I. Corrective Action

A.

Supervisory/administrative efforts should, whenever possible, be concentrated on preventing serious job performance and/or conduct problems from occurring rather than on disciplining employees. If disciplinary measures are necessary, the supervisor should contact Employee Relations/Human Resources for assistance.

B. Categories of Corrective Action

The College administration will determine which step of discipline is required based upon the nature and/or severity of the offense. If an offense is of sufficient severity, disciplinary action may begin at a more advanced stage, up to and including immediate dismissal. Therefore, the College maintains the right to dismiss any employee, as outlined in this policy, without providing for any or all of the following corrective action measures.

1. Counseling

Counseling by an employee's immediate supervisor/administrator will normally be the first effort to correct the employee's performance or conduct deficiencies. When an employee's work or conduct is unsatisfactory and if counseling does not correct the situation, progressive discipline consisting of increasingly stronger disciplinary action will normally be followed.

2. Verbal Warning

A verbal warning may be issued in an attempt to correct relatively minor occurrences of inappropriate performance and/or conduct.

3. Written Warning

A written warning may be issued for repetition of an offense covered in a previous verbal warning or the first occurrence of a more severe offense.

4. Final Written Warning

A final written warning (with or without unpaid suspension) may be issued for the first occurrence of a very serious offense(s) or may be issued for repeated lesser offenses which have been identified by the immediate administrator and not corrected by the employee despite previous disciplinary action(s).

a. The final written warning is considered a last chance, and if an employee does not achieve improvement in performance/conduct, dismissal will normally be the result.

b. The manager (or designee) and Employee Relations/Human Resources must review the final written warning prior to it being issued to the employee.

c. If deemed appropriate, an unpaid suspension may also accompany the final written warning as a severe reprimand.

5. Termination

Any employee, including those on employment contracts of any type, may be dismissed at any time, with or without previous disciplinary action for any reason deemed appropriate by the College, including, but not limited to, neglect of job responsibilities, failure to perform in a proper and acceptable manner, conviction of a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude, impairment, willful disregard of express directives of the College, and/or refusal to follow written policies, rules, regulations, and procedures of the College. Refer to Termination Procedures for additional information.

Termination of any employee on an extendible contract or during the term of a contract entitles the employee to institutional Due Process pursuant to Termination Procedures. Non-exempt employees and employees within their first six-month introductory period do not have access to institutional Due Process.

II. Position Eliminations and Reductions in Force

A. Position eliminations and/or reductions in force may be necessary at any time if the position to which the employee is assigned is discontinued as a result of institutional financial exigency, reorganization, or program reduction.

B. Employees whose positions are eliminated shall not have access to institutional Due Process.

III. Due Process

Employees terminated at any time while on an extendible contract or during the term of any non-extendible contract shall have access to institutional Due Process pursuant to Termination Procedures, other than position eliminations, reductions in force, and employees in their introductory period (i.e., first six months of employment).

Related Procedures

Termination Procedures

Changes

Changes approved by the Board of Trustees on June 10, 1980; May 6, 2020; May 11, 2022

Changes approved by Cabinet on February 20, 2006; January 5, 2009; July 7, 2009; August 30, 2010; July 27, 2015; May 11, 2022