Rule 3359-26-02 | General staff personnel policies and procedures.
(A) Accidents and injuries on the job.
(1) Any work related injury or illness, no matter how minor, must be reported to the employee's supervisor, as soon as possible. The supervisor will, after attending to the injury, make a report of the incident and submit it to the office of environmental health and occupational safety. An investigation of the accident may be conducted by the director, environmental health and occupational safety.
(2) Each university staff employee is protected by the provisions of the worker's compensation law of Ohio which covers expenses for medical care as well as certain compensation benefits in lieu of salary loss. For work related illnesses and injuries, medical care costs are not covered by the university group health plan.
(B) Appointing authority.
"Appointing authority" means the officer having the power of appointment to, removal from, audit, reduction or suspension of positions or employees in any office, department, or unit within the institution.
(C) Audits/position classification.
(1) A classified employee or an employee's supervisor may request a review of the employee's position from the university appointing authority. Upon receipt of a signed, written request for a position audit, the appointing authority will forward a position description/audit questionnaire. The completed questionnaire, reviewed and signed by the appropriate administrative unit head, dean/director, and vice president, should be forwarded to the appointing authority for review. An audit may result in a higher, lower, lateral or no reclassification. An employee who is not satisfied with the results of the audit may request a review of the original determination. This review must be requested in writing to the appointing authority, who may request additional information and/or perform a desk audit. After review and final determination by the appointing authority, a classified employee may within thirty days of such final notification, appeal the audit results to the state personnel board of review.
(2) Requests for audits of a position, from either the incumbent or the appointing authority, may not be requested more than once a year. A classified employee may request only one position audit per year unless the employee provides, at the time of the request, documentation showing that the duties of the position have been substantially changed since the date of the completion of the previous audit. The "one-year period" is defined as one calendar year from the date which appears on the original notification letter of the most recent position audit.
(3) Unclassified staff employees should refer to the position and salary administration program for information on audits/position classification.
(D) Breaks.
Although rest periods are not officially provided for under state civil service laws, departments may allow two fifteen-minute breaks during each eight hour day. The first break is generally taken midmorning; the second is taken mid-afternoon. Supervisors will determine whether such breaks would hinder efficient departmental operation at certain times. Breaks are a privilege rather than a right; misuse of break periods or over-extending them may result in this privilege being revoked. Unused break periods are not cumulative, and may not be used to arrive late or leave work early.
(E) Discipline and discharge.
(1) At the university of Akron, there are occasions when employees fail to meet performance standards or to abide by university policies, procedures, and rules governing appropriate conduct on the job. In order to deal with such situations in a fair and consistent manner, the university has developed a disciplinary policy and procedures designed to improve productivity and morale, and not merely to punish. The disciplinary program will assure employees of the following:
(a) The university will respond in a consistent and predictable manner if an employee violates the rules.
(b) Disciplinary matters will be handled in a confidential and expeditious manner.
(c) Employees will be told what is expected of them and the possible consequences if they do not live up to performance expectations.
(d) Employees will be disciplined progressively except for instances where the seriousness of the offense may warrant bypassing one or all steps (i.e. illegal use of drugs).
(e) The discipline will be based on facts and not hearsay or opinion.
(f) Employees can appeal disciplinary actions through the university's internal grievance procedure or through the state personnel board of review.
(2) Disciplinary action is normally progressive in nature; that is, repetitions of causes for disciplinary action or a combination of offenses should lead to application of more serious disciplinary sanctions. Some actions, because of their seriousness, represent a threat to the safety and well-being of the individual, other employees, or students or to university operations, (i.e. use of illegal substances, absence in excess of three days without notification, etc.) and may warrant bypassing one or all steps of the disciplinary procedures. The following defines and outlines the suggested sequence of the various disciplinary actions.
(a) A verbal warning is an oral discussion between a supervisor and an employee who fails to meet performance standards or exhibits unsatisfactory behavior. Verbal warnings are generally issued for minor offenses and should be considered by the employee as a clear indication that a repetition of the offense may call for more serious disciplinary action. When a verbal warning is issued, the supervisor should take immediate constructive steps to help the employee avoid a reoccurrence of the offense.
(b) A written warning is more serious than a verbal warning and may become a permanent part of the employee's official record. A written warning is issued if the required corrective behavior from a previous verbal warning(s) is not exhibited within the specified time limits, or if the offense is of a serious nature. A copy of the written warning is given to the employee and the original is forwarded to personnel services to be placed in the employee's official file. When a written warning is issued, the supervisor should take immediate constructive steps to help the employee avoid a reoccurrence of the offense.
(c) Continued unsatisfactory performance or the commission of a serious offense may serve as the basis for more severe disciplinary actions beyond a verbal or written warning. A suspension without pay can vary from one day to several weeks or months. A suspension is designed to give an employee some time to think over the seriousness of the offense and it is hoped that the employee will make a commitment to better behavior or performance in the future.
(d) A reduction in pay and or position may be on a permanent or temporary basis. Demotions are for situations in which an employee has been promoted and cannot handle the job or is no longer able to perform the regular duties in a competent manner. A removal is the most serious penalty that can be imposed and should be used with care in the event that a previous progressive discipline has not achieved the corrective behavior or when a serious offense has been committed.
(3) A staff member may be disciplined, suspended, discharged, or reduced in pay or position for the following types of unsatisfactory conduct: incompetence, inefficiency, dishonesty, drunkenness, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, neglect of duty, failure of good behavior, or any acts of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance.
(F) Employee records.
(1) Necessary job-related and personal information about each staff employee will be retained in an official personnel file maintained by and in human resources. The contents of each file will include: basic identifying information (name, address, and job title), completed employment application or other hiring related documents, notices of pay changes, information on benefit coverage, performance evaluations and information on other employment related actions (promotions, training, disciplinary, etc.), and other job related information deemed essential by the university. Essential records of current and former employees will be retained as necessary.
(2) Access to personnel files will be provided only in the presence of a university official, and at a mutually convenient time and place. Staff employees who question the accuracy or completeness of information in their file should discuss such concerns with their supervisor and the appointing authority. Any erroneous or improper information will be removed. Should disputed information be retained in the file, the employee may submit a brief written statement identifying the alleged errors or inaccuracies. The statement will remain in the file as long as the disputed information is retained.
(G) General rules of conduct.
Staff members should not engage in conduct that is dishonest or fraudulent nor should they accept duties, obligations, gifts or favors of monetary value or engage in private business or professional activities which conflict with the interests and policies of the university of Akron and the state of Ohio.
(H) Grievances.
A grievance is a complaint or disagreement that may result from any situation in which an employee or group of employees believe that they have been unjustly treated. Grievance situations may include but are not limited to: working conditions and environment; relationships with supervisors and with other employees and officials; and/or management decisions in the application of established procedures. Grievances involving discrimination are not proper within the framework of the grievance procedure, and should be referred to the university's affirmative action officer.
(1) General provisions.
(a) For the purposes of the grievance policy in paragraph (H) of rule 3359-26-02 of the Administrative Code, the term "employee(s)" refers to a classified or nonclassified staff member who is not represented by a bargaining unit. The term "fellow employee" refers to any university employee who has not initiated the grievance procedure but one that is participating in the process as a witness. There are no restrictions on the type of employee who may serve as a witness (i.e. staff, faculty, professional staff, or bargaining unit staff).
(b) The grievance procedure may be utilized by employees who are currently employed on an active basis, or those not under suspension. Termination of employment during the grievance process will end the grievance.
(c) The employee has the right to be advised by legal counsel, if so desired.
(d) Only an employee who is directly affected has standing to file a grievance. Grievances may not be filed on behalf of an employee or group of employees.
(e) Filing deadlines noted for any step may be extended as a result of absence of either party due to approved leave, or with mutual written agreement.
(f) If a decision by supervision is not rendered within the agreed upon time limits, the grievance will automatically be moved to the next step of the grievance procedure.
(g) If the results of a grievance by an employee are not appealed within the time limits, the grievance will be considered withdrawn.
(h) All time limits are working days.
(i) The employee may present evidence and/or witnesses to meetings; however, a fellow employee who serves as a witness must secure permission from his/her supervisor to attend such meeting.
(j) The university may elect to request that an additional witness or appropriate group representative participate in any or all steps of the grievance procedure.
(k) All discussions regarding grievances will take place in a private setting.
(l) The burden of proof lies with the employee.
(m) The individual responsible for conducting any step meeting must be provided in advance names of all potential witnesses.
(n) The office of human resources should receive copies of each appeal step as it occurs.
(o) Grievances appealed to the courts or to the state personnel board of review will be considered to be withdrawn.
(p) Grievance procedures for a bargaining unit employee are reflected in the current contract with each respective union.
(2) Grievance procedure.
An employee who may have a grievance should attempt to resolve the matter informally with the immediate supervisor. Any grievance which cannot be informally resolved must be processed according to the steps indicated below:
(a) Step one.
An employee must reduce the grievance to writing and submit such grievance to the supervisor within five working days after the occurrence of the event upon which the grievance is based. The written grievance shall include the specific matter causing dissatisfaction, a statement of the relevant facts, and the specific remedy requested. The supervisor shall hold a meeting with the employee within five working days following the submission of the grievance to the supervisor.
Within five working days after such meeting, the supervisor will respond to the grievance in writing and return same to the employee.
An employee not satisfied with the response may appeal within five working days by returning the grievance to the supervisor and indicating in writing the desire to appeal the step one decision.
(b) Step two.
Within five working days after the receipt of the employee's notice of appeal, the employee, the employee's supervisor and the appointing authority will hold a step two meeting to discuss the grievance.
Within five working days after such step two meeting, the deputy appointing authority or designee will respond in writing to the grievance appeal.
If the employee is still not satisfied with the written response to the step two appeal, the employee may appeal the grievance to step three.
(c) Step three.
The employee will, within five working days, appeal to the step two response in writing through the employee's own reporting structure. This will begin with the person to whom the employee's supervisor reports, and follow through to the appropriate vice president/dean.
If the results of the written appeal through these steps are not satisfactory to the employee, the matter will be appealed to the vice president for human resources or designee. The appeal meeting will involve the employee, the employee's supervisor, and the appointing authority or designee.
Within five working days following this meeting, the vice president for human resources or designee will communicate to the employee the university's final written decision.
(I) Identification card.
University policy requires that each employee must carry a photo-identification card at all times when on the university of Akron property. These cards are the property of the university and must be returned when leaving university employment. An identification card is issued to each employee by the "ZipCard" office.
(J) Orientation program: new staff employees.
In order to familiarize each new full-time staff employee with university privileges and benefits and the campus, an orientation program is presented by benefits administration. New employees will be notified in writing, requesting attendance at orientation after their appointment date.
(K) Performance appraisal.
(1) The university expects all supervisors to evaluate employees at least once annually on the basis of job performance. This performance appraisal should accomplish:
(a) An enhanced supervisor-employee rapport and relationship through communication,
(b) Clarification and mutual understanding relative to performance and productivity expectations, goals, and measurement criteria, and
(c) Identification and documentation of the employee's performance strengths and/or deficiencies in a variety of categories thereby providing the basis for current and future personnel decisions, including but not limited to salary increases for unclassified staff.
(2) In the event of a layoff, performance evaluations will determine efficiency points, which are a part of total retention points.
(L) Personal changes.
(1) Since complete and up-to-date employee records are essential, it is required that each employee report any of the following changes to personnel services:
(a) Name
(b) Address
(c) Telephone number
(d) Additional education and/or training
(2) The following changes need to be reported to benefits administration:
Any insurance related information, e.g., change of beneficiary for life insurance, addition or deletion of a dependent.
(3) The following information needs to be reported to the payroll office:
(a) Requested payroll deductions
(b) Income tax exemptions
(M) Political activity.
(1) No officer or employee in the classified service of the state, shall directly or indirectly, orally or by letter, solicit or receive, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting or receiving any assessment, subscription or contribution for any political party or for any candidate for public office; nor shall any person solicit directly or indirectly, orally, or by letter, or be in any manner concerned in soliciting any such assessment, contribution, or payment from any officer or employee in the classified service of the state; nor shall any officer or employee in classified service of the state be an officer in any political organization or take part in politics other than to vote as the employee pleases and to express freely political opinions.
(2) Complete details regarding political activities strictly prohibited and/or permitted appear in rule 123:1-46-02 of the Administrative Code.
(N) Position testing.
Certain staff positions at the university require that an applicant pass an appropriate clerical and/or skills test. The test will be scheduled by employment services. The cost of this test is paid by the university.
(O) Pre-employment physical examinations.
Certain staff positions at the university - law enforcement officer, day care and food service personnel, etc., - require that an applicant pass a pre-employment physical and/or psychological examination. Examinations are scheduled by employment services and are performed by a licensed physician and/or psychologist selected by the university. The cost of the required examinations is paid for by the university.
(P) Promotions and transfers.
(1) Current employees are eligible to apply for vacant positions, according to skills and interest, providing the employee meets all requirements for same. The "employment opportunities bulletin" is published by employment services for campus distribution. All faculty, administrative, and staff positions currently open appear in this "bulletin." Some positions are restricted to employees who have been in their current position one year or longer. All applications must be received by the "deadline for applications" date indicated for the position. Probationary employees are not eligible to apply for another position.
(2) Eligible employees who are interested in applying for an available position must complete an applicant update form by the deadline date. "Employment Services, Administrative Services Building," accepts applications Monday through Friday, eight a.m. to four p.m.
(3) If an employee moves to a higher level position, the change is considered a promotion; if an employee moves to an equal or lower level position, the change is considered a transfer. These definitions apply whenever an employee moves from one position to another.
(4) A transfer is not usually accompanied by a wage or salary increase, while a promotion may be.
(5) No late bids will be accepted unless the employee has been on approved vacation and/or sick leave and the department has not completed the interviewing process. If the position should open up to the outside, any employee may apply at that time as an outside applicant.
(Q) Reassignment.
The university may reassign an employee from one assignment, building, work site, task, or shift to another within a job classification. No employee has any vested claim to performance of particular tasks within a particular job classification.
(R) Reduction of fees.
Staff employees and members of their families have been granted special educational privileges by the board of trustees, whereby eligibility accrues from employment as of the first day of the semester as summarized below:
(1) Employee fee reductions for full-time staff members.
(a) Credit courses.
(i) Any full-time university staff member (or retired full-time university staff member) shall be permitted to take two credit courses or six credit hours, whichever is greater, each semester, free of all charges, excluding late fees and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(ii) Any full-time university staff member (or retired full-time university staff member) shall be permitted to take a total of four credit courses during the summer semester. The credit courses may be taken in any of the summer sessions comprising the summer semester. However, the aggregate of courses will not exceed four credit courses which will be free of all charges, excluding late fees and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with the courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(b) Non-credit courses.
(i) Any full-time university staff member (or retired full-time university staff member) shall be permitted to take two non-credit courses per semester (i.e., combined summer, fall, spring), which shall not affect his or her eligibility for credit fee reduction enrollment.
(ii) Some courses are not available for students using non-credit course fee reduction (AutoCAD, "Microsoft NT," polymer science courses, etc.). A list of such courses will be maintained by the division of university of Akron (UA) solutions.
(iii) All individuals using fee reduction for non-credit courses will be placed on a waiting list in the division of continuing education (with a university of Akron designation assigned) on a first-come, first-served basis, until class meets minimum paying enrollment. These individuals will pay such costs as materials, supplies, lab fees, etc.
(2) Fee reductions for relatives of full-time staff employees - the instructional fees, or an amount equivalent to the graduate level credit fees for Ohio residents, or an amount equivalent to the school of law credit hour fees for Ohio residents shall be deducted from total fee charges for the following groups (general fees, course fees and other special fees not being affected):
(a) Unmarried and dependent children of all full-time university staff while the parent is in the service of the university of Akron;
(b) Spouses of all full-time university staff while one or both are in the service of the university of Akron. Spouses of full-time university staff who are also employees may elect to receive fee reductions as an employee or a spouse;
(c) Spouses and unmarried and dependent children of deceased full-time university staff who were serving the university of Akron at the time of death; and
(d) Spouses and unmarried and dependent children of all retired full-time university staff.
(e) For purposes of fee reductions:
(i) Spouses refer to individuals who have contracted the legal status of a marital relationship through religious or civil solemnized marriages and complied with all the statutory requirements pursuant to applicable law; and shall not include common law marriages which may be otherwise recognized under Ohio law or other relationships between persons not legally capable of making a marriage contract under Ohio law.
(ii) Unmarried and dependent children include natural, adopted and stepchildren for whom the full-time employee (or surviving spouse) provides more than fifty per cent support during the academic period for which education benefits are sought and who are not married at the start of the academic period for which education benefits are sought. The employee may be required to submit proof of dependency to the university auditor on request.
(iii) The term support shall include the provision of food, clothing, shelter, medical and dental care, provision of accident and health insurance, transportation, recreation, child care expenses and other generally recognized indicia of financial assistance.
(f) Spouses and dependents are not eligible for fee reduction of non-credit courses.
(3) Employee fee reduction for part-time staff members.
(a) Eligibility: A part-time staff member is one who works twenty or more hours per week on a regular schedule and whose appointment indicates part-time status. Part-time staff who have worked at least one thousand forty hours in the previous twelve month period are eligible.
(b) Credit courses.
(i) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one credit course or three credit hours, whichever is greater, during a semester, free of all charges, excluding late fees, and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(ii) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one credit course or three credit hours, whichever is greater, during a summer session. The aggregate of courses for which fee reduction will be received, during the sessions in the summer semester, will not exceed two credit courses, free of all charges, excluding late fees, including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(iii) Fee reductions must be used in the semester or summer session earned or the semester or summer sessions immediately following; except spring semester reductions may be used during the following fall semester. Only one reduction may be used during a semester or summer session and unused reductions or portions of these reductions are not cumulative. Qualifying part-time staff who will not make use of the fee reduction for themselves shall be permitted to transfer only the instructional fee reduction or a one course or three credit hours whichever is greater for an academic term to a qualifying spouse, or dependent child, under the conditions specified in paragraph (R)(2)(e) of this rule. Part-time staff are eligible for reduction of fees for non-credit courses pursuant to paragraph (R)(3)(c) of this rule, but are not eligible to transfer that benefit.
(c) Non-credit courses.
(i) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one non-credit course per semester (i.e., combined summer, fall, spring), which shall not affect his or her eligibility for credit fee remission enrollment.
(ii) Some courses are not available for students using non-credit course fee reduction (AutoCAD, "Microsoft NT," polymer science courses, etc.). A list of such courses will be maintained by the division of UA solutions.
(iii) All individuals using fee reduction for non-credit courses will be placed on a waiting list in the division of UA solutions (with a university of Akron designation assigned) on a first-come basis, until class meets minimum paying enrollment. These individuals will pay such costs as materials, supplies, lab fees, etc.
(4) General provisions.
(a) No reductions of residence hall room and board fees shall be granted to any person except members of the resident advisory staff.
(b) The requirements of residence in Ohio for one year before the first day of any term or semester to be eligible for reduction of nonresident tuition charges shall be waived for employees who are entitled to fee reductions.
(c) Eligibility for fee reductions for employees or relatives is determined by employment status on the first day of the course.
(d) An individual may receive fee reductions under only one eligibility category (e.g., full-time university faculty, part-time faculty, full-time staff, spouse or dependent) during any one academic period.
(e) Full-time employees with nine-month appointments are eligible for fee reductions during the summer if reappointed the following academic year.
(5) Fee reductions may be taxable income to the full-time staff employee.
(6) Employees wishing to take advantage of the educational opportunities available at the university and their fee reduction benefits are encouraged to schedule classes outside the normal work day. However, with approval from the department head prior to each semester enrolled, work hours may be rescheduled to accommodate class attendance.
(7) Time spent away from work attending classes must be made up the same day the class is scheduled. This may be done by extending the work day, using the lunch period, taking leave without pay or vacation leave, or a combination of the preceding. Class attendance during the normal work day is limited to one class.
(8) Educational assistance program (Internal Revenue Code section 127).
The university of Akron has created, as an exclusive benefit for its employees, this educational assistance program. It is the intent of the university to seek to provide this educational assistance program, the benefit of which shall be to seek to exclude all assistance provided hereunder from an employee's income to the extent allowable under Internal Revenue Code section 127. This fee reduction educational assistance program shall only extend to university employees taking courses at the university of Akron. Eligibility accrues from employment as of the first day of the semester. It is the intent of the university that the provisions of this program shall not apply to graduate assistants who may otherwise qualify for tax exemption of fee reduction pursuant to a separate university program.
(a) Employee fee reductions for full-time staff members.
(i) Credit courses.
Any full-time university staff member (or retired full-time university staff member) shall be permitted to take two credit courses or six credit hours, whichever is greater, each semester, free of all charges, excluding late fees and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
Any full-time university staff member (or retired full-time university staff member) shall be permitted to take a total of four credit courses during the summer semester. The credit courses may be taken in any of the summer sessions comprising the summer semester. However, the aggregate of courses will not exceed four credit courses which will be free of all charges, excluding late fees and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(ii) Non-credit courses.
(a) Any full-time university staff member shall be permitted to take two non-credit courses per semester (i.e., combined summer, fall, spring), which shall not affect his or her eligibility for credit fee remission enrollment.
(b) Some courses are not available for students using non-credit course fee reduction (AutoCAD, "Microsoft NT," polymer science courses, etc.). A list of such courses will be maintained by the division of UA solutions.
(c) All individuals using fee reduction for non-credit courses will be placed on a waiting list in the division of continuing education (with a university of Akron designation assigned) on a first-come, first-served basis, until class meets minimum paying enrollment. These individuals will pay such costs as materials, supplies, lab fees, etc.
(b) Employee fee reduction for part-time staff members.
(i) Eligibility: A part-time staff member is one who works twenty or more hours per week on a regular schedule and whose appointment indicates part-time status. Part-time staff who have worked at least one thousand forty hours in the previous twelve month period are eligible.
(ii) Credit courses.
(a) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one credit course or three credit hours, whichever is greater, each semester, free of all charges, excluding late fees, and including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(b) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one credit course or three credit hours whichever is greater during a summer session. The aggregate of courses for which fee reduction will be received, during the sessions in the summer semester, will not exceed two credit courses, free of all charges, excluding late fees, including instructional and general fees, graduate level, laboratory, or other fees associated with these courses. Unused portions of these reductions are not cumulative.
(iii) Non-credit courses.
(a) Any part-time university staff member shall be permitted to take one non-credit course per semester (i.e., combined summer, fall, spring), which shall not affect his or her eligibility for credit fee remission enrollment.
(b) Some courses are not available for students using non-credit course fee reduction (AutoCAD, "Microsoft NT," polymer science courses, etc.). A list of such courses will be maintained by the division of UA solutions.
(c) All individuals using fee reduction for non-credit courses will be placed on a waiting list in the division of UA solutions (with a university of Akron designation assigned) on a first-come basis, until class meets minimum paying enrollment. These individuals will pay such costs as materials, supplies, lab fees, etc.
(c) General provisions.
(i) No reductions of residence hall room and board fees shall be granted to any person except members of the resident advisory staff.
(ii) The requirements of residence in Ohio for one year before the first day of any term or semester to be eligible for reduction of nonresident tuition charges shall be waived for employees who are entitled to fee reductions.
(iii) Eligibility for fee reductions for employees or relatives is determined by employment status on the first day of the course.
(iv) An individual may receive fee reductions under only one eligibility category (e.g., full-time university faculty, part-time faculty, full-time staff, spouse or dependent) during any one academic period.
(v) Full-time employees with nine-month appointments are eligible for fee reductions during the summer if reappointed the following academic year.
(vi) Fee reductions may be taxable income to the full-time staff employee.
(9) Employees wishing to take advantage of the educational opportunities available at the university and their fee reduction benefits are encouraged to schedule classes outside the normal work day. However, with approval from the department head prior to each semester enrolled, work hours may be rescheduled to accommodate class attendance.
(10) Time spent away from work attending classes must be made up the same day the class is scheduled. This may be done by extending the work day, using the lunch period, taking leave without pay or vacation leave, or a combination of the preceding. Class attendance during the normal work day is limited to one class.
(S) Responsibilities.
(1) It is the university's responsibility to manage its operations and facilities, and direct its personnel. This responsibility includes determining when and the manner in which work is to be performed, assigning such work to employees and establishing the number and size of work units. It also includes the right to transfer, alter, revise and/or eliminate any or all methods, processes, materials, work schedules and services in accordance with the needs of the university, as determined by the university. With regard to hiring, suspensions, discharge, removal, transfer and layoff, the aforementioned rights shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Ohio Revised Code, as amended, and/or institutional policies as applicable. The right to manage includes the authority to establish policies and procedures governing and affecting the operation of the university.
(2) It is the employee's responsibility to provide service to students, colleagues within the university, and the public in the most courteous, expedient and efficient manner possible.
(T) Solicitation of funds.
The solicitation of funds by individuals or groups is not permitted without the approval of the president of the university. This includes advertising the sale of tickets on campus for non-university affairs, etc. The endorsement of products by an employee is not considered appropriate whenever the employee's connection with the university is either obvious or implicit. The solicitation of advertising for any publication bearing the university's name must be approved by the president or other authorized representative.
(U) Transfer of service and sick leave.
(1) In certain instances, a state employee with prior state agency service credit may be entitled to an adjustment of the basis on which sick leave or vacation eligibility is determined.
(2) Transfer of service credit from another state agency to the university:
(a) If an employee has prior service with another state agency, the employee must request that a written verification - including service dates, status, and/or sick leave - be sent to personnel services. A separate verification must be submitted for each instance of service with another state agency.
(b) Transfer of prior service credit will be effective on the first day of the pay period during which official verification of service is received by personnel services.
(c) The university of Akron does not recognize student employment for the purpose of adjusting service dates.
(3) Transfer of university service to other state agencies:
(a) If a current or former employee requests transfer of prior service and/or sick leave to other state agencies, the employee must submit a written request to personnel services. In order to insure correct and expedient processing, the requestor should provide service dates with the university and position held.
(b) Prior service or sick leave credit transferred to the university will not affect the "School Employees Retirement System" service credit records.
(V) Uniforms.
The university provides uniforms for certain employees who are required to wear attire other than personal clothing in the normal pursuit of their duties. All employees will be required to wear uniforms provided.
(W) Voting time.
University staff members are encouraged to participate in local and national elections. However, employees are encouraged to vote either before or after regularly scheduled work hours or during lunch breaks.
(X) Work schedules.
(1) A normal work week at the university consists of five consecutive eight hour days, and normal office hours are Monday through Friday, eight a.m. to five p.m. Some offices or functions of the university operate on other scheduled working hours and/or days in order to meet the needs of the university. Each employee will be notified by the employee's supervisor regarding regular shift beginning and ending times as well as regularly assigned work days.
(2) In certain job classifications, or in certain situations, overtime work or work before/after the regular shift may be mandatory. If the supervisor requests that the employee work overtime, the employee is expected to comply.
Last updated October 16, 2023 at 8:27 AM
Supplemental Information