Administering USM and UMES Policies – Assists departmental administrators and employees in understanding and applying various Board of Regents and UMCP human resources policies and procedures in the areas of wage and salary administration, leave and timekeeping, performance management, discipline, layoff and other employee relations issues.
Collective Bargaining – Advise and train management on collective bargaining issues such as familiarizing management with MOU provisions and representation rights for covered exempt, nonexempt and sworn police officers, and interprets resulting Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).
Disciplinary Matters – Assists management in investigating and evaluating employee conduct for potential discipline. Provides assistance in determining what, if any, discipline may be appropriate and in creating necessary documents. Provides guidance on union employee right to representation during investigations.
Family & Medical Leave Issues – Assists employees and management in applying the provisions of the University’s Family and Medical Leave policy. Interfaces, as necessary, with employees and health care providers to ensure proper application of the policy. Assists in creation of notification letters to employees regarding rights and obligations. (Policy VII – 7.50 Policy on Family and Medical Leave and Policy VII – 7.45 Policy on Sick Leave.
Fitness for Duty Issues – Schedules medical evaluations with qualified health care provider where there are questions regarding whether an employee is fit to perform the duties of his/her job because of existing health issues. Assists in preparing the documents needed to maximize medical reviews. Helps departments understand the information received after the consultation, ensuring appropriate confidentiality, and assists in the implementation of recommendations of the evaluating health care provider (if any). Assists in acute alcohol or drug situations.
Grievances – Whenever possible, employees are encouraged to resolve grievances informally through discussions with their supervisors. If a resolution cannot be reached by way of informal discussions, the grievance procedure allows employees to bring workplace concerns to the attention of upper management. Employee Relations assists with guiding the employee and management through the grievance process.
Layoffs – Assists management with the layoff approval process. Calculates points for bumping purposes (nonexempt employees only). Assists administrators and employees in understanding the layoff, recall and re-employment policies. Assists administrators in preparing for meetings with affected employees and communicating with remaining employees about the layoff. (Policy VII-1.30 Policy on Layoff for Nonexempt Staff Employee and Policy VII-1.32 – Policy on Layoff and Recall of Regular Exempt Staff Employees.
Modified Duty Requests – Assists managers with employees unable to perform the duties of the job because of illness or injury. (Policy VII – 7.41 – Policy on Modified Duty)
Talent Appraisal Process – The performance evaluation process is referred to as the Talent Appraisal Process. Continuous communication and feedback are key elements leading to optimal job performance. Employee Relations assists management and employees to set and clarify expectations and training on how to provide on-going feedback and evaluation results.
