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Policy 5-102: Staff Employment Policy

Revision 10. Effective date: June 14, 2022

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  1. Purpose and Scope
  2. Definitions
  3. Policy
    1. General Policies
    2. Staff Employment Procedures
  4. Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources
  5. References
  6. Contacts
  7. History

  1. Purpose and Scope

    1. Purpose.

      To outline the University's policy for employing Staff Members as defined in Policy 5-001.

    2. Scope.

      [reserved]

  2. Definitions

    The following definitions apply for the limited purposes of this policy and any associated regulations.

    1. Relevant employee definitions are defined in Policy 5-001

  3. Policy

    1. General Policies

      1. Equal Employment Opportunity. The University of Utah is fully committed to policies of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination. Accordingly, the university pursues a vigorous program of affirmative action in all its classifications of employment in order to prevent any form of discrimination, harassment, or prejudicial treatment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, or status as a handicapped individual, or protected veteran. See Policy 5-106.

      2. Administrative Responsibilities

        1. It is the responsibility of all administrative officers of the university to make decisions on staff employment matters in accordance with the policies, Procedures, and the affirmative action goals established by the university. Primary responsibility is placed with the employing unit, subject to accountability to the president through line management channels.

        2. To assist departments and organizational units in meeting university employment policy guidelines, a monitoring program administered by the Division of Human Resources, in conjunction with the Director of Equal Opportunity, assures that qualified applicants are hired on the basis of their employment qualifications, that appropriate consideration is given to achieving EEO hiring goals, and that required applicant selection records are kept. Apparent deviations from policy guidelines will be called to the attention of the departmental hiring officers for resolution. If necessary, the final decision will be the responsibility of the cognizant vice president.

    2. Staff Employment Procedures

      1. Each department, as new or replacement job openings develop, shall send a Personnel Request to Human Resources for assistance in obtaining qualified applicants. Vacancies below the vice president level, must be posted with Human Resources for a minimum of seven calendar days. This time begins the day the position is posted on the personnel bulletin board. The posting time is designed to give equal opportunity to all candidates, and in some instances a posting time longer than seven calendar days will be required. Such instances may include positions underutilized. Such instances may include positions underutilized for specific protected groups, or positions which involve the use of search committees and/or national recruitment.

      2. Human Resources will refer qualified applicants to the hiring departments. An Applicant Flow Record listing all applicants will be completed by the hiring department and returned to Human Resources. Employment offers may be made only after approval from Human Resources.

      3. Reference checks are the responsibility of the hiring department. Human Resources may assist if requested.

      4. Nonselected applicants will be notified by Human Resources unless the hiring department directs otherwise.

      5. Non-Benefited Positions

        1. Human Resources offers a service of advertising, recruiting, and processing applications for part-time temporary positions, and non- benefited positions in accordance with Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action policies.

      6. Advertising of Positions

        1. Human Resources will advertise job information by distributing a weekly listing of benefits eligible staff positions. This listing will be posted in various locations on campus, at Job Service, and in the community. Any additional advertisements, including position announcements, newspaper ads, or flyers, concerning staff employment must be approved by Human Resources prior to distribution or placement.

        2. Costs of recruiting, such as advertising, employment agency fees, interview and recruitment travel, and long distance telephone calls will be borne by the hiring department.

      7. Exceptions to Posting of Job Opportunities

        1. Intradepartmental Transfer/Promotion

          1. Candidates for the filling of vacancies may be limited to Benefits Eligible Staff if notice of the vacancy has been posted internally in a reasonable, visible, and timely manner. If a suitable qualified replacement is found within the department, the position need not be posted through Human Resources. In such cases, a Personnel Request with the name of the current employee considered for the promotion will be forwarded to Human Resources for approval, prior to the actual job offer.

          2. The related recordkeeping for the position, including the names of all employees who applied and the reasons for selection, will be retained by the hiring department, with a copy to Human Resources.

        2. Hourly to Salaried

          1. Posting is not required when a position is changed from hourly to salaried within a department, and (1) the position for which the hourly employee was originally hired was listed and filled through Human Resources, and (2) the new Benefits Eligible Staff position is logically relevant to that original assignment.

        3. Waiver

          1. In exceptional situations, the cognizant vice president may, by written memorandum to the Human Resources director, waive the posting requirement.

      8. Promotions and Transfers

        1. It is the policy of the university to encourage internal promotions, and for this purpose preference will be given qualified university employees in filling vacancies.

        2. Each department's affirmative action goals are to be evaluated in relationship to any change in the work force.

        3. A Receiving Unit may not hire a Transfer Staff Member before the Transfer Staff Member’s successful completion of the probationary period of employment, unless agreed to by the Transfer Staff Member’s current supervisor.

      9. Recruitment Procedures

        1. The university Human Resources department is the official university employment center and has the responsibility for the recruitment, screening, and testing of applicants for employment at the university. The university hospital Human Resources office has similar responsibilities for the hospital. Only approved University of Utah employment applicants are to be used. All recruiting actions must be in conformity with applicable university policies and Procedures, including the university's equal employment opportunity policy, as outlined below:

          1. Department Head or Director. Forwards to Human Resources a Personnel Request stating position needs, and supplies all pertinent information to assist in recruiting qualified applicants.

          2. Human Resources

            1. Posts and advertises vacancies for a minimum of seven calendar days.

            2. Conducts a preliminary interview of applicants, screening and testing as necessary to assist in evaluating applicants.

            3. Prepares copy of application and routes applicants to appropriate department interviewer for interview and selection.

          3. Department Head or Director

            1. Interviews applicants to determine job-related qualifications, including education and work experience. Describes the work requirements, duties, and responsibilities to the applicants. Special care should be taken to discuss any shortcomings the position may have, as well as advantages. Any pre-employment tests administered by the departments must be submitted in advance of use to Human Resources for review and evaluation to ensure compliance with federal guidelines.

            2. Coordinates final selection and employee orientation with Human Resources.

            3. No job offer nor salary commitment shall be made until approved by Personnel. Notifies Human Resources immediately when a position is no longer open or when no further recruiting action is necessary.

              Parts IV-VII of this Regulation are regulations resource information – the contents of which are not approved by the Academic Senate or Board of Trustees and are to be updated from time to time as determined appropriate by the cognizant Policy Officer and the Institutional Policy Committee, as per Policy 1-001 and Rule 1-001.

  4. Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources

    1. Policies/ Rules. [reserved]

    2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms. [reserved]

    3. Other Related Resources. [reserved]

  5. References

    1. Policy 1-020: Required Professional Boundaries in Relationships

    2. Policy 5-106: Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination Employment

    3. Policy 5-108: Transfer of Staff Members

    4. Policy 5-401: Staff Compensation

  6. Contacts

    The designated contact officials for this regulation are

    1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Director of Employment Services

    2. Policy Officer(s): Chief Human Resources Officer

      See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

  7. History

    1. Current version. Revision 10

      1. Approved by Board of Trustees June 14, 2022 with effective date of June 14, 2022.

      2. Legislative History Revision 10

      3. Editorial Revisions

    2. Previous versions.

      1. Revision 9: Effective July 9, 2009

      2. Revision 8. Effective July 1, 2009

      3. Revision 7: Effective July 26, 1983

    3. Renumbering

      1. Renumbered from Policy and Procedures Manual 2-2.

Last Updated: 12/15/22