RESPONSIBLE CITY AGENCY: Division of Human Resources
KEYWORDS: Discipline, disciplinary, conduct, behavior.
1. General
1.1 In an effort to modify unacceptable behavior or performance, Salt Lake City may discipline employees whose conduct jeopardizes the City’s mission or detracts from the City’s effective operation.
1.2 The City has an interest in ensuring that employees maintain necessary job qualifications and avoid behavior, job performance, or lack of action which disrupts the workplace, undermines the authority of management, impairs close working relationships, or otherwise impedes a safe, efficient, and effective workplace environment.
1.3 The City may discipline employees for any substantive violation of any City policies or procedures, or for malfeasance, nonfeasance, neglect of duty, insubordination, misconduct, inefficiency or inability to satisfactorily perform assigned duties, unprofessional conduct at the workplace or at anytime while performing job duties or acts inimical to the public service.
1.4 Discipline may include suspension from scheduled work without pay, reduction in pay, withholding of merit, demotion, forfeiture of all rights of seniority (for violations of City Code 2.52.170), or termination.
1.5 Managers and supervisors may also attempt to modify unacceptable behavior or performance through non-disciplinary intervention.
1.6 Non-disciplinary intervention may include re-training, coaching and counseling, verbal warnings/reprimands, or written warnings/reprimands.
1.7 Prior to receiving discipline or a written warning/reprimand, the manager or supervisor shall provide the employee notice and an opportunity to respond to the violation of policy/procedure or other workplace failure.
2. Supervisors’ disciplinary guidelines
2.1 Supervisors are responsible for upholding the City’s mission, and should take non-disciplinary or disciplinary action when necessary to maintain an effective and efficient workplace.
2.2 Within reason, employees should have prior notice of prohibited conduct.
2.3 Disciplinary rules must be reasonable and related to City business. Penalties must not be substantially disproportionate to the misconduct and may be affected by the employee’s past work history and disciplinary record.
2.4 Discipline must be based on sufficient evidence of misconduct, substandard performance, or another basis for action.
CURRENT REFERENCES: Employment, Hiring, and Termination policy
Municipal Employees Ethics Act (10-3-1301 et. seq.)
Bargaining Unit Memoranda of Understanding
PRE-1995 REFERENCES: City policy 82-3
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 1995
DATE APPROVED BY CABINET: September 6, 1995
Effective Date of Current Revision (Date signed by Mayor): March 8, 2007
(Clarification of guidelines)