Officers of administration do not have their own set of employment policies and historically have been governed by faculty policies and practices that do not always align well with OA positions.
After more than a year of analysis and review of employment practices, that is about to change. Human resources, in collaboration with the OA Policy Advisory Team, has developed a set of new policies designed specifically for OAs. In a letter to campus, Chief Human Resources Officer Nancy Resnick announced that the proposed policies are now available for review on the HR website and open for comment.
“OAs play an important and unique role at the university,” said Jamie Moffitt, vice president for finance and administration. “OAs have told us they wanted more clarity and guidance about policies related to their employment, and we have made this policy development process a priority. We are pleased to reach this milestone in the policy development process.”
The proposed policies address key components of OA employment practices such as performance management, separations, time off and the grievance process. They are designed to establish an expectation of continued employment, according to Resnick.
Proposed changes include establishing procedures for annual performance review to promote timely feedback and continuous improvement, eliminating the six-month vacation time waiting period, and creating a transparent and logical grievance process for matters related to terms and conditions of employment. Policy documents are posted on the HR website providing introduction and key elements for each proposed policy.
Leslie Wolgamott, the chair of the OA Council, said a listening tour conducted in 2014 identified a lack of OA-specific policies and practices as a clear concern. The issue was then raised with human resources.
“We championed this initiative on behalf of OAs, and we are very pleased to see progress being made,” said Wolgamott. “The opportunity for OAs to see the policies and provide feedback is critical to the final outcome.”
Resnick said the policies were developed by a committee of people with HR expertise from across campus, as well as OA, unit and school representatives. She strongly encourages employees to learn about the policies and share their thoughts.
“Input and feedback from the campus community, particularly OAs, is vital to our ability to implement policies that strengthen employment practices for OAs and the university,” Resnick said.
HR will take public comment on the policies using an online form through Monday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. During that time HR will also hold discussion sessions in which people can learn about the polices and ask questions. Information about the process, the draft policies and the comment form are available on the OA policy development webpage (see link above).