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Policy 2.6.2

Policy 2.6.2

SUBJECT: PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

The University's progressive discipline policy and procedures are designed to provide a structured corrective action process to improve and prevent a recurrence of undesirable behavior and/or performance issues. Types of performance issues or conduct that may result in progressive discipline might include:

• Violating protocols, policies or procedures concerning safety or compliance for students or employees; misuse of fiscal or other university resources; inappropriate or unprofessional behavior; absenteeism; prolonged unacceptable performance; insubordination; disruptive or disrespectful behavior adversely affecting other employees, students or other university constituents; theft, dishonesty or other unethical behavior (e.g., falsification of records); violations of confidentiality; or other behavior that violates policies and procedures as identified by the university.

Listed below are the steps of the progressive discipline policy and procedure. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ reserves the right to combine or skip steps depending upon facts of each situation and the nature of the offense. The level of disciplinary intervention may also vary. Some of the factors that will be considered depend upon whether the offense is repeated despite coaching, counseling and/or training, the employee's work record and the impact the conduct and performance issues have on the institution. Detailed information can be found in the policy.

Procedures:

• Step 1: Counseling and Verbal Warning: establish a clear understanding of the issues and the expectations for performance and conduct; develop course of action to rectify causes for concern with appropriate timelines for completing the agreed-upon course of action. The supervisor should document the date and nature of the counseling or verbal warning and place in the supervisor's work file for the employee.

• Step 2: Written Warning - provide a clear explanation of the issue, explain corrective actions, and establish a time frame for resolution of the problem. Fully explain the consequences of continuing inappropriate conduct or substandard performance. If appropriate, reference previous counseling and/or verbal warnings. Inform the employee in writing of the right to attach comments to the warning letter. Coordinated with the Office of Human Resources prior to presenting the letter to the employee and discussing it with the employee. The employee should acknowledge receipt of the written warning by signing the document. If the employee refuses to acknowledge receipt of the warning, the supervisor should annotate the letter stating that the employee was presented with the warning, but refused to acknowledge receipt. Upon conclusion of the discussion with the employee, a copy of the letter and any attachments should be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources to be filed with the employee's official personnel record.

• Step 3: Final Written Warning and Suspension (With or Without Pay): A specific period of time for the suspension should be determined on the basis of the period of time it will take to correct or investigate the issue (e.g., the remainder of a work day, 30 days). A written statement addressing the reason for the suspension, the length of the suspension, and expected behavior upon expiration of the suspension will be provided to the employee. A copy of this statement should be forwarded to Human Resources for inclusion in the employee's official personnel record.

• Step 4: Recommendation for Termination: Termination is a last resort when performance or conduct problems are not corrected or when an act or performance issue is significant enough to warrant immediate termination.

Performance and Conduct Issues Not Subject to Progressive Discipline - Behavior that is illegal is not subject to progressive discipline and may be reported to local law enforcement. Theft, intoxication at work, substance abuse, public exposure/indecency, fighting and other acts of violence are also not subject to progressive discipline and may be grounds for immediate termination.

Documentation - The employee will be provided copies of all progressive discipline documentation, including all performance improvement plans. The employee will be asked to sign copies of this documentation attesting to their receipt and understanding of the corrective action outlined in these documents.

Copies of these documents will be placed in the employee's official personnel file.

Contact for Interpretation: Chief Financial Officer

This policy statement supersedes all previous policy statements on this subject.

Revisions:

-   08/14/2017 - Reviewed


-   02/03/2014 - Inception as policy 2.6.2 

Printable Policy 2.6.2

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