How not to get sacked

1 Comply with the Council's Code of Conduct

Read the Council's Code of Conduct and where it says things you should or shouldn't do as an employee, make sure you do them, or don't do them, consistent with the Code. If you think there's something wrong with the Code, ring depa, don't ignore it.

2 Comply with rules on internet and email use

Read the Council's internet and email conditions of use. It will restrict access and distribution of "offensive" material. You don't want to have to argue later that you didn't think something was offensive so, as a bit of a rough rule of thumb, if you wouldn't like your Mum to see it, it shouldn't be on the Council's system. If someone sends you something, reply telling them not to do it again and give a copy of your reply email to your supervisor. The hard drive will always show what you have been doing. There are no secrets, you can never really delete anything. The hard-drive has it all.

3 Don't agree to anything without knowing what it is

Read anything that requires you to agree to something. If you have to agree to comply with certain things to get access to the Council's computer system, make sure you know what you are doing, what you should have read and what you are agreeing to when you click on "okay".

4 Comply with section 353

Read section 353 of the Local Government Act. It requires that you declare work that "relates to the business of the council" or "that might conflict" with your job. You don't have to declare anything else and if the Council has a policy that you should do so, ring us. We will change the Council's policy to something less intrusive and consistent with the Act. Err on the side of caution, declare anything you think could fit these criteria or ask us for help. Don't try to be too clever or literal.

5 Complete a pecuniary interests declaration if you are asked

Complete a pecuniary interest form if you are required to. If you are worried about public access you can ask that it be suppressed under section 739(1) of the Local Government Act.

6 Get depa involved at the start, not the finish

Talk to us at the first sign of trouble - not at the final warning.

7 Be careful what you admit to

Don't admit to something you didn't do because you think that might make the problem go away. It won't. It will be a bigger problem because you will have confessed.

8 Don't resign without getting advice

Don't resign over anything without getting advice from us. The accepted principles of natural justice will give you time to contact us.

9 Think before you answer and don't make things up

Don't respond with an explanation for one offence that becomes another offence. If they wonder why your Council phone was making calls from outside the Council area, when you shouldn't have been there, don't explain that you had loaned it to someone else, if the conditions of use say that you shouldn't do that.

10 Be careful what you call people

Don't call the GM, the Mayor or any of the councillors get-rich-quicks, timeservers, drama queens, one issue zealots, witless wankers, mad people, self-obsessed, self-important, pompous, the lowest common denominator or anything else like that. Leave that to us.

And don't call anyone "darl", or "girlie" or sweetie" unless they are your kids or you're sleeping with them.

11 Join the union

This is the most important advice of all. If you happen to be reading this and you are not a member of depa, you should join. Being a member entitles you to advice and assistance for a whole range of workplace problems and issues - not just disciplinary problems.

12 Contact depa

Phone 9712 5255
Fax 0712 5427
ian@depa.net.au