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Council hears proposed employee-handbook updates on nepotism disclosure, driving-record checks and social media limits
Summary
Human resources staff introduced proposed additions to the city employee handbook including a motor-vehicle driving-record policy, nepotism disclosure language, vaping added to the smoke-free policy and clarified social-media rules; council members raised questions about grievance and photographing coworkers at events.
Carrie Garrett of the city’s human-resources staff presented proposed additions to the West Columbia employee handbook on Oct. 7 that would add nepotism-disclosure language, a motor-vehicle driving-record policy, vaping to the smoke-free workplace policy and clarifications to the social-media policy.
Garrett said the driving-record policy will allow the city to check driving records annually for employees who regularly drive city vehicles, which brings the city into compliance with its liability insurance requirements. The motor-vehicle policy would also cover pre-hire record checks and transfer situations where employees begin to operate city vehicles.
On social media, Garrett said the updated text adds clarifying language and that material already covered elsewhere was not removed. Council members pressed staff on how social-media violations would interact with the grievance process and asked whether photography of coworkers at city events could create gray-area discipline issues.
Council discussion: A council member asked whether a drug test would be mandatory after a city-vehicle accident. Garrett confirmed the city’s existing drug-testing policy covers certain employees and that an at-fault accident in a city vehicle triggers mandatory testing per the drug-test policy. Council members also requested firmer language to reduce ambiguity about posting coworkers’ photos, noting concerns about employees’ privacy and potential disciplinary risks if photos showing poor conduct were posted.
Next steps: Staff said they would return with a formal draft for council consideration at a future meeting and would clarify points raised by council such as photography at events and whether amphitheater fee waivers should be included under administrative authority in the special event amendments.
Ending: Council was not asked to adopt the handbook revisions that night; the item served as an introduction and staff invited council feedback before formal adoption.
