“When in doubt, seek us out” is our motto, so even when you’re unsure, please don’t hesitate to reach out to HR anytime for clarification and helpful guidance. Reach us by calling: 801-957-4210, or emailing: hr@slcc.edu. 

Employee Relations is a department within the People & Workplace Culture division that assists and supports SLCC employees and supervisors facing workplace challenges. We provide a neutral, unbiased environment, providing support and treatment to each employee.

We assist employees with policy interpretation, conflict resolution, change management, communication, complaints and grievances, mediation, coaching, and support resources.

We assist supervisors with the correction action process, policy interpretation, employee-related problem-solving, conflict resolution, and training.

We offer guidance through difficult-to-navigate workplace situations such as workplace conflict, communication issues, or personal hardships that may be affecting your work. We offer helpful tools and connect employees with the useful resources available to SLCC staff and faculty.

No. Visiting Employee Relations will not trigger a notification to your supervisor. If your concerns need to be brought to the attention of your supervisor—in particular, if there is a violation of policy—we will notify you before contacting them.

Of course! Employee Relations is here to listen to your questions and concerns, provide you with policies and information, refer you to helpful resources, and brainstorm solutions. We are available to chat with you privately, in person, and even on short notice—usually within 24 hours—at our Taylorsville Redwood campus AAB 201, online in Teams, Zoom, or over the phone. Please reach out to request a meeting.

Because our role is to equip staff with resources and tools to navigate conflict, you will need to disclose your identity when reporting to Employee Relations. If you wish to submit an anonymous concern or complaint, you can do so through the Ethics and Compliance hotline.

There are a few different reasons you may be contacted by Employee Relations. These include:

• Check-In: We may reach out just to check in on you! We want to know how you’re feeling in the workplace and if there’s anything precluding you from succeeding at your job. If there are any challenges communicated from your department, we can support you and connect you with helpful SLCC resources. We’ll email you a check-in request beforehand to request a date, time, and your preferred format to meet: in person or online.
• Intake Interview: We may need you to serve as a witness or involved party in a workplace situation that Employee Relations has been called on to help resolve.
• Document Delivery: An Employee Relations team member can serve as a neutral-party witness to a corrective action document delivery.
• Staff Meetings: We support all employees—staff and faculty, full-time and part-time, supervisors and direct reports—so you might see an Employee Relations team member at your Staff Meeting presenting, training, or answering employee questions.

We are responsible for handling concerns related to compliance and employment laws. We are happy to meet with you to discuss your concerns and connect you with SLCC’s People & Workplace Culture, Employment and Compensation team for any questions specifically regarding your compensation.

You are welcome to meet with Employee Relations to confidentially discuss any feedback prior to your leaving. We’ll request as much information as possible regarding any concerns you have so that we can take the appropriate actions to strengthen SLCC’s culture.

If you suspect unethical behavior, you’re encouraged to report this to the Ethics and Compliance Hotline. Call 866-873-0614, and a compliance specialist will assist you in entering your report into our system.

The probationary term is the first six months of anyone’s employment at the College. This time is dedicated to training employees and familiarizing them with the College’s systems.

All employees of SLCC are expected to meet performance standards and behave appropriately in the workplace. Corrective action refers to the process of communicating with an employee to improve behavior or performance after other methods, such as coaching, have been unsuccessful. Corrective action includes:

1. Establishing and communicating clear standards for successful performance or acceptable behavior.
2. Identifying job performance or behavior that does not meet standards and offering feedback in a timely manner.
3. Creating a clear action plan to help employees achieve successful performance or acceptable behavior.

Informal corrective actions (Level 1), such as coaching and verbal warning, can be taken without HR being involved. Corrective actions Level 1: Memo of Expectations and all corrective actions.

Levels 2 and 3 are expected to be issued with HR/Employee Relations/Legal assistance. Please review the SLCC Corrective Action policy and contact Employee Relations if you are unsure how to proceed.

 

According to Corrective Action Policy Section H, the process for getting your record removed is:

1. After three years of satisfactory performance, the recipient of a written warning letter (or five years of satisfactory performance for a final written warning or letter of probation), an employee may make a formal written request to the assistant vice president of Human Resources to have the letter removed from his/her personnel file.
2. The assistant vice president of Human Resources will normally consult with supervisors before making his/her determination.
3. The determination by the assistant vice president of Human Resources is final and is not eligible for the employee grievances procedure.
4. If a letter is removed from the personnel file through this process, a record may be retained by Human Resources for document retention requirements.

A grievance procedure is a way for an employee to raise a problem or complaint to their employer. Eligible employees who disagree with concern(s) over the violation or application of employment policies or practices, working conditions, or corrective action procedures may appeal through the grievance procedure. The grievance procedure can be informal or formal.

We want everyone to feel safe when bringing our attention to an incident or voicing a concern, so SLCC has zero tolerance when it comes to retaliation. Let Employee Relations know if you notice any signs of unfair treatment and we will work to address the issue.

It is a professional recommendation to give at least two weeks’ notice for resignation from a job. We realize that certain situations may preclude this, however, two weeks’ time enables a supervisor to plan for a replacement for work continuity.

Contact Employee Relations! We will work with you to discuss your concerns, compile the information, and ensure that the policy is fairly and accurately followed.

Having a difficult conversation with your supervisor can be challenging, but if we want to uphold the values of SLCC and create a healthy workplace, they’re sometimes necessary. Here are a few tips to help you navigate it:

• Prep beforehand: Take some time to gather your thoughts and emotions before the conversation. We recommend writing down your concerns ahead of time. When scheduling, try to find a time and place where you both can be transparent and won’t feel rushed.
• Be specific and clear: Avoid vague statements that could lead to confusion or misunderstanding. Try stating the issue in one or two sentences if possible, and then give your supervisor a chance to ask clarifying questions. This will help to avoid rambling or overexplaining.
• Use “I” statements: Frame your concerns using “I” statements to express your feelings and perspective without sounding accusatory. For example, say “I feel overwhelmed with my current workload,” rather than “You’re giving me too much work.”
• Consider intention vs. impact: It’s always more helpful to assume good intentions when entering these conversations. Try saying something like, “I understand that your intent was not to offend me, however, when you said _____, it was hurtful to me.”
• Listen: Don’t simply wait for your turn to speak. Listen to receive and understand rather than to respond.
• Offer solutions: What would make you feel better? Instead of just pointing out problems, come prepared with potential solutions or suggestions for improvement. This way, they can understand what your end goal is.
• Follow up: After these types of meetings, always send a follow-up via email to explain your perspective of how the meeting went and any action items.

While we hope you have the kind of relationship with your supervisor where you feel comfortable discussing how to handle a situation like this, you are also more than welcome to contact Employee Relations for guidance. We can help you with discussion points and starting a dialogue with the coworker and/or your supervisor. We can even assist you with role-playing so you can articulate your concerns and find a possible solution. Collaboration is one of our core values, so it’s important to talk through areas of conflict and reach a resolution as soon as possible.

If the conflict is one in which you suspect ethics are in question, please see our Ethics and Compliance Reporting policy. The College’s Employee Conduct Policy and its references require employees to observe high standards of business ethics in their duties and responsibilities. Employees and representatives of the College must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling their responsibilities, and must comply with all applicable laws, 
regulations, policies, and procedures. This policy encourages employees and others to make good faith reports of suspected fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, or other improper and unethical activity within the College to the appropriate officials. It also describes the process to be followed by the College in evaluating and investigating such reports. The focus of this policy is on reporting improper activity that cannot be resolved by normal channels involving supervisors and other functions designated for resolving such matters. Employees who report a concern in good faith shall not be subject to retaliation or adverse employment consequences.

We encourage you to speak up if you have questions about or don’t feel comfortable in your workplace. If you have questions about your environment or coworkers, speak with your immediate supervisor. If you have concerns about your supervisor, we recommend having a conversation with them—most of the time it’s possible to resolve concerns simply with a respectful dialogue. If that’s not an option, you can reach out to the 2nd level supervisor for guidance and support. Otherwise, Employee Relations is here to listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and support you with problem resolution and connection to all the resources available through SLCC.