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American College of Education provides fair, consistent, and equitable procedures for addressing employee concerns and complaints. ACE values each employee and goes to great lengths to ensure our culture is one of positivity, inclusivity, and transparency. Everyone deserves to work in an environment where you are treated with respect and dignity. We are not only committed to creating such an environment, we are equally committed to maintaining it. This isn’t done without everyone’s best efforts and intentions at all times. To that end, we encourage anyone who feels our culture and values have been abused to report it.
You are expected and advised to first pursue a resolution for the concern or complaint informally through a discussion with the person or department manager where the issue originated. In most cases, you are expected to initiate a good faith effort to resolve the issue through discussion with the individual involved. Typically, the issue will be equitability resolved informally. If the issue is not resolved, you may elect to elevate the issue/s into the formal procedure. If the problem is not resolved informally, you can contact Human Resources for further directions on the procedures for a formal complaint, or you can submit it through our ethics hotline if you wish to remain anonymous. Human Resources will handle your inquiry confidentially as much as possible.
The ACE Ethics Hotline (click link or call 855.222.0483) can be used to report the following:
- Accounting, Auditing, Internal Financial Controls Violations
- Code of Conduct Violation
- Discrimination
- Embezzelment
- Falsification of contract or records
- Fraud
- Harassment, including Sexual harassment
- Leadership Abuse of Power
You will need to provide in writing documentation of the specific type of complaint, facts of the issue and steps taken to resolve. If the situation involved activities that are illegal in nature and warrants the involvement of law enforcement authorities, Human Resources will advocate for you. If a college employee should be placed on administrative leave during an investigation, Human Resources will manage the process.
- All formal employee complaints will be recorded in a confidential log with Human Resources and forwarded to the College official responsible for the area in which the issue occurred.
a. The confidential log will include the following:
i. The date of the complaint
ii. The nature of the complaint with supporting documentation
iii. The steps taken to resolve the complaint
iv. The decision
b. The information will be made available to regulatory agencies upon request for the purpose of investigating individual complaints elevated to the agency; or to provide mandated reporting assurances that ACE has procedures in place for timely and fair resolution of complaints.
- The College official will have thirty (30) days from the time stamp on the complaint form to investigate the formal complaint and render a decision. The decision will be communicated to you.
- You may appeal the decision in writing to Human Resources within 10 business days.
- A final decision will be rendered within 30 days from the date the appeal is received.
Retaliation
ACE will promptly investigate all complaints. No employee will be retaliated against for making a complaint about harassment or discrimination, or for participating in the investigation of such a complaint. We consider retaliation to be a serious violation of this policy and urge you to report any incidents of retaliation immediately to HR. We will investigate and resolve complaints of retaliation in accordance with standard investigative practices.
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