Staff Grievance Policy

Earlham College affirms the right of each staff employee to be free from exploitation and mistreatment by his/her supervisor and fellow employees.  The College finds such behavior to be inappropriate and unacceptable.

Earlham College encourages each staff employees to discuss problems in the workplace with  his or her supervisor, even in cases when the conflict may be with the supervisor. Earlham College hopes that most workplace conflicts are resolved through open communication and discussion, but also recognizes that resolution may require another approach in some cases. If a staff employee believes that he/she is being exploited or mistreated, he/she has the right to file a grievance under the following guidelines.  Furthermore, he/she may do so without fear of adverse action being taken against him/her by Earlham College, such as disciplinary action, demotion or termination of employment.

Employees should note that objections to a written policy of the College shall not be grounds for filing a grievance.  Rather, this type of issue should be brought to the attention of the Employee Council and the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations.

Employees should feel free to consult the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations regarding human resource issues or conflict in the workplace. Please also see the preceding Handbook section about Active Listeners for information about other resources. Such consultation does not have to be part of a grievance.

There are several stages in the grievance process. The grievance process requires the filing of a written statement of the grievance and initiates an investigation leading to a judgment.  The steps are to be followed in sequential order as listed below and are to be pursued in a timely manner.

[1] The employee shall submit a written statement of the grievance to the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations**.  The Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will furnish a copy of the grievance statement to the person(s) directly involved and to the appropriate department head(s).

[2] The Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will conduct an investigation to collect pertinent information which will include individual discussions with the employee filing the grievance and the person(s) directly involved. 

[3] The Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will convene a meeting with the employee filing the grievance, the person(s) directly involved, and the appropriate department head(s) present to review the situation.

[4] Within fifteen (15)***  business days of the meeting referenced in step 3, the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will issue a judgment in writing with copies to the appropriate parties and will recommend to the Vice President for Financial Affairs any action(s) deemed to be necessary or appropriate to resolve the grievance.  If the evidence reveals that any of the parties involved has fabricated information, then the recommendation of the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations may include disciplinary action, demotion, or termination of employment for that individual.

[5] Either party may submit a written appeal to the Vice President for Financial Affairs within five (5) business days.  The decision of the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations shall be final unless the Vice President for Financial Affairs finds that there was an error in process or that there is significant new information not previously considered in the process.

The written statement of the grievance submitted by the employee, the background information generated by the investigation, and the judgment/recommendation of the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations will become a part of the employee's Human Resources file.

** If the grievance is with the person holding the position of Assistant Vice President for Business Operations, his/her role as outlined in the above steps will be assumed by the Vice President of Financial Affairs with any appeal, as outlined in step 5, going to the President.

*** If both parties agree to an extension of time, the Assistant Vice President for Business Operations may take longer than fifteen business days to issue a judgment.

Earlham College · 801 National Road West · Richmond, Indiana 47374-4095
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This page last updated: March 16, 2006