Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners expand administrative leave for workplace investigations
Summary
The court approved revisions to the county administrative-leave policy to allow up to six weeks of paid administrative leave for a wider set of workplace investigations beyond harassment cases.
El Paso County Commissioners on July 28 revised the county's administrative leave policy to give human-resources and department leaders greater flexibility during workplace investigations.
The first sentence: Commissioners approved an update that increases the amount of paid administrative leave available for workplace investigations from a prior cap (focused on harassment) to up to 140 hours (six weeks) for broader categories of workplace investigations that HR deems appropriate.
County Human Resources presented the change as a clarification and expansion to reduce the need for repeated leave authorizations in complex investigations. HR said the revised policy also improves eligibility language and standardizes how leaves are documented.
HR director Natalia Chaparro told the court the prior policy limited longer administrative leaves to anti-harassment probes, which forced departments to rely on short emergency leaves or repeatedly extend leave while investigations continued. "This change provides needed time for thorough factfinding," Chaparro said.
The court voted to adopt the updated policy. Commissioners did not alter pay or benefits or appropriate new funds; the change clarifies internal personnel practices and will be incorporated into the county's personnel policy manual.
