Revisions Adopted by President’s Cabinet 10/28/20; 8/16/22; 8/9/23
Adopted by President’s Cabinet 12/20/16
A reference check is completed before a conditional offer of employment is made and before and/or parallel to a background investigation. Reference checks will be conducted as necessary to verify employment and/or obtain job related information that will assist in determining the qualification and suitability of an applicant for a particular position. Before making a reference inquiry, permission from the applicant should be obtained so as not to jeopardize the applicant’s current employment status.
Prior to completing the selection process, the Director of Human Resources or designee must review (1) any credentials the candidate is required to possess; (2) the reasons for the candidate’s separation from previous employment; (3) responses to whether the candidate has ever been fired or forced to resign or whether the candidate resigned in lieu of potential disciplinary measures, and (4) for former USG employees, verification of eligibility for rehire. For applicable positions, the Director or designee shall also complete an academic and professional records check and review disciplinary records related to any professional license or certification.
Hiring departments must comply with all applicable federal laws, stipulations, and restrictions regarding the hiring of nonresident foreign nationals. Employing individuals under the age of eighteen years must comply with the U.S. Department of Labor regulations.
Criteria for Employment
All new employees must complete the following:
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- Successfully complete a background investigation appropriate to their position;
- A Security Questionnaire and Loyalty Oath required by the State of Georgia, which is prepared in original copy, notarized, and retained in the permanent files of the College;
- Federal and Georgia tax withholding forms;
- Enroll in a USG retirement plan or the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan as required based on employment status;
- Proof of identity and employment eligibility for compliance with the Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act must be presented within three business days of employment. If the employee is authorized to work but is unable to present the required document(s) within three business days, the employee must present a receipt for the application of the document(s) within ninety days. Failure to do so may result in termination of employment. East Georgia State College participates with E-Verify and will provide the Social Public Safety Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Public Safety (DHS), with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization;
- Completion of the USG Ethics Training, Cybersecurity Awareness Training, Right to Know Training, and other training as required by EGSC within thirty days of the employee’s hire date;
- Disclose any actual or apparent conflicts of interest.
Current Employee Requirements
Current employees have the following ongoing obligations:
Ethics Training: All current employees must complete refresher Ethics training annually. Refusal of an employee to complete the ethics training by the prescribed deadline will subject the employee to disciplinary action as contained in the BOR General Criteria for Employment Policy.
Cybersecurity Awareness Training: All employees are required to complete the cybersecurity awareness training at a minimum of twice annually. Employees who do not complete the required cybersecurity awareness training may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Conflicts of Interest: Employees shall disclose any potential, actual, or apparent conflicts of interest and gain prior approval for compensated outside activities.
Background Investigation, Arrests and Convictions: All current employees being transferred, reassigned, reclassified, or promoted into a position of trust must complete a background investigation. Any current employee charged with a crime (other than a minor traffic offense) shall report being charged with such crime to the Office of Human Resources within 72 hours of becoming aware of such charge. Failure to report being charged with such a crime may result in appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of employment. Human Resources will review the nature of the crime and decide on what, if any, action should be taken regarding the employee’s employment status until resolution of the charge. Any employee who, prior to an arrest for an offense involving a controlled substance, marijuana, or a dangerous drug, voluntarily discloses use of such substance to his or her immediate supervisor and is receiving or agrees to receive treatment under an approved drug abuse and education program may be retained by the college under conditions set forth in BOR Voluntary Disclosure of Drug Use Policy. Any current employee convicted of a crime (other than a minor traffic offense) shall report such conviction to the Office of Human Resources within 24 hours of the conviction. Failure to report such conviction may result in appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of employment. Human Resources will review the nature of the crime and decide on what, if any, action should be taken regarding the employee’s status.
EGSC Training
All mandatory training required by EGSC, or any department thereof, must be approved by the Director of Human Resources and the President. No EGSC training may include affirmations, ideological tests, or oaths (including diversity statements). Faculty are to be hired and evaluated based on their achievement and the success of students. Additionally, individual units and departments are not permitted to mandate training for departmental employees beyond that approved by the President and Director of Human Resources.
Mandatory employee training should be limited to that which complies with Board of Regents, state, and federal policies, regulations, and laws.
EGSC will maintain training records for all employees, which may include sign-in sheets, electronic attendance records, or certificates of completion.
http://www.usg.edu/hr/assets/hr/hrap_manual/HRAP_General_Criteria_for_Employment.pdf
http://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_voluntary_disclosure_of_drug_use
