Employee Corrective Action – Progressive Discipline

Operational Standard/Purpose

All employees are expected to meet performance standards and to conduct themselves appropriately in the workplace. When an employee fails to maintain acceptable standards of performance, service, and/or conduct, formal corrective action may be necessary to ensure that individuals operate in a manner to achieve the College’s institutional goals and objectives. Prior to issuing corrective action (discipline), managers are required to investigate the issue.

Refer to the Employee Handbook for additional information.

Scope/Applicability

Refer to the Employee Handbook for additional information.

This policy applies to all Illinois Central College employees, with the exception of employees with individual contracts of employment. In the event of a conflict between this Policy and the terms of a collective bargaining agreement, the terms of the collective bargaining agreement will control.

Procedures

Corrective Action – Progressive Discipline Procedure

When the manager determines a performance or behavior issue exists, he/she is required to take the following steps prior to Corrective Action/Progressive Discipline. It is important that the process is applied in a fair and consistent manner. Progressive discipline may be initiated at any step.

1. The manager will conduct a fair and objective investigation of the situation within ten (10) calendar days of being alerted to the concern. An investigation may be as simple as confirming a late arrival through a time clock or more complex with interviewing many employees and reviewing documents. More complex investigations should be conducted in coordination with the Human Resources Department.
2. The manager will review all relevant documents, review how the employee was notified of the expectation/policy that has been violated, speak with any witnesses (and obtain written statements, if appropriate), and speak with the employee about the situation. The purpose of this meeting is due diligence to gather all relevant information about this situation. It is not intended that corrective action take place during this meeting. The conversation with the employee should include asking if any extenuating or mitigating circumstances exist.
3. The manager will complete the Employee Corrective Disciplinary Action Form and include all investigative details on the form.
4. After the investigation, the manager will discuss the situation with the Human Resources Department and the supervisory chain up to and including their Cabinet member to determine the appropriate level of disciplinary action. Many situations should be able to be resolved through verbal counseling or a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP); however, some one-time incidents may be severe enough to merit a formal discipline action of a written warning, suspension (with or without pay), final warning, or termination. The seriousness of the offense and the employee's disciplinary and performance history will be considered when determining the level of discipline to be applied. All decisions escalating corrective/disciplinary action to a higher level of discipline will be made in consultation with Human Resources and the supervisory chain up to and including the cabinet representative.
   
   Refer to the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for additional information.
5. Based on the severity of the concern, the employee may be placed on a paid or unpaid administrative leave during an internal investigation with review and consultation by Human Resources. During the administrative leave, the supervisor should remind the employee that they are expected to be available during their regularly scheduled hours of work, should not be in the workplace, and should not conduct any business on behalf of the College.
6. The manager, with a representative from the Human Resources Department present, must meet with the employee within thirty (30) calendar days of the violation to explain the concern, discuss expectations, and establish a time to follow-up with the employee to ensure that sustained performance or behavior is maintained.
7. If an employee is applying for another position within the College, the hiring manager may contact the employee’s current manager for a performance reference. The hiring manager will consider all corrective action received by the employee within the preceding 12 months, severity of the action, and current acceptable behavior. This information may be a deciding factor in the hiring decision.
8. An employee is expected to have sustained improvement during the Correction Action process. Should an employee be away from work for an extended and continuous period of time under any of the College’s leave policies, the disciplinary action step may be extended by the time the employee was away from work and the employee would be given the opportunity to demonstrate improved behavior once the employee returns to work. Extending corrective/disciplinary action should be done in consultation with Human Resources.

Appeal Procedure (Non-Bargaining Unit Employees)

1. If an employee has evidence to refute the disciplinary action, he/she can file an appeal in writing with Human Resources within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt of the discipline. Human Resources will conduct an investigation within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt of the appeal and deliver a report either supporting the discipline or recommending an amendment to the action.
2. If the disciplinary action is sustained, the employee may produce a written rebuttal which will be attached to the formal documentation and placed in the employee’s personnel file.
3. If the disciplinary action is not sustained, Human Resources will issue the employee a letter to be included in the personnel file and will amend the discipline or corrective action with the manager.