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While representing the City, employees shall be courteous to all members of the public.
<br />They shall be tactful in the performance of their duties, control their tempers and exercise
<br />the utmost patience and discretion. They shall not engage in argumentative discussions,
<br />even in the face of extreme provocation. They shall not use coarse, violent, profane or
<br />insolent language or gestures, and shall not express any prejudice concerning race, religion,
<br />politics, national origin, lifestyle, or other personal characteristics.
<br />In the event a member of the public becomes abusive on the phone or in person, employees
<br />should refrain from escalating the situation and if possible, employ tactics to defuse the
<br />situation, e.g. lower the voice, ask the person to sit down. If the situation doesn't improve,
<br />the employee can refer the person to a supervisor or request that a police officer be called to
<br />the scene. Employees are not required to continue conversations that include profanity or
<br />threats. In those situations, the employee should refer the call to a supervisor or inform the
<br />caller, as courteously as possible, that the employee is hanging up and will talk with the
<br />caller after the caller has calmed down.
<br />3) Conduct between Employees
<br />Employees shall cooperate with and be courteous to co-workers at all levels. While
<br />everyone is entitled to their feelings, they are not entitled to act on their feelings
<br />inappropriately in the workplace. Employees shall control their tempers and refrain from
<br />behaviors that are hostile, offensive, intimidating, degrading, or exploitative. Inappropriate
<br />displays include, but are not limited to: slamming doors, pounding tables, kicking furniture,
<br />unwanted physical contact of any nature, making threats, berating or belittling others,
<br />speaking in raised voices, using coarse, violent or profane language or gestures, refusing to
<br />speak or respond when spoken to, and refusing to provide assistance when requested.
<br />Employees shall treat each other with respect. They shall refrain from making remarks
<br />about or using nicknames for other employees that are disparaging or based on a personal
<br />characteristic; producing cartoons or other graphics displaying other employees in an
<br />unfavorable light; communicating threatening or disparaging remarks via any medium
<br />(voice, e-mail, notes, etc.); engaging in unwanted horseplay or practical jokes; failing to
<br />relay written, verbal or telephone messages; unwanted, unwarranted physical contact of
<br />any nature, including "roughhousing" such as punching in the arm, pinching, arm twisting,
<br />etc., and other, similar unwanted conduct
<br />4) Reporting Inappropriate Workplace Behaviors
<br />Any employee who feels he or she is being subjected to intimidating, offensive, or
<br />harassing behaviors should take the following steps:
<br />a) If possible, politely but firmly tell the person who is behaving inappropriately that you
<br />are uncomfortable with or offended by the behavior and ask them to stop.
<br />b) Write a memorandum for personal reference that describes the inappropriate behavior,
<br />the date the inappropriate behavior occurred, how it made you feel, what you did, how the
<br />offending party responded, and the names and titles of any witnesses.
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