University Staff Appointment Types

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Policy Number:
UW-5020
Old Policy Number:
9.01
Responsible Office:
Office of Human Resources

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

Under Wis. Stat. § 36.115(4), UW–Madison must create a new personnel system effective July 1, 2015. This new system must specify applicable job protections for University Staff appointments. Accordingly, this policy outlines job security provisions for all University Staff.

Scope:

This policy applies to all UW–Madison University Staff employees and those administering University Staff appointments including supervisors, hiring managers, and HR professionals.

Policy:

Policy Summary

This policy outlines the appointment types and associated job security provisions for University Staff at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and replaces the classified civil-services permanent (now defined as “ongoing”) and project (now defined as “Fixed-term Finite”) appointment designations. Therefore, a University Staff appointment is now either ongoing or Fixed-term Finite.

Policy Details

  1. Distinction

    1. University Staff appointments are either ongoing or Fixed-term Finite. Rights associated with an appointment are limited to the operational area specified in the letter of appointment.

  2. Ongoing Appointment

    1. An ongoing University Staff appointment is permanent and can only be ended for just cause, funding loss, organizational change, shortage of work, medical separation or resignation. An employee gains ongoing job security after passing probation.
    2. An employee in an ongoing appointment can only be dismissed for cause following the University Staff disciplinary policy or laid off according to the University Staff layoff policy. The percentage of an ongoing appointment may not be reduced more than 25% without mutual consent (employee and UW–Madison) or through implementation of the University Staff layoff process.

  3. Fixed-term Terminal Appointment

    1. Fixed-term Finite appointments are limited to two years or less. Employees in a Fixed-term Finite University Staff appointment have no expectation of continued employment or renewal. The appointment letter must specify the appointment termination date. Fixed-term Finite appointments can be extended but the total period of employment cannot exceed two years. Continuation of the position beyond two years shall be as an ongoing appointment unless OHR determines that good cause exists to continue it as a Fixed-term Finite appointment.
    2. Under the University Staff probationary period policy, employees in these appointments serve a six-month to one-year probationary period, during which the appointment may be ended without the right to file a grievance for the dismissal. The appointment letter must specify the duration of the probationary period. If the appointment letter does not specify the duration of the probationary period, it shall be six months. Once an employee successfully completes the probationary period, the remaining period of the appointment as stated in the appointment letter can only be ended for just cause, funding loss, organizational change, shortage of work, medical separation or resignation.
    3. Fixed-term Finite positions held by retired University Staff are not subject to the two year maximum and may be reappointed annually at the discretion of the employer, do not require a probationary period, and can be ended at any time without right to file a grievance (i.e., at-will).

Consequences for Non-Compliance

Violation of this policy could result in increased oversight by OHR, removal of delegation for staffing, and/or removal of delegation for titling.

Responsibilities

Table 1. Responsibilities
Office of Human Resources (OHR)
  • Provides policy oversight to ensure compliance with campus policy
  • Conducts periodic reviews of the policy with campus human resources departments
  • Implements changes to the policy as needed
College/School/Division HR
  • Ensures administrators, supervisors, and hiring managers are aware of and comply with the provisions of this policy
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
Policy Manager:
Associate Vice Chancellor/Chief Human Resources Officer
Contact:
Compensation Admin Director -- Meghan Owens, meghan.owens@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2346
Effective Date:
06-23-2015
Revised Dates:

03-02-2020

Retrieved:
04-26-2024 12:34:18