March 14, 2024

The February 2024 policy updates include a number of important changes in the Human Resources Section E. Here is a highlight of a few that may be of interest to you:

Employee References
Karis recognizes that candidates come from diverse circumstances and for some, two employment references may not be possible. In situations where a candidate can only provide one employment reference (recent arrival to Canada, new graduate, returning to the workforce) a 2nd reference will be considered from volunteer experience or school experience.

Leaves of Absence
Employment legislation describes various leaves available to employees to take time away from work during significant life events. The policy has been updated, adding some of the less frequently requested leaves, to provide awareness to employees. We have also added details about what happens with benefits while an employee is on leave.

Resignations
Employees resigning from full-time or part-time positions are not automatically granted a Relief Support position. However, they may apply if there is a need – recognizing that not all locations require additional casual staff.

Vacation Carry-over (Ontario only)
To manage our year-to-year budgets effectively, vacation that is carried over from the previous calendar year will expire and must be used before March 31 of the following year. Any carried-over vacation accrual not used by March 31 will be paid out so as not to impact the new budget year.

Vacation Requests
There are new deadlines to submit vacation requests so that approvals can happen on a timely basis, and vacation requests are to be submitted to the supervisor through UKG. The year is now divided into two six-month sections for vacation consideration (see policy for dates).

Interview Team
The updates add how people who use services are included in the interview process. This includes participating in recruitment marketing videos, asking interview questions in VidCruiter, and providing feedback at on-site visits. If you haven’t seen the new recruitment videos, check out one below!

Review these and other updated policies by logging into PolicyManager and completing the sections that have been assigned to you to review and attest.

Thank you!

Laura Watson, Director of Recruitment & Retention

Lisa Simmons, Director of Human Resources