Procedures for Employment

Procedures for Grievances Related to Employment Policies, Procedures & Regulations

These procedures apply to faculty and staff grievances related to employment unless there is specific applicable legislation in the Handbook of Faculty Legislation in the section on "Policies and Procedures Governing Academic Appointments, Reappointments, Tenure, Termination, and Dismissal" under Section Seven: Faculty Rights.

Informal Procedures

Step 1
Employees are encouraged first to express their concerns to their supervisors, normally within ten working days of the occurrence that gave rise to the grievance.  In the instance where the employee is not comfortable with a one-to-one discussion with the immediate supervisor, he or she may only proceed to Step 2 of the informal procedures after first seeking the counsel of the Ombudsperson or the Director of Human Resources; faculty may wish to seek counsel with the Dean of Faculty, and students may wish to seek counsel with the Associate Dean of the College / Dean of Students.  Such counsel should also take place within ten working days of the occurrence.

Step 2
If the employee's discussion with the immediate supervisor does not resolve the problem, the employee should discuss the grievance with the head of the office or department within five working days of the meeting with the immediate supervisor.  If after seeking counsel of the Ombudsperson or Director of Human Resources, the employee bypasses Informal Step 1, the employee should discuss the complaint with the head of the office or department, normally within five working days of his or her discussion with the Ombudsperson or Director of Human Resources.  The head of the office or department will inform the employee of his or her decision for resolution of the grievance, normally within ten working days after the meeting between the employee and the office or department head. When the head of the office or department is the respondent in the grievance, the grievant shall discuss the grievance with the Director of Human Resources.

Step 3
If the resolution from the head of the office or department is unacceptable to the employee, he or she may request that the Director of Human Resources or the Ombudsperson act, in consultation with the Senior Administrative Officer, as fact finder or mediator to aid in resolving the dispute constructively and informally.

Formal Procedures

Step 1
When efforts to resolve a dispute informally fail, the grievant that chooses to file a formal grievance should do so normally not later than five working days after the informal procedure ends.  If the grievant has chosen to bypass the informal procedures, the written grievance that initiates the formal procedure should normally be filed within ten working days of the date of the occurrence that gave rise to the grievance.
In a written grievance, the grievant must present clearly and concisely his or her description of the incident(s) or concerns that gave rise to the grievance; identify respondent(s) to the grievance, and suggest a desired remedy. The grievant must file this written statement with the Senior Administrative Officer responsible for the department or areas in which the grievant is located and send a copy to the Director of Human Resources.

Step 2
The Senior Administrative Officer, or his or her designee, in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources, will investigate the grievance.   The Senior
Administrative Officer, after consulting with the Director of Human Resources, will send a written decision to the grievant, normally within ten working days of the filing of the written grievance.

Right of Appeal

If either the grievant or respondent believes that the action taken by the Senior Administrative Officer is unjust or inadequate, he or she has the right to appeal the decision in writing to the President of the College.  Such an appeal must normally be received in the Office of the President within ten working days of receiving written notice of the Senior Administrative Officer's decision.

The President's decision will normally be rendered within ten working days of the receipt of appeal and will be final and binding within the College.  In the absence or unavailability of the President, the Dean of Faculty will normally review and decide the case.  Should the Dean of Faculty be ineligible by the nature of the case, the Chair of the Board of Trustees will act for the President.

When a faculty member is the respondent, Faculty Legislation should be consulted for the applicable appeals process.

The College reserves the right to extend any of the above time periods when circumstances so warrant in the judgment of the College.