Page 47 - Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual

Resources Management, Law Department, related individuals, and, in certain cases the Augusta, Georgia
Commission, may be advised of an investigation, have access to case information, asked questions in
relation to allegations, and receive updates and/or final outcomes.

Section 200.014 Honesty Code

The complainant or charging party must sign a statement indicating that the allegations in the EEO
complaint (either verbal or in writing) are honest, true, accurate, and not exaggerated. When issuing a
statement or answering questions in connection with an EEO inquiry, an employee must, to the best of their
knowledge and belief, be truthful in all of their oral and written responses. Individuals (including
complainants, accused parties, employees, administrators, witnesses, managers, supervisors, information
gatherers, persons submitting data and others) who fail to cooperate with the EEO Office, are found to have
provided false information, file a frivolous claim, or alter written data in relation to an EEO inquiry or
investigation will be subject to disciplinary action.

Section 200.015 Management and Employee Cooperation

All managers and/or employees connected to Augusta, Georgia are required to: (1) fully cooperate in EEO
investigations; (2) provide any information (written, e-mailed, or oral) connected to an EEO
investigation,;(3) make themselves available for questioning within five working days of a request for a
meeting from the EEO Office (if this is not possible, an alternative date and time should be submitted in
writing to the EEO Office); and 4) provide truthful and accurate statements to the EEO Office.

Supervisors should not presume any employee (either the accused or the complainant) to be guilty of
anything or institute disciplinary actions merely based on a pending EEO charge or case.

Employees, managers, and Department Directors are encouraged follow the chain-of-command and
procedures outlined in this policy in order to resolve any EEO-related concerns.

Section 200.016 Complaint Closure

At the conclusion of the investigation, the EEO Office will send its findings to the charging party and the
accused. The Department Director of the accused will be issued a letter of findings which may include
recommendations from the EEO Office. Generally, the finding will be issued within thirty working days
after filing a complaint. However, in some cases, the EEO Office may extend the investigation time period.
If the period of investigation is extended, all parties will be provided with written notification of the new
deadline to complete the investigation. During the investigation period, ongoing mediation and support
services may be provided by the EEO Office. Following each investigation, the EEO Office may elect to
forward additional recommendations to the Department Director, the Administrator, and/or the Augusta,
Georgia Commission for consideration. Recommendations to the Commission and/or the City
Administrator will be made at the discretion of the EEO Office or at the direction of the Commission.

Upon approval by the Commission and/or City Administrator, individuals found by the EEO Office to be
in violation of the equal employment opportunity policy shall be issued disciplinary action by the
Department Director in an amount congruent with the severity of the violation.

The Department Head or the highest level supervisor over the employee is required to initiate disciplinary
action within five working days of receiving a written finding and confirmation of an EEO violation and do
a follow-up letter to advise the EEO Office of the final actions taken at the departmental level. In cases

All Rights Reserved – As approved by the Commission on 05-07-2019 47 | P a g e