Discipline Procedure

The objective of Cape Fear Community College’s Discipline Procedure is to establish an equitable and consistent framework for infractions, including but not limited to general misconduct, performance-related concerns, or violations of the College’s Employee Handbook. The College’s Discipline Procedure ensures due process when issuing disciplinary actions to employees. No attorney shall represent either the employee or the College during the disciplinary process.

The College strictly prohibits retaliation against any person for reporting, testifying, assisting with, or participating in any manner in any investigation or proceeding involving disciplinary procedures. Employees who retaliate will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Retaliation is any action that is perceived as intimidating, hostile, harassing, a form of retribution, or violence that occurs in connection to the disciplinary process.

The discipline procedure may include any of the following disciplinary actions listed below.

Definitions

• Counseling – An informal, documented meeting between a supervisor and their employee prior to disciplinary action being taken.
• Verbal Warning – A Verbal Warning may be issued as a first attempt to address and/or correct employee misconduct or improve performance. Verbal warnings are documented.
• Written Warning – Written documentation of a violation either covered in a previous verbal warning or to document the first occurrence of a more serious infraction.
• Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) – A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a document to assist employees who are not meeting performance expectations. A PIP may be issued in conjunction with a written warning or as a stand-alone tool to improve employee performance.
• Probation – An employee may be placed on probation throughout the duration of a specified time frame during the disciplinary process.
• Suspension – An employee may be suspended with pay during the disciplinary process while an investigation is active. In the event of an employee’s suspension, the employee is required to leave College premises and cease communications with other College employees, except for those involved in the investigation.
• Transfer – An employee may be transferred to a different location, department, or work shift.
• Pre-Disciplinary Conference – Meeting held between the employee, supervisor, and Human Resources in advance of administering a proposed disciplinary action. This conference allows the supervisor and Human Resources to gather additional information from the employee and allows the employee an opportunity to respond to alleged infraction(s) in advance of a formal disciplinary action.
• Appeals Hearing – An appeals hearing may be requested by the employee if their complaint or grievance is not resolved through the Informal Complaint & Formal Grievance Resolution Procedure. The appeals hearing is scheduled before an Appeals Committee appointed by the President of the College.
• Separation – An employee may be terminated from employment. A recommendation for dismissal could be the result of an accumulation of minor violations or of a single serious violation.

Disciplinary actions are not necessarily intended to be sequential.