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A resolution requesting the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission to update rules about the filing and resolution of employee complaints and grievances.
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WHEREAS, employees of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County face major barriers when they are forced to file work-based complaints and grievances; and
WHEREAS, current Civil Service Rules require employees to file a written complaint to a departmental human resources coordinator, which is not time-stamped or trackable; and
WHEREAS, currently, employees are not given an option to file these complaints and grievances through an online platform, which requires requiring them to directly engage with a department’s human resources official to raise issues or complaints; and
WHEREAS, once employee complaints and grievances are filed, employees do not receive a consistent uniform response to their complaints, leaving it unclear whether they were received and when they may be addressed; and
WHEREAS, these practices lead to delays and further problems through longer-than-necessary investigations. A sexual harassment complaint filed by a Department of Emergency Communications employee took nearly a year to resolve, requiring the employee to continue to be antagonized by a co-worker as the department’s human resources investigation was not completed in a timely manner stalled; and
WHEREAS, employees of the Metropolitan Government deserve to have accessible ways to file complaints and grievances and to have them their grievances resolved without delay; and
WHEREAS, the Civil Service Commission should enact these reasonable reforms, providing employees with an electronic option more opportunities to file complaints and grievances and provide certainty that they their grievances will be resolved in a timely manner; and.
WHEREAS, this civil service submission process should be applied to any human resource complaint or grievance issue in the Metropolitan Government to ensure there is one uniform method of submission.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. The Metropolitan Council requests that the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission require all departments, boards, and commissions established by the Metropolitan Charter or ordinance provide an online employee complaint or grievance form that can be accessed through their metropolitan government websites. Once submitted, the individual filing the grievance would receive confirmation of submission. Detailed, electronic records should be maintained for all employee grievances.
Section 2. The Metropolitan Council requests that the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission require that all employee complaints and grievances receive a response within two business days from a departmental human resources coordinator. These responses should consist of include an acknowledgement of receipt, including the date which a grievance was filed, and a deadline which a complaint or grievance is expected to be addressed.
Section 3. The Metropolitan Council requests that the Metropolitan Civil Service Commission require that all employee complaints and grievances be resolved within ninety days after they grievances were filed.
Section 4. This Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.