817.81 Discipline and Termination--Support and Administrative Personnel

817.81 Discipline and Termination--Support and Administrative Personnel

A. Background

Employment legislation dictates the necessity for a procedure covering discipline and termination. This policy was developed to provide general guidance for all departments of the university. This policy does not establish any contractual rights and does not alter the at-will employment status of any employee. While Furman strives for uniform application of these guidelines, Furman reserves the right to respond to any situation, in its sole discretion, as it deems appropriate.

B. Policy

The university expects all employees to complete their job responsibilities and to comply with reasonable rules of conduct in connection with their work (See File 817.8). Budget Unit Heads and other supervision will be responsible for communicating and enforcing this policy. Disciplinary action is normally undertaken with the intent of working with the employee to bring performance and conduct up to a satisfactory level. Furman reserves the right, however, to respond to any situation, in its sole discretion, as it deems best. The Director of Human Resources must be notified before any disciplinary action is taken.

C. Guidelines

1. The following types of disciplinary action will be used by all Budget Unit Heads and other supervision. The choice of the disciplinary action is at the discretion of the Budget Unit Head after consideration of the following:

a. The seriousness of the offense.

b. The frequency of violations by the employee.

c. The time interval between violations and the employee response to prior disciplinary actions.

d. The employee's work record.

e. The consistency of discipline applied to other employees in similar circumstances. (The Director of Human Resources should be consulted for this item.) Types of Discipline: Verbal Warning Written Warning Suspension Without Pay or Final Written Warning Termination

2. All types of disciplinary action must be documented in a memo or on the Notice of Disciplinary Action form with copies to the employee, the supervisor and the personnel file. This documentation will include specific reasons for the disciplinary action, expected actions to be taken and the consequence of any further infractions and will include the signature of both the employee and supervisor.

3. If the employee disagrees with the disciplinary action and wants to appeal the decision, he or she may do so through the Employee Grievance Procedure (See File 833.1).

4. Three written warnings during any twelve consecutive months may subject an employee to termination of employment. The employee's record will be reviewed by the immediate supervisor, the Budget Unit Head and the Director of Human Resources to determine if termination is justifiable.

5. After a period of twelve consecutive months with no offenses, an employee's previous discipline is not considered for purposes of progressive discipline; however, the documentation will remain in the personnel file.

6. When an employee commits a major infraction requiring immediate action, the supervisor will have the authority to suspend the employee without pay for a period not to exceed 3 work days and must refer the matter immediately to the Budget Unit Head and the Director of Human Resources for possible termination. Major Infractions: The following infractions of conduct are representative of major infractions. This list is not all-inclusive and Furman reserves the right to treat any situation as a major infraction based on the circumstances. (a) Theft of property on campus. (b) Damage or destruction of property on campus. (c) Physical assault or fighting on the campus. (d) Possession of firearms or other dangerous weapons. (e) Endangering the safety of others. (f) Insubordination. (g) Any action on university property involving alcoholic beverages and/or drugs, which are forbidden by law, including using, possessing, dispensing, "pushing" or selling such alcoholic beverages and/or drugs. (h) Not reporting to work for three consecutive work days without notifying the supervisor. (i) Any other action that, in management's judgment, is of sufficient severity to warrant discharge. NOTICE OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION form available from the Human Resources Office.

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