New employee contracts and policies, one of which includes an extension of employees’ introductory periods, will take effect at OCCC as of July 1.

The new contracts were created in an effort to place all regular full-time and part-time employees under the same policy.

Temporary and student employees do not receive employee contracts, and adjunct employees receive their own specialized contract.

Human Resources Vice President Angie Christopher conducted a training session  Wednesday, June 22 in the Al Snipes Board Room to help employees become familiar with the changes.

Christopher spoke about the new contract and its main provisions. She said the contracts are effective from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

One of the provisions being changed in the new contracts is the new employee introductory period. It has now been extended to one year from the previous six month introductory period.

“We thought we would extend this time to really get to know somebody,” Christopher said to her audience of about 40 employees. “Six months is a short amount of time, especially with all of the work that we have. So I think a year really gives you time to evaluate their work.”

Christopher also stated that employees may request a written evaluation after the end of the first six months.

She also spoke of the termination policy associated with the introductory period.

Christopher mentioned that the terms of the contract do not apply to employees in the introductory period.

Despite the new termination policy, OCCC is still adhering to the positive discipline process, college policy 2019.

“This is the policy that governs when a person is having disciplinary issues, what you’re supposed to be doing as supervisor, what rights and privileges are available to you, all of those things,” Christopher said.

“When anyone is being terminated, or preparing to be terminated, the supervisor comes to Human Resources, ‘I have an employee,’ you know, ‘and they’re not performing the way they need to perform,’

“One of the first questions I’m gonna ask them is ‘where is your documentation?’, Christopher said.

She said an employee’s tardiness, poor performance, and insubordination must be logged just as before in order to be terminated.

“I’m a lawyer, and if you don’t document it, it didn’t happen,” she joked.

The changes now provide that employees outside of the introductory period who do not receive a 30-day termination notice may request a pre-adverse action hearing, and employees within the introduction period may request a formal grievance process if they contest the termination.

Only regular and part time employees receive employee contracts. Student, temporary and adjunct employees will not receive the new employee contracts, and are, therefore, not bound to them.

“We thought we needed to make all of our employees under the same status,” Christopher said. “Regardless of whether you’re exempt, non-exempt, if you’re a regular employee everyone is going to be treated the same.”

To learn more about the new employee policy and contracts, contact Christopher at ext. 7890 or by email at angie.r.christopher@occc.edu.