Teller County Code of Conduct

8/2/2019 Teller County Code of Conduct

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TELLER COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VIII: EMPL'OYEE CONDUCT

GENERALOctober 7, 2008

A. EMPLOYEE CONDUCT:

Teller County employees are expected to treat all other Countyemployees, supervisors, Department Heads, Elected Officials, customers,visitors, and the public with respect and in a. professional manner. AllCounty employees are expected to consistently:

demonstrate the job skill.s (including the training,and physical and mental skills) to performresponsibilities ina manner that meets theproductivity standards the County establi.shes i

be. on time and ready to work at the start and throughout allscheduled work periods;

perform all of their job responsibilities and meet the County'sneeds i

demonstrate their commitment to the County's goals; and conduct themselves as mature, cooperative professionals.

expe.rience Itheir job

quality and

The County strives to maintain a work environment that promotes opencommunication and provides resources to help employees resolve problems onthe job. If you have a concern related to the workplace, we encourage you totalk to your supervi.sor or the HumanResources Department. If you are havingdifficulty resolving a workplace problem, you may want to start by discussingyour conCern with your supervisor, who may be the person in the best positionto he.Lp. Supervisors have a responsibility to address job-related problemsand discuss your situation with you. As appropriate, your supervisor reviewsthe facts involved, considers any County policies and practices that may beapplicable, and responds to your concerris . If your concern is not resolvedat this level i or if there is some reason you feel the situation cannot bediscussed with your immediate supervisor, you may wish to take the matter tothe Human Resources Department or your Department Head. If the problem isone of sexual harassment, please refer to that section of this Manual.

An Employee engaging in any unlawful activity during off-duty workhours can be disciplined up to and including termination of employment.

B. HEALTH & SAFETY:.

The County group benefits package isPage 37

intended to assure the


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TELLER COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VUI:EMPLOYEE. CONDUCT

GENERALOctobe.r7, .2008

availability of the best possible health care for County employees. It isthe goal of Teller County to eliminate work-related injuries. Accomplishingthis requires the active involvement of all employees in (1) practicing safework habits, (2) correcting or reporting all safety hazards and unsafeconditions and (3) actively participating in safety-awareness programs.Willful disregard of safe work practices is cause for disciplinary action andan employee injured as a result of his/her own willful disregard of suchpractices may be denied compensation for time so lost ..

Employee safety is of the utmost importance to the County. You shouldimmediately inform your s.upervisor Or County management about any accident orunsafe or hazardous working condition. The County, or our worker'scompensation or comprehensive liability insurance ca.rrier may provideseparate safety policies or training, for example regarding fire safety,exiting the building in an emergency, or accident prevention and reporting.Employees must comply with any separate safety policy the County may issue orimplement and participate in all safety training the County provides orapproves. Employees are responsible for knowing, undez st.and.Lng and adheringto all applicable safety regulat.ions for each work area at which they performwork for the County.

Any employee driving a county-owned vehicle, or driving a personalvehicle on County business, is required to utilize the factory-equippedsafety belts while the vehicle is in motion. Any passenger in a county-ownedvehicle is also required to u.tili.ze a safety belt while that vehicle is inmotion. For exceptions, see the Commissioners' Resolution #1-7-88(2).

C. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION:

Most aspects of County Government are available for public reviewpursuant to Colorado's Open Meetings Law and Open Records Act. HoweverIthere are some areas personal, confidential, or sensitive information thatwill remain confidential unless required by law to be released. The misuseby a County employee of confidential information will be cause ford.isciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.

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TELLER COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VIII: EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

GENERALOctober 7,2008

D. PERSONAL USE/CONVERSION OF COUNTY PROPERTY:

The personal use and/or conversion (theft) of County property isprohibited and will result in disciplinary action up to and includingimmediate termination of employment and the filing of criminal charges.

The use of County vehicles to commute to and from work and for non-County busi.nes s related purpose is generally prohibited.. Exceptions are:Elected Officials, law enforcement personnel on-call, TransportationDepartment supervisors and the Fleet Manager. When it is more efficient,and with approval from the employee's supervi sor , an employee may take aCounty vehicle home when an employee finishes work near his/her home or whenthe vehicle will be needed to leave (or return) in the early hours of themorning or evening for a conference, workshop, etc ,

E. DRESS CODE:

In order to maintain good safety practices and a business-likeatmosphere, employees are required to dress in attire suitable to the job.If specific dress requirements are necessary I guidelines will be issued bythe Elected Official/Department Head.

F. IMPROPER/OFF-DUTY CONDUCT:

An employee is respons.ible for his/her conduct on Teller Countyproperty whether on or off duty, Teller County's general rules of conductand behavior expectations also apply when an employee is traveling on TellerCounty business, as well as any time an employee is working for or isrepresenting Teller County away from the premises.

G. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:

No employee shall engage in any employment or activity which couldcreate a conflict between the public obligations and/or private interests.An employee is prohibited from accepting any gift. or other consideration fromfirms or individuals doing business or seeking to do business with the Countyand comply with all provisions of Colorado Amendment 41. An employee isprohibited from using any posit.ion with the County for personal gain, In theevent a situation arises which could create a confl ict of interest for an

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employee, thatOfficial/Department

employeeHead who

shallwill

immediatelyforward the

notify theinformation to

Electedcounty

Administration for legal advisement. Failure to make a disclosure or resolvea conflict of interest satisfactorily can result in discipline up to andincluding termination of employment.

H. DRUG FREE WORKPLACE:

Substance abuse at work or away from work can seriously endanger thesafety of an employee and render it impossible to supply top-quality productsand services. Teller county has a policy to detect and remove abusers ofalcohol, drugs, or other controlled substances. Teller County is committedto preventing the use and/or presence of these substances in the workplace.It also is the policy of Teller County to provide, as an employee benefit, anEmployee Assistance Program (EAP) tha.t is designed to help workers deal withsubstance abuse and other problems that might arise. Any employee violatingt.his drug free workplace policy is subject to discipline up to and includingtermination.EAP..

In appropriate circumstances, the employee may be referred to

The intent of the drug free workplace policy is to:

- provide clear guidelines and consistent procedures for handlingincidents of employee use of alcohol, drugs, or controlledsubstances that affect job performance and to make every effortto ins"titute and maintain a drug-free workplace;

ensure that an employee conforms to all state and federalregulations regarding alcohol, drugs, or controlled subst.ances;

offer assistance to an employee in resolving problems thataffect job performance.

Teller County prohibits the unlawfuldispensation, presence, or use of alcohol,substances on its property or work sites.

manufacture, distribution,drugs, or other controlled

Teller County uses drug testing to help administer this policy. The

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TELLER. COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VIii!: 'EMPLOYEE . CON ,DUCT GENERALOctober 7 , 2 00 8.following types of testing aze used;

- an employee is tested for cause.

ane.mployee who occupies a sensitive position from a safety andhealth or security standpoint, including all transportation positions,are randomly tested or tested on at least an annual basis.

- ail employee is tested following accidents where required by law orthe substance abuse policy.

an employee is tested pursuant to conditions or proceduresestablished in connection with Teller County's EAP.

A complete copy of the current Teller County Substance Abuse Policyadopted by the Board of Teller County Commissioners in concurrence with theElected Officials is located in Section XI, Appendix I of this manuaL.

I. NON-HARASSMENTPOLICY:

The County prohibits harassment against anyone (including anyapplicant, employee, supervisor oz custo.mer) based on the individual's race,color, gender, national origin, religion, disability,' age, marital status, orveteran status, or based on those aspects in an individual's ze.LatLves,f.riends or associates. Harassment means verbal or physical conduct thatinsults or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual. Harassment mayinclude epithets or slurs, negative stereotyping, threats, intimidation orhostile acts, demeaning or hostile jokes or pranks, insulting or hostilewritten or graphic material posted or circulated in the workplace.Harassment will lead to disciplinary action, up to and including immediatetermination.. All employees of the County have a re.sponsibility to report anyincident of hara.ssment they experience or observe, and all employees arestrongly encouraged to make any such report, as explained further in theReporting policy below.

The County prohibits and does not tolerate sexual harassment in anyform. All employees of the county have a responsibility to report. anyincident of Sexual Ha.rassment they experience or observer and all employeesare strongly encouraged to make any such r-eport, as explained further in the

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TELliER COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VIII: EMPLOYEE CONDUCT


Reporting policy below.

No one at the County, including officers, supervisors, employees,clients I vendors or any other person, may make sexual advances or requestsfor sexual favors, or engage in any other verbal or physical conduct of asexual or gender-based nature where (1) such advances, requests or conducthave the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee ISwork performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive workenvironment; or (2) it. is obvious or implied that tolerating or submitting tosuch conduct is a condition of employment or will be used for the basis ofany employment decis Lon, including, but not limited to, hiring,. firing,performance appraisals, salary benefits, position, job transfers or any otherdecision affecting any term or condition of employment with the County (allsuch conduct is described in this policy as "Sexual Harassment"). SexualHarassment may inclUde making lewd jokes or sexual comments, whetherverbally, in writing or by electronic mail; using sexually offensivelanguage i making graphic, sexually oriented comments about someone' s body;displaying,materials;

circulatingengaging in

or discussing sexually explicitLnapproprLat.e physical conta.ct or

or suggestiveoverly familiar

touching i making sexual innuendoes t or requesting a sexual relationship orrepeatedly requesting a dating relat.ionship.

Any employee who enga.ges in sexual harassment will be subj ect todiscipline, up to and including immediate termination.

e. Reporti.ng Harassment or Sexual Harassment

Employees have an important responsibility in the effectiveimplementation of the County's policies aqainst ha.rassment and sexua.lharassment. Any applicant or employee who believes that he or she has beenthe subject. of harassment or sexual harassment, or who has witnessed anyoneelse connected with the County experience or commit such conduct, shouldpromptly notify his or her supervisor, the HumanResources Department or anyother management employee.Department Head/Elected

If a perpetrator is the employee's supervisor orOfficial, the employee should notify the Human

Resources department., a supervisor with another department or any otherDepartment Head/Elected Official.

The County will promptly investigate a harassment or sexual harassmentPage 42


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TELLER. COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSECTION VJII: EMPLOYEE CONDUCT


complaint and the County will take corrective action where appropriate. TheCounty will make reasonable efforts to preserve the confidentiality ofeveryone involved with any harassment or sexual harassment complaint andinvestigation. Employees have a right to make good faith complaints aboutharassment or sexual harassment and to act as witnesses in investigations ofthose compla.ints. The County will protect complaining employees andwitnesses against retaliation for making a harassmen.t or sexual harassmentcomplaint or report.

Any employee or supervisor found to have committed harassment or sexualhara.ssment will be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge.False accusa.tions of harassment or sexual harassment can have serious effectsand any employee found to be asserting false accusations will be subject todiscipline, up to and including termination.

Employees are required to participate in any training the Countyprovides or sponsors about harassment and sexual harassment. Employees arealso required to participate and to be truthful in any investigation by theCounty. Employees who refuse to cooperate in the County's training, or in aninvestigation, or who fail to provide complete and truthful information aspart of an investigation, will be subject to discipline, up to and includingtermination.

J. WORKPLACE VIOLENCE:

The County has zero tolerance for violence. Any employee who isviolent or who threatens to be violent in the workplace or on the job,whether toward any customer,. cowcrkex , supe.rvisor, County official or memberof the public, wi11 be subj ect to discipline up to and including immediatetermination.

If you are attacked or threatened with violence, or if you. see someon.eelse being attacked or threatened,ta.ke appropriate steps to protect yourselfand others and to avoid causi.ng more violence, and notify emergency personnel(i.e., 911 for police, fire or ambulance help) and County management. Anyemployee who has reason to believe there is a risk of violence from anotheremployee I a customer, any family member, friend or former spouse, or anyoneelse, should promptly report those concerns to their supervisor or Countymanagement. Any employee who obtains a restraining order against anyone else

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TELLER COUNTY PERSONNEL MANUALSiECTION VIII: EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

GENERALOctober 7 , 2008

based on any violence or threatened violence should promptly report thatorder and provide the. County with a copy of the order.

Teller County prohibit.s intimida.t.ion, threats, or hostile behaviors,physical/verbal abuse, vandalism, arson, sabotage or any other act that isinappropria.teto the workplace. In addition, bizarre or offensive commentsregarding violent events and/or beh,,!-vior are not tolerated.

A complaint of any violent or bizarre behavior should be reported to asupervisor or HumanResources for investigation. An employee should directlycontact law enforcement personnel if they believe here is an imminent threatto the safety and health of an employee or property.

K. ELECTRONIC MAIL/INTERNET;

Teller County supplies computers for the sole use of doing business andas such these computers, at all times, are subject to monitoring and searchesas seen fit by the Elected Official, Department Head or the Department ofInformation Technology.

County e-mail is provided by Teller County to its computer users. Itis intended for business -related communications, including uses related tocounty-sponsored events and activities. The purpo.se of e-mail is to furtherthe County's business goals and not to provide a communication facility foremployees' personal business. Therefore, e-mail should not be used for anyoutside or personal business ventures, outside organizations I for politicalor religious causes, or for any other non-job-related solicitations. Even ifan e-mail messageissentonlywithintheCounty.itshouldneverconta.insexually explicit images, messages, or cartoons, or any ethnic slurs, racialepithets or any other material which could be construed as harassment ordisparagement of others based on race, national origin, gender, age,disability, or religious or political beliefs.

L. TARDlNEssjONEXCUSED ABSENCES:

Tardiness is arriving late at the workplace either at the beginning ofthe work shift or returning late from a lunch or re.st breaks. An unauthorizedabsence from the workplace either for an entire work. shift (8) or for times

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throughout the day that are not lunch or rest breaks are considered unexcusedabsences. An employee who fails to notify a supervisor of an anticipatedtardiness or absence may not be compensated for the time missed from work.Tardiness and unexcused absences may result in disciplinary action up to andincluding termination of employment.

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Documents

Teller County Code of Conduct