Benefits
Forsyth County provides benefits to eligible full-time employees the first of the month following employment. Employees may choose from Aetna Choice POS II Advantage, Aetna Choice POS II Classic, or Kaiser HMO plans. The County offers additional supplemental options to help meet and satisfy the needs of employees and their families. Additional information can be found here.
Retirement Plan: 401(k) and 457(b)
Forsyth County offers a rewarding 401(k) and a 457(b) plan for their employees to assist with their future financial needs. Employees are immediately eligible to begin contributions upon hire and are automatically enrolled into the 401K plan at 5%. For the 401K plan, employees are 20% graduated vesting annually, then become fully vested at five years of employment. The 457(b) is a tax-advantaged retirement plan primarily for civil servants, municipal employees, law enforcement officers and public safety personnel. For 2023, the annual contribution limits for the 401(k) and/or 457(b) plan is $22,500 per plan.
Holidays
All full-time and part-time employees who accrue personal leave time will enjoy 10 paid holidays each year. New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Specific dates can be found here. Employees required to work on holidays will receive premium pay and compensation to account the hours and time spent. Depending on the role and the department will determine whether an employee is required to work on the holiday.
PTO/Compensatory Time
Full-time and regular part-time (with leave) employees are eligible to accrue personal time off. Leave is accrued based on their seniority date. Regular part-time (with leave) employees are eligible to accrue personal time off leave at one-half the rate of accrual. Accrual rates increase by seniority: 0 to 4 years grants up to 20 days per calendar year, 5 to 14 years grants up to 25 days per calendar year, and 15 + years grants up to 30 days per calendar year.
In addition to personal time off, Forsyth County offers a unique benefit to all full-time employees in the form of compensatory or “comp” time. Employees who are classified as non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) may elect to receive either (1) overtime pay at the rate of one and one-half times their regular rate of pay or (2) compensatory time off in lieu of payment. Non-exempt employees must choose one of the two options at the time of hire. The Non-exempt employee is thereafter allowed to change this selection only once a year and applicable the first pay period in October. Exempt employees who perform overtime work and incur call out response time shall receive compensatory time at the rate of one and one-half times hours worked to be used for time away from work. Part-time employees, who perform overtime work, shall receive overtime pay at the rate of one and one-half times their regular rate of pay.
Emergency Sick Leave
To provide additional income protection when a qualifying emergency absence is necessary, any full-time employee may utilize up to twenty-four (24) hours of paid Emergency Leave Time as deemed appropriate by their Department Head/Elected Official or designee. The employee should exhaust all available personal leave or accrued compensatory time before eligibility of using the emergency leave. Any unused balance will expire on the one-year anniversary of the employee’s hire date.
Bereavement Leave
Leave with pay may be granted to any full-time employee in the event of a death in the employee’s immediate family. Funeral Leave may be granted at the maximum of up to three (3) working days. Immediate family shall include the employee’s spouse, child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, parent-in-law, sibling, stepsibling, sibling-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, spouse’s grandparent, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, aunt and uncle. Such leave is not charged to personal leave, even if the employee has been absent from work to care for the deceased family member pursuant to the Family Medical Leave Act.
Employee Discounts
The County recognizes that national and local discounts can go a long way. It has been an ongoing effort to bring forth greater savings opportunities to our employees. Current perks and discounts include Anytime Fitness, AT&T, Farmers Insurance, Office Depot, Grease Monkey, Culvers, Liberty Mutual and Verizon, just to name a few. More are forthcoming and will be added as they become available.
Fitness Membership
Free FitRec membership is granted to all Forsyth County employees. Employees can visit any of our Parks & Recreation gym locations free of charge for one year. Gym locations include Central Park at 2300 Keith Bridge Rd, Fowler Park at 4110 Carolene Way, and Old Atlanta Park at 810 Nichols Rd, Suwanee. Membership includes indoor walking tracks, pickleball, badminton, basketball, and use of the cardio and weight equipment. Other kinds of membership and packages are available at a 50% off discounted rate.
Wellness Center
Forsyth County offers an onsite Health & Wellness Center to help individuals to meet their goals and is open to all Forsyth County employees, spouses, retirees and dependents age 2+ that are covered under the Forsyth County sponsored medical plans. The center, which offers a variety of services, is staffed by a Nurse Practitioner and Medical Assistant. This service and benefit is free to all covered employees and their family members. Employees are permitted to utilize the center during their work hours without disruption to compensation or utilization of PTO or sick leave.
Educational Assistance
Tuition reimbursement is offered to eligible full-time employees who take an approved course, or educational program, at a credited college, university or educational facility. Upon successful completion of the course, the eligible employee will qualify for reimbursement of tuition expenses, fees and the costs of textbooks. The amount of reimbursement is up to $1,000 for 2023.