The following are commonly asked questions regarding the Employment and Compensation Status Changes Policy. Please click on the question to be directed to the relevant policy section.

  1. What is the university’s policy on employment and compensation status changes?
  2. To whom does the employment and compensation status change policy apply?
  3. What is the process once the need for a change in employment and/or compensation has been identified?
  4. How are affected staff members notified if a change in employment and/or compensation has occurred?
  5. What are the affected staff members' options for reconsideration?
  6. What have affected staff members options for re-employment in the event of a layoff?

I. Policy

The purpose of this policy is to outline the process in which a staff member may be released or required to change his or her employment and/or compensation status to address institutional requirements. Changes in employment and/or compensation status include but are not limited to layoffs or changes in work hours, work schedules, job content, pay, benefits, and full-time equivalency (FTE).

II. Eligibility and Scope

The university tries to distribute workloads to maintain stable staffing levels and minimize the need for the changes described above. However, the university does not guarantee or promise continued employment or compensation status for any specified length of time. Therefore, the university may require a change in employment or compensation status due to such circumstances as re-organization, the lack of available work or funds, changes in economic and financial conditions, or changes in the workplace that impact staffing needs.

The university reserves the right to make such determinations at its sole discretion in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and university policies. Moreover, the university retains the right to change a staff member’s employment or compensation status at any time with or without cause or prior notice, regardless of any other documents or oral or written statements issued by the university or its representatives.

III. Implementation

After identifying the need to change employment and/or compensation status, and before any potentially affected staff members have been identified and notified, the department head will consult with the division Vice President or his/her designee, and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Chief People Officer or his/her designee, to review this policy, analyze the potential impact of employment and/or compensation status changes, and review the university’s relevant processes and procedures.

Decisions about employment and/or compensation status changes will be based on the university’s current and future needs to achieve strategic priorities and accomplish mission-critical functions. The criteria guiding decisions to change employment and/or compensation status may include but are not limited to: retention of critical skills, required staffing levels, current, and future funding, and the staff member’s abilities, talents, special skills, credentials, demonstrated job performance and/or length of service.

In consultation with the division Vice President and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Chief People Officer, the department head will determine which criteria are most appropriate given the demands and needs of the university. The university reserves the right to make such determinations at its sole discretion in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and university policies.

IV. Staff Member Notification

A. Written Notice

Generally, the university will try in good faith to give affected staff members at least ten (10) working days written notice before the effective change in employment and/or compensation status.

B. Pay In Lieu of Notice

In circumstances where it is not practicable to provide ten (10) working days written notice before the effective date of a change in employment and/or compensation status, the university will provide affected staff members ten (10) working days of regular pay (excluding premium pay such as overtime, shift differential, etc.) in lieu of notice.

V. Reconsideration Options

Within five (5) working days of receiving notification of an employment and/or compensation status change, and affected staff member may request reconsideration by filing a “Request for Reconsideration” form with the Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Chief People Officer or his/her designee. This request may be filed only if the affected staff member believes the employment and/or compensation status change is based on this policy's improper or inconsistent application.

VI. Re-employment Options in the Event of Layoff

A. Position re-established within one-hundred twenty (120) calendar days from the effective date of layoff.

If the position from which a staff member was laid off is re-established within 120 calendar days from the effective date of the staff member's layoff, the university will notify the staff member in writing and invite the staff member to return to the job, at which point he or she will have two (2) weeks to do so. The university will notify the staff member by regular mail at his or her last known address, as detailed in the university’s official records.

B. Applying for any university position within one-hundred twenty (120) calendar days following the layoff's effective date.

During the 120 calendar days following the effective date of a layoff, the affected staff member may apply for any position in the university which becomes available and will be considered on the same basis as active staff members.

C. Applying for a new position after one hundred twenty (120) calendar days following the layoff's effective date.

After the 120 calendar days following the effective date of a layoff, the affected staff member may apply for any position in the university which becomes available and will be considered on the same basis as a new applicant.

Origination date: 9/1978.
Revised: 1996, 1/2012.