Definitions

The following Definitions apply to all Salt Lake Community College Human Resources Policies and Procedures. Questions regarding Human Resources (HR) Policies and Procedures should be referred to the Human Resources Office.  If an employee wants to appeal the interpretation of a personnel definition, the Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness may be consulted for a final decision.

Adjunct Faculty: Employees hired on a term to term basis with no future expectation or obligation for employment. Adjunct faculty may be terminated at will.

Administrative Employee: Individuals whose primary responsibilities include management and general business operations. Administrative employee includes the President and the President’s designees.

At-will Employment: Employment that can be terminated without cause.

Background Check: An inquiry into an individual’s criminal history.

Calendar Days (Employee Grievance): All days in a month, including weekends and holidays. If a deadline falls on a weekend, College holiday, College break, or College closure, the deadline moves to the next College business day.

Child: A person under 18 years old who receives at least half of their support from an employee, or a person of any age who receives at least half of their support due to the inability of caring for themselves because of mental or physical disability.

Compensatory Leave Time: Time provided to non-exempt employees who have worked in excess of the standard work week. The rate for compensatory time is one and one-half times the excess hours worked.

Complaint (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): A written allegation of prohibited discrimination or sexual harassment.

Complainant (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): The individual who allegedly experienced discrimination and/or sexual harassment in violation of College policy.

Concern (Corrective Action): Employee performance or conduct that is considered below a supervisor’s or institutional expectations.

Conviction: A finding of guilt for a crime by a competent court jurisdiction, including a “No Contest” plea or “Plea in Abeyance”.

Defined Benefit Plan: A retirement plan that specifies benefits to be received upon retirement.

Defined Contribution Plan: A retirement plan that specifies the rate of the employer’s contribution to the plan.

Dependents for Tuition Waiver: Eligible dependents include: a.) a legal spouse; b.) a domestic partner; and c.) natural or legally adopted children under the age of twenty-six, including the children of an employee's spouse or domestic partner, and the children for whom the employee has legal guardianship.

Discrimination (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): Treating someone differently based on an individual’s race, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age over 40, genetic information, disability, or veteran status, when such conduct adversely affects a term, condition, or privilege of an individual’s employment or participation in a College program or activity.

Domestic Partner: A person at least 18 years old who is in a nonmarital, committed, lawful relationship regardless of gender, and has lived with an employee for at least six months.

Early Retirement: Voluntary termination of employment by an employee who meets retirement eligibility criteria and is approved for the College's Early Retirement Plan.

Employee of Key Importance: An employee the loss of whom would result in a significant modification of a specific program or function to which that employee is connected.

Exempt Position: A position that is not subject to requirements of the overtime pay and minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

External Employment: Employment, including self-employment, with an entity other than Salt Lake Community College that ordinarily provides only a financial benefit to the employee without bringing professional enrichment or other benefit to the College.

Final Written Warning (Corrective Action): A document issued to an employee by the employee’s supervisor that addresses recurring or significantly disruptive work performance or conduct. The Employee Relations Office will provide the template and will approve the supervisor’s draft before delivery.

Financial Exigency: An existing or imminent financial circumstance that if left uncorrected would threaten the financial stability the College.

Full-time Employees: Employees who work 75% full-time equivalency (FTE) or greater and are eligible for full-time benefits. 

Full-time Faculty: Employees holding academic rank and have a teaching or academic appointment from the College.

Full-time Staff: Employees in a full-time exempt or non-exempt position who are paid a salary or wage for the work they perform.

Grievance Hearing Committee: A committee appointed by the Assistant Vice President of Human Resources or designee from the Standing Grievance Committee that is charged with determining the merits of a grievance.

Grievant: An employee of the College who has filed a grievance.

Harassment (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): Unwelcome and unwanted conduct that causes an adverse work environment for another, when such conduct is based on or because of an individual’s race, color, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age over 40, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Harassment is a form of Discrimination.

Hiring Department: Any unit authorized to hire personnel.

Hiring Supervisor: A person charged with hiring and supervising an employee.

Ineligible for Re-employment Designation: Employment status declaring a person ineligible to work at the College for a period of at least five years.

Initial Measurement Period: The period beginning on the first of the month following the employee’s date of hire.

Job Abandonment: The failure of an employee to show for work for three consecutive work days or shifts and failing to notify the employee’s supervisor appropriately.

Level One Corrective Action: An action to address minor employee conduct or performance problems. It is an attempt to correct the problem before it worsens. Level One Corrective Actions include but are not limited to expectations memoranda, training, coaching, and verbal warnings.

Military Leave: Leave granted to an employee who is a member of the armed services for that employee to attend required military service.

Non-Exempt Position: A position subject to the overtime pay and minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.

Notice: The delivery of a written statement to an employee either personally or to the employee's last known address. A letter is considered delivered three days after the date of mailing.

Paid Administrative Leave: Paid leave time equal to an employee’s regularly scheduled work hours. Paid Administrative Leave is considered a non-punitive action with no loss of employment status.

Parent: A person who provides or provided more than half of a child’s support.

Part-time Employees: Employees who work less than 75% full-time equivalency (FTE) and are eligible only for part-time benefits.  All part-time employees are at-will. 

Payment in Lieu of Notice: A payment made to full-time employees who are placed on layoff status for reasons other than cause and who are not given timely notice of a lay-off.

Personal Leave: Leave granted to an employee when unusual personal circumstances require an employee to be absent from work, not to exceed 90 days.

Personnel File: The official college record relating to an individual college employee.

Phased Retirement: An arrangement for partial retirement, or retirement in planned stages.

Preponderance of the Evidence (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): A legal standard meaning more likely than not.

Protected File: Documents solicited or written under a request or promise of confidentiality that are not kept in an employee’s personnel file.

Reduced Leave: A work schedule that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek or hours per workday of an employee.

Re-hire: Re-employment after termination.

Relatives: Father, mother, spouse, domestic partner, son, daughter, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, first cousin, grandparent, grandchild, and any of the above step relationships.

Reporting Party (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): The person who filed an initial complaint.

Respondent (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): The person alleged to have engaged in prohibited discrimination.

Restricted Funds: Money received by the College that may only be used in accordance with the guidelines established by the external donor or agency.

Retaliation (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): Conduct intended to restrain, or that has the effect of restraining, employees from participating in protected activities.

Search Committee: A group of college employees and local community members who help search for, screen, interview, and recommend applicants for hire.

Sexual Harassment (Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Complaint Policy): A form of harassment consisting of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

1. submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employment, education, advancement, or participation in a college program or activity;
2. submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for, or a factor in decisions affecting that individual’s employment, education, advancement, or participation in a college program or activity; or
3. such conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive, and it unreasonably interferes with an individual’s employment or educational performance or creates an intimidating, hostile, or abusive environment for that individual’s employment, education, advancement, or participation in a college program or activity.

Soft-Funded Positions: Positions that are funded from grants, contracts, student fees, or auxiliaries.

Spouse: A husband or wife as defined or recognized by Utah State law.

Staff Probation: Initial six month period in which a full-time staff member is considered at-will and under evaluation.

Student Employee: Any individual registered at the College for six or more semester hours who is employed by the College, including students employed by the College Work-Study Program.

Substance Abuse Professional (SAP): A licensed physician, a licensed or certified psychologist, social worker, employee assistance professional, or addiction counselor with knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol and drug disorders.

Suspension without pay: A temporary interruption of an employee’s pay and work requirement.

Temporary Staff: An individual who is employed full-time up to one year or with short-term funding.

Unpaid Sick Leave: A period for temporary leave for disability or incapacity to perform job duties when all other applicable leave sources, including leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, have been exhausted.

Workplace: Any place where work is performed in connection with any college employment, including work done with any college grants or contracts.

Written Warning (Corrective Action): A document issued to an employee by the employee’s supervisor that addresses unacceptable performance or conduct. The Employee Relations Office will provide the template and will approve the supervisor’s draft before delivery.