POLICY #8.1
SUBJECT: Classified Staff Personnel System
IV. POLICY
- Authority and Responsibility for the Personnel System
- Under the inherent and implied authority of the Utah Higher Education Act of 1969 (more specifically Section 15) and the Bylaws of the Utah State Board of Higher Education (more specifically Article III, Section 3) the President, with the approval of the Board of Trustees, has the authority and responsibility for the University to establish the basic goals, objectives, principles, policies, and concepts of the Classified Staff Personnel System (hereinafter referred to as Personnel System). The authority and responsibility will be delegated to the Vice President for Finance and Administration (the Human Resources Director will be responsible to and report directly to the Vice President for Finance and Administration) to formulate and establish policies and procedures and for management of the day-to-day personnel program and operations which will be consistent with and conducive to the implementation and achievement of the basic goals, objectives, principles, policies, and concepts of the Personnel System.
- Maintaining a good Personnel System is a responsibility of everyone who works for the University. Employees are obligated to know the policies and practices (as they are established) that govern their relations with the Personnel System, supervisors, and the administration. All management personnel (which includes supervisors, departments, divisions or area heads, deans, directors, president, vice president, managers, coordinators or any person with direct supervisory responsibility over a classified employee) have a significant responsibility to know and understand the goals, objectives, principles, and concepts of the Personnel System and to make every possible effort to maintain harmonious and productive working relations with their employees.
- The effective implementation of the Personnel System carried out in accordance with the goals, objectives, principles, and concepts hereby adopted can go far toward making University employment pleasant and profitable to the employee and University alike.
- Definition of Classified Employees Under the Personnel System
- The term classified employees (hereinafter referred to as employees) as defined and used in a Personnel System, generally refers only to those staff employees who have been classified in the general "Primary Occupational Activity" of staff as generally defined by the State Board of Higher Education and designated as such for "budgeting purposes," under a "regular employment contract" for half-time or more and for nine (9) months or more of a fiscal year.
- The following "employees" are specifically exempt from the provisions, rules, regulations, goals, objectives, principles, policies, and concepts of the Personnel System, and do not fall within the term employee(s) as herein defined and used:
- "Primary Occupational Activity" of Faculty. (Generally defined as all persons whose specific assignments customarily are made for the purpose of conducting instruction as a principal activity, and who hold academic rank title of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer, or the equivalent of any one of these academic ranks.)
- "Primary Occupational Activity" of Executive. (Generally defined as all persons whose assignments require primary and major responsibility for management of the institution, or a customarily recognized department or subdivision thereof. Generally, the assignments in this category customarily and regularly require the exercise of discretion, policy determination, independent judgment, and direction of others. Included in this category, in general, are the president, vice presidents, dean of students, director of development, academic deans, controller, registrar, director of library, director of physical plant, director of human resources, and assistant deans and department chairmen in the "instructional area" directly under the academic deans.
- All hourly and wage rated personnel.
- All personnel without a reasonably and substantially predetermined, fixed, regular and equal monthly rate of pay each month of the fiscal year under employment.
- All personnel who work less than half-time during their employment period.
- All personnel who work less than nine (9) months of a fiscal year.
- All personnel who are not under a "regular employment contract" issued by the University.
- Any "employee" who does not fall within the specific exemptions in Sections IV.B.b.i.-vii. above, and who in all other respects fully meets the definition of an employee as used in the Personnel System, who is specifically designated by the President of the University to fall within a "Primary Occupational Activity" of faculty or executive or some other special category for a "different" salary plan, salary administration purposes, or for other purposes.
- Basic Goals, Objectives, Principles, and Policies of the Personnel System
- SUU "Personnel Administration" is concerned with all aspects of dealing with the human resources of the University with a basic goal to accomplish the University's mission, goals and objectives efficiently, effectively, expeditiously, and with maximum personal development and personal satisfaction of the people employed.
- The Personnel System is a significant and comprehensive part of SUU "Personnel Administration" and is an important and essential "tool" needed to facilitate the realization of the above stated basic goal.
- The Personnel System is based upon the following general objectives, principles, and policies:
- Recruiting and selecting employees on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skill, including open consideration of qualified applicants for initial appointment to any position.
- Advancing, promoting, adjusting, and changing salaries on the basis of the employees' relative ability, knowledge, skills, and performance.
- Providing equitable compensation between and among the employees.
- Providing equitable compensation in relation to other comparable positions of a designated "labor market area" for the employees, subject to the constraints and limitations of the budget (and/or work program) or financial capability of the University.
- Retaining employees on the basis of the adequacy of their performance, correcting inadequate performance, and separating employees whose inadequate performance cannot be corrected.
- Providing an overall "system" which will be conducive to facilitating and motivating high-quality performance of employees.
- Providing an overall "system" which will facilitate the most objective and equitable allocation of available dollar resources to each employee based upon these "objectives, principles, and policies" within the constraints and limitations of the budget (and/or work program) or financial capability of the University.
- Assuring fair treatment of employees in all aspects of the Personnel System without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disabilities, or political affiliation, and with proper regard for their privacy and constitutional rights as citizens.
- Assuring the chance for an administrative review for employees who believe the objectives, principles, and policies of the Personnel System were applied improperly (grievance policy).
- The Human Resources Director shall be charged with the following key functions of a comprehensive personnel system to include position classification, compensation and benefits, employee relations (grievances and complaints), recruitment, selection and promotions, Affirmative Action (Affirmative Action Officer), orientation and training, performance evaluation, organization and manpower planning and development, labor relations, employee records and safety.
- As the Human Resources Director for the University, assure that all policies and procedures are applied uniformly and equally to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disabilities, or political affiliation.
- Providing a system which is subject to and responsive to the authority and responsibility of the President and the Board of Trustees of the University as conferred by Utah State Statute and Policy and Bylaws of the State Board of Higher Education.
- Basic Concepts of the Personnel System
- Southern Utah University finds and declares: that the citizens of the State of Utah deserve the highest quality of service provided by the employees of the University; the employment opportunities in the University must be open to all citizens without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disabilities, or political affiliation; that the University recognizes its obligation to treat all employees uniformly and fairly at all times; that recruitment, selection, advancements, promotions, and rewards for employees are based solely upon relative ability and job-related criteria as well as merit; that continuation of employment depends upon satisfactory performance of duties; and that the President, Board of Trustees, and the Administration are dedicated to making the University a model employer. To that end we hereby adopt these basic concepts to guide and govern the conduct of management in the operation of a Personnel System:
- The University will establish procedures to assure employees there shall be no discrimination in original appointment or thereafter because of race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disabilities, or political affiliation, consistent with the laws of the nation and the State.
- Employment Opportunities. The University, for all open positions, will, first, establish a positive and job-related promotion, reclassification, reassignment or transfer program for all employees, especially women and minorities within the University, and will, secondly, provide employment opportunities for prospective employees regardless of social or economic status, ethnic background, sex, or political views.
- Appointments, Promotions, Demotions, Reclassifications, Reassignments, Transfers, Rehires, or Provisional Appointments. The University will establish policies and procedures to assure employees that all aspects of the Personnel System are properly applied to these situations.
- Supervisory Relations. All employees have a right to discuss any and all matters affecting their working conditions or their personal welfare with supervisors, personally or in writing, and they shall have access through successive levels of supervision in the event of disagreement over the proposed solution of a problem. Supervisory employees are charged to deal promptly and decisively with all employee complaints in accordance with an approved grievance procedure.
- All employee recruitment is centralized and conducted through the Human Resources Office in accordance with the institution's hiring policy.
- Selection of appointment to a position will be on a competitive basis. Regulations and procedures for prospective employees will be developed by the Human Resources Office to help assure that the "best" qualified person will be selected and that the practice as an equal opportunity employer will be used. The Human Resources Office will provide the "appointing officer" a choice among several qualified candidates. Final selection will be completed upon the proper processing of the appropriate forms and approved by the President for the issuance of a "regular employment contract."
- The University will maintain (including periodic and ongoing audits of position classification) a system of position classification for employees designed to help management discharge its responsibilities under a Personnel System by assigning all jobs to various classes and levels of work, based on the degree of difficulty and similarity of work, and requirements of the job. All positions shall be properly classified and graded before there is any announcement that such position is "open." Position vacancies shall be advertised through the Human Resources Office.
- Annual Appraisals. Formal annual appraisals shall be conducted for each employee by his or her immediate supervisor. This formal annual appraisal will be the basis for determining the employees' "relative merit" in making promotions, advancements, salary adjustments and changes, or other appropriate action. All of the above personnel changes, adjustments or actions will only be made once each year and will only be effective in the next succeeding fiscal year beginning July 1 (unless there is a "probation period" or "other prior arrangement or agreement" in effect which may necessitate other than an annual appraisal or effective date of July 1).
- Pay Plan. The University maintains a pay plan for all employees under the Personnel System. The objectives of the pay plan are to compensate people on the basis of the classification, type, and quality of work performed to the maximum extent possible to provide an internally consistent rate of pay for jobs in the University service, and to reward employees for superior performance under established work standards of the University.
- Salary Schedules. Annually, the University will adopt classified salary ranges for approval by the President and the Board of Trustees, and based upon amount of legislative appropriation and Board of Higher Education’s policy and guidelines.
- Southern Utah University finds and declares: that the citizens of the State of Utah deserve the highest quality of service provided by the employees of the University; the employment opportunities in the University must be open to all citizens without regard to race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disabilities, or political affiliation; that the University recognizes its obligation to treat all employees uniformly and fairly at all times; that recruitment, selection, advancements, promotions, and rewards for employees are based solely upon relative ability and job-related criteria as well as merit; that continuation of employment depends upon satisfactory performance of duties; and that the President, Board of Trustees, and the Administration are dedicated to making the University a model employer. To that end we hereby adopt these basic concepts to guide and govern the conduct of management in the operation of a Personnel System:
VI. QUESTIONS/RESPONSIBLE OFFICE
The responsible office for this Policy is the Vice President for Finance. For questions about this Policy, contact the Office of Human Resources.