Human Resources Policies

View HR policies grouped by subject

HR0102 – Emeritus Status

To recognize retiring faculty members or administrators for distinguished service to the University of Tennessee over an extended period of time.

Full Policy >

HR0105 – Employment Status

To define employee groups, employee subgroups, employment percentage, employment status, and other employment issues, which specify employment conditions and applicability of human resources policies to each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate.

Full Policy >

HR0110 – Employment of Minors

To provide guidelines concerning age restrictions and conditions of employment.

Full Policy >

HR0115 – Employment of Relatives

To prevent conflict of interest in decision-making due to factors of kinship in reporting relationships among employees.

Full Policy >

HR0120 – Employment of University and State of Tennessee Retired Employees

To state the conditions under which employees retired from service with the University of Tennessee, the Tennessee Board of Regents institutions, Locally Governed Institutions or the state of Tennessee (including all TCRS participating employees) may be further employed by the University of Tennessee.

Full Policy >

HR0122 – Employment of University Employees by Other University Personnel

To provide guidelines for the employment of university staff by other university employees in an employment situation external to the university.

Full Policy >

HR0125 – Exit Interviews

To solicit employees’ comments about their work experience at the university and their reasons for leaving, to secure return of university property, and to guard against unjustified unemployment compensation.

Full Policy >

HR0126 – Flex-Year Positions

To provide staff with flexible work schedules which are adapted to the cyclical workload of the academic needs and schedule of the university.

Full Policy >

HR0128 – Employee Professional Development and Training

To establish and define the university’s policy concerning the professional development and training of employees.

Full Policy >

HR0129 – Performance Reviews for Regular Staff Employees

To provide all regular staff employees and their supervisors an opportunity to discuss the employee’s job performance, set goals for professional development and establish objectives for contributing to the department’s mission.

Full Policy >

HR0130 – Personnel Files and Release of Information

To assure that accurate and complete personnel data are maintained, that individual employees are afforded an opportunity to see that their records reflect such standards, and that the release of information from personnel files is adequately monitored.

Full Policy >

HR0135 – Probationary Period

To establish a period of time during which a newly hired regular staff (non-faculty) employee’s work performance can be evaluated by the supervisor.

Full Policy >

HR0143 – Recruiting

Human resources shall develop procedures governing recruiting to fill position vacancies. Such procedures shall conform to the search requirements outlined in the applicable affirmative action plan.

Full Policy >

HR0145 – Reduction in Force, Elimination of Externally-Funded Positions, and Reduction of Hours

To provide a consistent and equitable method of eliminating positions as the result of reorganization, curtailment of operations, or lack of funding. This policy does not apply to faculty positions or limited duration appointments.

Full Policy >

HR0150 – Restoration of Force

To provide a consistent and equitable method of reinstating former staff employees who were laid off pursuant to a reduction in force.

Full Policy >

HR0160 – Termination of Employment

To identify the types of terminations and establish termination categories for university employees.

Full Policy >

HR0165 – Title Lists

To establish and maintain a uniform list of job titles for all university employees.

Full Policy >

HR0220 – Equal Employment Opportunity

To state the university policy concerning fair employment practices, which is designed to promote equal employment opportunity for all university employees and applicants for employment.

Full Policy >

HR0280 – Sexual Harassment & Other Discriminatory Harassment

To state university policy prohibiting all employees from engaging in sexual harassment, other discriminatory harassment, and retaliation, and to inform members of the university community about how to complain about and to report potential violations of this policy.

Full Policy >

HR0305 – Annual Leave (Vacation)

To provide eligible regular staff and 12-month faculty with paid time away from work.

Full Policy >

HR0307 – Benefit in the Event of an Employee Death

To provide a benefit payment in the event of the death of a regular university employee who dies while in an active pay status.

Full Policy >

HR0310 – Continuous Service Credit

To establish a systematic method of computing the length of service for each staff employee for educational assistance, leave of absence, service as an employee representative, and reduction in force.

Full Policy >

HR0315- Court Leave

To protect employees from loss of pay while serving on jury duty or as a witness in state, federal, or local court.

Full Policy >

HR0320 – Administrative Closings

To define administrative closings and compensation guidelines for regular employees.

Full Policy >

HR0330 – Educational Assistance (Fee Waiver)

To enable regular faculty and staff to perform their present duties more effectively and to assist them in preparing for future opportunities by providing a plan of educational assistance.

Full Policy >

HR0331 – Educational Assistance (Student Fee Discount) for Spouses and Dependent Children of Employees

To assist regular employees by providing a student fee discount for their spouses and depended children who are classified as undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee and to encourage such qualified students to attend the university.

Full Policy >

HR0335 – Educational Leave

To provide time off to regular university employees to continue their education and/or participate in research, grants, or fellowships.

Full Policy >

HR0338 – Family and Medical Leave

To provide time off to eligible university employees consistent with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, 29 U.S.C. § 2601 et seq. (“FMLA”) and Tennessee Parental Leave Act, Tennessee Code Annotated § 4-21-408 (“TPLA”) for the following reasons: childbirth, or adoption; foster care placement; serious health condition of the employee; serious health condition of the employee’s family member; to provide care for a family member injured while on active military duty; or for qualifying exigent circumstances arising from a family member’s military service.

Full Policy >

HR0339 – Parental Leave Policy 

HR0339 – Parental Leave Policy provides eligible (75% or greater) University faculty and regular staff paid time off to spend time with a new child.

Full Policy >

HR0340 – Funeral and Bereavement Leave

To provide time off without loss of pay for regular university employees for bereavement and to attend the funeral of a close relative.

Full Policy >

HR0350 – Holidays

To specify holidays and compensation guidelines for regular university employees.

Full Policy >

HR0355 – Leave of Absence

To provide time off to university employees due to such reasons as illness or injury of an employee or other personal or family reasons.

Full Policy >

HR0360 – Leave Transfer Between the University and State Agencies

To assure the transfer of annual and sick leave for employees transferring between the university, state agencies, a Tennessee Locally Governed Institution, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution and local school boards.

Full Policy >

HR0370 – Military Leave

To ensure university employees have the opportunity to continue employment with the university while fulfilling their military obligation and to provide appropriate reemployment opportunities.

Full Policy >

HR0373 – Personal Leave

To define personal leave and compensation guidelines for regular non-exempt employees.

Full Policy >

HR0374 – Post-Retirement Service Program

To provide tenured faculty a transition from full-time service to retirement.

Full Policy >

HR0375 – Retirement Plans

To provide a retirement plan for university faculty and staff.

Full Policy >

HR0380 – Sick Leave

To protect eligible regular staff and 12-month faculty against loss of earnings due to personal or family (spouse, child, or parent) illness, injury, and/or due to childbirth or adoption.

Full Policy >

HR0382 – Sick Leave Bank

To provide guidelines for establishing a sick leave bank for employee use only at any University of Tennessee campus or institute for regular employees who are eligible to accrue sick leave. The sick leave bank shall provide emergency sick leave to member employees who have suffered disability due to an unplanned personal illness, injury, or quarantine and who have exhausted their compensatory time and personal, sick, and annual leave balances.

Full Policy >

HR0383 – Sick Leave Transfer between University Employees

To define guidelines by which sick leave may be voluntarily transferred to sick leave bank members who have suffered a continuing disability due to illness or injury.

Full Policy >

HR0385 – Social Security Benefits

To provide eligible university employees with social security benefits.

Full Policy >

HR0390 – Deferred Compensation

To allow regular employees to divert portions of their current pre-tax earnings into a deferred compensation plan through payroll reduction service.

Full Policy >

HR0395 – Time Off To Vote

To encourage all university employees to vote in state, national, and local elections.

Full Policy >

HR0397 – Worker’s Compensation

Workers’ compensation benefits for university employees are provided by the State of Tennessee in accordance with state law. The State of Tennessee and its Third-Party Administrator (TPA) are responsible for determining benefits payable for work-related injuries and illnesses and for medical treatment decisions.
This policy explains the responsibilities of employees who sustain work-related injuries and their supervisors and provides other information for injured employees. Campus and unit procedures may include additional responsibilities for injured employees and their supervisors.

Full Policy >

HR0398 – Transitional Duty/Return to Work Program

As part of its commitment to employees who experience a work-related injury or illness, the University has a program designed to assist employees in their return to meaningful, productive employment as quickly as possible. This policy explains the university’s transitional return-to-work program, which is designed to facilitate temporary, transitional duty assignments for employees who may be unable to return immediately to regular, full duty due to a work-related illness or injury.
This policy also explains how to request modification of assigned job duties for employees who may be unable to perform their regular job duties due to pregnancy.

Full Policy >

HR0399 – Laura McGinnis Organ Donation Leave

To provide eligible University faculty and staff paid time off (separate from and in addition to accrued Sick and Annual Leave) to donate a body organ or bone marrow.

Full Policy >

HR0405 – Compensation Philosophy
HR0406 – Compensation

To provide a fair, flexible and competitive compensation program that will support efforts to attract, retain and reward high-performing employees at all levels in accordance with the Equal Employment Opportunity policy HR0220. (This policy is not intended to supersede the provision in Faculty Handbooks regarding Compensated Outside Services. Faculty are directed to those provisions for guidance regarding that subject.)

Full Policy >

HR0432 – Longevity Pay

To recognize faculty and staff for their years of service with the university and state.

Full Policy >

HR0445 – Overtime Compensation

To compensate staff and student employees in non-exempt wage and hour categories who work in excess of 40 hours per week.

Full Policy >

HR0446 – Volunteer Activities

The purpose of this policy is to establish principles to aid and guide University campuses and institutes to develop effective procedures related to volunteer work during work hours.

Full Policy >

HR0455 – Pay Rates

To recruit and retain qualified staff within existing policies and resources of the institution while providing salaries that balance equity and competitiveness.

Full Policy >

HR0465 – Salary Increase for Passing Certified Administrative Professional Examination

To reward regular, staff non-exempt clerical secretarial or clerical management employees or any employees performing closely related administrative support duties who pass the Certified Administrative Professional Examination.

Full Policy >

HR0472 – Supplemental Pay Practices [replaced by HR0406]

To establish parameters for compensating employees in specific, defined working situations where supplemental compensation is appropriate, such as shift differentials, emergency call back, extra services pay, and temporary assignments.

Full Policy >

HR0480 – Work Schedules

To establish standards for work schedules which accommodate both the business needs of the university and, as feasible, employee requests.

Full Policy >

HR0505 – Attendance

To establish attendance standards and to encourage staff and student employees to meet their work schedules.

Full Policy >

HR0515 – Collection of Debts Owed to the University

To provide a fair, objective, and legally sufficient method of settling debts held by the university against its employees.

Full Policy >

HR0525 – Disciplinary Action

To set forth the University’s policy for disciplinary action, termination, and appeals. This policy applies to regular and temporary employees (i.e., not faculty or student employees) who have completed any required probationary period.
All regular staff employees, including those hired pursuant to a Limited Duration Appointment, serve on an at will basis, meaning that either the University or the employee may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice, unless the University and employee have executed a written contract in accordance with Fiscal Policy FI0420, Contracts. Nothing in this policy alters or affects the at-will status of any employee.

Full Policy >

HR0527 – Federal Lobbying Activities [replaced by GE0003]

To provide employees of the University of Tennessee with guidance on the proper coordination and reporting of federal lobbying activities.

Full Policy >

HR0530 – Garnishments

To provide a means of equitably handling garnishments against university employees.

Full Policy >

HR0580 – Code of Conduct

The purpose of this policy is to define community aspirations for workplace behavior, to provide guidance to employees about expectations for ethical and responsible conduct, and to articulate processes for enforcement of this policy.

Full Policy >

HR0585 – Mandatory Reporting

This policy articulates the legal reporting obligations for members of the University community with respect to fraud, waste, and abuse; child abuse; and child sexual abuse.

Full Policy >

HR0630 – Employee Relations Advisory Organization

To provide for a direct channel of communications between regular staff employees and university officials for information and advisory purposes, and to provide university officials with an effective method of soliciting and disseminating information concerning plans and programs affecting regular staff university employees.

Full Policy >

HR0640 – Grievances

To provide a method for the resolution of problems which may arise between the university and regular, staff non-exempt employees.

Full Policy >

HR0720 – Drug Free Campus and Workplace

To encourage and maintain a safe, healthful, and drug-free environment within the University of Tennessee.

Full Policy >