All employees affected by job eliminations due to budget concerns, reorganizations or other reasons.

Transcription

1 Reduction in Force HR 200.2: Purpose To provide Morehouse College employees with information regarding the termination of employment as a result of budget constraints, reorganizations, or other operational reasons. Applicability All employees affected by job eliminations due to budget concerns, reorganizations or other reasons. Source The College policy. Policy The College may engage in a reduction in force when budget constraints, funding reductions, reorganizations or other operational reasons indicate the necessity to do so. Except for tenured faculty, there is no right to recall or reemployment, although the College may give serious consideration to laid-off employees when positions become available in the future. Employees will receive advance notice of the layoff, based upon length of service to the College. Minimum Notice Periods: Employees identified for layoff will receive written, advance notice as follows: Years of Service Less than 5 years More than 5 years Length of Notice 2 weeks 1 month 1

2 The provisions of this policy governing notice period do not represent severance pay, but rather a period during which the individual is continued in an employee status at regular salary until the end of the notice period or until the individual is employed elsewhere, whichever comes first. The provisions of this policy governing notice period do not apply in cases of discharge for cause, voluntary resignation, or the expiration of appointments having stated termination dates. Buyout Pay Option: At the College s discretion, pay may be substituted for all or a portion of the minimum notice period. Determining Affected Employees: Individuals who hold positions that, due to budget considerations, reorganizations or other operational matters, are eliminated are subject to layoff. In making the decision for a layoff, where the choice is not clearly dictated by the work to be eliminated and range of skills engaged in it, the department head should carefully consider an employee s length of service, performance evaluation and experience. No one criterion automatically outweighs the other. They must be judged and balanced in such a way as to be as fair as possible to the individuals concerned while serving the needs of the College for an effective staff. Advisory Review: A vice president must submit to the Office of Human Resources an analysis and explanation that sets forth the reason for the reduction and explains why these positions were selected. When some, but not all, of the positions of the same job title are being eliminated, the vice president must provide to the Office of Human Resources the overall evaluation ratings for the persons holding the position being eliminated. Before the reduction in force occurs, representatives from human resources, the general counsel s office and such other persons as may be designated by the president will meet to ensure compliance with this policy and will forward their approvals and the plan for staffing reduction to the area vice president for his or her approval. Recall: 2

3 Except for tenured faculty members, no employee terminated under this policy shall have a right to recall for employment. Reemployment: While there is no right to re-employment, should there be openings for positions within six months of being laid off, the College will give consideration to re-employment of any laid-off employee who applies, provided that the employee performed at satisfactory levels or above at the time of the layoff. Tuition Waiver: Laid-off employees and those who receive buyout pay and their dependent children may continue to receive tuition waivers for any semester in which they are already registered or entitled to register during the layoff notice period. Insurance Benefits: Under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), laid-off employees may continue group health benefits by paying the total cost of the premium. An employee s COBRA benefits must be initiated within thirty (30) days of the date of the layoff or buyout. Affected employees may contact the benefits office for further information. Vacation and Sick Leave: Affected employees will be paid for accrued but unused vacation on the effective date of layoff or buyout consistent with the College s policy. Accrued but unused sick leave benefits will be re-credited to any laidoff employee who is reemployed within six (6) months. Retirement/Withdrawal of Employee Contributions: Laid-off employees are urged to speak with the College s benefit representative or a representative of TIAA-CREF or AIG Valic about the consequences of withdrawing employee contributions. 3

4 Procedure Responsible Party President Action 1. Request vice presidents to develop plans for making major reductions in their areas. 2. Plan budget reduction and/or reorganizations, including reduction in staffing within the unit. 3. Prepare a written explanation for the reduction and the basis for determining the positions to be eliminated. Submit the plan to the president. Vice Presidents 4. Prepare a reduction in force (RIF) analysis on the affected employees, including the evaluation ratings of the incumbents in the positions to be eliminated. 5. Submit the RIF analysis, justification letter and organizational chart to the associate vice president for human resources. 4

5 Advisory Review 6. Review the reduction plan and the completed RIF analysis to determine that appropriate procedures were followed and that selection of employees to be severed was determined appropriately. 7. Sign the RIF form and submit it along with the plan to the appropriate vice president for review and signature. Area Vice President 8. Review and approve the plan. Human Resources Area Vice President 9. Prepare notice letters, for the signature of the area vice president, to affected employees stating reason for layoff. 10. Sign notice letters for distribution by the Office of Human Resources. Recall/Reemployment Process: Responsible Party Action Human Resources 1. Maintain a list of affected employees and those notified of impending layoff, and monitor job openings for reemployment or recall, as applicable. 2. Maintain communications with the affected employees and those notified of impending layoff. 5

6 If openings occur in the job titles of laid-off employees or those notified of impending layoff: 3. Interview employee. Hiring Unit 4. After interviews are completed, notify the Office of Human Resources of the interview results. Revision History Last revision completed on