The County of El Paso is committed to maintaining a workforce that is free from discrimination and harassment and proudly enforces its Anti-Harassment policy. Although the policy outlines many standards and expectations, some of its key provisions include the following:
- Defining behaviors that are unacceptable in the workforce;
- Outlining the responsibilities of both employees and supervisors;
- Outlining the procedures taken when conducting an investigation; and
- Training Requirements of County employees and supervisors.
As the County's HR Department works towards continuously improving its practices to best serve County employees, creating the ability to outsource the investigations component of this policy became a critical need. As such, the County submitted an RFQ (#2018-02) to gather information from local qualified organizations that would be in a position to fulfill this function. As a result, ScottHulse Attorneys at Law developed the attached Engagement Letter which sets forth the terms and conditions under which they agree to render employment related investigative services and under which the County agrees to compensate ScottHulse Attorneys at Law for such services. As a result, the County entered into Contract #2018-0120 on March 26, 2018.
The services include the investigation of employment claims including, but not limited to, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, hostile work environment, and other employee misconduct. This contract is being amended to clarify the following:
- The agreement creates an attorney client relationship amongst the Firm and the County;
- Investigations must be completed with thirty (30) days, unless an unforeseen emergency occurs;
- Billing stipulations were clarified to indicate monthly billing terms vs. billing on a "regular" basis;
- Referrals will be initiated by the HR Office, and made through the County Attorney's Office to preserve the attorney client relationship.
This amendment has been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney's Office.