Employee Relations for Employees: Northern Kentucky University, Greater Cincinnati Region

Employee Relations serves as a resource to the university by promoting a safe and positive work environment. Advising and educating employees and supervisors on a variety of employee relations issues. In any work environment conflict can arise and employees may need assistance in interpreting policies or understanding the processes that govern workplace relationships. The Office of Human Resources’ department of Employee Relations is here to support employees with proactive intervention. Our office is available to work with you to resolve issues that threaten your ability to be productive in the workplace.

What Employee Relations can do for you as an employee:

Assist with coaching and counseling tools
Provide clarification of the university’s rules and policies
Provide mediation

Performance Expectations and Corrective Actions

Performance Expectations: Performance improvement plans should be developed to address the specific performance needs of the employee, should provide clear, concise examples of performance behaviors that are not meeting expectation and include desired behaviors, timelines, deadlines, outcomes, consequences, etc. The manager and employee should work together during the meeting to develop the plan and establish SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) goals for the employee. All plans should include the action steps that will be taken to correct sub-standard job performance and a follow-up plan to monitor results. All agreed upon steps in the plan should be fulfilled by both the manager, as well as the employee.

NKU Performance Improvement Policy

Corrective Action: Information is provided to employees promoting a better understanding of management’s goals and policies. Information is also provided to employees to assist them in correcting poor performance, on or off duty misconduct, and/or to address personal issues that affect them in the workplace.

ADA Accommodations

What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

The ADA prohibits employment discrimination against "qualified individuals with disabilities". A qualified individual with a disability is one who meets the skill, experience, education, and other job-related requirements of a position held or desired, and who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of a job.

How do you qualify for ADA?

In order to be eligible to request a reasonable accommodation under the ADA,
The individual must be an employee of NKU;
The accommodation must be needed in order to perform essential functions of the job;
The reasonable accommodation requested must not place an undue hardship on NKU; and
The reasonable accommodation must not cause a direct threat to the individual or others.

Useful Terms to Know

Reasonable Accommodation: an act that does not cause undue hardship on the operation of business (NKU)

Undue Hardship: any accommodation that is “excessively costly, extensive, substantial, or disruptive, or that would fundamentally alter the nature or operation of the business."NKU considers factors such as the nature and cost of the accommodation, and the impact on the department that provides the accommodation.

Direct Threat: a health or safety risk to the employee or others that could cause substantial harm

Disability: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity, record of such impairment, bring regarded as having such impairment

Major life activity: including, but not limited to: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. A major life activity may also include operation of a major bodily function, including but not limited to: functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions

Steps to Apply for ADA

Complete the ADA Accommodation Request Form and return to Human Resources
HR will schedule a meeting with you to discuss the situation. This meeting helps HR determine if additional documentation is needed and to explain the interactive process.
HR will decide if you meet the eligibility requirements for an accommodation.
HR will work with your supervisor to identify essential functions of the job and HR will review functional limitations of the disability and the reasonableness of an accommodation. If the suggested accommodation creates undue hardship or direct threat, an alternative accommodation will be considered.
After discussions with the employee and other necessary parties, HR will coordinate to have the accommodation implemented.

If the Accommodation is Approved:

The employee is responsible for contacting HR if the accommodation is not implemented in an effective and timely manner. HR will then take necessary steps to ensure full implementation.

If the Accommodation is Denied:HR will send the employee an email outlining why the request was denied.

Information about the Process:

At any point NKU may seek advice from third party experts. All information will be kept confidential. NKU reserves the right to recertify the qualified disability. If recertification is deemed necessary, the employee will receive written notice.

Campus Accessibility:

Mobility impaired evacuation

Accessibility

For more information, contact Natalie Gabbard at gabbardn5@nku.edu.

Benefits At Separation

Note: The following provides information about benefits at separation. For retirement information visit the NKU retirement website.

Staff - Notify your supervisor about your intention to leave NKU at least one pay period before your last day of work.
Faculty - You must provide one semester's notice of your intention to separate.
Your department will submit a PAR regarding your separation.
Once the PAR is received by HR, an email is sent to the employee with exit interview instructions.

The following attachments provide information about your benefits upon separation and how to access W2s. Please click on the appropriate summary based on your employment classification:

Faculty Benefits at Separation – Academic Year
Faculty Benefits at Separation – Fiscal Year
Staff Benefits at Separation
How to Access Your W-2 After Separation

Employee Relations for Employees

Human Resources

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