Employee Grievance Process

What is an employee grievance?

A grievance is a formal request to resolve a workplace concern that does not involve an allegation of discrimination based on a protected class. The Employee Relations Officer (ERO) will provide oversight for the grievance process in conjunction with the assigned Hearing Officer. These procedures are administrative and are not legal proceedings, but rather internal college processes to resolve workplace concerns amicably and at the lowest level possible as required by ACC Board Policy-DGBA. General provisions include Informal Resolution and Formal Resolution.

Informal Resolution

When a workplace concern arises, employees are encouraged to attempt to resolve it informally. This can be done by discussing issues directly and professionally with all relevant parties. Informal resolution can also be achieved by consulting with the Office of the Ombudsperson or by requesting mediation. The timeframe to file a grievance begins after any attempt at informal resolution.

Formal Resolution

If an employee wishes to request the formal resolution of a workplace concern, they can do so by submitting an online Grievance Process Form, within 15 business days of the decision or action giving rise to the grievance.

Employees are encouraged to seek guidance from the ERO on ACC’s Resolution of an Employee Grievance and corresponding Guidelines/Procedures, especially regarding timelines prior to filing a grievance.

The ACC Grievance Process flowchart provides a visual for following the steps in the policy. Note that a grievant in this process can choose to informally resolve or withdraw the grievance at any point.

Appeals

If the employee who filed a formal grievance is not satisfied with the outcome, they may file an appeal with the ERO with 10 business days of notification of the level one decision. No new information may be presented in the appeals process, unless it was not known or available at the time the grievance was filed.

The ERO will schedule a Level Two appeal to the executive vice chancellor (or their designee) and notify the parties as to the outcome of this appeal. If the grievant is not satisfied with the outcome of a grievance as provided by the executive vice chancellor, a Level Three appeal to the Appeals Committee can take place. The ERO will call individuals to serve from a standing pool of Appeals Committee members to review the documentation submitted and hear a presentation from the grievant. The ERO will send a notification of the outcome of this appeal.

Questions?

Contact ero@austincc.edu if you have questions or need additional guidance about the grievance process.

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