Administrators’ Faith and Life Documents
To maintain a shared commitment to faith and values, all administrative candidates, B level and above, will be asked to respond to the “Personal Statement of Faith and Life” (MS Word Format; PDF Format) which will be given to them as part of the hiring process. Administrators who become B level or above through the promotion process will be asked by their respective vice president to respond to the “Personal Statement of Faith and Life.” The respective vice president will review the “Personal Statement of Faith and Life” response with the provost and/or president. All new B level administrators’ faith statements are reviewed by the Student Success and Campus Vitality Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Administrative, Staff, and Facilities Management Recruitment
To begin the recruitment process, the respective hiring manager must complete a job requisition form. The job requisition form provides information as to the department’s account number, identifying the type of position, and designates advertising. All regular positions, that are open to external candidates, are posted on the Eastern Mennonite University website and on the bulletin board for a minimum of seven (7) days. Internal only positions must be posted on the bulletin board for a minimum of three (3) days.
Employee Salary Statement
For administrators, staff, and physical plant employees, a salary change form will be issued by EMU to the employee when a wage change has occurred and shall indicate wage level and fringe benefits eligibility. For faculty, a salary statement will be issued each year and indicates salary and fringe benefits eligibility.
Employee Development
Employees are encouraged to actively seek out professional development opportunities through conferences and seminars. EMU will provide the time and registration fees for approved activities within departmental budget limitations. Approval and schedule arrangement should be made with respective supervisor.
Payment Schedules
The EMU employee wage scale is established for 12-month beginning July 1 and ending June 30.
Administrator salaries are paid monthly on the last work day of each month.
Office and facilities management employees are required to keep a daily record of hours worked on an online timecard. Each pay period ends on Wednesday (biweekly) and paychecks are issued on Friday morning nine days later.
There are several voluntary deductions that employees may elect to have deducted from their paychecks. They include payments into an approved tax-deferred plan, a front-end contribution to EMU or participation in the flexible benefit plan.
Time Card
Online time cards are to be finalized by Friday, two days after the last day of the pay period. Supervisors should submit the online time card by Monday, five days after the last day of the pay period. If these guidelines are not followed, you may not receive a pay check until the following pay date and will not be justification for a payroll advance. Paychecks are placed in campus mail, or directly deposited into employee bank accounts on Friday morning nine days after the end of the pay period.
In addition to regular hours worked, the time card should reflect hours used for vacation, paid time off, and holiday. Remember that overtime hours are calculated only after working 40 regular hours during the pay week. Generally, paid leave should not be added to actual work hours to extend past the normal work day.
Overtime Compensation for Office and Facilities Management
The law requires employees to be compensated at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours within a work-week. Employees will be paid time and one-half for overtime hours. For purposes of determining hours worked, time for which the employee is paid but does not work (vacation, holidays, paid time off, jury duty) will not be counted as hours worked.
A supervisor may request an employee to work overtime on a given day for a maximum of four hours per day with equivalent time off so that total hours worked on a given work week do not exceed 40. Each hourly employee begins counting his/her time when required to be at work outside their regular eight-hour day. For example, if an hourly staff member is required to come in at 7:30 a.m. for a breakfast meeting, his/her time starts at 7:30 a.m., not at 7:45 or 8 a.m. Another example might be when hourly staff are in charge of a banquet, their time begins when they arrive and continues until the job is finished--including eating time.
Overtime must be cleared with the supervisor who is responsible to approve each time card. The supervisor may approve overtime if the workload demands it and budget is provided. Overtime shall not be permitted only to accommodate the employee.
Probationary Period
The hiring, transfer, or promotion and placement of an employee will be subject to a probationary period of six months. Certain job classifications may require a longer probationary period. This probationary period provides for job adjustment and an opportunity for both the employee and EMU to determine whether or not to continue the relationship. During this period, employees normally are reviewed after the first three and six months of employment. Employment may be terminated by the employee or by EMU for any reason at any time during the probationary period without the normal advance notice period. Subject to approval from the Human Resources Office, a supervisor may request an extension of an employee's probationary period. Such an extension would allow for additional training, review and evaluation. An employee's probationary status does not affect his/her enrollment in the benefit plan.
Conditions for Termination
Eastern Mennonite University requests written notice at least two weeks (30 days preferred) in advance of planned termination. EMU will normally give 60 days advance notice in writing if a position has to be terminated or an employee is being let go for unsatisfactory job performance. Dismissal may be without advance notice in case of gross misconduct or conduct in violation of the community life statement.
Employees who are the subject of informal (within the institution) or formal (legal) charges/allegations may be suspended from duties (with or without compensation) pending an investigation of charges.
Severance Policy and Benefits
EMU does not grant severance payments nor benefit continuation.
Revised, HR Director, January 2019
Revised, HR Director, March 2020
Responsible party
The human resources director is responsible for this policy.
Policy Review
This policy is to be reviewed every three years.
Distribution
Employee Handbook