Discuss your concerns and observations. When possible, give an example of a recent situation you have witnessed, and explain the perception or impact (such as work on being completed on time). If the employee deflects or claims it is other staff coming to them, redirect them to the behavior they…
Be specific on what exactly the problem is, what your explicit expectations are, and the impact this problematic behavior might be having on the work environment, patients, clients, co-workers, etc.
You can practice with your peers without disclosing names or details. Another option is to set up a time to talk to your ER Analyst, who can role play with you.
It depends on the urgency. If it has an impact on client/patient care, address it in the moment, then follow up with their supervisor. If it’s not urgent, it is proper protocol to speak to the supervisor first.
Give staff specific examples on the behavior that needs to be corrected. It is helpful to give context to explain the impact to the workforce, client, etc., as to why the behavior needs to change.
If you are simply giving an employee feedback, the employee is not entitled to a union representative. If the employee believes that a meeting will include questioning that can lead to disciplinary action, they can request a representative. However, sometimes a union representative can be helpful during a difficult conversation,…
Yes. Your Department Head has the discretion to approve or reject your VTO application.
This depends on the type of leave. Please consult with Risk Management to discuss your specific situation.
Whether and what type of replacement you can bring on when someone goes on leave is complicated. Please consult with your manager and contact Personnel Services.
This is the area in which a supervisor has the most day-to-day involvement.The key to avoiding problems is to set clear expectations and to address infractions firmly and fairly. For example you can let the employee know that you expect them to request approval for any leave at least 48…
It is unclear from the question whether the employee wants to take on new projects or the supervisor wants an employee to take on new projects. Either way, it is the right and responsibility of the supervisor to manage and prioritize the work of her/his employees so that the most…
Generally, pay is negotiated by the labor unions and in the MOUs. You should recommend that they speak with their union representative about negotiating a new pay scale for the position the next time the MOU is negotiated. If the employee is asking to advance to the next step within…
AFSCME and SEIU represent extra help employees in classifications that are represented by their unions. All other extra help employees are not represented by the unions.
The goal of the Repetetive Stress Injury Prevention Program (RSIGuard) is to help prevent or manage computer related injuries. The County is offering RSIGuard to employees as a benefit in an effort encourage healthy work habits. As such, RSIGuard is not considered a disciplinary tool to be used by supervisors…
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) commute to/from work is not considered work time. The work day begins when an employee arrives and is prepared to work at their work location. Only when an extreme distance is required (i.e. a meeting in Sacramento) is driving considered the start of…
Good for you for recognizing the risk to the employee and to be proactive about it. As each situation is unique, please contact Risk Management to discuss how to manage this issue.
This is a complicated question that is very fact specific. Please consult with Employee Relations.
There is no such thing as a grace period. Employees are expected to maintain regular and predictable attendance. If you have an employee with attendance problems, please consult with Employee Relations on how to handle this.
An employee can apply for VTO for any reason. Deciding whether to grant VTO is discretionary, but you should have a good business reason when you deny a VTO request. An example of a good business reason for denying VTO might be that the unit staffing is planned with everyone…
The Telework Program allows approved employees to work at a location other than a County office. Although this is usually from home, employees can work from varying alternate locations. Employees participating in this program must have a written and approved Telework agreement. It is expected that employees who work remotely…
The County supports alternative or non-traditional work schedules that provide flexibility to the employees, as long as such schedules do not negatively impact service delivery or coverage. Examples of schedules include 5/8, 4/10, 9/80, teleworking, voluntary time off, and flexible hours. When considering scheduling, the Department considers maintenance or enhancement…
No. But to develop a good relationship with the employee, you should give advance notice of the change and explain why the change is necessary for business reasons.
Yes. It should be dealt with in private and straightforwardly. Call Employee Relations if you need help preparing for such a conversation.
Every circumstance is different. First, it always behooves us to look at our own behavior to see what might be provoking such behavior by our manager. Are we going over the same issues with our manager repeatedly, not accepting no for an answer? Are we presenting the ideas in ways…
We recommend training on team building. LMS (www.smcgov.org/LMS) has the following courses for supervisors: Team Building for Supervisors Generating Creative and Innovative Ideas: Maximizing Team Creativity Leading Teams: Dealing with Conflict Leading Teams: Fostering Effective Communication and Collaboration HR also offers the following courses for all staff members: Being an Effective…
The Wellness Program is available to all County employees, regardless of whether the employee receives health insurance through the County. However, Wellness Rewards are only available to Blue Shield or Kaiser members. To verify your eligibility, log into Workday.com.
This is a complicated situation that is very dependent on the facts; you should get advice from Employee Relations on how to best handle such a situation.
A New Employee Onboarding website was created as a source for Managers/Supervisors and new hires as a single source for storing all of the onboarding tools and resources including the guides and checklists, as well as helpful links to benefits, policies, and employee program resources. The website (http://hr.smcgov.org/onboarding) is accessible…
Bumping rules are covered by each specific MOU, so you should check the relevant MOU. But generally when a filled position is eliminated, the person in that position has bumping rights if she/he has more seniority than other people in that classification. There are a lot of caveats to this,…
First, review the Dealing with the Impaired Employee: Employee Relations Bulletin 5, located under Procedures. If you suspect that an employee is under the influence of alcohol or drugs while at work it is recommended that you take the following steps: Note your observations using the Objective Signs of Impairment Checklist.…
Discipline can be for repeated acts of separate types of misconduct and can increase progressively even if not for the exact same thing. Conduct cases are those where an employee fails to comply with work rules, policies, and procedures and can include issues such as attendance, dishonesty, disrespect, and proper…
Generally, we recommend that you coach the employee to approach the peer to give the feedback (so long as it is not a complaint of any kind of discrimination or prohibited harassment – such issues must be reported to HR) through role playing and other support. If the employee is…
Generally, seniority does not play a role in determining who is transferred to a different position that is the same classification, however there are instances where it may depend on the specifics of the situation. When geographic displacement (moving to another City) is a part of the transfer seniority is…
Performance evaluations, as well as other documentation such as supervisory notes or copies of products, can be used by either side in personnel actions. For example, performance evaluations can be used to provide evidence that the employee has not been performing for a while and what was specifically called to…
In dealing with performance and conduct issues you will encounter corrective action and disciplinary action. Corrective action is a lower level of action and can include verbal counseling as well as letters such as warning or reprimand. Disciplinary action includes punitive/non-punitive suspensions, temporary reductions in step, demotions, and dismissal. (Please…