Town employees are expected to perform their work responsibilities
in a thorough and conscientious manner. They are required to comply
with:
Each person employed by the Town occupies a position of public
trust. As a result, Town employees must always be mindful of their
ethical responsibilities. An employee must avoid taking any action
that might result in or create the reasonable basis for the impression
that he/she was:
Chapter 268A of the Massachusetts General Laws governs the conduct
of public officials and employees, and provides a comprehensive set
of guidelines for the performance of a municipal employee's duties.
In general, those guidelines may be reduced to the following principles:
A.
An employee may not ask for or accept anything (regardless of its
value) which is offered in exchange for the employee agreeing to perform
or not perform an official act.
B.
An employee may not ask for anything nor accept anything of more
than nominal value from anyone with whom the employee has official
dealings.
C.
Unless an employee makes a proper public disclosure, including all
of the relevant facts, to the appropriate municipal official(s), the
employee may not take any action that could create an appearance of
impropriety, or could cause an impartial observer to believe that
the employee's official actions were tainted with bias or favoritism.
D.
An employee may not use his/her official position to obtain unwarranted
privileges, or any type of special treatment, for himself/herself
or anyone else. For example, an employee may not use public resources
(e.g., Town offices, supplies or equipment, staff labor, sick time)
for personal purposes.
E.
Unless an employee qualifies for an exemption (see MGL c. 268A, § 20),
the employee may not have a financial interest in a Town contract
or hold more than one position with the Town.
F.
An employee may not hire, promote or supervise members of the employee's
or his/her spouse's immediate family, or take any other type
of official action which would affect such relative's financial
interests.
G.
An employee may not take any official action affecting the employee's
own financial interest, or the financial interest of a business partner,
private employer, or any organization for which the employee serves
as an officer, director or trustee.
A.
Consistent with the prohibitions contained in Chapter 268A, Town
employees are expected to abide by conduct requirements, including
but not limited to the following:
(1)
No employee shall engage in any business other than his/her official
Town duties during regular working hours.
(2)
No employee shall engage in any form of outside employment that interferes
with the employee's proper and effective performance of his/her
position with the Town, nor shall an employee engage in any form of
outside employment that would create the appearance of a conflict
of interest with the employee's position with the Town.
(3)
No employee shall use confidential information obtained in his/her
official capacity as a Town employee for his/her own financial advantage,
nor shall he/she provide relatives, friends, business associates,
or others with such confidential information.
(4)
No employee shall use, or allow the use of, Town property (of any
kind) for other than official Town business.
B.
Also in accordance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964[1] and MGL c. 151B, § 4(16A), the Town has a clearly
established policy regarding sexual harassment in the workplace by
managers, supervisors, employees, vendors and contractors. See Appendix
C, current policy as amended.[2]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 42 U.S.C. § 2000a et seq.
[2]
Editor's Note: Appendix C is included as an attachment to this chapter.
C.
The Town is committed to providing a professional environment that
is free of violence in any form. The Town's policy regarding
workplace violence is detailed in Appendix D, current policy as amended.[3]
[3]
Editor's Note: Appendix D is included as an attachment to this chapter.
D.
The Town has established policy guidelines for the use of social
media communication. See Appendix E, current policy as amended.[4]
[4]
Editor's Note: Appendix E is included as an attachment to this chapter.
E.
The Town has established policies regarding both the use of Town
electronic communication and related technology. See Appendix F, current
policy as amended.[5]
[5]
Editor's Note: Appendix F is included as an attachment to this chapter.
F.
All public employees have whistleblower protections under MGL c.
149, § 185. Retaliation against employees reporting violations
of law or risks to public health, safety or environment are prohibited.
See Whistleblower Retaliation Policy, Appendix G, current policy as
amended.[6]
[6]
Editor's Note: Appendix G is included as an attachment to this chapter.
