Employee Handbook

their assigned duties. Employees must be free from drug or alcohol dependence and illegal drug use, as drug or alcohol abuse seriously impairs an employee’s performance and general physical and mental health.

The illegal possession and use of drugs, alcohol, and/or narcotics by employees of the City of Athens is a crime in this jurisdiction and clearly unacceptable. Therefore, the City of Athens has adopted this written policy to ensure an employee’s fitness for duty as a condition of employment.

Municipal government employees shall not take or be under the influence of any narcotics or dangerous substance unless prescribed by the employee’s licensed physician. Employees who are required to take prescription medicine shall notify their immediate supervisors of this requirement and shall verify they are able to perform the essential functions of their position while on the prescribed medication.

Municipal government employees are prohibited from the use, possession, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs, alcohol, or any other controlled substance on municipal government property or in City vehicles.

All property belonging to the City of Athens may be subject to inspection at any time without notice as there may be no expectation of privacy in such property. Property includes, but is not limited to: vehicles, desks, containers, files, and storage lockers. Employee’s assigned lockers, that are locked by the employee, are also subject to inspection by the employee’s supervisor, unless waived by the City Manager.

As a condition of continued employment with the City, all employees must abide by the City’s policy and notify their immediate supervisor of any criminal drug statute convictions within five days after such conviction. The City, in turn, will inform any granting or contracting agency within ten days of such notification.

Employees who choose to engage in drug and/or alcohol abuse may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, may be denied workers’ compensation benefits, or may be required to participate satisfactorily in an approved drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program. Any injured employee who refuses to submit to a test for drugs or alcohol, shall forfeit eligibility for workers' compensation medical and indemnity benefits.

The City of Athens Drug Free Workplace and Drug Testing Policy in its entirety can be found in the Administrative Policies and Regulations.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

The City of Athens recognizes the increase in technology resources available to employees designed to enable the City of Athens to provide services in a timely and efficient manner. An Electronic Communications Policy has been implemented to cover the use of all electronic communication technology resources belonging to the City. Electronic communication devices include but are not limited to pagers, radios, telephones, cellular phones, faxes, all computer systems and the peripherals, e-mail system, Internet, and network resources. Employees, volunteers, and contractors of the City are expected to use any City-owned electronic communications devices consistent with the policy.