I. Voluntary Separation
a. Resignation or Retirement
i. An employee may terminate their employment with the city by submitting an oral or written resignation or notice of retirement to their supervisor.
ii. Employees are encouraged to notify their supervisor at least two weeks before their last date of employment.
II. Involuntary Separation
a. Discharge/Termination
i. Employees may be terminated for cause in accordance with the city’s discipline and appeal guidelines policy.
ii. Employees may also be terminated for failure to maintain proper licensure, certification, and/or privileges granted by the city or other regulatory bodies.
b. Layoff
i. In accordance with city layoff ordinance (City Code Section 2.52.120), employees may be terminated from employment in accordance with a collective bargaining agreement or city layoff policy.
c. Job Abandonment
i. An employee absent for two or more scheduled work days without notice, permission or without good reason will be considered as having abandoned their job.
ii. Before terminating the employee, the supervisor will attempt to call the employee at least once at the last known telephone number.
iii. If no contact is made, the city will consider the employee to have abandoned their job.
d. Separation for Unavailability
i. An employee may be separated from employment on the basis of unavailability when an employee is unable to return to their position after all approved leave has been exhausted and there is no reasonable alternative available that would allow the employee to return to their position and perform the functions of their job.
ii. Reasonable alternatives may include, but are not limited to, a reasonable accommodation requested in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (which may include a transfer to another position in accordance with the employment modifications & accommodations procedure), an unpaid leave of absence, or a business adjustment.
iii. Before implementing a separation due to unavailability, the department will provide the employee written notice of the following:
1. The pending separation
2. The reason for the action (i.e., the employee is unable to return to work)
3. The proposed effective date of the separation
4. The opportunity for the employee to provide reasonable alternatives that would allow the employee to return to work. The employee must submit their proposed alternatives to the department in writing within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the notice.
iv. At the conclusion of the ten (10) day response period, and after taking into consideration any proposed alternatives or other information the employee provided, the department must consult with human resources before separation can occur.
v. The department will provide written notice to the employee of the separation. Written notice is to be either delivered personally to the employee or mailed to their last known address.
e. Lack of Employment Eligibility
i. An employee may also be separated from employment if they lack appropriate I-9/E-Verify or other required employment eligibility verification.
III. At-will Employment
a. The above provisions do not apply to employees in at-will positions including appointed, probationary, seasonal, and part-time positions. Employees in at-will positions can be separated at the discretion of the department.
IV. Exit Interviews
a. The department will notify human resources of a pending separation within two (2) business days of receiving employee notification of separation.
b. All full time employees who voluntarily leave the city will be provided the opportunity for an exit interview.
c. Human resources will make reasonable attempts to contact the employee within four (4) business days of receiving the notice of separation to schedule an exit interview with that employee by phone, email or letter.
d. Voluntary Participation and Confidentiality
i. Employees may participate in the exit interview process on a voluntary basis.
ii. If an employee chooses to participate in an exit interview, the employee will be encouraged to be honest, candid and constructive in responding.
iii. The information gathered in an exit interview will be maintained by human resources and shared in aggregate form, when necessary to address a specific issue, or to comply with applicable laws.
Current References:
Layoff Ordinance (City Code Section 2.52.120)
3.05.03 Discipline and Appeal Guidelines
Employment Modifications & Accommodations Procedure
Approved and passed this 1st date of July, 2017