III. Employment Policies and Procedures

Employee Records and Employment References

University policy is to disclose only a verification of employment, including dates of employment and verification of job title(s) held for past and current employees, unless we have an authorized consent from the former/current employee which allows the University to provide additional information. All inquiries for verification of employment should be directed to the Human Resources department.

Compensation and Pay Policies

Compensation Philosophy: The Doane University compensation philosophy is to provide a compensation program which will support and advance the University’s mission and strategic goals through its ability to attract and retain talented faculty and staff:

• To increase compensation equity throughout the University, within the financial resources.
• To recognize the various markets within which the University must compete for faculty and staff.

Each position is designated in a particular category of the University budget. Every effort is made to be fair and impartial in salary decisions. The University’s policy is to consider such things as education, experience, productivity, merit, and market data in computing an individual’s compensation.

Funds for your compensation comes from the regular University budget or the University grants budget. The University budget is prepared annually and, after approval by the Board of Trustees, becomes effective for the fiscal year starting each July1. Pay increases are typically done on an annual basis effective October 1.

All employees will receive their pay on the last business day of each month through automatic deposit to their bank account. You will not be permitted to receive your pay in advance of the regular pay date. At times you will be requested to estimate the number of hours you will work through the end of a pay period. Estimated hours at the end of one month will be adjusted to actual the next payroll.

The University recognizes, however, that emergency needs do arise. Allowances for emergency advances against wages, not to exceed $500, for basic needs such as housing, food, clothing and medical care can be arranged by contacting the Payroll office. The University may charge an interest rate on advances that are paid back over time. The University will not routinely fund repeated requests for advances.

Deductions

Withholdings required by law will be deducted from your regular check. Other deductions may include benefits, donations, and others.

Recording Time - Non-Exempt, Hourly Employees

Non-exempt or hourly employees are those employees who are not exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and its provisions regarding wages and hours. Hourly employees must personally clock in and out, using the Kronos Timekeeping system. Clocked in or out hours that result in overtime pay must have prior supervisor approval. Employees should use the time keeping method (either time clock or computer) as directed by their supervisor/manager. Employees are responsible for clocking in and out for themselves. Employees who clock in and out for another employee(s) will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.

The Fair Labor Standards Act mandates that you record all your time when you are on the job and that you be compensated for that time. To be clear about this, you must punch in and out whenever you are working for the University. If you arrive early to work and your supervisor requests that you perform a task, you must be paid for that work. If your supervisor requests that you take work home, you must be paid for the time spent working at home for the University, and this includes checking and responding to emails and receiving work-related phone calls.

Rest and Meal Breaks: Non-exempt employees are paid for short rest breaks, typically 15 minutes or less. Meal breaks (typically 30 minutes or more) are not paid and need to be taken away from the employee’s work area.

On-call Time: Employees required to remain on-call but are free to be away from the Doane premises are not considered to be working while on-call and are not paid for the on-call time until they are called into duty.

Recording Time - Exempt, Salaried Staff Employees

Exempt employees are those employees in salaried, administrative positions and they are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Salaried employees must report all time off on a regular basis. Time-off includes vacation time, sick leave,FML Paid Leave, floating holidays, and unpaid time. Time off requests are done through the Kronos time keeping system.

Transfers

You will be subject to transfer to another position at any time either on a temporary or permanent basis as the University deems necessary or advisable.

Hours of Work

Crete Campus:

Doane University continually strives to meet the needs of our students. Normal business hours for all offices are Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. during the school year (beginning the second Monday in August through the Friday prior to commencement in May.) Flexible schedules within the hours of operation are necessary, based on the needs of the department. Full-time employees are typically scheduled to work 8 ½ hour days with an unpaid thirty minute lunch break. Some employees will work 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; some 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.; some 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m; hours will be determined based on needs of department. Some employees are assigned to work weekends. Summer standard hours commencing the day following graduation through the first Friday in August are Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Some employees will have different hours depending upon the needs of their job. Custodial and maintenance employees generally work 7:00 a.m. until noon and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The work hours that will be normal for you will be outlined by your employment letter or your supervisor.

Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island Campuses:

Normal business hours are Monday - Thursday 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

Non-exempt employees will receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 hours in any one workweek. The normal workweek for university employees is Monday through Sunday. Workweeks may be adjusted for specific groups of employees to serve the needs of that workgroup. Vacation time, sick leave, FML Paid Leave, and holiday pay is not considered work time for purposes of calculating overtime. Rather, overtime is calculated based on actual hours worked. Overtime work must be authorized in advance by your supervisor and/or the Vice President for Finance.

With supervisor approval non-exempt employees may take time off in lieu of overtime if the employee works hours that would otherwise result in overtime provided there are workdays remaining in the workweek. For example, an employee scheduled to work 8 hours per day Monday through Friday who worked 10 hours on Wednesday could take time off for two hours on either Thursday or Friday. To ensure compliance with wage and hour laws, an employee who has overtime at the end of the week will be paid overtime for that workweek and may not take the overtime as time off in any subsequent workweek.

The compensation for overtime is 1 1/2 times the regular rate of pay.

The university reserves the right to change hours, days of employment and workweek as needed to serve our students. Alternate work schedules may be arranged within departments with supervisor approval as long as student service and workflow are not interrupted, see the Alternate Work Schedule policy below.

Alternate & Remote Work Schedules:

Doane University is committed to helping employees face the demands of juggling work, family, and life related issues by offering alternate &remote work arrangements. This provides employees with increased flexibility with their work schedule while allowing Doane University to maintain a progressive and productive work environment. Alternative work scheduling is an opportunity to maintain employee productivity through various forms of creative work scheduling.

All Doane University employees will be considered for alternative and remote work scheduling on a case-by-case basis where schedules accomplish both work and personal goals, provide coverage for individual department operations, and serve the University as a whole with increased productivity at no expense to quality output.

Examples of alternative work scheduling include:

1. Flex-time (flexible start, stop, and lunch times)

• Individualized start and end times that remain consistent each work day.
• Individualized start and end times that vary daily, however, the same number of hours are worked everyday.
• Extended lunch times offset by additional hours at the beginning and end of the day.

2. Part-Time work and job shares.

3. Remote work, such as working from home, or flex-space at a different campus location.

4. Compressed work weeks (compressing standard work week hours into fewer days)

• For example, ten-hour day, four-day workweek in which an employee works ten hours per workday, reducing the workweek to four days a week. Employees would still receive regular holiday pay as outlined in the Holiday Pay policy.

The department director/manager is responsible for identifying if any of the aforementioned staffing options are workable within their department. To determine whether it would be appropriate for employees to take on these work schedules, the director/manager must assess the impact and outcome in terms of production, quality, and absenteeism, and if one or a combination of the above is in the best interest of the department, university, and employee. Alternate and remote work arrangements must be approved by the responsible Leadership Team member or their designee.

Alternate and remote work arrangements are not appropriate for all employees or positions and are not a universal employee benefit. The employee must have a satisfactory attendance record, the employee must be meeting all performance expectations in their current role, and consistently demonstrating the ability to complete tasks and assignments on a timely basis and the nature of the employee’s work and responsibilities must be conducive to a flexible work arrangement without causing significant disruption to performance and/or service delivery.

View the entire remote work policy here. Submit a Remote Work Agreement   to your supervisor for approval if interested in applying.

Working at Different Locations

Travel between job locations or campuses during the workday is considered “working time” and will be paid. Time from the last stop to home is unpaid commuting time.

Day Trips

Time spent traveling to and from another city is considered “working time” and will be paid, excluding regular commuting and meal breaks.

Overnight Travel Policy

At times non-exempt employees may be required to travel for their job for overnight training, workshops, conferences, meetings, or other work-related travel. The following guidelines apply to non-exempt employees when traveling.

Travel between home and work or between the hotel and worksite is considered normal commuting time and is not eligible for compensation.

• When an employee is a passenger in a car, plane, bus, boat. or train, only the travel time that occurs during his or her regular work schedule is considered paid time. This includes travel hours that correspond to the employee’s normal work hours, even if the travel falls on a day an employee normally doesn’t work (e.g. weekend) or a holiday. If the employee performs any work while a passenger, however, that time will be paid.
• When an employee is driving a vehicle for work travel purposes, all travel time is considered work time and will be paid. However, if an employee has the option to use public transportation and chooses to drive his or her own vehicle then Doane will only pay travel time during the time the employee is traveling during his/her normal work hours (regardless of what day of the week he or she travels.)
• Travel time within normal work hours will be paid at the employee’s regular hourly rate and will be factored into overtime calculations
• Meal periods should be deducted from all travel time, unless it is considered a “working lunch or dinner.”
• If an employee requests a specific travel itinerary or mode that is different from the one authorized, only the estimated travel time associated with the authorized schedule, route and mode of transportation should be reported as time worked
• Employees are responsible for accurately tracking, calculating, and reporting travel time in accordance with this policy

Job Classification

Staff Positions:

Full-time: Doane University considers employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours or more per week, 12 months per year a full-time regular employee.

Full-time/11 month: Doane University considers employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours or more per week, 11 months per year a full-time 11-month employee.

Full-time/10 month: Doane University considers employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours or more per week, 10 months per year a full-time 10-month employee.

Part-time: Doane University considers employees who are scheduled to work 39 or fewer hours per week, 12 months per year a part-time regular employee.

Part-time/10 month: Doane University considers employees who are scheduled to work 39 or fewer hours per week, 10 months per year a part-time 10-month employee.

Temporary/Seasonal: Doane University considers employees who are hired for a specific period of time (typically not to exceed 180 days) or until a defined event occurs on a temporary basis a temporary or seasonal employee.

Student Employees: Students working through campus employment and federal work-study are limited to 17 hours per week and only qualify for employment due to their full-time student status.

Faculty Positions: See the Faculty Handbook

Conflict of Interest

Doane University (“University”) is an institution whose trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff are chosen to serve the purposes to which the University is dedicated. These persons have a duty to conduct the affairs of the University in a manner consistent with such purposes and not to advance their personal interests. This conflict of interest policy is intended to permit the University and its Board of Trustees (“Board”) to identify, evaluate, and address any real, potential, or apparent conflicts of interest that might, in fact or in appearance, call into question their duty of undivided loyalty to the University.

1. Covered Individuals

This policy applies to the University’s trustees, administrators, faculty, and staff (each of whom shall be a “Covered Individual”). Each Covered Individual shall be required to acknowledge, not less than annually, that he or she has read and is in compliance with this policy on the Pledge of Personal Commitment form. This form shall be available for public consideration.

2. Covered Transactions

This policy applies to transactions between the University and a Covered Individual, or between the University and another party with which a Covered Individual has a significant relationship, or between another party and the Covered Individual if the transaction could reasonably be expected to impact the University (“Covered Transaction”).

A Covered Individual is considered to have a significant relationship with another party if:

1. the other party is a member of the Covered Individual’s family, including a spouse, parent, sibling, child, stepchild, grandparent, grandchild, in- law or domestic partner;
2. the other party is an entity in which the Covered Individual has a material financial interest. This shall include any entity in which the Covered Individual and all individuals or entities having significant relationships with the Covered Individual own, in the aggregate, more than 10 percent; or
3. the Covered Individual is an officer, director, trustee or partner of the other party.

A Covered Transaction shall also include any transaction in which there may be an actual or perceived conflict of interest, including any transaction in which the interests of a Covered Individual may be seen as competing with the interests of the University.

3. Disclosure, Refrain from Influence, and Refusal

When a Covered Individual becomes aware of a proposed Covered Transaction, he or she shall have a duty to take the following actions:

1. refrain from using his or her personal influence to encourage the university to enter into the Covered Transaction;
2. excuse him or herself from any discussions regarding the Covered Transaction except to answer questions, including Board discussions and decisions on the subject;
3. in the event that the Covered Individual is a Board member, immediately disclose the existence and circumstances of such Covered Transaction to the university’s Board Chair in writing; and
4. in the case the Covered Individual is not a Board member, immediately disclose the existence and circumstances of such Covered Transaction to the university President in writing.

In order to assist the university in identifying potential Covered Transactions, each Covered Individual annually shall complete a Conflict of Interest Questionnaire provided by the university and shall update such Questionnaire as necessary to reflect changes during the course of the year. Questionnaires completed by Covered Individuals who are Board members or the President of the Board shall be submitted to the Board Chair. Questionnaires completed by all other Covered Individuals shall be submitted to the University’s President who shall be responsible for their custody. All completed Questionnaires shall be available for inspection by any Board member and may be reviewed by the University’s legal counsel.

4. Standard for Approval of Covered Transactions

The university may enter into a Covered Transaction where a) such Transaction does not constitute an act of self dealing and b) the Board determines, acting without the participation or influence of the Covered Individual, that such transaction is fair and reasonable to the University. The Board shall document the basis for this determination in the minutes of the meeting at which the Covered Transaction is considered and may consult with and rely on the university’s legal counsel as necessary to ensure that the Transaction does not constitute an act of self dealing.

5. Administration of Policy

This policy shall be administered by the Governance and Nominations Committee of the Board, which shall be responsible for:

1. reviewing reports regarding the Conflict of Interest Questionnaires;
2. receiving disclosures of proposed Covered Transactions;
3. reviewing proposed Covered Transactions to determine whether they meet the above-described standard;
4. maintaining such documentation as may be necessary and appropriate to document its review of Covered Transactions; and
5. reviewing the operation of this policy and making changes from time to time as it may deem appropriate.

Outside Employment

Part-time or temporary employment outside the University is acceptable as long as it does not interfere with your position at the University or is it a conflict of interest. Refer to the “Conflict of Interest” policy for further information.

Attendance

Being absent or tardy places an unfair burden on your fellow workers who must do your work during your absence. Continued absence and tardiness, for insufficient reasons, will limit your chances for advancement and may result in dismissal.

If you will be delayed in arriving on time, or if you will not be present because of illness or other unavoidable cause, notify your supervisor early so your work will not be delayed.

If you are absent for three consecutive work days, without contact to the University or to your supervisor, the University will consider you to have voluntarily resigned your position.

Promotion and Transfer

The university encourages employees to apply for positions within the university that they are interested in and they feel they are qualified for. The University will attempt to notify the campus of available vacancies when they occur. 

To be considered for an open position, you must:

1. Have worked for Doane University for at least 12 months and have been in your current position for at least six months unless prior approval is obtained by the Vice President of your department and HR.
2. Have received at least a satisfactory rating on your most recent performance review and must not currently be on a performance improvement plan.
3. Meet the minimum requirements for the job and be able to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
4. Submit an online application by the closing date as stated in the posting.

Although you are not required to notify your supervisor that you have applied for a position, you must notify your supervisor should you become a final candidate. If hired for the position, the current and the new supervisor will work together to determine an appropriate transfer date. The transfer date should not exceed 30 days from the offer unless a working plan has been approved by all parties.

Performance Improvement Policy

Certain standards of performance and conduct must be maintained in any team. Generally these standards are recognized and observed by individual members of the team without any need for action by a supervisor. However, correcting unsatisfactory performance is a vital function of management.

Except in cases of serious misconduct, the following procedures should be followed when dealing with performance issues. The steps are designed to encourage employees to succeed and to correct the employee’s conduct and work performance. Supervisors should assume that all employees want to be productive. The first step is verbal counseling the employee regarding the unsatisfactory performance. In most cases, no further action will be required. If, however, the unsatisfactory performance has not been corrected, the employee should receive a written reminder emphasizing the importance of the situation, describing the deficiency, specifying the time to correct the deficiency, and describing the consequences of failing to correct the deficiency, including possible loss of pay or discharge. If the deficiency has still not been corrected, a final warning should be given with continued unsatisfactory performance resulting in formal discipline including, without limitation, loss of pay or discharge. Ultimately, the immediate supervisor, along with consultation with the vice president in charge of their department and the Human Resources department, will determine the appropriate discipline based upon the circumstances in each case.

In cases involving dereliction of duty or serious misconduct, you may be suspended without prior notice, pending review. In such cases, your salary may be terminated immediately. The University may also terminate the employment relationship without following any particular series of steps whenever it determines, at its own discretion, that such action should occur.

Grievance Procedures

Any current staff member has the right to present any personal concern or dissatisfaction regarding his/her employment to the University and have the matter considered on its merits.  Employees may not, however, use this Grievance Process to grieve termination decisions.   Grievance matters may be handled formally or informally.  Employees are encouraged to attempt to first resolve workplace issues informally through communication with the persons involved and to involve their supervisors in the process.  Most issues will not need further attention.  Employees are also encouraged to make suggestions to improve the workplace or to direct questions regarding the workplace either directly to their supervisor or to the Human Resources department.

If the matter is not resolved through such informal procedures or an employee believes that informal procedures are inadequate to address the conduct involved, employees may file a written grievance with the Director of Human Resources.  Fair and prompt consideration shall be given to employee grievances.  Grievances should be made within five (5) days after the occurrence of the event claimed to have given rise to the grievance.  The Director of Human Resources or a person appointed by the Director of Human Resources will investigate the circumstances giving rise to the grievance. Any person accused of misconduct will have an opportunity to provide a written statement describing the circumstances involved. Where appropriate, the Director of Human Resources may attempt to mediate a solution satisfactory to all parties involved.

If the matter cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties involved, the Director of Human Resources will make a written report describing the circumstances, his or her findings with respect to the grievance, and the discipline to be imposed, if any.  The report will be provided to the person making the grievance and any person accused of misconduct.   

All grievances shall be confidential except as necessary to fairly investigate the grievance.  Employees can be assured that no negative consequences will result as a consequence of making a grievance.  All employees involved in the investigation of a grievance shall keep the matter confidential and failure to keep the matter confidential shall subject the offending employee to disciplinary action.  Any employee taking retaliatory action against any employee who has filed a grievance shall also be subject to disciplinary action

Appeals from Grievances

Any person accused of misconduct as well as the person making the grievance may appeal the decision of the Director of Human Resources to the President. This appeal shall be in writing within 48 hours after the Director of Human Resources has communicated their findings to the individual. The President will promptly review the appeal and respond in writing. Any discipline imposed by the Director of Human Resources shall remain in force during the pendency of the appeal unless rescinded in writing by the President. The decision of the President with respect to the appeal shall be final.

Job Performance Evaluations

Supervisors are responsible for evaluating the employees who work under their supervision on a continuous basis. The style and content of the reviews will be tailored to the particular requirements of each job; reviews are typically done on an annual basis.

Employment at Will

All staff employees are at will employees. This means that employees may resign at any time and the University may terminate their employment at any time with or without notice for any or no reason. Nothing in this Handbook alters an employee’s “at will” status. An employee may also be discharged for cause at any time. Examples of conduct which will normally result in discharge include, without limitation, the failure to follow written procedures which may endanger the safety of the employee, students or other employees, frequent lateness, insubordination, theft, unexcused or excessive absenteeism, abuse to students, submission of an intentionally incorrect timecard, falsification of application for employment or breach of any policy contained herein.

Resignations

If you wish to resign from your position with the University the university asks that you file a written resignation at least 14 calendar days prior to your departure date. The written resignation must be filed with your department head and the Human Resources department and state the effective date of the resignation. Giving less than 14 days notice may result in future ineligibility for rehire; however at times employees may not be able to give the full 14 day notice and reasons for giving less notice will be considered in making the decision regarding rehire eligibility.

In the event of your resignation, you should contact Human Resources to schedule an exit interview. If you are a participant in the university’s health insurance you will be eligible to participate in COBRA. Your final paycheck will be available the last working day of the month or within two weeks from your last day.

Unauthorized absence from work for a period of three working days in succession is considered a voluntary resignation.

Policy on Rest Periods

You will be allowed rest periods or breaks of 15 minutes each per half-day worked (must work the four hour period), provided such interruption in the work does not interfere with the performance or efficiency of your department. At times your supervisor may request that you do not take a break during a heavy or emergency period.

The rest period is intended to be a recess to be preceded and followed by an extended work period. Consequently, a rest period may not be used to cover your late arrival or early departure or to extend a lunch period.

You will not be permitted to forego breaks to accumulate extra time off in the future.

Worker’s Compensation and Work-Related Injuries

The University values safety and supporting a safe work environment. If you are injured while on the job, you are covered under the University Worker’s Compensation Insurance for medical and hospital expenses and payment of time lost from work for an extended disability, as provided under the Nebraska Worker’s Compensation Law.

If you are injured on the job, first seek medical treatment, if required, then report all accidents to your supervisor and to the Human Resources department. An accident report is available in on the Doane University website at: http://www.doane.edu/about-doane/offices/human-resources/forms or in the Human Resources department. Accident reports must be filed with the Human Resources department promptly. Failure to do so may result in loss of benefits. The university will investigate all worker’s compensation claims. FMLA will run concurrently with workers compensation absences.

Dress Code

Our employees represent the face of the university to our students, alumni and the community. Our dress attire should reflect a professionally operated academic enterprise. Employees should dress in a clean, neat and modest fashion. The exact parameters of this policy will vary from department to department and may vary depending upon the function of the position you are in; please visit with your supervisor about the dress appropriate for your department and position.

Uniforms

The University pays annually the cost of uniforms for employees of the Facilities Operations Department, up to an amount determined by the Vice President for Finance. Uniforms are not a condition of employment, but an appropriate symbol of professionalism and identification. Facilities Operations employees are expected to wear their uniforms when working and keep the uniforms clean and in good condition.