Off policy to recognize managers’ extra work

Feb 4, 2025 | 2:00 PM

The Town of Battleford has introduced a new Earned Days Off (EDO) Management Team Policy for its non-unionized managers to bring clarity and fairness, as such a plan wasn’t previously available.

Todd Francis, the chief administrative officer (CAO), stated this initiative, developed in consultation with affected staff, aims to recognize the extra hours managers work beyond their regular schedules.

“There was some miscommunication on how EDOs were earned and when they could be taken,” he explained. “The reason we wanted to implement this as a formal policy is that once it’s in writing, it becomes common knowledge for everyone to follow.”

One key aspect of the policy is that it does not require additional funding. Instead of financial compensation, it allows managers to take earned time off.

“No extra money needs to be allocated, and there is no impact on taxpayers,” he said.

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He then cited the situation of Jordan Schechtel, parks and recreation manager, as an example.“There could be a problem at the arena that he has to deal with after hours, and he’s going to go, and he’s going to take care of those things like he always has, [so] now at least there’s a policy in place that’s going to reward him for that time.”

“It’s not specifically tied to one thing, whether it’s a council meeting or loop time or whatever, now we don’t have to track the loop time, or we don’t have to compensate for those after-hour things. It’s all captured in this policy,” he explained.

For context, the Town holds its regular council meetings twice a week after regular work hours, typically at 6 p.m., lasting for three and a half hours. In addition, there are special council meetings, which could be spontaneous.

He went on to point out that the policy is about “quality of life.”

“We are saying, ‘Hey, take your time, refresh, spend time with your family, and come back with a clear head,’” he said.

Mayor Ames Leslie agrees and believes it is a way to recognize the managers’ efforts.

“The managers get half a day in lieu of council meetings they attend. So what this one is doing is kind of taking that and recognizing that our leaders and our management team work hours in excess of eight hours,” Leslie added.

Leslie also mentioned that they will lose their allotted time if they don’t use it, and any extra time will not carry over to next year.

Addressing employee concerns

The introduction of the EDO follows a discussion among town managers who sought greater clarity on time-off benefits.

“We wanted a policy that was all-encompassing and fair, “ Francis said. “There was a lot of misinformation out there, and I wanted to get the facts straight.”

Having previously worked in various municipalities in Ontario and British Columbia, Francis noted that having EDOs in place is a common practice.

“In different places, they may call it Flex Time, but the concept is the same: it is really about making sure our employees feel valued.”

As for now, it applies only to management, but Francis indicated that if it works well this year, he will plan to expand its coverage.

“When anybody works in excess of what their scheduled hours are, sometimes it’s just nice to have somebody say, ‘Hey, thank you for that,’ this is just one of those ways,” Leslie added.

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cjnb-news@pattisonmedia.com