1.  Within thirty (30) business days of the date the employee knew or should have known of the event which is the basis of the concern, the employee shall present his problem, complaint, concern, or suggestion to his or her immediate supervisor.  If the concern is of such a nature that conferring with the supervisor would cause the employee undue embarrassment or discomfort, or if previous discussions with the supervisor on the issue have been unproductive, the employee may direct his or her concern to the next level of supervision.   Additionally, if the employee's concern is urgent and the supervisor is unavailable due to vacation or other extended absence, the employee may direct his or her concern to the next level supervisor.

The supervisor or College official who receives the employee's concern ordinarily shall respond in writing within ten (10) working days after meeting with the  employee.   If the supervisor or official needs more than 10 working days to consider the concern or to gather information related to the concern, he or she shall notify the employee in writing how much time reasonably will be needed to provide a response.

If the matter relates to medical, health, safety or security concerns, the supervisor or official should refer the matter immediately to the appropriate officer or department.  The supervisor shall respect the confidentiality rights of all employees who are involved. 

If the employee is not satisfied with the supervisor's response, or if the supervisor has failed to provide any response, the employee may discuss the concern with the next person in the chain of command. 

2.    Any unresolved issues may be referred by either the employee or the supervisor to the campus president or to an appropriate administrator in the case of District office employees.  If the employee is dissatisfied with the response of the president or other administrator, the employee may present unresolved issues to the Chancellor.  The request for review by the Chancellor shall be in writing.   The Chancellor or his or her designee shall review the documentation related to the concern.  The Chancellor or designee may make a decision based solely on the documentation, or the Chancellor may request additional information from the employee or supervisor before making a decision.  The decision of the Chancellor or designee shall be final.

(February 9, 2009).