Akron Reporter

At this morning’s press conference, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik announced a new volunteer time off policy for city employees. All permanent, non-probationary employees who volunteer at a non-profit organization (e.g., a charity, religious organization, or community group) located within the City of Akron, will be granted up to four hours of paid time off, designated as “Volunteer Time Off” or “VTO”.  Mayor Malik encourages employees to prioritize volunteering at programs that provide mentoring to children and students through grade 12, but any volunteer service for a charitable purpose qualifies for VTO. View the full policy here.

“Engagement in the community is critical as we look to build stronger relationships with our residents,” said Mayor Malik. “As we encourage everyone to get involved to help make our city a better place, I think it’s crucial for us to lead by example. This new policy will better allow our employees to give their time and effort to a non-profit of their choice in the City of Akron. I’m excited to see how this program will benefit our staff and our community.”

Effective February 20, 2024, all employees will be granted a bank of four (4) hours of VTO. To utilize paid VTO, employees must request to be excused from work during their regular work shift and may volunteer during a portion of their regularly scheduled workday. VTO does not need to be used in one block and may be utilized in one-hour increments. Employees must receive pre-approval from their supervisor to utilize the VTO leave. VTO will not be allowed where it would conflict with the operations of the employee’s work unit. Employees will be required to submit written confirmation from the non-profit organization of their volunteer time.

Original source can be found here.