• It is the policy of Awaken to encourage the resolution of disputes in an informal manner  whenever possible. If an employee feels that an unsatisfactory condition is having an adverse  effect on his/her performance or on the office or ministry operations, a more formal resolution  process may be necessary.  

    When one of these occasions arises, employees should use the following communication  sequence in an attempt to resolve the situation:  

    • Talk with your supervisor. 

    • If not satisfied with the remedy or process request assistance from your Executive Pastor. • If all attempts at conflict resolution have not been successful,request assistance from the Lead Pastor. 

    • If all the above attempts have not been successful go to the Lead Team. • At any time in this process you may contact Human Resources to be directed to the appropriate next step. 

  • Before any corrective discipline is issued, the Lead Pastor will be made aware and advise.  If corrective discipline is warranted, the following list of actions may occur:  

    • Formal verbal warning 

    • Written warning 

    • Suspension without pay 

    • Termination 

    These actions may be taken in the order listed, although this order is not mandatory and the  decision may be made at the discretion of your supervisor and Executive Pastor. All warnings,  verbal or written, should be documented and submitted to Human Resources to be placed in  the employee file.  

  • Open lines of communication are as important in employment as in any other aspect of life. It  is the nature of people to, on occasion, disagree, misunderstand, or have questions about  one thing or another. One way to live out our Core Organizational Values is to engage  coworkers in honest communication. If difficulty in resolving a concern with a coworker or  volunteer, or if an impasse is reached over a job-related issue, an employee should use  biblical principles for conflict resolution found in Matthew 18. Honest communication and  maintaining mutual respect will allow us to be examples of integrity to those we lead and  serve. Do your best to work out the differences among the parties, if necessary see the  conflict resolution procedures in this manual for more information on what actions to take.