E.6 Discipline

Policy No. E. 6.00

Date of Issue 7/2/2014

For violation of any of its rules, policies or procedures or failure to meet performance expectations, the university may employ any of the following disciplinary actions: verbal warning, written reprimand, suspension, or discharge. Though discipline should generally be progressive in nature, the university reserves the right to employ any of the referenced disciplinary steps in any order as appropriate and to forgo certain steps depending on the severity of the occurrence.

Disciplinary action of a corrective nature generally precedes discharge, except in the case of a major act of misconduct. When disciplining employees, the supervisor will consider the nature and gravity of the offense and the past record of the employee.

6.01	The following are examples of actions which may result in progressive disciplinary steps: Absenteeism or tardiness Inattention to safety/health issues Misuse or abuse of university property or equipment Misuse or abuse of work time Unfit for work Unsatisfactory job performance Use of profane or abusive language, gestures or graphics that reflect any form of violent, discriminatory, offensive, demeaning, coercive or harassing message or otherwise interferes with the job performance of fellow employees or the activities of students or visitors. Immediate discharge may result from a major act of misconduct such as: Creating a disturbance that may cause injury or property damage Falsification of reason for leave or of any university records including time sheets Fraud or deception in securing employment Gross neglect of duty Insubordination - direct refusal to obey a supervisory directive - and/or conduct toward a supervisor, coworker, student, alumnus or visitor that is threatening, intimidating, maliciously false, severely unprofessional, assaulting or would otherwise cause a person to fear a physical confrontation was reasonably possible Possessing weapons on university premises in a manner contrary to the weapons policy Refusal to cooperate or provide requested information during an investigation Sexual harassment Sexual misconduct Sleeping while on duty Theft or misappropriation of university property or the possessions of others regardless of the value of the item Unethical or illegal conduct Violation of the Drug-Free Workplace/Substance Abuse Prevention Policy
6.02	This progressive discipline policy applies to all non-faculty employees of the university, except for Administrative Officers and all probationary (meaning new hires) and temporary employees.
6.03	Discharge may take place without prior disciplinary warnings in the case of major acts of misconduct. Recommendations for discharge must be reviewed and approved by the Associate Vice President of Human Resources, in consultation with the Office of General Counsel, prior to communicating the action to the employee. All disciplinary actions will be retained permanently in the employee's personnel file. Following any disciplinary step, except as noted herein, the Staff Grievance Procedure (review the procedure here) is available to the employee.
6.04	Again, the above-outlined disciplinary steps do not apply to Administrative Officers, probationary (meaning only new hires) employees and temporary employees, and such individuals have no right to expect or to receive the benefit of the same. Nonetheless, it is incumbent upon all supervisors to provide any such individuals performance feedback on a regular basis, especially as it relates to problems or non-performance that may result in termination if improvement is not demonstrated. With that, the relevant supervisor may, at his/her discretion, take any listed disciplinary action, up to and including non-renewal or discharge, against such an individual, subject to the following: Human Resources is consulted regarding the proposed disciplinary action and afforded the opportunity to review the action, as it deems appropriate, prior to the disciplinary action being imposed, and no non-renewal or discharge may occur without the approval of Human Resources, after consultation with the Office of General Counsel.
6.05	As previously noted, the Staff Grievance Procedure set forth in the Employment Practices section of this Handbook is not available to probationary (meaning only new hires) and temporary employees.
6.06	And, notwithstanding any other provision of this Handbook to the contrary, any grievance by an Administrative Officer of a disciplinary action, other than termination, taken against him/her shall be considered directly by the Vice President for Finance and Administration (Step Four), whose decision shall be final. In the event that such grievance is against the Vice President for Finance and Administration, it shall be considered by the President or another Vice President designated by the President.

E.6 Discipline

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