Chapter 6: Personnel Recruitment, Selection and Orientation

Section 6-1: Notification and Advertising of Vacancies

a. Department Heads shall notify the Director of Human Resources of

vacant or soon to be vacant authorized positions in their department. When a

vacancy occurs, the County Administrator determines whether the position is to be

filled by promotion or by a recruitment process.

b. All job announcements shall be coordinated between the Human

Resources Department and the affected department to insure the content of the

advertisement conforms to County policy and the needs of the department. Job

announcements must, at a minimum, contain title, the department in which the vacancy

exists, the nature of work or examples of work, the minimum qualifications, the closing

date, where applications are obtained and the statement “An Equal Opportunity

Employer”. Department Heads are to insure that job announcements are posted

through the closing date in appropriate departmental locations and made available to

their employees as appropriate.

c. All recruitment announcements are publicized by posting announcements

or advertisements, and by other means deemed necessary to attract qualified

candidates and assure compliance with the County's equal employment opportunity

policy. Every reasonable effort is made to publicize such vacancies so that all interested

persons are informed and qualified people are attracted to compete for County

employment. Publicity may include advertisements in the newspapers and trade

journals, radio broadcasts, correspondence and other contacts with secondary schools

and colleges, and mailings to specific outreach locations for posting.

6.1
 d. Recruitment announcements are advertised in-house for employees only

when in the opinion of the County Administrator, upon recommendation of the

Department Head, a sufficient pool of employee applicants is anticipated. Should suffi-

cient qualified in-house applicants not apply, the decision may be changed to publicly

advertise the announcement. Likewise, the Department Head may recommend the

announcement be directly advertised to the public when qualified in-house applicants

are not known or anticipated. All announcements to County employees are posted for at

least five (5) workdays in a specified location for each department.

Section 6-2: Application for Employment

All applicants for employment must complete an application form and provide

the required information to the Human Resources Department. Failure to do so may

eliminate the applicant from further consideration for the position. The application

forms shall solicit information relative to training, experience, salary history,

references, information required by law or policy, and other appropriate information.

The Human Resources Department is responsible for promulgating and updating an

approved County application form for use under this policy.

All employment inquiries and applicants shall be referred to the Human

Resources Department for job information, availability, opportunities, and

procedures. To facilitate the collection of certain confidential employee data required

by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the Human Resources

Department is the sole source for receiving an application for employment.

6.2
 Section 6-3: Selection

When appropriate, skill assessments may be used which are written, oral, or a

combination thereof and must relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position for

which the applicant is being considered. Performance tests may be required by the

Department Head when appropriate. Testing may be done by the Human Resources

Department, the Virginia Employment Commission, or a qualified third party vendor.

In accordance with the Code of Virginia §15.2-1509, the County shall take into

consideration an individual’s status as an honorably discharged veteran in hiring policies

and practices. Applicants identified as veterans, who meet all of the knowledge, skills

and eligibility requirements for an available position, shall be considered for employment

by the hiring department. A “veteran” is any person who has received an honorable

discharge from the armed forces of the United States and has (1) provided more than

180 consecutive days of full-time, active duty service in the armed forces of the United

states or reserve components thereof, including the National Guard, or (2) has a

service-connected disability rating fixed by the United States Veteran Administration.

The Department Head determines those applicants to be interviewed, conducts

or causes the interviews to be conducted, makes a selection from among the applicants

referred and notifies the Director of Human Resources or designee of the

recommendation for selection. The Director of Human Resources shall issue appropriate

procedures as necessary for conduct of the selection process. Extraordinary

recruitment, interviewing, or hiring efforts such as travel, overnight visits, accommo-

dations, moving expenses, or increased annual leave accrual require the approval of the

County Administrator. At the conclusion of the selection process, the Human Resources

6.3
Department issues a letter of offer to the selected individual instructing them to report on

a date mutually agreed to by the department and the Director of Human Resources.

Employees who currently occupy a regular full-time position or regular part-

time position with the County may be considered for any other regular part-time

position or work-as-required position; however, in the case of the second regular

part-time position, benefits will not be duplicated.

Section 6-4: Orientation for New Employees

New hires are to be provided a structured orientation program to help them learn

about the County and what is expected of them as employees of Gloucester County:

a. On the date of hire, employees are received in the Human Resources

Department to complete all required new hire paperwork (i.e. I-9 Form, tax

withholding forms, etc.) necessary to place them on the County's payroll. A

prescribed orientation checklist is used to facilitate the process and to ensure that all

appropriate information is passed on to the new employee.

b. The second step in the process, within five (5) days of the date of hire,

consists of the supervisor's portion of the checklist which outlines discussion points

to explain what is expected in the course of employment with the County.

c. The final step is a formal orientation session by the Human Resources

Department which is usually conducted within thirty days of the employment date.

This step allows the employee to have some work experience upon which to ask

questions during the formal session.

6.4
 Section 6-5: Probationary Period – New Hires

New employees serve a probationary period of six (6) months. The probationary

period is regarded as an integral part of the evaluation process and is used to observe

closely the employee's work, to insure the effective adjustment of a new employee to the

assigned position, and to reject any employee not meeting expectations. Employees are

released from probationary status upon receiving a formal evaluation and

recommendation from the Department Head, and are then considered to be regular

(non-probationary) employees of the County. The probationary period may not be

extended except on those occasions when a period of approved absence exceeds 30

calendar days (for example, when a probationary employee is called to military duty). In

such cases, the probationary period may, at the discretion of the Department Head, be

extended one day for each day of authorized absence.

Before the end of the probationary period, if an employee is to be granted

regular status, the Department Head shall indicate on a prescribed form to the

Human Resources Department:

a. That they have discussed the employee's accomplishments, strengths,

and weaknesses with the employee;

b. Whether the employee is performing satisfactory work;

c. That the employee should be retained in County service and granted regular

status.

Probationary employees may be terminated from employment at any time during

the probationary period at the discretion of the Department Head. The provisions of the

County's grievance procedure are not available to probationary employees. If a

6.5
probationary employee is dissatisfied with the assigned position, the employee may

resign from County service without prejudice.

The successful completion of the probationary period should not be construed

as creating a contract or as guaranteeing employment for any specific duration. (See

Chapter 1 and General Policy Statement in front of Chapter 1 in this manual.)

Section 6-6: Probationary Periods for Other Than New Hires

A probationary period is not used in connection with a transfer or promotional

appointment in the same manner as for new employees. If an employee is found to be

performing in an unsatisfactory manner in the new position, the employee is counseled

by the supervisor, provided reasonable goals and objectives to meet, and given a

reasonable period of time to meet the standards expected of the position. If the

employee's performance remains unsatisfactory, the employee shall be given a written

warning that failure to meet the established standards will result in a recommendation

for further disciplinary action up to and including termination. Access to the grievance

procedure is afforded to such employees because they are not new hires to the County.

Section 6-7: Physical Requirements

Applicants for employment are given a physical examination only when the

job specifications contain such a requirement. A physical examination may be

requested only after a verbal offer of employment is made to the applicant. The

medical report must be completed by a County approved physician and be received

and reviewed in conjunction with the essential requirements of work as described in

the position description prior to the issuance of a written letter of offer.

6.6
 Employees must continue to meet, as a condition of employment, the physical

standards established in the job specifications for the assigned position and may be

given a physical examination at any time after employment when recommended by

the Department Head.

All examinations for current employees are to be performed by a physician

approved by the County. All required examinations will be paid for by the County.

Medical information shall be kept in a separate and confidential medical file.

Section 6-8: Equal Employment Opportunity

Gloucester County's policy is to ensure equal employment opportunity to

employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, sex,

religion, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.

The goals of this policy are to:

a. Ensure equal opportunity in all personnel policies and procedures

through identification and elimination of policy and procedural areas that unlawfully

discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability,

or genetic information.

b. Employ a workforce representative of the County's population.

c. Encourage promotion of qualified individuals.

d. Ensure compliance throughout the organization.

The following actions will be taken, in addition to others, as may be appropriate:

(1) In recruiting and hiring applicants for employment, advertising

shall be conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner using not only traditional methods

but also newspapers, television, radio, magazines, and/or other recruiting sources.

6.7
 (2) Dissemination, both internally and externally, of the County's

policy regarding equal employment opportunity will be a continuing process.

(3) Training designed to assist employees and supervisors in

complying with this policy will be provided as necessary.

All personnel actions, including, but not limited to, administration of

compensation, benefits, training, tuition assistance, discipline, termination, layoff, return

from layoff and social and recreational programs, shall be administered to further this

policy. Personnel actions are subject to bona fide occupational job qualifications.

Section 6-9: Employment Eligibility Verification

Pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, to work in the

United States, employees must be either United States permanent residents, United

States citizens, or must have correct employment authorization (usually through a

specific visa). The Act requires all new employees to complete prescribed forms and

present documents that verify eligibility to work. Without such documentation, the

applicant cannot be employed by the County.

Section 6-10: Driver and Criminal Records Checks

Certain jobs in the County require a driving record checks. Pursuant to County

Code Sec. 2-2.1, all applicants selected for employment must submit to a criminal

records check. These record checks protect citizens that use County services and

manage the County's risk of loss. Before entering service, all employees and certain

volunteers must have record checks as indicated below. Failure on the part of the

applicant, employee, or volunteer to provide or authorize these checks, as appropriate,

6.8
will result in withdrawal of the letter of offer, termination, or denial of participation in

the volunteer program.

a. Driver Record Checks: All employees and volunteers who will or may

drive County vehicles will be subjected to driving records checks upon hire and as

deemed necessary by the County Administrator but not less than once every three

(3) years.

b. Criminal Records Checks: Applicants selected for employment and

current employees are subject to criminal records check pursuant to County Code

Sec. 2-2.1. Volunteers are subject to criminal records checks pursuant to County

Code Sec. 2 -2.2.

Section 6-11: Drug Testing

It is the County’s policy to maintain a work place that is free from the effects of

drug abuse. In furtherance of this policy, all applicants selected for employment shall be

required to submit to a pre-employment post-offer drug test, which shall be conducted

within 48 hours of an applicant’s verbal acceptance of an offer of employment. The costs

for all drug tests ordered will be borne by the County. Urinalysis will be used for the

detection of controlled substances, and sample collection must take place at a County

approved collection site. Any applicant selected for employment whose test result is

confirmed positive shall be denied employment and shall not be eligible for employment

in any capacity with the County for a period of one year. Test results shall be kept in a

separate and confidential medical file. Failure to execute an appropriate release and

consent form for drug testing equates to a refusal to submit to drug testing and shall be

cause for immediate

6.9
withdrawal of the offer of employment. The County’s drug testing program shall be

administered in accordance with applicable federal and state regulations.

Any former employee who has had 12 months or more elapse since their last

work day for the County is considered a rehire, and subject to drug testing as

outlined above.

Employees offered transfer, promotion, or demotion into a position requiring

random drug screening shall be required to submit to a drug test within 48 hours of their

acceptance of such offer. Should the employee’s drug test result indicate a confirmed

positive, the offer of transfer, promotion or demotion will be withdrawn, and the

employee shall be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

6.10