HR2404 - PREFERENTIAL PLACEMENT POLICY - RESCIND - 10042017 BOS AGENDA.PDF

Subject: Preferential Placement Program Number: HR2404
Maricopa County
Issue Date: 7/98
Policies and Procedures
Revision Date: 11/07
Approved: Initiating Department:
Workforce Management and Development
I. PURPOSE
This policy addresses the procedure that will be used to provide special job placement assistance
for current and former employees in the limited circumstances discussed herein.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Appointing Authority: An elected official, a single executive head of a department, or the
designated representative authorized to act in this capacity.
B. Director: The Director of Maricopa County’s Workforce Management and Development
Department, or his/her designee.
C. Minimum Eligibility Requirements: The criteria that current or former employees
participating in the Preferential Placement Program must meet in order to receive
preferential consideration for a position within Maricopa County. The minimum eligibility
requirements are threefold: First, the individual must meet the minimum qualifications for the
position. Second, the market range minimum and maximum for the new position must be at
or below the market range minimum and maximum of the last position held by the employee.
Third, the position applied for must be of the same status as the position currently or last
held by the individual. For instance, a regular, classified employee must apply for a regular,
classified position; an unclassified employee for an unclassified position; and a contract
employee for a contract position.
D. Preferential Placement Program: The procedures described in this policy are to assist
current and former employees with special job placement assistance after an involuntary
Reduction in Force (RIF), to provide a reasonable accommodation pursuant to the
Americans with Disabilities Act, or in other circumstances authorized by the Director.
Current and former employees eligible for this program may apply for positions County-
wide, including internal postings. Current and former employees covered by this policy
will be certified for any position for which they meet minimum eligibility requirements, as
defined in this policy.
E. Preferential Placement Candidate (PPC): A classified employee who has completed
initial County probation whose position is being or has been eliminated in an involuntary
Reduction in Force due to lack of funds, lack of work, or abolishment of the position; or
any other County employee qualifying for special job placement assistance in the
Preferential Placement Program as described in paragraph II.D., above. For situations
not involving a Reduction in Force, the current or former employee becomes eligible for
the Preferential Placement Program upon approval by the Director.
F. Reduction in Force (RIF): The involuntary separation of a classified employee from
County employment as the result of an organizational or departmental decision to eliminate
positions due to a lack of funds, lack of work, or abolishment of positions.
III. PREFERENTIAL PLACEMENT PROCESS IN RIF SITUATIONS
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A. Provisions of HR2403 Apply. Employees who are facing involuntary separation from
Subject: Preferential Placement Program Number: HR2404
Maricopa County
Issue Date: 7/98
Policies and Procedures
Revision Date: 11/07
employment due to a department Reduction in Force are subject to and benefit from the
procedures set forth in HR2403, “Reductions in Force.”
B. Placement Processes Operate Concurrently. Employees whose positions are being
eliminated in a RIF become eligible for the Preferential Placement Program upon
receiving initial notification of the RIF. An employee may be eligible for preferential
placement consideration for County-wide positions for which the employee meets
minimum eligibility requirements, and may also participate in the departmental Priority
Placement process of the RIF policy. See, HR2403.IV.C. A Preferential Placement
Candidate (PPC) may apply for multiple positions within Maricopa County, but must apply
for each position of interest using the process prescribed by the Recruiting division of the
General Government Department.
C. Procedures and Limitations. The following procedures and limitations apply to PPCs:
1. A PPC may be required to participate in current testing procedures, including
written and performance exams, depending on factors such as the similarity of
the PPC’s previous job assignments, applicable historic test scores, etc.
2. If a PPC applies for and meets the minimum eligibility requirements for a position
in recruitment, and satisfies requirement 1, the PPC’s name will be certified to
the hiring department.
3. Appointing Authorities who have a PPC certified to them may make an offer of
employment to the PPC without further justification, subject to the following
salary restrictions: the salary offered cannot exceed the PPC’s most recent
salary, nor can it exceed the maximum of the advertised range.
4. If an Appointing Authority’s business needs cannot be met through the selection
of a PPC who has been certified to the department, the Appointing Authority
must submit a written explanation to the Director explaining the nature of the
position, the position qualifications and the specific, business-related reason(s)
why the PPC does not meet the department’s needs. Only after the Director
approves the written justification, may other non-PPC candidates be certified to
the Appointing Authority.
5. A PPC participating in the Preferential Placement Program due to an involuntary
Reduction-in-Force remains eligible to submit applications as a PPC for three
months after his/her separation date. Non-RIF PPCs participating in the Program
based on the Director’s authorization may have an eligibility period of less than
three months, as determined by the Director.
6. Any PPC separated from County employment who is re-hired into a classified
position as a result of this Policy must serve an initial County probationary period,
during which time the employee may not apply for other County positions.
D. Competitive Applications for County Positions. A PPC may apply for advertised
positions that are of a different status (e.g., unclassified rather than classified) or a higher
market range than the PPC’s current or former position, but under those circumstances
the application will be accepted on a competitive basis and evaluated on the same basis
as all other candidates.
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Subject: Preferential Placement Program Number: HR2404
Maricopa County
Issue Date: 7/98
Policies and Procedures
Revision Date: 11/07
E. Disqualification From Program. If a PPC declines a job interview or an offer of
employment, the hiring department shall report the refusal to the Director. The PPC may be
contacted by the Director or his/her designee to determine the reason for refusal. Eligibility
for the Preferential Placement Program will not be affected based on one rejection of an
interview or employment offer. A second refusal of interview or employment reported to the
Director will result in removal of the PPC from the Preferential Placement Program.
F. Reinstatement Rights of PPCs Previously Separated From County Employment.
1. In accordance with Maricopa County’s Employee Leave Plan, a County (non-
Judicial Branch) employee separated from employment as the result of an
involuntary RIF who returns to County (non-Judicial Branch) employment on or
after December 15, 1997, is eligible for reinstatement of his/her Family/Medical
Leave accruals forfeited at the time of separation subject to the following
limitations:
a. the former employee must return to County service within one year of the
separation; and
b. the employee must return to an employment status which permits the
accrual of leave time.
2.1. Pursuant to the Board of Supervisors’ Resolution dated May 18, 1983, any
former employee separated from County employment due to an involuntary RIF
who is rehired into a position eligible for leave accrual within one year of his/her
separation date, will receive a leave accrual rate equal to their pre-separation
accrual rate even if they withdrew their Arizona State Retirement contributions.
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