GENERAL EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE ISSUES

Conditions of Employment

Absences. When an employee cannot report to work, he/she must notify his/her supervisor or designee by telephone, text message, or email. The employee has not completed their obligation until the College has been notified. Notification should be given on a day prior to the absence or before 8:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Deductions may be made from employees’ earnings for absences not properly arranged. Failure to comply with policy may result in the employee being suspended or terminated. [Revised November 2013; September 2024]

Communicable Diseases. Whenever an employee has been diagnosed by a physician as having a communicable disease as defined in current regulation, the employee shall report the diagnosis and nature of the disease to the proper health official so that a proper reporting may be made to the county or joint board of health as required by current law. An employee afflicted with a communicable disease dangerous to the public health shall not be allowed to report for duty for the duration of the contagiousness in order to give maximum health protection to other employees and to students. After a diagnosis is made, the employee should report their respective condition to the Human Resource Department. The employee shall be allowed to return to duty upon recovery from the illness, or when the employee is no longer contagious as authorized by the employee’s physician. The College reserves the right to require a written statement from the employee’s physician indicating the employee is free from all symptoms of the communicable disease. [Revised April 22, 2014; September 2024]

No information regarding employees with communicable diseases shall be released by college personnel without the employee’s consent except to comply with state or federal statutes.

Personal Relationships. The College does not wish to interfere with private choices regarding personal relationships when these relationships do not interfere with the goals and policies of the College. However, there are inherent risks in any romantic or sexual relationship between individuals in unequal positions.  For the personal protection of members of this community, relationships in which power differentials, faculty-student, staff-student, administrator-student, and supervisor-subordinate are discouraged.  Such relationships create conflicts of interest, tend to be exploitative in nature and call into question the judgment and professionalism of the College employee.  Further, employees will not submit students or other members of the campus community to sexual or racial harassment at any time. Any College employee who enters into a romantic relationship with a student or subordinate will be considered unethical, highly suspect, and will be subject to possible disciplinary action because of the fundamentally unequal nature of the relationship.  A defense based upon mutual consent will require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, i.e., preponderance of evidence (whether a violation of college policy is more likely to have occurred than not).
[Added August 2012; updated October 2017]

Employee-Student Relations. Employees shall maintain professional relationships with students, which are conducive to an effective educational environment. Employees shall not submit students to any form of harassment, including unwelcome conduct based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy), national origin, older age, disability, or genetic information Employees shall not have any interaction of a sexual nature with any student at any time regardless of the student’s age or status or consent. Failure to comply with policy may result in the employee being suspended or terminated. [Revised September 2024].

Employment-at-Will. All administrators, administrative support, and non-certified employees are employees-at-will and employment may be terminated at any time, with or without cause. Nothing in Colby Community College policies or guidelines should be interpreted as assurance of continued employment. No employee has authority to change or modify the at-will status.

However, the Board of Trustees, in its discretion, may enter into multi-year contracts with the President and vice presidents. An at-will employee may be placed on administrative leave with pay pending a final decision by the Board of Trustees on termination of employment. [Revised May, 2008 and October, 2011]

Evaluation. In January of each year, each supervisor is responsible for the completion of an Employee Evaluation form for each employee under his/her supervision. Copies of these reports must be submitted to the President’s office no later than February 15. Copies of the forms to be used in evaluation will be distributed from the Human Resources Office. Administrators will be evaluated annually. In recent years the College evaluation of administrators has been done electronically. Administrators may respond in writing to the administrative evaluation to be placed in his/her personnel file.

Exit Procedures. Upon termination of employment for any reason, the employee must notify the Human Resources Office in writing of his/her last working day for health insurance termination, KPERS determination, and any other employment-related details. All keys shall be returned to the Human Resources Office. The employee will be paid for unused annual leave. The employee shall be given an exit interview upon termination.

Holidays. Paid holidays directly observed by the college are limited to those dates outlined in the employee's contract. Payment will not be made for holidays that are not specified in the contract.

Inclement Weather. Should Colby Community College announce that it is closed because of inclement weather, only Storm Designated Staff should be on duty. If the closing occurs before the normal workday begins, non-Storm Designated Staff should not report to work. If the closing is during the workday, non-Storm Designated Staff should leave only if conditions allow for safe travel. The College will remain in contact with Emergency Management monitoring the situation.

If the college does close, the hours of closure will be considered paid time for employees for those hours they normally would have worked. This will include part-time hourly
employees scheduled during these hours.

The services of some personnel may be necessary to continue certain functions of the college. These may typically be maintenance and custodial personnel. Their efforts may be required to remove snow or handle other routine tasks as deemed necessary. The individuals who are required or requested to be on campus will be given compensatory time off (hour for hour) to make up for the time they are on campus working. Supervisors will be responsible for determining who will be required to stay on campus. These employees will be “Storm Designated Staff.”

Any staff member not specifically asked to work but who does come to work will receive no additional compensation other than the pay already given.

On days when the college is open and an individual cannot report to work owing to inclement weather, the individual may take vacation time, if any is available, or will be given time off without pay. [Revised December, 2007]

Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. All full-time administrators, administrative support, and non-certified employees must belong to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. Employee contributions are made through payroll. Employees should contact the President’s Office for additional information.

Moving Expenses. The Board of Trustees has given approval for the reimbursement of relocation expenses for instructors, head coaches, support staff, directors, vice presidents and president. Relocation expense allowance are as follows:

• $2,000 for instructors, coaches, and support staff;
• $3,000 for directors;
• $5,000 for vice presidents, and $10,000 for president.
  [Added February 22, 2010; revised April 2021].

Eligible costs shall include moving (rental of transportation, hiring of a moving company, mileage, per the IRS mileage rate), storage, and temporary housing. Regulations according to the rules of the Internal Revenue Service. Reimbursement will be made only upon the presentation of valid receipts for all expenses, and a signed agreement returned to the Human Resources Office. The relocation reimbursement is subject to federal and state withholding taxes. [Added August 2012; revised June 2021]

In the event an employee receives reimbursement for relocation/moving expenses and voluntarily leaves before completing two years with the college, that employee will be required to reimburse the college on a prorated basis. Moving expenses must be submitted within six (6) months of hire date, unless other arrangements have been made. [Added June 2021]

Nepotism. Except in an emergency, the Board will not employ anyone who is the father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, son, daughter, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law of any Board member. This provision shall not apply to any person who has been regularly employed by the Board prior to the adoption of this policy or to any person who has been regularly employed by the Board prior to the election or appointment of a new Board member to whom the person is related.

Employees Without Benefits. Employees working less than nineteen (19) hours per week do not receive any benefits other than wages or salary earned. These employees are expected to maintain the same standards and regard for their positions as full-time employees.

Salary. The rate of payment for each employee shall be set at the time of employment. This rate shall then be reviewed at the end of each fiscal year. Payment of wages/salaries is made semi-monthly on the eighth and twenty-fourth day of the month for administrators, administrative support staff, coaches, and non-professional employees. Payment of wages/salaries is made monthly on the eighth day of the month for all professional employees. [Revised April 2014; revised March 2020]

Seeking Employment. Employment with the college is obtained by submitting an Application for Employment and interviewing with the President or the President's authorized representative or representatives, as appropriate. Selection of the successful candidate for any position is always made with the qualifications of the applicant and the best interests of the college in mind. Successful applicants are notified by the President or the President's authorized representative of their employment.

Work Week. The college has a basic minimum forty- (40) hour, five- (5) day work week for all full-time non-certified personnel.

1. The work week for non-certified employees at the college begins on Monday and ends on Sunday of each week.
   • Each non-certified employee shall have a designated work schedule. If the employee accumulates authorized excess hours, then the employee and immediate supervisor must see that appropriate compensatory time is granted within the current month.
   • If circumstances are such that the classified employee cannot be granted compensatory time, the employee will be paid one and one-half (1½) times the normal pay rate. Each supervisor must provide written authorization of all overtime to the Business Office by completing the overtime approval form.
2. Breaks for full-time classified employees are limited to 15 minutes each morning and 15 minutes each afternoon, or as otherwise appropriate. The supervisor and employee may designate a 30-minute break in lieu of the two (2) 15-minute breaks. Breaks must be scheduled so that no office remains unattended. In general, not more than two (2) persons from any area should be on break at one time.

Pets on Campus. Animals, except those employed as an integral component of the instructional program or in service to the disabled, are strictly prohibited from all campus facilities and grounds. On special occasions, though, permission may be granted by the Administration for events which support the College and community. For more details, refer to the policy on Emotional and Service Animals.

Complete Policy
[Added April 2014]
[Updated December 2019]
[Reviewed July 2020]