5-302: Service Awards

Purpose​

To recognize the contributions that all employees make to the County of Sacramento and to the citizens of Sacramento County through their employment service. ​

Authority

• Board of Supervisors approval 11/16/1987.​​

Scope

This policy applies to all regular County employees and members of the Board of Supervisors. 

Policy

It is the policy of the County of Sacramento to recognize employee loyalty, dedication and service to the organization by presenting employee service awards/certificates to eligible employees, according to the guidelines set herein and contingent on available County funding. 

Eligibility

All regular full-time and part-time employees, elected department heads and members of the Board of Supervisors are eligible to receive a service award upon completion of 10 years of service and at the end of every additional five years of service thereafter. 

Temporary employees are not eligible to receive service awards. 

Calculation of Service Time 

For the purpose of this program, all employment with Sacramento County will be cumulative. If an employee leaves Sacramento County employment and later is re-employed, the length of both periods of employment shall be added together in order to determine eligibility. 

A break in service (period of non-employment) does not count in the calculation of service time. 

All effective dates of hire and termination are recorded by the Department of Personnel Services. These records are used to calculate the employee’s dates of service and cumulative service time. 

All time served by a regular employee in a temporary position counts toward total service time. This applies to temporary employees who later are appointed to permanent positions and regular employees who accept provisional or limited-term appointments. 

All time spent on an approved LOA counts toward the total time served calculation. All time spent on an unapproved LOA (AWOL) will not count toward the total time served calculation. 

Personnel Services staff shall notify each department of the names of employees eligible for awards and specify the years of service. 

Awards

At each service level, employees are eligible for a selection of a service award specific to that level of service. The specific type of service award to be issued under this policy may be temporarily modified or suspended due to budgetary or other financial constraints. Certificates will always be presented for time served. 

Service Award packets and certificates are presented by the employees’ supervisors or department heads in their departments. 

Service Awards packets will be presented as close as possible to the actual service anniversary date. Employees who do not select a gift from the award packet within 90 days of the actual service anniversary date, will forfeit their gift.

Employees receiving awards for 25 or more years of service may receive their service certificate at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Supervisors, if they choose. Employees should notify their department service award coordinator of this request, so the coordinator can schedule the presentation for the employee on the Board of Supervisor’s agenda. The day of presentation at the Board of Supervisors will be a paid day off for the employee, in celebration of reaching 25 years or more of service. Employees who do not elect this method of presentation may choose another paid day off, at the discretion of their hiring authority that falls as close to their anniversary date as possible and does not conflict with departmental operations. 

Administration 

An employee who terminates for any reason other than retirement or lay off before a service award anniversary date is not eligible for an award/certificate. 

Employees who retire or who are laid off within 3 months of their anniversary month are eligible to receive their service award/certificate.

Employees whose service awards are lost or stolen may purchase a replacement if that option is offered by the current vendor. The employee will need to contact Personnel Services to obtain the current vendor contact information for ordering their replacement gift.