A.
Merit system. In accordance with § 502a
of the Home Rule Charter, the Township's personnel system shall be
based on merit.
B.
Administration. The administration of the personnel
system shall be the responsibility of the Township Manager under the
authority granted to him by § 304 of the Home Rule Charter
and by this Administrative Code.
C.
Scope of the system. Except when otherwise stated,
the personnel system and all personnel policies, procedures and regulations
shall apply to all employees of the Township except members of the
Board of Supervisors, the Township Manager, the Township Solicitor
and appointed members of boards and commissions.
D.
General personnel policy. It shall be the policy of
the Township that the following principles shall apply to the personnel
system:
(1)
To recruit, appoint and promote for every position
the most qualified individuals, without regard to race, creed, color,
sex, national origin or any consideration of political or religious
belief or affiliation.
(2)
To require every employee to do the best of which
he/she is capable, to be loyal and conscientious and to conduct himself/herself
in the proper manner at all times.
(3)
To treat every employee with fairness, respect and
consideration.
(4)
To provide salaries, wages, fringe benefits and working
conditions comparable with similar positions in other government jurisdictions
and/or in private industry.
(5)
To give Township employees first consideration for
advancement, provided that they have the necessary qualifications
for the position.
(6)
To protect employees from arbitrary or capricious
actions based on personal or political considerations.
It shall be the policy of the Township that
the following principles shall be observed by employees:
A.
All employees of the Township share a common responsibility
to provide efficient and dedicated service in the public interest.
B.
Public employees are agents of public purpose and
are bound to discharge faithfully the duties of their office regardless
of personal considerations. Their conduct in both official and private
affairs should be above reproach at all times.
C.
General duties and responsibilities of employees may
be further established in policy manuals established on a departmental
basis and approved by the Township Manager.
The Board of Supervisors may create new positions
and authorize the filling of those positions. For each new position
so created, the Township Manager shall prepare job specifications
which shall contain the following information:
A.
Whitemarsh Township is committed to the active pursuit
and implementation of programs to ensure fair and equal treatment
for all persons regardless of race, age, color, religion, sex, national
origin or handicap, in all employment practices.
B.
Whitemarsh Township engages the services of individuals
with qualifications and motivation required to carry out the duties
and responsibilities of their respective positions.
C.
Whitemarsh Township encourages the advancement of
Township employees within the organization, provided that they have
the necessary qualifications for the position and, after screening
and testing, are found to be the best applicant for the position.
D.
Whenever a vacancy shall exist, the Township Manager
shall advise the Board of Supervisors and the public of the vacancy
at a public meeting of the Board of Supervisors; by posting in the
Township Building; advertising in the print media; and/or in any other
manner as may be appropriate for the filling of the vacancy. The notice
shall include the position classification description, minimum qualifications,
salary and other pertinent information, including the method of selection
to be used. The statement "Equal Opportunity Employer" shall be included
in all advertisements.
A.
Application for appointment to any position as a new
employee or for promotion shall be made to the Township Manager on
forms provided by the Manager's office.
B.
Selection and appointment shall be made by the Township
Manager after consultation with the appropriate department director.
Selection may be based on any or all of the following methods:
(1)
Evaluation of experience and training and, in case
of promotion, employee performance evaluations.
(2)
Competitive examination, oral or written/oral.
(3)
Supplementary noncompetitive examinations, as required,
including but not limited to psychiatric evaluation, physical examination
and such others as may be determined to be necessary.
C.
Filing of a false application for employment or promotion
shall be grounds for disqualification or dismissal.
A.
Entrance level selection. The selection of Township
employees shall be based on merit and made through a job-related examination
process. Examinations may be competitive or noncompetitive and written
or nonwritten at the discretion of the Township Manager, dependent
upon the requirements of the position. Competitive examinations shall
require the establishment of a quantitative rating system for any
phase of the examination procedure that is not "pass-fail" in nature.
Noncompetitive examinations may utilize many of the examination techniques
of the competitive process, but the selection shall be made on a qualitative
evaluation of examination results. Selection of police officers shall
be made through competitive examinations.
B.
Probationary period. All employees shall be required
to undergo a probationary period of employment upon appointment or
promotion Such period shall not be less than three months nor longer
than 12 months, dependent upon the position.
C.
Promotions. Promotions shall be made through the examination
process. Examinations may be competitive or noncompetitive and written
or nonwritten, at the discretion of the Township Manager. Competitive
examinations shall require the establishment of a quantitative rating
for any phase of the examination process that is not "pass-fail" in
nature. Noncompetitive examinations may utilize many of the examination
techniques of the competitive process, but the promotion shall be
made on the basis of a qualitative evaluation of examination results.
Promotions to police officer positions, except the Chief of Police
and Lieutenants, shall be made through the competitive examination
procedure.
[Amended 10-27-2011 by Ord. No. 909]
A.
An employee evaluation program is provided to assist
every employee in improving performance and eliminating deficiencies
through regular discussion with an immediate superior.
B.
Evaluation shall be performed by the employee's superior.
The immediate superior responsible for making the evaluation shall
review the evaluation with the employee, together with such suggestions
for improvement as may be indicated. Following the review, the completion
of which shall be indicated by the signatures of the immediate superior
and employee, the evaluation shall be transmitted to the Township
Manager for inclusion in the employee's personnel file. Information
which is included in the evaluation is for Township personnel purposes
only; it may not be released to any other person without the written
consent of the employee, except where as may be provided by state
or federal statute.
C.
Evaluation shall be recorded and reported to the Township
Manager on forms provided by the Manager's office.
D.
Evaluation shall be performed on the following schedule:
E.
Employees (any category) receiving an unsatisfactory
rating in one or more categories shall receive additional evaluation
on a monthly basis until such time as the deficiency is resolved.
A.
An employee may be disciplined for absenteeism, misconduct
and/or incompetency and/or inability to perform the work of the position
satisfactorily. Disciplinary action may take the following forms;
oral warning, written reprimand, suspension, demotion and/or dismissal.
B.
The Township Manager shall have the authority to discipline
and/or dismiss employees in accordance with the procedures set forth
in the Township's personnel rules and regulations.
C.
An employee who is suspended, demoted or dismissed
must be notified in writing of the grounds of such disciplinary action
before the effective date thereof.
A.
Employee grievances not covered by employee contracts
shall be handled in the following manner:
(1)
An employee is expected to discuss any grievance initially
with his immediate superior. If the matter is not settled, the employee
may choose to discuss the matter with his/her department head. To
expedite the matter, the discussion with the immediate superior or
department head should occur within five workdays of the date a grievance
arises. The department head or immediate superior will be required
to file a written report with the Township Manager regarding any grievance
filed with him/her and the disposition of the matter.
(2)
If the employee feels the matter has not been satisfactorily
resolved by the department head or immediate superior, within five
working days after receiving a decision, the aggrieved employee shall
submit a written appeal to the Township Manager. The Manager, within
10 workdays after receiving the appeal, shall meet with the aggrieved
employee in an attempt to adjust the grievance. The Manager shall
give the aggrieved employee a written decision within 10 workdays
following said meeting. The decision shall be final and binding upon
the Township and the aggrieved employee. In rendering a decision,
the Township Manager may conduct any investigation deemed necessary.
(3)
The Township Manager's office shall furnish grievance
forms. The grievance forms shall be used when filing a grievance.
One copy of the form shall be the property of the employee filing
the grievance. When filing a grievance, the employee will be required
to submit all available information at each step of the grievance
procedure.
(4)
Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays shall not be included
in the time limits set forth in this grievance procedure.
B.
Representation. An employee, if he so desires, shall
be entitled to a representative of his choosing in the presentation
and processing of a grievance at all steps. A group of aggrieved employees
may elect one of its number as a spokesman for the group, who, with
his representative or adviser, may pursue the grievance to its conclusion.
C.
Time off. An employee and his representative, if a
Township employee, shall be allowed such reasonable time off from
regular duties as may be necessary, consistent with job responsibilities
and the operational needs of the unit, to attend meetings with management
representatives for the processing of a grievance, without loss of
pay or vacation time.
D.
Appeals of disciplinary action not covered by employee
contracts shall be handled as provided in the second step of the above-described
grievance procedure.
E.
Although all employees are encouraged to follow the
grievance procedure, as herein stated, by first seeking relief through
supervisory channels, nothing contained in this procedure shall prevent
any employee from presenting his/her grievances to the Township Manager
at any time.
A.
The tenure of every employee shall be conditioned
on good behavior and the satisfactory performance of duties. Any employee
may be temporarily separated by layoff or suspension or permanently
separated by resignation, dismissal or retirement.
B.
To resign in good standing, an employee must give
his department head at least 14 calendar days' prior notice. Failure
to comply with this rule shall be entered on the service record of
the employee and may be cause for denying future employment with the
Township.
Layoff or redirection in force may only be administered
by the Township Manager. When it becomes necessary by reason of budget
reduction or lack of work to remove an employee from the Township
service, the following rules shall apply:
A.
Layoff. This is a reduction in the work force which
is anticipated to last for a period of four months or less.
(1)
Employees who are to be laid off may either accept
such a layoff or resign in good standing.
(2)
Where an employee accepts the layoff, he/she shall
be eligible to continue receiving hospitalization and insurance benefits;
all earned vacation; sick leave; and such other benefits in effect
shall remain in force, although additional benefits shall not accrue.
(3)
Where there is more than one employee in a classification
or in a directly related classification at a lower level, employees
shall be laid off in reverse order of seniority, except where an employee
has received a rating of unsatisfactory on the last employee evaluation
report, in which case he/she may, at the discretion of the Township
Manager, be laid off ahead of an employee with less seniority.
B.
Reduction in force. This is a reduction in the work
force which is anticipated to last in excess of four months.
(1)
Employment terminated by reason of reduction in force
shall be considered permanent, and all benefits, earned leaves and
other matters shall be terminated in accordance with the provisions
of these rules.
(2)
Employees who are removed from the Township service
by reason of a reduction in force shall have first opportunity for
employment in any position for which they meet the minimum qualifications
for a period of one year following such termination.
(3)
Reduction in force shall be subject to the same provisions regarding seniority as those outlined for layoff in Subsection A(3) of these rules.
(4)
Employees who are members of Warehouse Employees Union
Local 169 have additional provisions for recall that are outlined
in the current contract between Local 169 and Whitemarsh Township.
C.
Terminations. A person's employment will be considered
terminated for any of the following reasons:
(1)
Voluntary resignation.
(2)
Retirement.
(3)
Unauthorized absences for two consecutive working
days.
(4)
Failure to return to work at the conclusion of a leave
of absence or any approved extension thereof.
(5)
Failure to return to work from layoff within two weeks
after notice is sent from the Township by certified mail, return receipt
requested, to the last address which the employee furnished the Township.
It is the employee's responsibility to notify the Township of any
change of address.
(6)
Absence due to a layoff which continues for a period
equal to an employee's period of service for employees of less than
one year, exclusive of the layoff period.
(7)
Absence due to a layoff which continues for a period
of one year, where the employee's period of service has been one year
or more, exclusive of the layoff period.
The Township Manager shall prescribe, in the
personnel rules and regulations, provisions pertaining to the attendance,
work hours, sick and vacation leave and holidays and overtime and
the compensation for the same with those employees in the Township
service.
The Township Manager shall maintain a personnel
file for each employee, containing materials, correspondence and records
pertaining to the employee and his or her employment. Employees shall
be allowed to review their personnel records upon their request.
The Township Code of Ethics, revised May 1980,
and the Pennsylvania Ethics Law Act 170 of 1978 and subsequent amendments
or interpretations are hereby incorporated by reference as part of
this Administrative Code.
