Q&A: Employee leave due to school and daycare closures

Q: What options do employees have if their regular childcare arrangements are

affected by school and daycare closures?

A: Employees who are parents or legal guardians of children under the age of 12 and
whose regular childcare arrangements have been affected by school and daycare
closures must discuss their options with their managers. Managers will be as flexible as
possible while ensuring continued government operations and services to
Nunavummiut. Options include:
• Alternate arrangements for childcare with other members of the employee’s
household;
• A flexible working schedule that allows the employee to balance work and
childcare responsibilities by working the regular number of hours over a modified
schedule (for example, starting and ending work earlier or later, or working on
evenings and weekends);
• Working partially or fully from home, depending on the employee’s work
responsibilities;
• Taking special paid leave due to school and daycare closures (on a part-time or
full-time basis).

Q: Can employees bring their child(ren) to the workplace and care for them while
at work?

A: No. The GN is supporting employees to balance their work and childcare

responsibilities through flexible work schedules or working from home. In order to
support social distancing, there is limited public access to GN offices at this time.

Q: GN employees who were working from home will be returning to the workplace
as of June 8, 2020. Can employees with children under the age of 12 continue
working from home?

A: Yes, if they have discussed their options with their manager and have their
manager’s prior approval based on ensuring continued government operations and
services to Nunavummiut.

Q: It is expected that the majority of GN employees will be able to balance their

work and childcare responsibilities through a flexible work schedule or by
working from home. Under what circumstances can an employee take special
paid leave due to school and daycare closures?

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A: Employees can take special paid leave due to school and daycare closures if they
have discussed their options with their manager and have their manager’s prior written
approval. Examples of particular circumstances that would prevent an employee from
working a full-time schedule include:
• The employee is a single parent, there are no other members of the employee’s
household who can provide childcare, and the employee’s work responsibilities
cannot be completed from home due to the nature of the work or because of a
lack of IT equipment;
• Other members of the employee’s household cannot provide childcare during
reasonable hours for the employee to attend work (for example, it would not be
reasonable for an employee who regularly works in the office from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. to work in the office overnight), and the employee’s work responsibilities
cannot be completed from home due to the nature of the work or because of a
lack of IT equipment;
• Other particular circumstances can be discussed with departmental human
resources representatives or with the Employee Relations division as required.

Q: How should special paid leave due to school and daycare closures be
recorded on an employee’s leave form and leave and attendance spreadsheet?
A: Special paid leave can be recorded as special leave code 09, however the leave
form and leave and attendance spreadsheet should note that no special leave credits
will be deducted.

Q: How should a flexible working schedule be recorded in an employee’s

personnel file?
A: Employees and managers can request a template for a flexible working schedule
agreement from their department’s human resources coordinator. A flexible working
schedule agreement must be recorded in writing (or by email) and added to an
employee’s personnel file.

Q: Are employees eligible for overtime when working a flexible schedule?

A: This depends. Employees who have their manager’s pre-authorization for overtime
and work more than their regular number of hours of work over a biweekly pay period
will receive overtime pay for overtime hours worked.

For example, if an employee who normally works from Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. is approved for a flexible working schedule from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, the employee is not working more than their
regular number of hours and will not receive overtime pay from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and
will also not receive overtime pay for Saturday.
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However, if that same employee works receives their manager’s pre-authorization to
work overtime in addition to the agreed flexible working schedule, then they will receive
overtime pay. For example, this employee would be eligible for overtime to work on a
Tuesday.

Q: Daycares across the territory are permitted to re-open as of June 1, but the
daycare in a particular community has not yet re-opened. Can employees in that
community still work from home or take special paid leave due to daycare
closures?

A: Yes, if they have discussed their options with their manager and have their
manager’s prior approval.

Q: Daycare(s) in a particular community have re-opened, but an employee

chooses not to send their child(ren) back to that daycare. Can an employee still
work from home or take special paid leave due to daycare closures?

A: No. The special paid leave is only for employees who are affected by school and
daycare closures due to COVID-19 public health measures. If employees choose not to
send their child(ren) back to their regular daycare, then employees must discuss their
options with their managers. Options include:
• Taking annual leave, optional leave, or lieu;
• Alternate arrangements for childcare with other members of the employee’s
household;
• A flexible working schedule that allows the employee to balance work and
childcare responsibilities by working the regular number of hours over a modified
schedule (for example, starting and ending work earlier or later, or working on
evenings and weekends);
• Working partially or fully from home, depending on the employee’s work
responsibilities.

Q: According to their original school schedule, the school(s) in a particular

community would already have been closed for the summer, or would normally
be closed before June 30. Can employees in that community still take special
paid leave due to school closures?

A: No. The special paid leave is only for employees who are affected by school and
daycare closures due to COVID-19 public health measures. If schools would normally
be closed in a particular community according to their original schedule, then
employees must discuss their options with their managers. Options include:
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 • Taking annual leave, optional leave, or lieu;
• Alternate arrangements for childcare with other members of the employee’s
household;
• A flexible working schedule that allows the employee to balance work and
childcare responsibilities by working the regular number of hours over a modified
schedule (for example, starting and ending work earlier or later, or working on
evenings and weekends);
• Working partially or fully from home, depending on the employee’s work
responsibilities.