50.20 - Employment Termination Procedures

A. General. University employment may be terminated due to retirement, resignation, expiration of temporary appointment, layoff, elimination of classified or exempt position, non-reappointment of term appointment, or dismissal.

B. Process. Retirement and resignation are generally initiated by the employee; expiration of appointment, layoff, elimination of position, non-reappointment, and dismissal are initiated by the university.

C. Criteria. Procedures applicable to employment termination are matters of university policy which are specified in the Faculty-Staff Handbook (FSH). These procedures must be explicitly followed because they may provide certain rights to employees. The following sections apply, depending on the type of termination, and should always be referred to before proceeding further, when termination of employment is anticipated for any reason:

C-1. Retirement of All Employees. [FSH 3730].

C-2. Resignation of Classified Employees. [FSH 3940].

C-3. Resignation of Exempt Employees. [FSH 3940].

C-4. Expiration of Temporary Classified Appointment [FSH 3930].

C-5. Layoff of Classified Employees. [FSH 3930].

C-6. Elimination of Classified Position. [FSH 3930].

C-7. Elimination of Positions--Not Under Financial Exigency. [FSH 3900].

C-8. Reappointment, Non-reappointment, or Termination of Faculty and Other Exempt Employees with Term Appointments. [FSH 3900].

C-9. Dismissal of Probationary Classified Employees. [FSH 3360 and 3930].

C-10. Dismissal of Certified Classified Employees. [FSH 3930].

C-11. Dismissal (for Cause) of Exempt Employees. [FSH 3910].

C-12. Temporary (Help) Employees. [FSH 3090].

C-13. Reduction in Force Following Declaration of Financial Exigency by the Board of Regents. [FSH 3970].

D. Procedure. Procedures, including notification requirements and the time required for advance notice of termination initiated by the university vary with the type of appointment and the type of termination. [See APM 50.20 (C)]. The following procedures apply to all terminations of employment.

D-1. Departmental Procedures Prior to Employment Termination.

i) Review Policy. Review applicable policy concerning the particular type of employment termination being initiated [See APM 50.20 (C)].

ii) Issue Appropriate Notice to the Employee. If the decision to terminate employment is initiated by, or negotiated with, the University, the employee is provided written notice of the decision.

a) Classified and Temporary Employees. All written notices to classified and temporary employees regarding termination of employment must be developed in consultation with HR and the appropriate departmental administrator. [ed. 2-08]

b) Faculty and Exempt Employees. All written notices to faculty and exempt employees regarding termination of employment must be developed in consultation with general counsel and the appropriate dean or director. [ed. 2-08]

iii) Calculate Unused Annual Leave Balance. Refer to Banner for information on leave taken or anticipated to be taken during the final bi-week of employment. If the employee is paid from a grant or contract, ensure the employee uses up all annual leave prior to employment termination if possible. [See APM 50.08]. [ed. 2-08]

iv) Initiate Electronic Personnel Action Form (EPAF). Three weeks prior to the date of termination of employment, the department is responsible to initiate an EPAF terminating employment. The EPAF should include a notation requesting a payout of the employee's unused annual leave balance and unused compensatory time (if any) to the date of employment termination. [rev. 2-08]

v) Refer Employee to HR. HR will provide the employee an exit packet of information concerning his or her options regarding retirement contributions, continuation of health and flexible spending account benefits, and other procedural matters associated with termination of employment [See APM 50.22]. [rev. 2-08]

vi) Send an e-mail notification to Information Technology Services (ITS) at Help Desk email to confirm the closure of the employee's computer account. [add. 2-08]

E. Information. Questions regarding employment termination policies and procedures for staff employees and questions regarding continuation of benefits for terminating staff and faculty should be referred to Human Resources, (208) 885-3638. Other questions regarding terminations of employment for faculty should be referred to the Office of the Dean or Provost (208) 885-6448, or to General Counsel (208) 885-6125. [rev. 2-08]

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