2.27 Disciplinary Procedures - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Allow the employee, if requested, to have a union or other representative present at this meeting. • Determine and communicate to the employee in writing the fachial allegations or charges and cite any rules vi olated and .inform the e mployee of the disciplinary action to be taken prior to the effective date of the action • Give the employee an opportunity to respond to the allegations in writing or verbally prior to the effective date. • Maintain confidentiality in all disciplinary matters involving only those individuals necessary to assure ~i proper disposition of the matter. i Sample letters covering these steps are included on pages 10.16. The Due Process Meeting Assume that an employee has been notified by a supervisor of an alleged violation of departmental and City rules, informed that the alleged offense warrants discharge, and has been given a time, date, and place to respond formally on the issue prior to the effective date. What things need to happen at this meeting? 1 First, tbe purpose of the meeting is to give the employee an opportunity to respond to the allegations. The supervisor j is the interviewer, and should listen to the employee's side of the story and ask questions to gain further information and to clarify the employee's responses. This is the meeting to get all the information available prior to the final decision to discipline. If the employee brings a union representative (or an attorney) to the meeting or requests permission to do so, the supervisor must approve the request. However, if this occurs, an HRRS representative should be present during the meeting and, in the case of an employee bringing their attorney, the City attorney should be present. It is important to take thorough notes during the interview. The supervisor may wish to read the notes back to the employee to ensure that the employee's side of the story is accurately portrayed. These notes will be considered prior to making the final decision. The department head or other supervisory employees responsible for reviewing an em~ovee's appeal may not attend the due process hearin,_,g. In disciplinary matters, sufficient objectivity must be retained by higher levels of manage- ment to assure a fair review of an employee appeal. This requirement for objectivity does not imply that higher levels of management should not be fully aware of the disciplinary proceedings. Because the department head must Wile on the appeat, s/he must maintain a distance from the situation, even though fully aware of the proceedings. For the same reason, the City Manager does not participate in an exempt employee due process interview. Supervisor's Guide January, 1996 Employee Relations Page 8