LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  POLICY 608.01 Outside Employment
 
  PROCEDURES
  1. On an annual basis, permanent employees shall complete and submit an Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities.
     
  2. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) Human Resources (HR) manager shall establish procedures to assure employees are aware of this policy.
     
  3. While working in the capacity of their outside business activity, employees shall not solicit nor authenticate any outside work in the name of DMH or any other County agency.
     
    1. Employees engaged in outside business activity shall make it clear in dealing with those parties connected to their outside business activity that they are engaged in such practice as a private individual and not as a DMH employee. (DMH Policies 608.03 and 608.04)
       
  4. No employee shall use DMH or County facilities, property, vehicles, tools, equipment, telephones, computers, office stationery, or supplies for other than DMH purposes.
     
  5. Use of confidential and other non-public information gathered from DMH records or contact with patients, clients, or employees is prohibited in any outside business activity environment. Such information may be used only for official DMH business.
     
  6. No DMH employee shall collect additional compensation from a non-County source for the performance of DMH duties (i.e., dual compensation).
     
  7. While on a DMH shift, no employee may engage in any outside business activity.
     
    1. Many activities with non-County agencies are considered to be a regular part of the employee’s County employment.
       
    2. If there is any doubt as to the nature of the activity, approval from the employee’s manager shall be obtained.
       
  8. Employees shall not make use of confidential records and information relative to DMH clients in connection with outside business activity.
     
    1. In those cases where DMH employees engage in outside business activity and may be providing services to DMH clients in those outside business activities, the following provisions apply:
       
      1. Confidential information possessed by DMH and required by clinicians in carrying out client services in the outside business activity shall be obtained only through application to DMH for such information and only with the approval of the client concerned.
         
      2. DMH clinicians shall not provide services to clients who are a part of the outside business activity caseload.
         
      3. DMH clinicians shall not engage in any type of reciprocal or individual referral system for outside business activity.
         
  9. No employee shall utilize contact with DMH clients or access to information about clients in connection with outside business activity.
     
  10. Employees who intend to engage in outside business activities shall complete an electronic Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities form at http://mylacounty.gov under e-Forms. In the event an employee is unable to complete the electronic form, the employee shall submit a paper-based form.
     
    1. These forms shall be reviewed by the employee’s supervisor and manager to determine whether or not the outside business activity is in conflict with the employee’s DMH position.
       
  11. The following conditions are grounds for denial of outside employment activities:
     
    1. The employee has a less than competent performance evaluation for the last rating period.
       
    2. The outside business activity, by nature, schedule, or extent, might impair the employee’s efficiency in DMH service (e.g., cause tardiness, leaving work early, etc.).
       
    3. The non-conflicting outside business activity requires more than 24 hours per week for a full-time employee, except as provided in Section K.4.
       
    4. The non-conflicting outside business activity requires more than 96 hours in any calendar month for an employee in a postgraduate physician classification.
       
    5. The non-County employer is known to serve as an agent to recruit other County employees (i.e., the outside employment would constitute recruitment of DMH employees away from DMH).
       
  12. Employees shall:
     
    1. Obtain prior electronic or written approval from their manager for outside business activity.
       
    2. Immediately notify their manager if at any time the terms, conditions, and/or working hours of the non-County position change.
       
    3. Disclose any potential or actual conflict of interest in the outside business activity to their manager as soon as identified by the employee.
       
    4. Annually complete the electronic Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities form or paper form if unable to complete the electronic form.
       
  13. Managers shall:
     
    1. Review Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities forms.
       
    2. Grant or deny requests for outside business activity.
       
    3. Review the employee’s Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form and the immediate supervisor’s recommended action.
       
    4. Decide to stop or allow the employee’s outside business activity.
       
  14. Supervisors/Managers shall:
     
    1. Ensure employees are informed of this policy and complete the required electronic or paper form annually.
       
    2. Review and make recommendations for approval or disapproval of Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities forms.
       
    3. Review and make recommendations on employees' submissions of Conflict of Interest Disclosure Forms.
       
    4. Forward, via the chain-of-command, all Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities forms.
       
    5. Review this policy with employees on an annual basis, receiving written acknowledgments and sending the acknowledgments to DMH-HR to be filed in the personnel files.
       
    6. Initiate corrective or disciplinary action for non-compliance with this policy.
       
  15. The DMH-HR manager shall:
     
    1. Provide notification and written acknowledgment of this policy to incoming employees and to all employees on an annual basis.
       
    2. Maintain annually signed copies of Employee Report on Outside Employment Activities forms in personnel files.
       
    3. Notify all employees that failure to comply with the Outside Employment policy may result in disciplinary action up to and including discharge.
       
    4. Evaluate requests for disciplinary action, conduct investigations, provide consultation, and initiate appropriate disciplinary actions when requested by management.