Employee Performance Deficiency and Progressive Discipline

1.0    Purpose

This policy establishes guidelines for addressing performance deficiencies and serious offenses up to involuntary termination.

2.0    Revision History

3.0    Persons Affected

3.1    All Casper College employees. The Board of Trustees (BOT) is responsible for evaluating the president’s performance and addressing any concerns. The BOT may address concerns within the purview of the president’s contract but is not required to follow the procedures outlined in this policy. Any concerns regarding the president’s performance or behavior should be directed to the human resources (HR) director.

3.2    Adjunct, part-time, temporary, seasonal, on-call, and student employees.

4.0    Policy

The policy of Casper College is to ensure the following.

4.1    The college has a defined process for addressing performance deficiencies and serious offenses.

4.2    The college abides by all federal, state, and local laws regarding resolving employee grievances and termination.

4.3    The college uses progressive discipline in cases of performance deficiencies and serious offenses.

4.4    Supervisors may initiate termination without progressive discipline for adjunct, part-time, temporary, seasonal, on-call, and student employees.

5.0    Definitions

5.1    Serious Offenses. A negative action or behavior that may result in termination at a single occurrence or a pattern of a negative action or behavior. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following.

5.1.1    Attendance.  Examples include unauthorized or unapproved absences, failure to follow departmental notification of or request for leave procedures, habitual tardiness, chronic absenteeism, abandonment, falsification of timekeeping records.

5.1.2    Behavior.  Examples include unprofessional or unacceptable conduct at work, insubordination, interference with the job responsibilities of other college employees, threats, intimidation, or aggression, verbal or physical abuse, being disrespectful, violence, bullying, harassment, discrimination, repeated uncivil treatment of the public, students, and employees, failure to cooperate with or impeding with a college investigation.

5.1.3    Dishonesty.  Examples include intentionally providing false or inaccurate information in the course of college business or during an investigation or audit, intentional or reckless disregard for facts, illegal or inappropriate use of college resources, unauthorized access to college facilities.

5.1.4    Ethics.  Examples include theft, immoral conduct, misuse or inappropriate release or retention of college records or information,

5.1.5    Safety.  Examples include failure to comply with college safety rules and procedures, use or being under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs at work, inappropriate use of prescription drugs, failure to report an accident or safety hazards.  

5.1.6    College or Departmental Policies and Procedures.  Examples include failure to comply with or violation of college or departmental policies or federal, state, or local laws.

5.2    Involuntary Termination. When the college initiates the termination of employment for performance deficiency or serious offense.

5.3    Performance Deficiency. Work performance or conduct that is unsatisfactory and warrants corrective measures. Examples include, but are not limited to, the inability to perform assigned duties at an acceptable level including safety, quality, and quantity, neglect of duty, failure to maintain required credentials or licensure, or conduct that adversely affects workflow.

5.4    Progressive Discipline. A series of corrective measures designed to address performance deficiencies and behavior issues. Depending on the seriousness of the performance deficiency or serious offense, supervisors may initiate progressive discipline at any step in the process.

5.5    Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). A structured document containing the plan of action designed by the supervisor for an employee whose performance is not meeting standards or expectations.

5.6    Suspension. The college may suspend an employee with or without pay pending an investigation for performance deficiencies or serious offense.

5.7    Staff Advisor. This is a college administrator who is available to classified staff to discuss work related concerns, refers employees to applicable policies or to other college employees for information, and attends meetings when appropriate. Staff Alliance selects the administrator and the president approves or rejects the selection. Classified staff may solicit the assistance of the staff advisor at any time.

6.0    Responsibilities

6.1    The HR director is responsible for maintaining compliance with this policy and for overseeing all employee terminations.

7.0    Procedures

7.1    Verbal Warning

7.1.1    The supervisor and the employee discuss the employee’s performance deficiencies or serious offenses. The supervisor sets expectations and documents the meeting. The employee may add comments to the verbal warning documentation and sign the document as acknowledgement of receipt. The supervisor submits the documentation to HR to put into the employee’s permanent personnel record.

7.2    Written Warning

7.2.1    The supervisor provides the employee with a written warning to include the date(s) of the written warning meetings, performance deficiencies or serious offenses, and, if applicable, a PIP. The warning will include expectations of the employee and consequences if the employee does not meet those expectations. If the performance deficiencies or serious offenses are significant, the supervisor may place the employee on suspension after consulting with HR.

7.2.2    The employee adds any comments and dates and signs the warning as acknowledgment of receipt of the warning.

7.2.3    The supervisor provides the employee and the HR director with a copy of the warning.

7.2.4    The HR director files the warning in the employee’s permanent personnel record.

7.3    Final Written Warning

7.3.1    The supervisor provides the employee with a written final warning to include the date(s) of written warning meetings, performance deficiencies or serious offenses, expectations, and, if applicable, a PIP. The warning will include expectations of the employee and consequences if the employee does not meet the expectations. If the performance deficiencies or serious offenses are significant, the supervisor may place the employee on suspension after consulting with HR.

7.3.2    The employee adds any comments and dates and signs the warning as acknowledgment of receipt of the warning.

7.3.3    The supervisor provides the employee and the HR director with a copy of the warning.

7.3.4    The HR director files the warning in the employee’s permanent personnel record.

7.4    Involuntary Termination

7.4.1    Supervisors meet with the HR director to discuss a termination. They review pertinent data and documentation to determine if employee’s performance or behavior warrants termination. If the data and documentation supports termination, the HR director will notify the president of any pending or actual terminations.

7.4.2    The HR director and the supervisor will meet with the employee. The HR director will provide the employee with a Notification of Status Change form indicating the employee has been terminated. The employee, supervisor, and HR all sign the form.

7.4.3    Terminated employees will turn their college keys and any college property into HR at the time of signing the Notification of Status Change form or at a date as stated by the HR director and written on the form.

7.4.4    HR will calculate compensation in compliance with legal requirements and college policies and issue final compensation within the next regular scheduled pay period.

7.4.5    HR will provide terminating employees with pertinent separation information.