In a subsequent grievance, discipline which falls within the Ranges of Punishment should be presumed to be reasonable, unless the employee can prove that, due to unusual or special circumstances, the discipline is unreasonable. Appendix A may be modified by the Director of Human Resources. An employee's work history consists of their official personnel record. In order to consider any incidents or past events which are not part of the personnel record, the supervisor must document them in the investigation. Any relevant past incident may be considered.
Relevance is dependent upon the overall circumstances.
For instance, a warning given two years ago for being late to work should have little bearing on a recent episode of rude or discourteous behavior. In contrast, if an employee's record reveals a previous incident involving theft or dishonesty, however long ago, this should have significant bearing on a subsequent incident. However, progressive discipline is not required. When appropriate, the supervisor may impose any disciplinary measure, including discharge, without having first imposed a less severe disciplinary measure. Again, the appropriate response is dependent upon the overall circumstances.