ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM
COUNTY OF SAN MATEO
SUBJECT: Suspension, Demotion or Termination of Personnel
RESPONSIBLE DEPARTMENT: Personnel
NUMBER: E-6
DATE: February 1, 1984
To suspend, demote or terminate a permanent classified employee the department head must take the following steps:
- The employee must be notified in writing of the impending action and why it is being taken.
- The employee must be allowed the opportunity to examine any material on which the action is based.
- In the initial letter to the employee, the department head should set a specific timer usually five (5) days, in which the employee can respond to the charges, verbally or in writing. The response time can be ex tended if the department head feels that an extension is reasonable.
- If new charges are made in the course of an investigation, the employee must be notified of these new charges, allowed to examine the material upon which the charges are based, and given additional time to respond to the new charges.
- Once the employee response time has expired, the employee must be given a second written notice implementing the corrective action.
- The Employee Relations Officer in the Personnel Department should be consulted in any formal corrective action.
Complete and accurate records are essential. If the employee elects to appeal any formal corrective action, the written information necessary to support the disciplinary action must be available.
Specific information regarding disciplinary action and examples of the letter to employees can be found in the Supervisor’s Guide to Corrective Actions, available from the Personnel Department.
Immediate Disciplinary Actions
Under unusual circumstances and with the approval of the Personnel Director, an employee may be removed from the work place without prior notification. In these cases, the department should document the circumstances which indicate that the employee’s continued presence at the work site could have serious negative con sequences.
The Personnel Director should approve all action in which the employee is given less than five (5) days notice of the action. If, under emergency circumstances, it is imperative that the department head take immediate disciplinary action and cannot contact the Personnel Director prior to the action, then the Personnel Director should be notified immediately after the action is taken.
Probationary Employees
Probationary employees must be given a written notice of the effective date of the employment: action and the reason that the action is_ being taken.
Extra Help and Unclassified Employees
Extra help and unclassified employees serve at the discretion of the department head and are not entitled to written notice of disciplinary action.
When considering such action with an unclassified employee, it is recommended that you obtain the advice of the Personnel Director.