2.4.3 Performance Expectations and Corrective Action

Policy: 2.4.3

Performance Expectations and Corrective Action

PLT Approval Date: December 16, 2008

Revised Effective Date: December 17, 2008

Scope: All Employee Groups

Yavapai College recognizes its responsibility to communicate to employees the expectations of job performance, which includes appropriate work-related behavior.

As a College we embrace certain values and their observance, which include but are not limited to:

• Carry out professional responsibilities and assigned job tasks in a manner that supports the normal operations of the College and does not interfere with other employees’ ability to do the same.
• Maintain required and/or updated skills, proficiencies, credentials, certifications or licenses as required by the position.
• Achieve performance expectations of quality, productivity and efficiency.
• Maintain regular attendance and properly communicate the need for absences.
• Be acquainted with, comply with, and constructively support College policies, procedures and objectives.
• Show respect, including courteous, considerate, and prompt response, to self and others, including co-workers, supervisors, the public, or any member of the College community.
• Maintain high standards of honesty, integrity, and impartiality, free from any personal considerations, favoritism, or partisan demands, in both speech and action.
• Demonstrate forthright expression of one’s own views and exhibit tolerance for the views of others.
• Give fair and just treatment to all and appropriately represent and use authority.
• Avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of conflicts, among personal interests, institutional interests, and the interests of campus groups and disclose such potential conflicts when they may exist.
• Recognize good stewardship in the use of College property and resources, which includes employee time.
• Conduct self in a manner that will not bring discredit or embarrassment to Yavapai College.

Employees will be subject to corrective action for failure to meet performance expectations and/or violation of established policies, procedures or standards of conduct when the employee is at work, is on College grounds or at a College sponsored event, adversely impacts the operations or reputation of the College, or the employee’s conduct is in some manner College-related. Supervisors, in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources or appropriate departmental designee (referred to from this point as “Human Resources”), may place an employee on administrative leave to provide the College time to investigate and/or evaluate the circumstances regarding any action concerning an employee. This includes but is not limited to conduct which jeopardizes the health or safety of College employees, students, or others on College property.

Procedure: All Employee Groups

In determining the appropriate corrective action for the particular behaviors, incidents, or performance deficiencies the supervisor will take into consideration employee category and status as defined in Policy 2.2.1, the immediacy, nature and severity of the problem, the employee’s past performance record and the circumstances surrounding the matter. Reference Section 2.7.4, Severance of Employment of Full-time Faculty for additional information applicable to Full-time Faculty. The College reserves the right to determine which measures are appropriate in each individual situation.

Supervisors are responsible for recognizing that the timely application of any form of corrective action is necessary to prevent larger problems and they should involve the employee and Human Resources in a timely manner when utilizing corrective action.

1. Counseling to determine the nature of the issue, clarify expectations of acceptable performance, develop an action plan for improvement which may include additional training, establish review date (s) to monitor the employee’s progress toward acceptable performance, and advise of consequences if the performance problem is not corrected. Dates and issues of counseling are maintained in the supervisor’s file and written documentation may be given to the employee but are not recorded in the employee’s personnel file. If there is no improvement within a reasonable period of time the supervisor may repeat the measure or use the next step.

2. Written Notice of Warning, delivered during a formal conference between the supervisor and employee, (1) if the desired behavior or performance improvement is not achieved within the expected time, (2) for an accumulation of different issues, or (3) for a more substantial failure to meet performance expectations and/or major violation of established policies, procedures or standards of conduct. Supervisors will consult with Human Resources prior to issuing a Written Notice of Warning, which:

a. Describes the action as a Written Notice of Warning.

b. Describes and states in effect that performance or conduct is unacceptable.

c. Incorporates the dates and issues addressed in informal counseling sessions, as applicable.

d. Outlines an action plan for improvement(s), with review date(s) to monitor the employee’s progress toward acceptable performance, as applicable.

e. Includes a statement to the effect that failure to demonstrate immediate and sustained improvement may result in termination of employment.

f. Offers the employee an opportunity to provide written comments for up to three (3) working days following the action.

g. Encourages the employee to sign the notice as acknowledgment of receipt, not necessarily agreement. If the employee refuses to sign the document, the supervisor will obtain the signature of a witness to substantiate that the employee received a copy of the documentation.

h. Informs the employee that the document, along with applicable documentation delivered in earlier stages, will become a permanent part of the employee’s personnel file (the original document is sent to Human Resources, copies are retained in the department and given to the employee).

3. Dismissal for continued failure to achieve the desired behavior or performance improvement within the expected time, for an accumulation of different issues or for a substantial failure to meet performance expectations and/or major violation of established policies, procedures or standards of conduct. Depending on the nature and severity of the behavior/performance, dismissal may occur without prior corrective action.

Corrective action is an approach which focuses on giving employees, where reasonably possible, the opportunity to correct identified problem(s). While it is the recommended approach, the College reserves the right to assess greater or lesser corrective action/disciplinary action steps based on the circumstances. Nothing in this policy or procedure is intended to affect or modify the at-will status of certain College employees and should not be interpreted to require that at-will employees be terminated for cause only.