The probationary period provides the department head with an opportunity to observe and evaluate an employee's initial fitness for a position.
While all employees covered by this bylaw are "at will" employees who may terminate their employment or be terminated from their employment at any time and for any legal cause, any employee who has completed his/her probationary period may challenge the employee's termination through the grievance procedure provided at Article XVIII herein. A probationary employee, on the other hand, may, during the probationary period, be removed from his/her position at any time without recourse to the grievance procedure.
An employee who is promoted to a new position shall also serve a probationary period. This probationary period shall extend for three months from the first day that he/she is compensated at the higher pay grade. An employee who is removed from his/her promotional position during the probationary period will, if feasible, be returned to the position that he/she occupied prior to taking the promotional position. However, if that previous position has been filled or if the Town has decided not to fill the previous position, the employee will be offered any vacant position within the department for which he/she is qualified or will be placed on a preferential hiring list for any vacancies for which he/she is qualified that occur within 24 months of his/her removal from the promotional position.
When an employee completes the applicable probationary period, the department head will be required to provide the Town Administrator with written certification of satisfactory performance by the employee during that period.