AMP Volunteer Paid Time Off Policy
Guidelines and Application
Policy:
1. Purpose and Overview. The purpose of the AMP Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO) Program is to permit individuals with at least 120 days of continual, active, employment who are currently performing well in their role to dedicate up to 8 hours of AMP-paid working time annually during standard business hours to a charitable or non-profit organization serving disadvantaged individuals or nonpolitical civic causes in our communities. (Part time employees meeting the same standards for tenure and solid performance in their work will be eligible for 4 hours of VPTO.) The intention of this program is to create community engagement opportunities for AMP employees that are meaningful, purposeful, and that help those in need. The program recognizes that participating in these activities can also enrich and inspire the lives of our employees, fostering a positive sense of connectedness to those less fortunate or to causes that improve the quality of life for people in the communities where we work. Employees using VPTO will be paid at their normal pay rate for the VPTO hours taken. VPTO may be taken only in four hour and eight hour increments, and up to a maximum of 8 hours per calendar year. VPTO is refreshed at the beginning of each calendar year and cannot be accrued or carried-over into the following year. Usage of VPTO time does not affect PTO. Unused VPTO is not paid out upon termination of employment.
2. Individual Eligibility. Eligibility for VPTO in every instance minimally requires that the applicant has been continually and actively employed for at least 120 days and that at the time of application and the scheduled VPTO hours, their workplace performance has been acceptably strong, meaning that they are not on any sort of a Performance Improvement Plan or subject to any other sort of corrective management program. Eligibility is forfeited in the event that AMP discontinues this program, which it may do at any time in its sole discretion,or in the event of an employee’s termination of employment for any reason.
3. Eligible and Ineligible Volunteer Activities and Groups. Approval for volunteering conducted under VPTO will almost always require that it be under the direction of, and for the benefit of,a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or unit of local government. It cannot be done in return for compensation (excluding pay from AMP), must be done during standard working hours, may not involve political campaigning, and cannot benefit the family members of the employee who is volunteering. Organized team, departmental, or Company wide public service events may be approved that would not otherwise meet the criteria above. Examples of honorable but nonetheless ineligible volunteering activities would for instance include mowing the lawn of a sick or elderly neighbor (not done under the direction of a nonprofit group) teaching Sunday school (because it is not done during standard working hours) coaching a child’s soccer team (because it is done outside of typical working hours and primarily benefits a family member) or attending a professional development seminar focused on a work skill (because it is not charitable or non-profit volunteer work.) Instances of eligible activities would include such activities as building a house for Habitat for Humanity, volunteering at a homeless shelter, food bank, or crisis pregnancy center; volunteering at a local hospital; serving as a local election judge, or participating in a Friday afternoon neighborhood clean-up project organized across a large group of AMP co-workers.
4. Application. Employees intending to utilize VPTO must apply in writing (to HR) and provide reasonable notice to their direct supervisor of their intended time away from work who may decline the request if work demands require priority over VPTO. The application for VPTO is attached to this document, and once completed, it should be sent to hr@ampcorporate.com with a copy to an individual’s immediate manager.
5. Approval. Human Resources will confer with an employee’s supervisor in approving or denying requests, and an answer will be provided back to the requesting employee in writing (typically by email) quickly and in all cases, within 5 business days.
6. Post-Volunteering Reporting on Good Work Done under the VPTO Program. Upon completing the volunteering activity that was the subject of a VPTO application, the eligible employee must complete and submit a short written report describing the good work that they did, and while not required, Human Resources staff requests volunteers to submit a photo or two showing them engaged in the volunteer activity. In order to encourage other AMP team members to participate in volunteering activities, we will share the good work done through the VPTO program in our company newsletter and social media.
7. Modification or Discontinuation of the Program. The AMP VPTO Program may be suspended, discontinued, or the eligibility requirements and other standards and guidelines included here may be modified or amended at any time and in the sole discretion of AMP, if for instance, it becomes complicated to manage, has limited participation, or causes unforeseen disadvantageous circumstances that seem to outweigh the program’s potential to do good in the world and provide benefits.