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Letter or agreement no32 - Regarding team-managed schedules

CONSIDERING  that the parties want to introduce measures to support the attraction and retention of employees, in order to ensure greater access to care and services for Quebecers;

CONSIDERING  that the parties want to ensure the stability of work teams;

CONSIDERING  that the parties want to allow employees to arrange their work schedules, in order to encourage work-family-study balance;

CONSIDERING  that the parties want to improve employee satisfaction and involvement in work schedules;

CONSIDERING  that the parties want to reduce reliance on overtime;

CONSIDERING  the involvement of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux in deploying and implementing team-managed schedules;

The parties agree as follows:

ARTICLE 1 OBJECTIVE

1.01  The objective of this Letter of Agreement is to encourage employee involvement in drawing up and managing their schedules, in order to improve predictability and stability in scheduling and continuity of care and services, while improving their work-family-study balance.

ARTICLE 2  DEFINITION OF TEAM-MANAGED SCHEDULES

1.02  A team-managed schedule is a voluntary, shared, agile and proactive approach to managing schedules, under which employees participate in and share responsibility for planning their work schedules. Solutions for scheduling problems are sought by the group, with a focus on how schedules are drawn up and how they are carried out in real time.

1.03  Team-managed schedules enable employees to enter their preferences on the basis of needs identified by the Employer and the number of staff the Employer requires. This approach enables employees to participate in drawing up and modifying their work schedule, taking into consideration the needs of other work team members and the activity centre.

ARTICLE 3 RULES APPLICABLE TO ACTIVITY CENTRES AND JOB TITLES RELYING ON TEAM-MANAGED SCHEDULES

3.01  Before deploying team-managed schedules for a group of job titles in an activity centre, the Employer will notify the local union that team-managed schedules are being implemented. The local union can make sure the team’s adherence to team-managed schedules is voluntary.

3.02  Team-managed schedules involve employees who hold positions associated with a single group of job titles. They can also involve employees with one of the relevant job titles who do not hold a position, but who are part of the float team and are assigned to the activity centre for the duration of the schedule period.

3.03  Team-managed schedules include the following steps.

    • The team defines the rules for elements set out in paragraph 3.05 of this Letter of Agreement.
    • The manager develops and communicates guidelines about the needs of the activity centre and the number of staff required.
    • The schedule is drawn up. This involves the following steps:
      • Step 1: Preferences are indicated for hours associated with the position, days off, availability and unavailability, on-call hours, and unfilled shifts, at the regular rate.
      • Step 2: Preferences are indicated for shifts that were not filled in step 1; these will be worked at the overtime rate.
      • Step 3: Any remaining needs are met by following the local provisions of the collective agreement.
    • Schedules are posted according to the rules defined by the team.

At each of the above steps, the manager and the team managing their schedule balance the schedule based on guidelines and the needs identified.

Despite the preceding, if the model is not working and discussions have taken place to try to solve the problem, the team returns to the institution’s usual approach to drawing up schedules based on the local provisions of the collective agreement. This begins with the next schedule period or at any other time agreed upon with the manager.

3.04  If employees arrive at a time when a schedule is already under way, the team managing their schedule and the manager must include them in the schedule.

3.05  The team managing their schedule may decide on:

    • how decisions will be made;
    • the schedule period (between four (4) weeks and twenty-six (26) weeks);
    • timelines and rules for planning, drawing up and changing schedules;
    • how assignments are added;
    • rules for assigning overtime;
    • rules for how work hours, including those of the regular work week, are spread out;
    • communication tools that need to be implemented to enable team-managed schedules.

3.06  The rules defined by the team managing their schedules are put in writing.

They must be sent to the manager and the local union.

In any case where a rule has not been agreed upon, the local provisions of the collective agreement apply.

3.07  An employee whose team is managing their own schedule may voluntarily arrange their regular work week in various ways, including the following.

    • They may have a regular work day of over eight (8) hours.
    • They may choose a schedule regardless of whether it respects the minimum interval of sixteen (16) hours between two (2) shifts when there is shift change.
    • They may trade shifts within a schedule that is already under way.
    • They may work more than one weekend out of two.
    • They may choose another way to spread out working hours, including those of the regular work week.
    • They may work more than five (5) consecutive days.

3.08  Paragraph 3.07 of this Letter of Agreement applies notwithstanding any local and national provisions of the collective agreement and any special agreements.

3.09  Except in cases where volunteering is involved, a team-managed schedule may not change the key elements of a team member’s position, nor may it reduce the number of hours stipulated for that position.

3.10  The team agrees to meet to discuss and try to settle disagreements that may arise in applying or interpreting this Letter of Agreement.

3.11 The team-management model is voluntary: if the team indicates they no longer wish to adhere to it, they may end it at any time.

3.12  When a position is posted (in compliance with the local provisions of the collective agreement) in a team managing their own schedule, the local parties may agree to include a note for information purposes that this position is currently part of an activity centre with team- managed schedules.

ARTICLE 4 RESPONSIBILITY AND FOLLOW-UP FOR IMPLEMENTING THE LETTER OF AGREEMENT

4.01  he professional relations committee set out in Article 29 of the national provisions of the collective agreement is mandated to ensure the implementation and follow-up of this Letter of Agreement.
 

4.02 As part of this Letter of Agreement, the committee has a mandate to:

    • monitor and assess the impact of team-managed schedules, particularly on the use of overtime, the use of independent labour, employee satisfaction, and the quality of care and services, based on quantitative and qualitative analyses and using indicators previously determined by the committee;
    • help find solutions when required.

ARTICLE 5 PROVINCIAL FOLLOW-UP ON THE LETTER OF AGREEMENT

5.01  The provincial parties agree to give the permanent provincial negotiating committee the mandate to discuss any issues encountered by the parties.