Staff Handbook
Employee Responsibilities and Conduct
PROBATIONARY PERIOD
New employees serve a probationary period during the early months of their employment. For support staff this probation period is the first ninety days of employment. Administrative, supervisory, and professional staff have a probation period of one year.
The purpose of this probation is to provide a period of time during which the University may evaluate job performance and adaptability to our work environment. Only those employees who satisfactorily meet performance standards during the probationary period will be retained. If the probationary period is interrupted for any type of leave, the employee must complete the full probationary period upon return to work. An additional probationary period is not required when an employee transfers or is reclassified to a new position. Part-time and/or full-time temporary employees who are subsequently employed in a regular full-time position within the same department (with no break in service) will receive credit toward their probationary period for the time worked.
DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
Proper disciplinary action may be required when an employee’s work habits, attitude, performance, or personal conduct fall below appropriate standards. However, employees may be assured that such disciplinary action will not be of a capricious or arbitrary nature. Similar offenses should be handled in a consistent manner; this can be accomplished through coordinated efforts between the supervisor and the Director of Human Resources when disciplinary action is anticipated. The standard types of disciplinary action are as follows: oral reprimand, written reprimand, demotion, suspension, or discharge. Counseling and warning the employee in sufficient time for improvement should normally precede formal disciplinary action, but the nature of the offense may require immediate formal discipline. The University’s intent when imposing any type of disciplinary action is to be constructive rather punitive. Hopefully, the end result of any such action will be to eliminate the problem and allow for the retention of the employee.
WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION
Supervisors may wish to informally discuss a minor disciplinary problem with an employee and not document it. However, when formal counseling or disciplinary action takes place or when a serious disciplinary problem exists, proper documentation is essential. A written reprimand is to be given to the employee should informal discussions not eliminate the problem. The employee should be made aware that the information will be placed in his/her personnel file. All documentation should be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources. A copy of the reprimand will be retained in the employee’s personnel file for twelve months at which time it will be destroyed. If during the twelve month period an additional reprimand is issued, neither will be removed until twelve months have gone by during which no reprimands were issued. Records including demotions, disciplinary lay-offs or discharge will remain as a permanent part of the employee’s file.
CALLLING IN WHEN ABSENT
It is extremely important for employees to notify their supervisor when they are going to be late or absent. This is not only a courtesy but allows the supervisor to make other work arrangements as necessary. Call-ins of this nature should be made at the beginning of the shift. In chronic or unusual cases of absenteeism, the University reserves the right to require documentation/verification of the reasons for absence. Any employee who misses work for three consecutive days and fails to call in during this period will be considered to have voluntarily terminated his/her employment with the University.
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES
An employee of the Board of Regents of the Regional University System of Oklahoma who participates in political activities, must do so in a manner that does not imply directly or indirectly that the Board or any of its Universities endorse such activities, in no way interferes with the rights and privileges of other employees of this board or of students attending any University, in no way interferes with the assigned duties of the employee. Violation of these principles may be considered cause for dismissal. (Board of Regents Policy)
OUTSIDE EMPLOYMENT
Employees may engage in outside business or financial interests as long as it does not create a conflict of interest or interfere with the services for which the employee was hired.
GRIEVANCE AND APPEAL PROCEDURE
Employees shall have the right to file a grievance or an appeal without fear of coercion, discrimination, or reprisal by any supervisor or administrator. A grievance is defined as the dissatisfaction that occurs when an employee feels that any condition of his or her employment is unjust, inequitable, a hindrance to effective operation, or in violation of established University policy or state or federal law. Suspension, demotions, or dismissal from employment shall not be considered grievance but shall be considered as a basis for an appeal. All meetings and investigations related to grievance reviews shall be conducted during the employee’s regularly scheduled working hours in so far as possible.
GRIEVANCE
The grievance procedure is as follows: the regularly established administrative channels shall be the route of all matters of grievance. An employee shall first present either verbally or in writing any matter of grievance to be immediate supervisor. This should be done within five (5) working days from the beginning of the grievance. Upon receipt of the grievance, as submitted by the employee, the immediate supervisor shall consider all the facts of the case and report the decision in the matter to the employee within five (5) working days after receipt of the grievance.
If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved at this level, the grievance may be submitted to the next supervisory person in the regular administrative channel. This should be done within five (5) working days from the receipt of the grievance decision of the first supervisor. The supervisor at this level shall review all the facts of the case and the decision rendered by the lower supervisor and then render a decision to the grievant within five (5) working days after receipt of the grievance.
If the matter is still not satisfactorily resolved, the grievant may continue to have the grievance heard and adjudicated by each level of supervision in the regular administrative channel. At each level of hearing, the supervisor shall review all the facts of the case and the decisions rendered by the lower supervisors and then should render a decision to the grievant within five (5) working days after receipt of the grievance.
If the matter continues to be unresolved, the grievant may then submit the grievance in writing to the appropriate vice president. This shall be done within five (5) working days after receipt of the decision of the lower supervisor. The Vice President shall conduct an investigation of all the events leading to the grievance, shall review all decisions rendered by lower supervisors, and shall render a decision in writing as soon as possible after the investigation is complete. The copies are to be sent to the employee, department head, and the Director of Human Resources. The decision of the Vice President shall be final in all cases of grievance.
At any step of level of the grievance procedures, the Director of Human Resources may be requested by the grievant or the supervisor to serve as consultant to the grievance hearing. In such cases the Director of Human Resources shall serve in the capacity of an information gathering and advisory person only and shall not have the power of making binding decisions.
APPEALS
Employees who have at least three (3) months of service shall have the right to appeal any matter of suspension, demotion, or dismissal from employment by the department or other administrative subdivision by whom the person is employed.
Notice of appealable action: Each notice of suspension, demotion, or dismissal from employment shall be given to the affected employee in writing with a copy to be filled in the Office of Human Resources. In situations requiring immediate action by the supervisor such notice may be given verbally, but in all cases a written notice must be given in person or by certified mail, return receipt requested, as soon as possible thereafter.
Procedure for processing appeals: An employee desiring to make an appeal following a suspension, demotion, or discharge from employment shall advise the Director of Human Resources in writing of the desire to initiate appeal. This notice to the Director must be made within ten (10) working days after the employee is officially notified of the action being taken.
Upon receipt of the notice of intent to appeal from an employee the Director of Human Resources shall determine if the notice of appeal has been filed in accordance with the provisions of these sections and shall notify the appellant, the departmental officials, and the appropriate administrative supervisor accordingly.
The appeal will be directed to the next higher level of the supervision above the supervisor who made the decision to suspend, demote, or dismiss. If not resolved at that level the appeal may then be submitted to the next level of supervision in the regular administrative channel. Each supervisor will have five (5) days in which to render a decision in writing to the appellant with a copy to the Director of Human Resources and to the appropriate Vice President.
If the appeal has not been resolved by this step the appellant may request a hearing before an advisory ad hoc appeal board. This request must be made within ten (10) working days of the final supervisory decision.
The Director shall appoint an ad hoc appeal board composed of not less than three (3) members to serve as an advisory board. The ad hoc appeal board will not have the power to make a decision or agreement binding upon the University. The board shall be composed of at least one (1) member appointed from the administrative or professional ranks, at least one (1) member appointed from classified personnel, plus one (1) member of any of the above categories to serve as chairperson of the appeal board.
The ad hoc appeal board shall begin formal deliberation as soon as possible. The Director of Human Resources shall serve as advisor to the board and shall make the necessary arrangements deemed necessary and proper.
It shall be the function of ad hoc appeal board to conduct hearings, investigations, and all other activities that will bring to light all the facts of the case and to otherwise take necessary actions to ensure a complete, fair, and impartial hearing for the benefit of all parties concerned. After completion of all hearings, investigations, etc., the members of the appeal board shall meet in executive sessions to deliberate the findings and shall prepare and submit to the Vice President and Director of Human Resources their recommendations for adjudication of the case. The Vice President shall render a decision in the matter of appeal as soon as possible after receipt of the findings and recommendations of the ad hoc appeal board and shall take steps to notify the appellant accordingly. The decision of the Vice President in all cases of appeal shall be considered final and binding.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS
All employee (non-management employees working 20 or more hours per week) will have their job performance evaluated on at least an annual basis by their supervisor. Appropriate forms will be distributed by the Office of Human Resources. New employee should be evaluated 15 days prior to the end of their probationary period. Refer to the Administrative Procedures Manual for detailed information.
The following are new University policies:
DRESS CODE
NSU, as a matter of policy, does not dictate a particular dress code. The University recognizes that due to the variety of job duties and responsibilities there will be differences in what constitutes acceptable dress depending on an employee’s position. Immediate supervisors or department heads will determine appropriate attire for their areas. The University will only intervene when an employee’s dress style or grooming habits interfere with or cause a serious distraction within the work environment, or become a safety concern.
Some employees by the nature of their jobs will be issued uniforms, and in some cases, long hair, facial hair or loose clothing may present a safety hazard. Wearing the appropriate uniform and/or appropriate grooming is considered to be part of the position and as such may be considered in the employee’s evaluation and disciplinary actions.
NSU is not just another place to work, it is a community. All employees should be mindful that the University is a public institution and that personal and work area appearance is a reflection on all who work here.
CONSENSUAL SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS
The University shall consider it to be a conflict of interest when an employee involved in a consensual sexual relationship has responsibility for evaluating the employment or academic performance or for making decisions regarding the promotion, tenure, or compensation of the other party to the relationship.
These relationships may be subject to concerns about validity of consent, conflicts of interest, and unfair treatment of other students or employees. Such relationships can undermine the atmosphere of trust essential to the education process and the employment relationship.
Further, what began as a consensual relationship may easily be construed as harassment or exploitation at a later time. While the University does not intend to regulate the social interactions or relationships of its employees, any behavior that constitutes harassment will not be tolerated and is subject to discipline according to the University’s Sexual Harassment Policy.
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