Progressive Discipline

Employees have the duty and the responsibility to be aware of and abide by existing rules and policies. Employees also have the responsibility to perform to the best of their ability and to the standards as set forth in their job description or as otherwise established.

The College supports the use of progressive discipline to address issues such as poor work performance or misconduct. The progressive discipline policy is designed to provide a corrective action process to improve and prevent a recurrence of undesirable behavior and/or performance issues. Our progressive discipline policy has been designed to be consistent with our organizational values, Human Resources best practices, and employment laws.

Progressive Discipline Procedure

The corrective action procedure may include, but is not required to include, the following:

1. Informal Discussion. When a performance problem is first identified, the nature of the problem and the action necessary to correct it should be thoroughly discussed with the employee.

2. Counseling. If a private informal discussion with the employee was attempted and did not result in correction, the supervisor should meet with the employee and review/document the problem on a State Tech General Counseling form. The supervisor should permit the employee to present information regarding the problem, advise the employee that the problem must be corrected, inform the employee that failure to correct the problem may result in disciplinary action that may include discharge, and issue the counseling notice to the employee. An informal discussion is not required to initiate a counseling if the supervisor determines it is warranted.

3. Performance Improvement Plan. The employee’s supervisor and a representative from the HR department will meet with the employee in private, review any previous counseling or informal discussions that have been documented and proceed to administer a Performance Improvement Plan to the employee. The improvement plan will clearly indicate the performance standard not being met, the conditions of the performance, the requirements of the plan and a timeline for plan completion and review.

4. Failure to improve. Failure to improve performance or behavior after the written warning may result in termination.

In cases involving serious misconduct, or any time the supervisor determines it is necessary, such as a major breach of policy or violation of law, the process above may be disregarded. Each attempt at Progressive Discipline will be document and retained in the Human Resource Department.

LINE OF AUTHORITY

Responsible administrator or office: Human Resources

Contact person in that office: Amy Ames

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 16, 2023

Approved by President: August 16, 2023