Human Resources Manual - 1007 - Responsibility Allowance

1. The Employer may require employees with the necessary qualifications to perform duties of a position at a higher pay range temporarily for which the employee will receive responsibility allowance.

2. These guidelines and procedures apply to all employees, except those employed by the NWT Power Corporation and those employed by the NWT Teachers’ Association.

3. Acting is defined as:
   1. assuming the duties of a position, including all programs, financial and human resource responsibilities, for a specific period of time where the assumed position is at a higher pay level than the home position; or
   2. being designated in charge of a ward, unit or department on any shift in circumstances which place upon the employee responsibilities greater than those ordinarily assumed; or
   3. a nurse temporarily replacing another nurse in the position of supervisor; or
   4. being designated an employee in charge when the head nurse or unit or department manager is not present to cover the daily operations of the ward unit or department.
4. Acting Period is the time an employee temporarily fills a position at a higher pay level.
5. HRIS is the Human Resource Information System.

6. Acting periods are normally for a minimum of five days and not more than six weeks in length.
7. Managers, however, may determine whether or not the payment of a responsibility allowance is appropriate for acting periods of less than 5 days.  The individual is required to do the full job to be eligible and managers will need to be able to articulate their decision on whether or not to provide the allowance.
8. Where a supervisor is absent less than five working days, individuals will be designated as acting and receive responsibility allowance in those positions where health and safety considerations make the presence of a supervisor a requirement and where the employee is required to perform the full duties of the position. 

The following positions fall into the health and safety category:

Education, Culture & Employment

• Residence Life Manager, Thebacha Campus
• Manager, Student Services, Yellowknife Campus
• Manager, Student Services, Aurora Campus

Environment and Natural Resources

• Manager, Forests, South Slave Region
• Manager, Wildlife, South Slave Region

Health & Social Services

• Nursing position on the floor - Fort Smith
• Nurse in Charge - Health & Social Services’ Authorities
• All Registered Nurses - Health & Social Services’ Authorities
• Sonographer - Stanton Territorial Health Authority (STHA)
• Mammography Technologist - STHA
• Radiology Technologist - STHA
• Senior Technologist Computerized Tomography - STHA
• Pharmacy Technician - STHA
• Environmental Health Officers – STHA
• Laboratory Technologist – Core Lab – STHA
• Laboratory Technologist – Bacteriology - STHA
• Licensed Practical Nurses - Health Centres
• Manager, Social Programs - Health & Social Services’ Authorities
• Facility Manager, Joe Greenland Centre, BDHSSA
• Manager of Mental Health and Addictions, BDHSSA
• Director of Social Programs, BDHSSA
• Lab Supervisor, BDHSSA
• Diagnostic Imagining Supervisor, BDHSSA

Industry, Tourism & Investment

• Manager, Tourism & Parks

Justice

• Corrections Officers
• Shift Supervisors - River Ridge
• Corrections Service Worker Supervisor - Fort Smith
• Senior Youth Officer - Inuvik, Yellowknife
• Correctional Supervisor - SMCC, NSCC

Municipal & Community Affairs

• Fire Marshal
• Assistant Fire Marshals

Transportation

• Airport Managers
• Supervisors of Surface
• Officers in Command (firefighters)
• Supervisor, Surface Structures
• Regional Highway Managers
• Highway Maintenance Supervisors
• Regional Superintendents

Public Works & Services

• Chief Boiler Inspector
• Chief Gas Inspector
• Chief Electrical Inspector
• Settlement Maintainers
• Water Treatment Plant Operators
• Regional Superintendent
• Director, Petroleum Products

9. The Deputy Head of the employing Department, Board or Agency, or officer delegated under the Department, Board or Agency Approval Authorities, approves all acting periods.
10. Where a supervisor is absent for longer than six weeks, replacement of the supervisor should be through a transfer assignment.  See HRM section 1408 on transfer assignments.
11. Where a supervisor is absent for longer than six weeks and the Department, Board or Agency prefers to replace the supervisor through the use of acting, rather than a transfer assignment, the acting period greater than six weeks must be jointly approved by the Deputy Head of the employing Department, Board or Agency and the Deputy Minister of Human Resources.
12. When an employee is required to temporarily perform the duties of a position at a higher pay range for five days/shifts or less, the employee will receive a responsibility allowance equal to 10% of the employee’s base salary.
13. When an employee is required to temporarily perform the duties of a position at a higher pay range for more than five days/shifts, the employee will receive a responsibility allowance equal to 12% of the employee’s base salary.
14. If an employee is designated as acting in a senior management position, the total amount of salary and responsibility allowance shall not exceed the maximum rate of pay for the position in which he/she is acting.
15. Employees not covered by the Senior Manager’s Handbook who are required to act in a senior manager position will receive a responsibility allowance.  However, their benefits will not change to correspond to the benefits of a senior manager.
16. When an education assistant is required to lead a class and no teacher is present in the classroom, the education assistant will be paid at a rate two ranges above his/her current step.

17. The supervisor identifies an employee to temporarily fill a position and clarifies with him/her the expectations of duties that will be covered (i.e., ongoing disciplinary problems, budget or work plan issues, etc.) or, in cases where an employee is asked to act for a position without supervisory responsibilities, ongoing work issues.
18. The employee records the responsibility allowance for the appropriate hours in self-service as per the instructions found on the
     Department of Human Resources Intranet.
19. For self-service exempt employees, the supervisor sends an email with the following information to the Department of Human Resources requesting payment of responsibility allowance:
    1. The name of the employee;
    2. The title of the position the employee will be acting in;
    3. The length of the acting period; and
    4. The salary/index code for the acting position.
20. The Department of Human Resources processes the information for payment and updates the employee's record in HRIS.
21. Where the request is not in accordance with the guidelines, the Department of Human Resources advises the supervisor initiating the request that the request is not in accordance with the guidelines and provides options for consideration.
22. If a supervisor wishes to extend the acting period, he/she must send an email to the Department of Human Resources requesting an extension.  The extension must be within the six-week period; otherwise, a transfer assignment should be done.

Main Collective Agreement with the UNW
Article 24.04, Responsibility Allowance
Appendix A4, Classroom Assistants

Excluded Employees’ Handbook
Salary, Responsibility Allowance

Senior Managers’ Handbook
Salary, Responsibility Allowance