Hiring of Salaried Personnel

No.  3-5   Rev.  10-02-12    ed 7-23-23; 7-17-24 Date  8-17-77     

 

I. REFERENCES
 

II. POLICY

Weber State University is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University to make recruitment, employment and other employment-related decisions without regard to those classifications defined as "protected" in PPM 3-32. The affirmative action commitment of the University also requires an effort to identify and correct under-utilization of protected groups including women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities.

III. DEFINITIONS

Internal Candidate:  Employees of WSU including salaried, hourly employees and adjunct faculty, and employees who hav been laid off in the past twelve (12) months.

Vacancy:  A salaried position within the University that offers compensation and is open by virtue of the termination of an incumbent, the creation of a new position, or the enhancement of a current position.

Hiring Authority:  The individual(s) who are authorized by the supervising vice president or Provost to advertise, select and employ a salaried employee.  Unless otherwise authorized by the Provost, the dean of each college.

Lateral Transfer:  A transfer where an individual is transferring to a new position at the same grade and salary.

IV.  HIRING PROCESS AND PROCEDURES

A.  The University strives to recruit applicants from as many sources as possible and employ the best qualified person for each position in accordance with University policy and applicable state and federal statutes.  The university shall comply with law as required by the Utah Veterans Preference for Career Services Act.  

B.  Requests to fill all salaried vacancies or a request for an exception (See Section VI of this policy) to some or all of the provisions of this policy shall be submitted to the Human Resource Department (HR).  The HR Department will assist in training hiring authorities and committees to implement the appropriate recruiting procedures after receiving approval from appropriate administrators.

C.  For vice-president or dean positions, the process outlined in PPM 1-5b or 1-17 respectively shall be followed subject to the other provisions of this policy.

D.  For all other positions, the following requirements or recommendations apply:

1.  The department chair or supervisor responsible for the hiring ("supervisor") shall initiate the hiring process by obtaining authorization from the hiring authority and then the appropriate vice-president to establish or fill a position on the department staff.

2.  Following approval for the position, the supervisor is encouraged to appoint a screening committee of at least three people and diversity among the members of the committee is encouraged.  The screening committee may also contain persons from outside the department.  The hiring authority and/or the screening committee will determine the qualifications for this position, update the job description as necessary, review applications, interview candidates, and make recommendations to the hiring authority.  Before steps are taking to communicate with qualified candidates, the supervisor shall discuss the wishes of the department with the hiring authority and obtain general agreement as to the qualifications and responsibilities of the position to be filled.

3.  Application - All job applicants shall submit a completed electronic application form and other required documents as specified by the Human Resource Department prior to any consideration for employment.  Candidates must also comply with the requirements for criminal background screening.  Applicants applying directly to a department shall be referred to HR to complete the necessary electronic application forms.

4.  Initial Screening - Only applicants meeting minimum position qualifications for the position will be considered.  In cases where equivalent experience, skill or education must be assessed, HR may defer to the hiring department to determine equivalency.

5.  Tests - All qualifying tests for positions shall be administered or approved by the HR Department.  Examples will include, but are not limited to cognitive tests, sample job task tests, language or proficiency tests.

6.  Reference Checks - Reference checks are permissible and advisable so long as questions are directly related to legitimate hiring criteria.  The refusal of a candidate to permit such checks may be considered as a factor in the hiring decision.

7.  As part of the screening process, candidates may be invited to come to the campus for personal interviews or to participate in other campus activities in order that they may become better known and evaluated and to assure that they become acquainted with the institution and the locality of their prospective work and domicile.

8.  The screening and evaluation process must apply neutral, job-related criteria consistently to all applicants through the use of the HR approved applicant rating system.  A selection shall not be made prior to the completion of the posting period.  When the investigation of candidates has been completed, the supervisor shall forward the recommendation of the department with all supporting documentation to the hiring authority and to HR.

9.  No offers, verbal or written, shall be made to a candidate without the approval of the hiring authority, the appropriate vice-president, and the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity.  In exigent circumstances, permission of HR may be requested to make a contingent offer to a candidate subject to review and approval by the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and the vice-president.

10.  The hiring authority shall submit the department's recommendation with all supporting documentation to the president, through the appropriate vice-president.  The vice-president will indicate to the hiring authority the approval or disapproval of the recommendation.

11.  Temporary full-time faculty appointments to positions not leading to tenure shall be made in the same manner as regular faculty appointments.

12.  Offers of Employment - Offers for all vacancies are made under the direction of the hiring authority.  Offers of employment shall not be made until all necessary approvals have been obtained.

13.  Reasonable steps shall be taken to make on-campus applicants aware of job vacancies and encourage their application for career development opportunities. The following guidelines apply to on-campus applicants:

a.  Only those candidates who have made formal application through the HR Department within the posting period shall be accepted as applicants.

b.  The University reserves the right to give favorable consideration (not in excess of 5% of total weight) to employees of Weber State University when they are qualified and apply in accordance with PPM 3-5.

c.  In the event of transfer from one department to another, immediate supervisors in both departments shall mutually agree to the date of transfer.

d.  After satisfactory completion of the probationary period in their current positions, employees are eligible to apply for vacancies.

e.  The hiring department shall assume the responsibility for accrued vacation, compensatory time, and sick leave benefits of transferring employees.

V.  ADVERTISEMENT AREA, DURATION AND METHOD OF ADVERTISEMENT

A.  At a minimum, all vacancies will remain open for a specific time period, be posted on the WSU website, and be advertised within a specified recruiting area as described below.  A selection shall not be made prior to the completion of the posting period.  A position may be held open past the time period by the hiring authority in conjunction with the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, until a suitably diverse and qualified pool of applicants is obtained.

 

Type of Position

Minimum Recruiting Area

Duration

Typical Method of Advertisement

Executive, tenure-track faculty, and appropriate professional positions

National

21 Day Minimum

National newspapers, mailings, professional publications, other professional organizations’ websites

Appropriate exempt  positions

Statewide

14 Day Minimum

Wasatch front newspapers

Non-exempt positions

Local

10 Day Minimum

Wasatch front newspapers, Department of Workforce Services

 

B.  A reduction or waiver of the posting period may be granted by the AVP of HR and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity when compliance with the posting period creates an unusual hardship or emergency for University operations and where both the AVP of HR and the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity feel such action is consistent with the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action commitment of the University. Requests for reductions or waivers of the posting period must be made in advance according to procedures established by HR and the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Type of Position

Minimum Recruiting Area

Duration

Typical Method of Advertisement

May be used for all types of positions with the advance approval of HR and the Office of Equal Opportunity when there is a suitably diverse and qualified pool of internal candidates.

On Campus-Campus Wide (Qualified salaried, adjunct, and hourly employees may be considered as candidates)

7 Day Minimum

 

May be used for all types of positions with the advance approval of HR and the Office of Equal Opportunity when there is a qualified pool of candidates in the department and when employment of a non-department candidate would result in the displacement of a salaried employee in the department.

On Campus-Department Only

5 Day Minimum

Personal contact by the supervisor with all qualified candidates or posting within the department.

 

VI.  EXCEPTIONS

The AVP for HR or his/her designee, in agreement with the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity may waive some or all of the provisions of this policy.  In order to insure that hiring normally follows regular recruitment and selection procedures, no department may create a pattern of exceptions.  Exceptions may be granted for any of the following reasons:

 A. A truly exceptional candidate widely recognized for outstanding achievement in a needed area of expertise is requested by the supervising vice president.

B. The hiring of a spouse or significant other of an individual identified above is requested by the supervising vice president in order to meet important institutional needs. 

C. The President approves a direct appointment after consultation with the AVP of HR and the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity to meet an important institutional need for which the individual is highly qualified.

D. The vacancy is temporary because it ends within 1 year.  The AVP of HR and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity may allow a vancancy to be filled temporarily provided an open search is conducted within that time. 

E. Reorganization generated by budget considerations or strategic necessity that creates a vacancy which, if filled by anyone other than a particular current salaried employee, will necessitate terminating the employment of that salaried employee.

F. An approved job evaluation of existing job duties generates a recommendation for a title and/or salary change.

G.  A lateral transfer of an employee.

H.  Internal promotions pursuant to a Career Ladder that was pre-approved by the Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and the AVP of HR, provided they are consistent with the university's Affirmative Action Plan.

I.  Transfer or re-employment of an employee in accordance with the PPM 3-34, American's with Disabilities Act and Section 504 Request for Accommodation and PPM 3-29a, Family and Medical Leave.

J.  Hiring members of an athletic coaching staff by the head coach of that sport provided recruitment efforts are consistent with the university's Affirmative Action Plan.

K.  The recall of an employee who had been laid off, or placement of an employee with preference for re-employment or transfer per PPM 3-10b.