Preamble
In addition to the educational and cultural opportunities available, Earlham strives to provide its employees with compensation, benefits, and working conditions at or above the level provided by other not-for-profit organizations.
Earlham endeavors to develop and to maintain personnel policies and practices that are fair and equitable to all employees. Primary responsibility for defining, interpreting, and implementing these policies and practices for staff rests with the President.
Earlham College retains the right to modify at any time its personnel policies and procedures upon written notification to its employees. Earlham College also retains the right to modify its Employee Handbooks at any time. This handbook is not intended to provide any assurance of continued employment and should in no way be construed as an employment contract or as part of a contract.
Unless otherwise noted, the policies published in this edition of the Employee Handbook supersede all those published in the Employment Policies and Procedures manual, in the Staff Handbook, or appearing on the College’s website.
Responsible Office: Human Resources
Approved by: President
Approval Date: January 23, 2024
Addenda since publication
February 6, 2024
Bereavement Leave – Increased from 3 to 5 paid scheduled workdays to arrange for and/or attend the funeral of an immediate family member. (see Section 41 for clerical note)
February 27, 2024
Global Changes – The following titles were amended throughout on the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee:1) “Provost” amended to “Chief Academic Officer”; 2) “Vice President for Business Affairs” amended to “Chief Financial Officer”; 3) “Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration” amended to “Chief Financial Officer”
Global Change – “Pension” amended to “retirement” plan in all instances.
Reasonable Accommodations for Employees with Disabilities – Policy is amended to include campus confidential resources as well as Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (see Section 3 for clerical note)
At-Will Employment – Clarifying language inserted to note exceptions were indicated in the Faculty Handbook, as approved by the Board. (see Section 4 for clerical note)
Tuition Benefit Programs – Amended for clarity. (see Section 28 for clerical note)
March 26, 2024
Professional Development Fund – Details about submission deadlines corrected to reflect current procedures in Academic Affairs. (see Section 33 for clerical notes)
The mission of Earlham College, an independent, residential college, is to provide the highest quality undergraduate education in the liberal arts, including the sciences, shaped by the distinctive perspectives of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).
A basic faith of Friends is that all truth is God’s truth; thus Earlham’s educational emphasis on the pursuit of truth, wherever that pursuit leads; lack of coercion, letting the evidence lead that search; respect for the consciousness of others; openness to new truth and therefore the willingness to search; veracity, vigorous integrity in dealing with the facts; application of what is known to improving our world.
To provide education of the highest quality with these emphases, Earlham’s mission requires selection of an outstanding and caring faculty committed to creating an open, cooperative learning environment. The College provides for the continuous support and development of this faculty.
The teaching-learning process at Earlham is shaped by a view of education as a process of awakening the “teacher within,” so that our students will become lifelong learners. Students at Earlham are encouraged to be active, involved learners. The College provides extensive opportunities for students and faculty to interact with each other as persons and to learn from each other in a cooperative community, an important aspect of which is collaborative student/faculty research.
At Earlham College, this education is carried on with a concern for the world in which we live and for improving human society. The College strives to educate morally sensitive leaders for future generations. Therefore, Earlham stresses global education, peaceful resolution of conflict, equality of persons, and high moral standards of personal conduct.
Earlham College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and licensed by the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Indiana. In 2014, Earlham received a full 10-year renewal of its accreditation by HLC. Earlham is scheduled for an HLC re-accreditation visit in 2024.
The Earlham School of Religion (“ESR”) has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Association of Theological Schools since 1973. The ESR’s accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2017, and the current period of accreditation expires July 31, 2026.
Earlham’s Biochemistry major is accredited by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through October 14, 2025.
Earlham’s Chemistry major is approved and certified by the American Chemical Society. The American Chemical Society’s next review is due June 30, 2028.
Earlham’s Graduate Programs in Education is currently seeking accreditation through the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (“AAQEP”). The College is anticipating an initial site visit from AAQEP in Fall 2024 to gain accreditation for the first time. The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program is fully accredited by the State of Indiana.
Earlham College is a founding member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) whose membership currently consists of 13 of the leading liberal arts colleges in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Earlham College is also a participating member in the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI). ICI is a non-profit association that represents Indiana’s 29 private, non-profit, regionally- accredited colleges and universities.
Part I: Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity
Earlham College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law in the administration of its employment or educational policies, admissions policies and practices, scholarship and loan programs, athletics, or other school-administered programs. You may read Earlham’s Principles and Practices, a document outlining shared community values.
For employment related questions regarding this notice or other institutional policies barring discrimination, contact:
- Office of the President, [email protected]
- Human Resources, [email protected]
- Provost, [email protected]
Related College Policies
Earlham is committed to providing an educational and employment environment free from discrimination and harassment.
Discrimination and/or harassment on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender constitute a violation of the law (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and Earlham policy.
Sanctions for violation of Earlham’s sexual harassment policy may include but not be limited to termination of employment.
Please refer to the Earlham’s Sexual Harassment Policy.
For more information, please visit https://earlham.edu/office-of-title-ix/.
Earlham College is committed to providing equal access to employment and educational opportunities for persons with disabilities. Earlham will provide reasonable accommodations to ensure that qualified employees with disabilities may enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those without disabilities. Individual staff and faculty members are responsible for identifying themselves as an individual with a disability when seeking an accommodation. Individual staff and faculty members are also responsible for documenting their disability (from an appropriately licensed professional) and demonstrating how the disability limits their ability to complete the essential functions of their job or limits their participation in services, programs, or activities of Earlham. Medical documentation will be kept confidential.
Procedure for Requesting Workplace Accommodations
- The employee requesting an accommodation must submit requests to the Office of Human Resources. Requests for an accommodation should include Diagnostic Documentation and should specifically demonstrate how the disability limits the individual’s ability to perform the essential functions of the position.
- Earlham’s Chief Human Resources Officer will examine submitted information and provide guidance on appropriate accommodations.
- The employee, direct supervisor and Human Resources will discuss the request for appropriate workplace accommodations. Some accommodations may dictate that the employee, supervisor, and other College officials collaborate to identify an accommodation that meets the needs of both the employee and the College. Supervisors and employees are encouraged to consult resources such as www.eeoc.gov, the ADA Hotline (800-949-4232) and a publication available in the Human Resources Office, “Campus Supervisor Training Tips: Guidance for Accommodating Employees with Disabilities.”
- Human Resources will retain a file documenting the approved accommodation in a confidential file separate from other employee records. Likewise, any medical information necessary for determining reasonable accommodation will be maintained in that same separate confidential file.
- The manager responsible for the employee’s area acts upon the request for accommodations, in consultation with the Director of Human Resources.
- In the event that a request for accommodation is denied, a memo explaining that decision will be kept in the confidential file noted above and a copy will be given to the employee.
- Appeals to denials may be made in writing to the President’s Office, through the Chief Diversity Officer, within thirty 30 calendar days of the date of the denial. The Chief Diversity Officer will review the request for accommodations and the Human Resources rationale for denial of accommodations, and make a recommendation to the President and/or Chief Financial Officer about Earlham’s legal obligations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
- Accommodations may be modified as there may be changes in the employee’s, the nature of the employee’s work, and available technology. It is the employee’s responsibility to request any necessary modifications and provide relevant documentation to support requests for modifications to accommodations.
.
Part II: Appointment and Compensation
Unless otherwise agreed to in writing and signed by an officer of Earlham or otherwise indicated in the Faculty Handbook as adopted by the Board of Trustees, employment with Earlham is at the mutual consent of Earlham and the employee, and either party may terminate that relationship at any time, with or without advance notice and for any reason or no reason. Employment at will is a statement of the voluntary nature of the relationship between Earlham and its employees.
All employees who do not have a signed employment contract for a specific term of employment are “at-will” employees. Neither an initial employment offer, nor any statement or representation in this handbook, should be construed as an implied contract of employment with a specific term or permanent employment.
This employment-at-will statement does not require Earlham to exercise this right. In addition, it does not absolve supervisors of their obligations, where appropriate, to orient, train, develop, evaluate, and counsel employees.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 21, 2024: Clarifying language inserted into the first sentence to note exceptions as noted in the Faculty Handbook.
All employee positions should have a job description that outlines the normal duties and responsibilities for that particular position. Supervisors are to give each employee, upon being hired, a copy of their job description. Supervisors are also responsible for keeping job descriptions updated. All changes to job descriptions require approval of Human Resources.
Individuals should note that because of the relatively small size of the Earlham College community, these descriptions describe only normal duties. From time to time, it may be necessary for an individual to participate in other tasks not included in this description or to adjust their regularly scheduled hours or days in order to meet a seasonal or unusual situation. Such temporary adjustments are considered part of every job description and employee cooperation during such periods is greatly appreciated.
Earlham employees are categorized as one of the following:
- Teaching Faculty: Instructional personnel with primary responsibility for teaching. Salaried.
- Administrative Faculty: College personnel with administrative or operational responsibilities. Salaried.
- Clerical/Hourly Staff: An employee who is compensated on the basis of hours reported on an Individual Time Report. Hourly wages.
Additionally, positions are identified as one or more of the following:
- Full-time: Position budgeted for thirty (30) or more hours per week, for thirty-six (36) or more weeks per year.
- Part-time: Position budgeted for twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29) hours per week, for thirty-six (36) or more weeks per year.
- Limited Part-time: Position budgeted for less than twenty (20) hours per week and/or less than thirty-six (36) weeks per year.
- Temporary: Position budgeted for a specific task or project scheduled to last less than one (1) year, including positions of a seasonal or ad hoc nature required to complete routine work. Supervisors must obtain budget approval in order to utilize temporary help, even by academic-year employees during their non-scheduled periods.
Earlham is committed to promoting and/or transferring qualified internal candidates to fill position vacancies. Promotion is defined as movement from a position with a given classification level to another position with a higher classification level. Transfer is defined as movement from a position with a given classification level to another position with an equal or lower classification level.
Employees are encouraged to notify their respective supervisor when applying for a promotion or transfer. Employees are required to notify their respective supervisor when interviewed for a promotion or transfer. Employees should consult with Human Resources or with the Earlham Ombudsperson if they have concerns about notifying their respective supervisor about a pending interview.
Normally, an individual must have been in their current position for at least six (6) months in order to be considered for promotion or transfer. All promotions and transfers must be approved in advance by the immediate supervisor, area Vice President or Dean, and Human Resources.
Employees with performance improvement plans (PIP) will generally not be considered for promotion.
New full-time and part-time staff employees will be placed on “introductory” status (ie, a probationary period) for at least ninety (90) days. If the employee’s work performance is not satisfactory at any time during or at the end of this period, their employment with Earlham may be terminated immediately.
At the end of the introductory period, an initial evaluation is made by the employee’s supervisor. At this time, an employee will be approved for continued employment, have their introductory period extended up to ninety (90) additional days, or have their employment with Earlham terminated.
Staff employees earn and accumulate sick time and vacation time beginning their first day of employment.
Should an individual who is already an employee apply for, be offered, and accept a different staff position within Earlham, the individual will also be subject to the standard introductory employment period in their new position. Because hiring for any position at Earlham is the decision of the hiring supervisor, there is no guarantee of continuing employment.
It is important that Human Resources and payroll records contain current information. Whenever there is a change in banking information, home address, email address, telephone number, marital status, number of dependents or desired beneficiary, Human Resources must be notified in writing. This ensures accurate and timely service to employees in regard to paychecks, payroll withholdings and/or deductions, and benefit plans.
The usual office workweek for staff is forty (40) hours, Monday through Friday. During the academic year, normal office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These times will vary for some departments. Summer office hours (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) begin the Monday following Graduation Day, and end the Friday before Faculty Retreat.
Periodically, an employee may be asked to work additional hours; for all hours worked over 40 hours per week, an employee will be paid at the overtime rate of time and one half (see Compensatory Time/Overtime section). Supervisors will inform employees whenever overtime work is necessary. There may also be times when an employee’s “normal” schedule will be adjusted to meet a special situation (see Compensatory Time/Overtime and also Job Description sections). Employees are expected to be at work on time and to notify the appropriate supervisor if delayed or needing to be absent. All hours worked are to be reported on a biweekly schedule in the payroll management system. It is the employee’s responsibility to notify the supervisor prior to the scheduled start time that they will be delayed or absent. Patterns of late or no notification may result in disciplinary action.
The normal work period for academic-year positions begins with Faculty Retreat and ends on the Friday after Graduation Day. Any deviation from this pattern must be requested in writing by the employee’s department head, and approved in advance by the area Vice President and Office of Human Resources. Employees in these positions may take their vacation days, sick days, personal days and approved time only during the normal work period.
Annual reviews of salaries and wages normally occur in the spring of each year, with approved wage rate adjustments effective the first day of the pay period of the new fiscal year beginning July 1. Employees who join Earlham between April 1 and June 30 of a given year are normally not given a wage increase on July 1 of the same year.
Temporary employees should not expect wage rate increases given the short-term nature of their employment. In the event that a temporary employee is rehired for a second year or season of employment, the employee may be offered a modest wage rate increase.
On days when the College and ESR are declared to be closed due to inclement weather, full-time and part-time employees are paid for their regularly scheduled hours at their regular hourly wage rate.
On days when the College and ESR are forced to close prior to its normal closing time, individuals who would be working during the remaining hours are compensated for these hours at their regular hourly wage rate, as if they had been at work. (This includes only those employees who were actually working that day and does not affect in any way individuals who are sick, on vacation, or on leave). On such days, Earlham may ask some individuals to remain and finish jobs or undertake tasks that need to be done as a result of the situation. Individuals stay, however, only at the request of a supervisor and with the advance approval of the Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration or Dean of ESR. In such cases, compensation for hours worked beyond the announced closing time and in excess of 40 hours per workweek, will be paid at the overtime wage rate and will be in addition to the employee’s regular wages for hours prior to the normal closing time.
On days, or times, when the College and ESR are open but weather makes it difficult for individuals to arrive on time, employees should notify and discuss adjusted work schedules with their supervisor (discussions may include options for remote work, where practicable, as well as taking vacation or personal time).
Individuals who fail to make it to work due to the inclement weather must use vacation time or personal time in order to be paid for such time. Staff employees should notify and discuss adjusted work schedules with their supervisor (discussions may include options for remote work, where practicable, as well as taking vacation or personal time).
Sick time may not be used in these situations.
Supervisors will be encouraged to be sensitive to requests by staff employees to leave work early due to worsening weather conditions; however, employees must use vacation time or personal time in order to be paid for hours not worked.
All offices of the Earlham School of Religion are closed during ESR Meeting for Worship.
All ESR employees are invited to attend Meeting for Worship.
Rest periods consist of at most two 15-minute rest periods per day — normally one morning and one afternoon break of not more than 15 minutes each per 4 hour period and are to be arranged in consultation with an employee’s supervisor. Rest periods may not be accumulated. More frequent rest periods with shorter breaks are not normally permitted.
Teaching and Administrative Faculty are paid on the last business day of each month. Staff employees are paid biweekly on Fridays. In the event that the normal payday is a holiday, then an alternative payday will be announced in advance.
No appointment letter or offer of employment is valid until approved in advance in writing by the President, Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, or the Dean of ESR.
By federal law, no employee may begin work or be paid until his/her employment status and employment eligibility has been certified by the Office of Human Resources. In order to receive a paycheck, the faculty member must return a signed appointment letter to the Office of Human Resources. Staff employees must submit a properly filled-out timeslip signed by their supervisor.
The College fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30. For full-time faculty, salaries are paid in twelve equal monthly installments beginning with the last business day of July. A teaching faculty member who resigns prior to the start of classes and who has been paid for July and August will reimburse the college for the gross amount paid.
Each faculty member’s appointment letter stipulates title, gross salary, length of appointment and a summary of major benefits provided. A staff wage letter notifies staff of their wage rates for the next fiscal year. Eligibility for benefits ceases on the last calendar day of the employment period.
For staff employees, any new wage rate takes effect on the first day worked in the new fiscal year (i.e., the first day worked in July). For faculty, any new salary takes effect on the date stated as the first pay date in the appointment letter.
Paychecks are deposited electronically in the employee’s bank account.
CLERICAL NOTE: Amended February 27, 2024 on the advice of Welfare Advisory Committee: “Provost” amended to “Chief Academic Officer”
1. Vacation Time
Full-time (12-month appointment) administrative faculty members are entitled to 22 days of vacation in each of the first ten fiscal years of full-time employment. After ten consecutive full-time years of employment, an administrative faculty member is entitled to 27 days of vacation. A former employee who is reemployed by Earlham will not have prior service counted toward eligibility for vacation.
Those administrative faculty members on less than 12-month appointments or those who come in the middle of a fiscal year will receive vacation on a prorated basis.
Administrative faculty may carry over up to five days into the following fiscal year. Unused vacation days beyond the five carryover vacation days will be forfeited. There are no exceptions to this policy.
It is the responsibility of the administrative faculty member to request planned vacation through Paycom for supervisor approval. Vacation requests should be submitted with enough advance notice to allow coverage of one’s responsibilities during absences.
Academic breaks are not holidays for administrative faculty. Vacation days must be used to take time off during academic breaks.
If an administrative faculty member leaves their position during a fiscal year, the administrative faculty member is entitled to that portion of annual vacation days represented by the fraction of the year worked, less those vacation days the administrative faculty member has already used. These vacation days may be taken either in paid days off or in equivalent amount of salary paid for those days, subject to the agreement of both the faculty member and the supervisor. The supervisor’s decision is determinative if the supervisor and the faculty cannot agree.
Administrative faculty members are allowed to do consulting for pay outside Earlham on days taken as vacation days. If vacation days are not available or the faculty members wishes not to use them for this purpose, then the faculty member may request in writing an unpaid leave of absence for those days that are paid by outside organizations.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: On the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee, the following sentence has been removed from this section: “Vacation days can be taken only as whole days, never by the hour. Occasionally, supervisors may approve written requests for half days of vacation.”
2. Sick Time
Administrative Faculty do no accrue sick time. Paid sick time for administrative faculty members is provided as a transition to the Intermediate-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability policies.
In the event of illness or injury, it is the responsibility of the administrative faculty member to notify their supervisor prior to the start of the normal business day or if the faculty member must leave early. An absence without notice may be the basis for disciplinary action. If there is a pattern of absences that adversely impacts job performance or others in the office, then the supervisor may notify the faculty member in writing that a doctor’s statement certifying the illness will be required in order to be paid for missed days.
For illnesses or injuries that last more than five (5) days, Human Resources may require the administrative faculty member to submit a written statement from the attending physician certifying the faculty member’s ability or inability to return.
Teaching faculty members should contact their division or program conveners in the case of short illnesses and the Chief Academic Officer for longer illnesses that will have an impact on their teaching obligations.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: Provost amended to Chief Academic Officer on the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee.
3. Paid Personal Time
There are no paid personal days for teaching or for administrative faculty members. Administrative faculty members may use paid vacation days or request days for an unpaid leave of absence for personal matters. Requests must be made in writing to the supervisor.
Teaching faculty provide advance notice to the convener of their department or division as well as the associate dean for faculty when personal time occurs during scheduled classes or other responsibilities. It is expected that teaching faculty members will ensure that their academic responsibilities are met or covered by other faculty members.
1. Vacation Time
Clerical/hourly staff accrue vacation time based on the number of paid hours and years of service
| Full-time Staff Vacation Accruals | ||
| Length of Service | Accrual Rate* | Approx. days per year |
| 0 to 2 years | 0.0385 hour per hours worked | 10 |
| 2 to 8 years | 0.0465 hour per hours worked | 12 |
| 8 to 15 years | 0.0582 hour per hours worked | 15 |
| 15+ years | 0.0769 hour per hours worked | 20 |
| Part-time time Staff Vacation Accruals | ||
| Length of Service | Accrual Rate | Approx. days per year |
| 0 to 8 years | 0.0231 hour per hours worked | 6 |
| 8 to 15 years | 0.0346 hour per hours worked | 9 |
| 15+ years | 0.0465 hour per hours worked | 12 |
It is the responsibility of staff members to request planned vacation through Paycom for supervisor approval. Vacation requests should be submitted with enough advance notice to allow coverage of one’s responsibilities during absences.
Academic breaks are not holidays for staff. Vacation days must be used to take time off during academic breaks.
Clerical/Hourly Staff may roll over up to 240 hours of vacation hours.
Should a staff member leave their position during a fiscal year, the staff member is entitled to that portion of unused accrued vacation hours, up to no more than 240 hours.
2. Sick Time Time
Clerical/hourly staff accrue sick time at a rate of 0.0465 hours per hour worked. For a full-time employee working 37.5 hours per work, this is roughly 12 sick days per year.
In the event of illness or injury, it is the responsibility of the staff member to notify their supervisor prior to the start of the normal business day or if the staff member must leave early. An absence without notice may be the basis for disciplinary action. If there is a pattern of absences that adversely impacts job performance or others in the office, then the supervisor may notify the staff member in writing that a doctor’s statement certifying the illness will be required in order to be paid for missed days.
For illnesses or injuries that last more than five (5) days, Human Resources may require the staff faculty member to submit a written statement from the attending physician certifying the staff member’s ability or inability to return.
Clerical/hourly Staff may roll over up to 240 hours of sick time. Sick time is not paid out upon separation.
3. Paid Personal Time
After one year of continuous employment, clerical/hourly staff are granted one (1) day of personal time beginning at the start of each fiscal year (July 1). Personal days do not rollover and must be used within the fiscal year that it is granted.
Personal time is not paid out upon separation.
Overtime is paid for hours worked that exceed (40) hours of actual time on the job during a pay week. To determine eligibility during a specific week, an employee should add up the employee’s total hours worked and subtract any time taken as sick, vacation, or personal time (paid holidays count as time worked). If the total is in excess of forty (40) hours, the employee will be paid at the rate of time and a half for those hours above forty (40). The remaining time, that is the sick, vacation, or personal time, while not part of the overtime calculation, is paid as straight time at an employee’s regular hourly wage rate.
Full-time employees who are not on unpaid leave from the College will be paid for holidays that fall during their normal employment period. Part-time employees will receive holiday pay for the number of hours normally worked if they are scheduled to work during the period in which the holiday occurs. Staff employees on approved vacation, personal time, and/or sick time will be compensated for holidays falling during such periods of absence.
If a holiday falls on a day when classes are in session, some offices and/or departments will need to remain open; and therefore, some staff employees will be required to work. The need for an office or area to remain open will be determined by the President, the Chief Academic Officer and/or the Chief Financial Officer. The respective department head, or supervisor will determine which staff employees will be required to work. In this event, staff employees who work on the holiday will receive an equivalent amount of personal time for hours worked, up to the amount of holiday time normally given (see next paragraph for calculation of holiday time). Such personal time will be in addition to the personal time given annually to each employee and must be used by the last day of the last pay period in June of a given year or be forfeited. Administrative faculty who work on the holiday will receive an equivalent amount of vacation time for hours worked.
For employees with work schedules that vary from the normal five (5) day work week with a consistent number of hours per day, hours paid for a given holiday are calculated by dividing an employee’s budgeted hours per week by five (5). For example, an employee working 8 hours per day for 4 days per week would receive 6.4 hours of holiday pay for a given holiday (i.e. 32 divided by 5 = 6.4).
The following days are paid holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day**
- Memorial Day*
- Juneteenth*
- Fourth of July*
- Labor Day**
- Thanksgiving Day and the Friday following
- Christmas Day and the workday before or after (to be determined annually by the Chief Financial Officer) ***
*Not a paid holiday for employees in academic year positions.
**Classes normally in session.
***Additional paid time off between Christmas and New Year’s Day may be granted at the president’s discretion.
If one of the above holidays falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the Chief Financial Officer will determine what workday Earlham will observe as the paid holiday in question. The key factor in making this decision will be the impact upon Earlham’s operations in closing on a particular workday. In such instances, the workday selected may not necessarily correspond to the day other companies or organizations select nor will it always be possible to select the workday preferred by individual employees. Supervisors may not grant an alternate workday as the paid holiday.
Earlham does not recognize all state, federal and religious holidays as paid holidays. Employees who wish to use vacation days or unpaid days in order to observe unrecognized holidays must receive written permission from their supervisor. The timeslip should have a vacation entry.
The following offices are considered essential and will remain open on holidays as listed:
| Office | Labor Day | MLK Day | Memorial Day | July 4 Holiday |
| Campus Services | X | X | ||
| Food Service – Dining Hall | X | X | ||
| Residential Life | X | X | ||
| Registrar | X | X | ||
| Wellness Center | X | X | ||
| Runyan Desk | X | X | ||
| Health Services | X | X | ||
| Public Safety | X | X | X | X |
| Library | X | X | ||
| Computer Labs | X | X | ||
| Media Resources | X | X | ||
| Academic Support | X | X | ||
| Admissions | X | X | ||
| Financial Aid | X | X | ||
| Housekeeping – Academic Buildings | X | X | ||
| Housekeeping – Residences | X | X | ||
| Maintenance | On call through Public Safety | |||
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: The following titles were amended on the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee:1) Provost amended to Chief Academic Officer; 2) Vice President for Business Affairs amended to Chief Financial Officer; 3) Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration amended to Chief Financial Officer.
Part III: Benefits
The following is a variety of available benefits available to benefits-eligible employees. Individuals should consult with the benefits administrator with questions.
Earlham provides a number of employee benefits programs in addition to wages and salary. Explanations of each benefit and eligibility requirements follow this section. Some benefits are provided with no employee contribution; others may require an employee contribution.
Benefits may or may not be made available for individuals whose positions exist because of outside funding sources such as, but not limited to, agencies, grants, and gifts, etc.
De minimis benefits, such as bookstore discounts and library privileges, are provided to all employees.
Earlham will provide all benefit plans to those eligible employees who change from less than full-time status to full-time status. Years of service prior to such a change in status will not be considered in determining the level or beginning date of full-time benefits received by the employee (e.g. vacation time, retirement eligibility and tuition remission eligibility).
Those employees changing their employment status from full-time status to less than full-time status will immediately be eligible for only those benefits available to them in their new status. Participants in the health and life insurance plans have the right to convert their group coverage to individual policies upon request.
Separate booklets with detailed information are available from the Office of Human Resources on group health and life insurance, long-term disability insurance, and the retirement plan.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: “Pension” amended to “retirement plan”
Coverage under a group health care plan providing hospital and medical expense benefits is available to all full-time employees upon their beginning date of employment. A staff employee has a thirty-one (31) day enrollment period from his/her beginning date of employment in which to decide whether to participate in the group health insurance plan. Following the open enrollment period, employees may make changes to their benefits after a qualifying event, such as the birth of a child, marriage, death, divorce, or other qualifying events as outlined in the benefit guide. Earlham pays part of the monthly premium as described in the Earlham Benefit Guide, and the remainder of the premium is the Employee’s responsibility. The employee portion must be deducted from the employee’s paycheck. Detailed costs are listed in the Earlham Benefit Guide available in the Human Resources Office.
Family Member benefits are available to a legal spouse, a domestic partner, and children until the end of the month in which they turn 26, including any family member who is also an employee of Earlham College.
A domestic parentship is a committed relationship between two adults who 1) are not married to or in a civil union with anyone, 2) are jointly responsible for each other’s common welfare and shared financial obligations, and 3) meet any additional criteria described in Earlham’s Statement of Domestic Partnership.
If a Spouse or Domestic Partner is eligible for group coverage under their employer’s health plan, the Spouse/Domestic Partner is not eligible for Medical benefits under the Earlham plan. If elected, health care coverage for dependents begins on the first day of the first full pay period worked following the first day of employment or on the first day of employment if that is the first business day of the full pay period.
In the event a full-time employee is receiving either Workman’s Compensation or Long-Term Disability Benefits, Earlham will continue to pay the employer portion of the employee’s group health care premium; the employee is responsible for paying the employee share.
If the employee has a past due premium, then at the sole discretion of the College the health care coverage may be terminated.
Eligibility for coverage under a group health care plan ceases on the last day of employment. Employees previously covered by a group health care plan are eligible by federal law (COBRA) to continue their health insurance coverage for themselves and their dependents. Contact the Human Resources Office for details.
Booklets that explain the group health plans in detail are available through the providers’ websites.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: Clarification on eligibility of children. Children are eligible until the end of the month in which they turn 26. Marital status does not impact eligibility.
This Intermediate-Term Disability policy for teaching and administrative faculty members is provided as a bridge between Paid Sick Days and the Long-Term Disability policies.
Intermediate-term disability benefits are available to all full-time faculty members who have been employed by Earlham for more than one (1) year on a full-time basis. Under this program, an administrative faculty member who is unable to work because of serious illness or injury will continue to be paid up to 180 calendar days from the initial date of the disability. Without a written request from the faculty member and written approval from the Chief Academic Officer, President, Dean of Earlham School of Religion or the Chief Financial Officer, intermediate-term disability benefits may be initiated only once in a 12-calendar-month period.
It is expected that teaching faculty members will ensure that their academic responsibilities are met or covered by other faculty members. Teaching faculty members should contact the Chief Academic Officer for longer illnesses that will have an impact on their teaching obligations.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 21, 2024: Provost amended to Chief Academic Officer; Vice President for Financial Aid corrected to Chief Financial Officer
Long-term disability insurance is available to all full-time Earlham employees upon the beginning date of full-time employment at the employee’s expense. After completing one continuous year of full-time service, all full-time Earlham employees are automatically enrolled in the long-term disability insurance plan at Earlham’s expense.
To establish eligibility for long-term disability insurance benefits, the employee must submit a completed claim form signed by a physician to the Earlham Office of Human Resources. Benefits only begin after a completed claim form is submitted and disability status is accepted by the insurance company. Eligibility for disabled status is at the sole determination of the insurance company.
Under this program, an employee who is unable to work because of serious illness (including pregnancy-related conditions) or injury continues to receive a portion of his/her salary. However, there is a 180-calendar-day waiting period before the insurance benefits begin following the illness or injury. During the first year of full-time employment, the employee, even if enrolled in the long-term disability insurance plan at the employee’s own expense, does not receive any compensation (unless accumulated sick time or vacation time is available) during the 180-day waiting period. After the first year, Earlham pays the insurance premiums and also provides some compensation during the 180-day waiting period (see the appropriate Intermediate-Term Disability plan in section 16).
Once the long-term disability insurance goes into effect, an employee receives compensation equivalent to 60% of the employee’s regular gross wages reduced by other benefits such as Workers’ Compensation or Social Security for which the employee is eligible (e.g., if 60% of the employee’s gross pay is $400 and the employee receives $100 in Social Security benefits, the employee would receive $300 from the insurance company). The insurance company will also make contributions on the employee’s behalf to the Earlham College retirement plan. The payment of benefits will continue until rehabilitation or until the employee’s eligibility ends. There is a maximum monthly payment. Consult your plan book for the full provisions and limitations of the plan.
Earlham allows employees receiving long-term disability benefits to continue coverage in the life insurance and personal accident insurance policies by billing these employees for their monthly premium amounts. Human Resources will terminate employee eligibility for this benefit if the employee’s premiums are 30 days past due.
Earlham will also bill employees who wish to extend their dependent health care coverage while receiving Long-term Disability benefits. If at any time, the employee’s dependent health care premium contributions are 30 days past due, Human Resources will terminate the dependent’s Earlham health insurance coverage, and COBRA coverage will be extended to the dependent. Contact the Office of Human Resources to make arrangements for these billing procedures.
While receiving Long-term Disability benefits, all de minimus fringe benefits and Tuition Remission at Earlham continue unchanged; health insurance, retirement plan, and group life insurance paid benefits are continued as described above. If the employee is no longer eligible for Long-term Disability benefits and does not return to employment at Earlham, then health care coverage will continue at the employee’s expense under the eligibility requirements described in the plan book.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: References to “pension plan” amended to read “retirement plan.”
All full-time employees are eligible to participate in the Earlham College Retirement Plan.
Unless an employee defers, Earlham will deduct an amount equal to 3% of gross pay for the employee’s contribution to the retirement plan. Employees may contribute in excess of 3% up to the federal limit. Consult with the Office of Human Resources for details.
After two years of full-time employment at Earlham, or with proof of previous employment at an educational institution, Earlham will contribute an amount equal to 5% of gross pay toward the employee TIAA retirement plan. Earlham will contribute 8% after three years of employment.
A summary plan description explaining the plan in detail is available upon request from the Office of Human Resources.
All full-time employees are covered by a group term life insurance policy with a basic amount of $50,000. Each employee must designate a beneficiary. Premiums are paid by Earlham. Employees may elect supplemental life insurance during open enrollment.
Earlham pays 100% of your basic life and AD&D insurance premiums. Basic Life, and AD&D benefits reduce 35% at age 65; 50% at age 70; 25% at age 75.
See the benefits guide for details.
All Earlham employees are covered under the federal Social Security system. As provided by law, the employee and Earlham each contribute to this program based upon the wage level of the employee. Information concerning retirement and other Social Security benefits can be obtained by consulting a representative of the local Social Security Office.
All Earlham employees are covered by Workers’ Compensation insurance for all injuries while at work. Earlham endeavors to provide safe and healthy conditions in which to work. In addition to obtaining prompt medical attention, details of any job-related injury must be reported to the Office of Human Resources as soon as possible, both for Worker’s Compensation purposes and the record-keeping requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. If an employee is injured in the course of work, the employee is eligible for lost-wage compensation and medical expenses as determined by the Workers’ Compensation Law. Prior to returning to work, the employee must submit a physician’s statement certifying the employee’s ability to return to work and perform all applicable duties.
Earlham reserves the right to require drug-testing of employees involved in any accident which results in lost time, injury to self or others, or property damage.
If an employee is disabled and receiving Workman’s Compensation Benefits, Earlham will continue to pay the employer portion of the employee’s group health insurance premium and the life insurance premium. While receiving Workers Compensation benefits, all de minimus fringe benefits and Tuition Remission at Earlham continue but only the health insurance and group life insurance paid benefits are continued as described above.
Earlham will also bill employees who wish to extend their dependent health care coverage while receiving Workers’ Compensation benefits. If at any time, the employee’s dependent coverage premium payments are more than 30 days past due, Human Resources will terminate the employee’s health care coverage and COBRA coverage will be offered to the dependent. If the employee is no longer eligible for workers compensation benefits and does not return to employment at Earlham, then health care coverage will continue at the employee’s expense under COBRA. The employee must contact the Office of Human Resources to make arrangements.
The maximum total tuition benefit for each employee is 16 academic years of education; and a limit of eight academic years that can apply at institutions other than Earlham College. For example, an employee with four children could receive the tuition exchange or export benefits enabling two children to graduate from other colleges. However, the policy will require the other two children to attend Earlham College to qualify for tuition benefits. If both children use the tuition benefit to attend and graduate from Earlham College, they exhaust the total tuition benefits available to the employee.
The maximum tuition benefit for each qualifying dependent is four years (eight semesters or terms) even if the dependent attends some or all as a part time student. Tuition benefits apply to the pursuit of one undergraduate degree per dependent and do not apply to graduate studies.
Tuition benefits do not apply to the costs of the high-ability high school student program or other high school to college transitional programs, such as Earlham Summer.
Participants may apply tuition benefits to an off-campus program through Earlham College or a Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) institution. However, GLCAinstitutions may restrict or limit participation. Contact the institution for details.
Determining Qualifying Dependents
Employees and their dependents must meet these guidelines (some established by the Internal Revenue Service) to qualify for tuition benefits:
- Employee is the legal custodial parent (not necessarily biological) or guardian of the dependent*
- Employee claimed the dependent on his/her most recently filed federal tax return
- Dependent is under the age of 25 at the time of registration
*If an employee shares legal custody, policy requires that the employee’s health care coverage includes the dependent and that the employee claimed the dependent on her/his most recently filed federal tax return.
When employees and/or dependents cease to meet these guidelines, they become ineligible for tuition benefits. For example, a student who turns 25 years old during the fall semester becomes ineligible to receive tuition benefits for the spring semester.
A. Tuition Remission for Dependent Children
Faculty or staff with two consecutive years of full-time employment are eligible to participate in the Tuition Remission program for their dependent children. An employee’s child is eligible for full tuition remission when admitted to the undergraduate program at Earlham College. Tuition remission covers tuition only, and does not extend to additional costs, such as fees, room, board, and other charges.
If a dependent completes a B.A. degree without using all eight (8) semesters of eligibility, the dependent is not eligible for further assistance toward another B.A. or higher degree program.
Tuition Remission is a last-dollar tuition benefit. Tuition-specific grants or scholarships from federal, state or other sources reduce tuition benefits. For example, if Earlham tuition is $53,000 and a student receives $3,000 of combined sources of assistance, the tuition benefit becomes $50,000.
In order to qualify for assistance under this Tuition Remission program, the employee and dependent first must attempt to qualify for all potential government (federal and state) sources of aid, unless waived in writing by the Office of Human Resources before March 1 of the applicable year. Earlham Tuition Remission assistance will not be granted until the Earlham employee can demonstrate that application has been filed. The combination of Earlham and non-Earlham assistance will not exceed the total tuition costs.
Tuition Remission shall be extended to the dependent children of deceased employees and to the dependent children of employees who have retired because of age or disability, provided that the employee had a continuous service record of seven or more years of full-time service with Earlham.
Employees who are on an approved leave of absence for not more than one year may apply in writing for Tuition Remission for their dependents, stating the nature and the duration of the leave of absence, provided that they are not employed full-time elsewhere.
Students enrolled in Earlham administered off-campus study programs, either domestic or foreign, shall be entitled to the same Tuition Remission as if they were on campus, i.e. up to Earlham’s tuition. However, if they participate in an off-campus program administered by another institution the Tuition Remission shall be equal to one-half of that institution’s on-campus tuition or one-half of Earlham’s tuition, whichever is less. The other institution in which the student is enrolled must be regionally accredited.
Dependents eligible for Tuition Remission shall not be considered eligible for other Earlham scholarships.
Questions concerning eligibility or dependency that arise in the administration of this policy will be resolved by the Chief Financial Officer
B. Tuition Exchange for Dependent Children
Fulltime teaching and administrative faculty with four consecutive years of full-time employment are eligible to participate in the Tuition Exchange Program, which covers full-tuition at one of the Great Lakes Colleges Association institutions. In special situations, the dependent children of full-time Earlham staff employees may be eligible.
Employee or dependent pays the participation fee (usually 10% of tuition). Contact HR for current GLCA tuition and participation fees.
Some GLCA institutions allow their own merit scholarships to cover participation fees and other non-tuition costs. Consult with the financial aid office at the institution and ask if merit scholarships are tuition-specific or applicable to non-tuition charges.
Participating institutions establish their own deadlines for submission of the FAFSA and other required paperwork. Contact the financial aid office at the institution for details.
C. Tuition Export
Upon the completion of four consecutive years of full-time employment, employees are eligible to participate in the Tuition Export program, which covers half tuition at any other regionally accredited college or university.
This tuition benefit is equal to 50% of that institution’s tuition or 50% of Earlham’s tuition, whichever is less. The scholarship is paid directly to the institution, not to the employee or to the dependent.
Tuition benefits reduce only after grants or tuition specific scholarships from federal, state or other sources are applied to full tuition of the institution
This tuition scholarship for all the employee’s children will be limited to no more than 16 semesters (eight academic years).
Tuition scholarships for any individual shall be limited to eight (8) semesters (four academic years) at Earlham or a comparable period of time at other institutions or a combination thereof. Tuition scholarships paid for part-time enrollment during academic semesters (or other terms), or short academic terms will count as full academic semesters.
D. Tuition Remission for Employees
After the first year of employment, full-time and part-time employees will be eligible, upon written application to the Office of Human Resources, to take up to five semester-hour credits per semester at Earlham College or one graduate course at the Earlham School of Religion without paying tuition upon admission to the academic program. Graduate credit Tuition Remission grants may be considered taxable income and, if so, will be reported on the employee’s W-2.
In order to use the Tuition Remission benefit the following conditions must also be met:
- The immediate supervisor of the employee approves release time to attend the course if the course is offered during normal business hours;
- The employee shall not be paid for any working hours spent in attending the course, but if it is practical, may be granted the opportunity by the supervisor to make up the lost work time during the same workweek; and
- The requirements of the employee’s job assignment must always take priority, so that class attendance does not result in inconvenience or hardship for other employees.
E. Tuition Remission for Spouses
Earlham extends tuition remission benefits to spouses upon employee completion of two years of full-time employment. Under this benefit, an employee’s spouse may take undergraduate courses at Earlham College tuition-free if the spouse does not hold a bachelor’s or higher degree and is admitted to Earlham. Tuition Remission for spouses does not extend to classes offered by Earlham School of Religion. Waivers to this policy must be approved in writing by the Chief Academic Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, or the Dean of Earlham School of Religion.
F. Appeals Under Tuition Remission
Employees who feel that they have been denied Tuition Remission benefits to which they are entitled must submit an appeal in writing to the Chief Financial Officer before the first official day of classes of the academic semester or term at the college or university that the student is attending and for which the Tuition Remission application is being made.
CLERICAL NOTES:
February 27, 2024: Amended for clarity on the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee.
All full-time Earlham employees may enroll in a Flexible Spending Account, a special account that may be used to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care costs. Employees make pre-tax contributions to this account.
The Health FSA can be used to cover expenses of the member, spouse or dependent even if those family members are not covered under the employees medical or dental benefits. The dependent Care FSA is a pretax benefit account used to pay for eligible dependent care services such as preschool day camp or after school programs and child/or adult daycare.
For additional information on FSA options, contact the Office of Human Resources.
Earlham provides travel insurance for all employee travel related to the business of Earlham. All active full-time employees are insured up to $200,000 for traveling accidents. Part-time employees and student drivers are insured up to $100,000. The coverage begins on the first date of full-time employment and ends on the date that the employee ceases to be an eligible Earlham employee. Contact the Office of Human Resources for more information.
If an employee is called for jury duty, the employee should contact their supervisor and inform the Human Resources Office.
When an hourly/clerical staff member is required by an Officer of the Court to serve on jury duty or act as a witness in court, the employee will have the choice between receiving pay provided by the court or continue pay at the regular rate and scheduled hours. To receive regular pay from Earlham, the employee must advise the Human Resources office and, in turn, provide to Earlham an accounting of any compensation received for jury/witness duty, less any monies received for travel and lodging from the Court.
This policy described in this section of the Handbook does not apply to employees who are named as defendants, plaintiffs, or party to a case in litigation. Employees will be required to use vacation time, personal time, or an unpaid leave for such absences.
Earlham College provides certain benefits to employees who retire following years of service to the institution. Retirees are individuals who meet the following criteria:
- 10 years of continuous employment and 65 years of age, or
- 20 years of continuous employment, regardless of age
Special consideration may be given to employees who do not meet the above requirements. The president maintains sole discretion on granting retiree status not meeting the above criteria. Exceptions must be granted in writing and provided to the Office of Human Resources.
- Athletic Passes: Retired employees are provided with athletic passes so that they and their immediate family are able to attend regular-season Earlham athletic events at no charge. Contact the Athletic Office for more information.
- Bookstore: Retired employees receive the same discount on bookstore items as other employees.
- Library Privileges: With the use of their Earlham identification card, retired employees retain the same borrowing privileges in Lilly Library and in Wildman Science Library as other employees.
- Parking: Retired employees may retain their Earlham parking tags and use Earlham parking lots in the same ways as Earlham employees.
- Wellness Center: With the use of their Earlham identification card, retirees and their spouses retain all employee privileges to use the Wellness Center facilities and equipment.
Part IV: Professional Development, Performance Assessment, and Termination
The Professional Development Fund (PDF) refers to an operating account managed by the Chief Academic Officer. This account is used to make grants to teaching faculty and administrative faculty who have academic responsibilities for projects that will promote their professional growth. For details on what grants cover, please refer to information published by Academic Affairs (link here to details).
The Fund is administered by the Professional Development Fund Committee, which the Associate Academic Dean for Faculty convenes. Information and guidelines are available on the web and in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Proposals from faculty are solicited in the fall or early Spring semester for submission no later than the second Monday in February, for projects starting in March or later. Most but not all proposals are for projects to be accomplished during the summer.
It is expected that for workshops and other professional growth opportunities needed by administrative faculty to keep current in their jobs, provision should be made in departmental budgets. PDF cannot serve this purpose. Grants will not be given for professional workshops and growth opportunities for administrative faculty members that are required for their jobs. Budgeted departmental funds should be used for these purposes.
A small percentage of the yearly annual PDF fund appropriation is reserved in order to respond to requests that could not be anticipated early enough to fit in to the PDF Committee’s funding cycle. This “emergency” fund is administered by the Chief Academic Officer and Associate Academic Dean for Faculty.
Details on submission process, with forms, are located at this link.
Clerical Notes:
March 26, 2024: On the advice of the Welfare Advisory Committee and Academic Affairs, the following amendments were made to this policy:
- Date of solicitation of faculty proposals and deadline for submission amended for accuracy per Academic Affairs.
- Titles corrected: Provost corrected to Chief Academic Officer; Associate Academic Dean amended to Associate Academic Dean for Faculty.
- Links added to Academic Affairs reference page on Academic Professional Development Fund.
The NCT Fund provides reimbursement forteaching facultyfor attendance at professional meetings. Up to $1,500 is available for each full-time and regular part-time teaching faculty member. This amount may be spread over more than one conference.
Application should be made to the Provost. Email is acceptable. Faculty receiving national conference travel funds must submit receipts to receive reimbursements.
If any NCT funds are left over late in the fiscal year (June), the remaining funds may be used to reimburse faculty members further with previously un-reimbursed expense amounts. Accordingly, amounts over the amount eligible for reimbursement should also be submitted., so that if any NCT funds are left over late in the fiscal year (June), the remaining funds can be used to help faculty members further with previously un-reimbursed expense amounts. Conference attendance by administrative faculty should be supported by the budget of the faculty member’s department.
Sometimes Earlham is able to help subsidize the tuition and fees and/or travel expenses involved in a faculty member’s course work toward completion of a degree. The expense involved does not allow this subsidy to be routinely offered, and the amount of support depends on the total required, the importance of the degree to one’s future contributions at Earlham, as well as the financial situation of the college and/or the budget center at the time. Requests for help with such expenses should be discussed with and submitted to the supervisor (for administrative faculty) or the Academic Dean (for teaching faculty). Requests may also be submitted to the Professional Development Fund through their regular process, described above. It is best for the faculty member to discuss arrangements before or at the time of appointment. In the case of PDF requests, you will find it helpful to the employee should seek the counsel of the convener, who is the Associate Academic Dean.
Immediate supervisors are encouraged to schedule periodic informal sessions to discuss job performance with their staff and administrative faculty and to annually conduct a formal performance evaluation. Marginal work performance and unsatisfactory employee conduct should be discussed in a constructive manner as necessary throughout the year, and as part of the annual, formal performance assessment process.
The formal, annual assessment will normally take place in October each year. Formal assessments may take place more frequently if desired by either the employee or the supervisor. The annual job performance assessment consists of an employee self-assessment, an evaluation of the employee by the supervisor and a follow-up face-to-face discussion between the employee and the supervisor.
This written assessment is to be signed electronically by the supervisor and the employee to ensure that the employee is aware of its content and that a follow-up meeting does take place. Signing the assessment does not imply that the employee agrees with its content.
Should an employee wish to state disagreement with a supervisor’s assessment, they may do so in writing and are encouraged to discuss their disagreement with their immediate supervisor. Written disagreement of the performance assessment will be included along with the supervisor’s assessment in the employee’s Human Resources file.
These informal and formal review sessions should help employees to improve their job skills and performance over time. Job performance assessments will form part of the basis for future wage rate adjustments, promotion considerations, and other possible position changes.
Misconduct, negligence, inefficiency, unexcused or unapproved absences, insubordination, unsatisfactory job performance or violation of college policies and procedures will result in disciplinary action. A progressive discipline model is encouraged in most cases, which may include the following steps:
- Step 1: A verbal discussion or warning that specifically addresses the performance item or behavior which needs improvement. Supervisors may wish to keep notes on topics covered and the date of the discussion.
- Step 2: A written warning that specifically addresses the performance item or behavior which needs improvement. A copy of the written warning will be placed in the employee’s Human Resources file.
- Step 3: Where appropriate, a performance improvement plan may be written. This document should be as specific and clearly written as possible. It shall indicate the specific problems to be addressed and the expected outcomes. Where possible, specific timelines shall be included. In all cases, a review date shall be indicated by which time the supervisor and the faculty member shall meet to discuss the results. A copy of the performance improvement plan will be placed in the employee’s Human Resources file.
- Step 4: Demotion, suspension without pay, termination or other disciplinary actions depending on the particular situation and at the sole discretion of the College.
The following are examples of behaviors which may subject an employee to immediate termination or other disciplinary action without previous warning:
- Falsifying employment application or other Earlham records
- Theft, in any form
- Refusal to do the job assigned: willful disobedience of job instructions and orders, willful restriction of efficiency and output, and demonstrated incompetence
- Intoxication or drinking on duty
- Use, sale or possession of controlled substances on the job
- Gambling on Earlham premises
- Deliberate or intentional release of confidential information
- Willful mistreatment of an Earlham student or Earlham employee
- Willful and deliberate destruction, damage or defacement of Earlham property or equipment
- Use of obscene or profane language
- Absent three consecutive days without notice or approval of supervisor
- A threat of any act that would endanger life or property
Supervisors may, for disciplinary purposes, suspend an employee without pay for no less than one day nor more than three days for violation of college policy or for other behaviors that are contrary to Earlham’s Principles and Practices.
In the event of suspension, the supervisor will, in most instances, have authorization from the area vice president. Human Resources must be notified in writing. Notice will state the reason(s) for the suspension and its duration, and a copy of the notice will be given to the suspended employee or mailed to the employee’s last known address.
Actions including, but not limited to, violence, egregious violation of harassment and discrimination policies, or any action that jeopardizes the safety of members of the Earlham community, may be deemed by Earlham to warrant immediate termination.
Procedures for termination of tenured faculty are included in the Faculty Handbook.
If an employee chooses to terminate their employment, Earlham requests a two-week written notice be given through the employee’s supervisor. In the event that Earlham finds it necessary to terminate an employee, two-week notice may be given to the employee. In some circumstances, and at Earlham’s sole discretion, the institution may elect for immediate termination.
Each terminating staff employee should have an “exit interview” with the Human Resources on or before the employee’s final day of employment. This interview will provide the employee an opportunity to learn about insurance conversion options and to ask any other pertinent questions. All keys, employee benefit cards, and other Earlham property must be submitted to the Human Resources Office or other appropriate office at or before the last date of employment. Earlham will pursue legal action where necessary, to recoup Earlham property that is not returned or that is returned in damaged condition.
The process for termination of teaching faculty is outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
The teaching consultant works with teaching faculty, by request, on issues having to do with teaching and learning, including attending and commenting on lectures and discussions, assessing teaching strategies, and assisting with syllabus and course outline construction.
The teaching consultant is appointed by the Provost after consultation with previous consultants, normally for a two-year term and is released from 1/3 of other faculty responsibilities for this period.
Discussions with the teaching consultant will be kept private to the extent possible and will not be used as part of any performance review. During their appointment, and for a period of three years thereafter, the teaching consultant is barred from serving on the Faculty Affairs Committee, which advises the President on contract renewal and tenure decisions.
Opportunities may be presented to lead or participate in off-campus programs that are outside the responsibilities of an administrative faculty member’s position. Examples of such programs are August Wilderness, domestic and international off-campus programs, and May Term.
It is recognized these opportunities are rich professional development activities and a vehicle for administrative faculty members to serve the College community in ways beyond the contribution made on a daily basis.
Approval to lead or participate in a program must be granted by the immediate supervisor of the faculty member and by their division Vice President or Dean of the area. This approval normally needs to be secured at least six months in advance of the program; however, a division Vice President may rescind approval based on operational needs. All aspects of the impact of the administrative faculty member’s absence should be examined and resolved as part of the approval process.
Compensation
Faculty who are leading off-campus programs receive their salaries from the revenues generated by the off-campus program, and not the academic division or administrative unit budget.
If a faculty member is joining a program as a participant, then arrangements need to be made with the supervisor regarding how the time is being accounted, whether paid for by the off campus program or covered by vacation, unpaid leave, or other.
Part V: Leaves and Sabbaticals
All benefits-eligible faculty and staff qualify for paid bereavement leave. A paid leave of up to three scheduled workdays is available to arrange for and/or attend the funeral of an immediate family member. Immediate family refers to an employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, parent, grandchild, grandparent, and the “step” or in-laws of the above-named relationships.
Faculty and staff will be granted a paid absence of one scheduled workday to attend the funeral of a close relative. A close relative is defined as aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, or cousin.
There may be circumstances under which an employee is ultimately responsible for funeral arrangements for a person not specifically listed above with whom the employee had a very close relationship, or in which other extenuating circumstances, such as international travel, may be a consideration. When such circumstances arise, the employee should present a specific request for additional paid bereavement leave to their supervisor who, in consultation with the Office of Human Resources, may grant additional days with pay to facilitate arrangements and attend the funeral.
Employees should advise their supervisors as soon as practicable when there will be an absence from work due to a death in the family. If the employee needs additional time off, the employee should discuss this with their supervisor. This may be arranged with pay through another leave benefit or an excused absence without pay if the employee does not qualify for or have other leave pay benefits available.
CLERICAL NOTE:
February 6, 2024: Bereavement leave increased from 3 to 5 paid scheduled workdays to arrange for and/or attend the funeral of an immediate family member.
The President approved this amendment to Bereavement Leave upon the recommendation of the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Risk and Safety. The recommendation to increase bereavement leave emerged from Welfare Advisory Committee.
Sabbatical is an extended period of time away from work granted to teaching faculty or librarians for study, travel, or personal growth.A sabbatical leave is normally for a full academic year with half pay or one semester with full pay. Paid sabbaticals may be taken no more often than every seven years after the first sabbatical.
Teaching faculty are eligible to apply for a sabbatical only after tenure and promotion to associate rank, and seven years of continuous, full-time employment.
Untenured teaching faculty may apply for sabbatical leave after three years of continuous full-time teaching at Earlham if, prior to beginning their position at Earlham, they occupied full-time teaching positions in other colleges or universities for four or more years and did not take a sabbatical leave in the four years preceding appointment to the Earlham faculty.
Librarians are eligible to apply for sabbatical after seven years of continuous, full-time employment.
Approval of sabbatical leaves is made by the Associate Academic Dean as delegated by the Provost.
Professional Development Leave is an extended period of time away from work granted to provide learning and growth opportunities for eligible administrative faculty at Earlham. Administrative faculty shall be eligible to apply for paid Professional Development Leave after seven (7) years of full-time, consecutive employment at Earlham. Leaves may be taken no more often than every five years after the first leave.
Administrative faculty may request paid Professional Development Leave of up to 6 consecutive weeks for the acquisition or refreshment of skills that the faculty member and supervisor agree are critical to maintaining knowledge and skills in the faculty member’s field, and critical to the department or division.
Approval of such a request is at the sole discretion of the supervisor and the division Vice President or Dean. The leave shall be taken at a time that the supervisor determines will not place an undue burden on the department or division. While it may be preferable that the faculty member not take vacation days contiguous to the professional development leave, the final determination shall be made by the supervisor. Leaves of Absence
To these the College makes no financial contribution from its regular budget; i.e., funds for leaves of absence are not specifically budgeted and must be obtained from special funds available to the College or from outside sources available to the faculty member. Each such leave is an ad hoc arrangement between the individual faculty member and the College, approved by the President or Academic Dean.
These leaves are for professional development purposes separate and apart from those required by the Family and Medical Leave Act.
After one year of full-time employment, employees are eligible for Family Medical Leave Act, an unpaid, job-protected leave of absence of up to twelve (12) weeks for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.
According to the Family and Medical Leave Act, eligible employees are entitled to:
- Twelve (12) work weeks of leave in a 12-month period for:
- the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
- the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement;
- to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
- a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of their job;
- any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or
2. Twenty-six (26) work weeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the servicemember’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin (military caregiver leave).
Earlham provides eligible faculty and staff with a portion of this time as paid. Eligible employees will receive up to ten (10) days of paid Family Medical Leave in the event of a serious accident, illness or death within the faculty or staff member’s immediate family. A maximum of ten (10) days is available within two (2) fiscal years; the faculty or staff member must work for at least two (2) calendar months after utilizing Family Medical Leave.
Eligible faculty and staff members wishing to utilize a Family Medical Leave should submit a request in writing to the Office of Human Resources. Family Medical Leave runs concurrently with any other leave time and does not extend the eligible time off.
Benefits may be continued during a paid family or parental leave provided the employee pays their portion of elected benefit costs.
If the family or parental leave is extended under another type of leave, continuation of benefits will be determined by the provisions of the applicable leave. Benefits during a period of leave should be coordinated with the Director of Human Resources.
After one (1) year of full-time, continuous employment, all employees may receive up to twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave following the birth or adoption of a child. Paid parental leave is available only during the period the faculty or staff member is normally scheduled to work. For the purpose of this policy, a week is considered to be five (5) business days.
If an employee is medically unable to return to work at the end of a paid parental leave, the Paid Sick Leave and/or Intermediate Term benefits will apply. Any parental leave time will run concurrently with any eligible Family Medical Leave.
An employee is expected to notify in writing their immediate supervisor and the Director of Human Resources, as early as possible, requesting paid parental leave and stating the approximate date leave is expected to begin and end.
Teaching Faculty members will, upon written request to the Academic Dean, receive a release from teaching, advising and research duties for the full semester of their leave. Should the leave cross into two (2) semesters, the request may be made for unpaid release, outside of the twelve (12) paid weeks, for the full academic year. Tenure clock, upon request by the teaching faculty member to the Academic Dean, will be extended during the period of release received.
Teaching faculty who return to work, but are not scheduled to teach classes during the respective semester, will be asked to perform the other duties outlined in the job description for a teaching faculty member.
Staff and administrative faculty members may request an additional four (4) weeks of unpaid leave, following the twelve (12) paid weeks, to total sixteen (16) weeks of leave. If available, staff members may also choose to use accrued sick time. Neither paid sick time nor personal time can be used to extend Staff leave beyond sixteen (16) total weeks.
Faculty and staff may utilize accrued vacation time, with their supervisor’s approval, to extend their time off with pay.
An employee is expected to notify in writing their immediate supervisor and the Director of Human Resources as early as possible, requesting paid parental leave and stating the approximate date leave is expected to begin and end.
In the event of a birth or adoption where both parents are employed by Earlham, the parents will share a total of fourteen (14) weeks of paid leave and the increment for each may be determined by the parents.
Except as required by the Family and Medical Leave Act, Earlham does not provide fringe benefits to faculty members on unpaid leaves, although the faculty member may, at their own expense, pay in advance for such benefits. Time on unpaid leave shall not count for the accumulation of service time toward fringe benefit eligibility. Teaching faculty members eligible for tenure may request an extension of their contract renewal and/or tenure decision if paid and/or unpaid leaves result in not teaching for one or more academic terms.
Part VI: Additional College Policies
In general, employees are not permitted to be in secured areas of the campus outside of their own work area, unless authorized by their supervisor or an officer of the College or ESR. With few exceptions (for example, 3rd shift security officers), employees are not permitted to spend the night on campus without written permission from their supervisor or an officer of the College. An exception is a student or College event that is open to the Earlham community.
- Conflicts of Interest and Conflicts of Commitment
- An actual or potential conflict of interest occurs when an employee, a close relative, or a person or organization with whom the employee is associated has an existing or potential financial or other interest or obligation which relates to or influences the employee’s Earlham responsibilities. For the purposes of this policy, a relative is any person who is related by blood or marriage, or whose relationship with the employee is similar to that of persons who are related by blood or marriage.
- Employees may also face conflicts of commitment, which is a type of conflict of interest. Conflicts of commitment relate to an individual’s distribution of effort between their Earlham employment and to external activities. A Conflict of Commitment can arise when the external activities interfere with the Earlham employee’s ability to perform their employment duties to Earlham.
- External activities may include (but are not limited to) employment outside the college, involvement with professional societies, community service, conferences, consulting, and other business activities.
- Although a specific work-week is not defined for teaching faculty and full-time exempt staff, it is expected that such positions constitute a full-time obligation. Accordingly, external activities must be arranged so as not to interfere with the primary full-time commitment of Earlham employment.
- It is possible to have a conflict of commitment even if the individual does not receive compensation for the external activity.
- External activities may include (but are not limited to) employment outside the college, involvement with professional societies, community service, conferences, consulting, and other business activities.
- This policy does not prohibit an employee from pursuing those teaching, research, and professional and public service activities which will not result in such a conflict, nor prohibit an employee from accepting pay, compensation, fees, honoraria, or reimbursement of expenses which may be offered in connection with such activities, provided that any such activities do not otherwise violate this Handbook or other Earlham policy. Earlham has additional policies related to grant funding that may be found in the policies maintained by the Grants and Sponsored Research office.
- Responsibility to Disclose
- If an employee believes a conflict of interest may exist, the employee shall promptly and fully disclose the conflict to the appropriate administrator – generally the employee’s supervisor or departmental head – and shall refrain from participating in any way in the matter to which the conflict relates until the conflict question has been resolved. An employee may consult with Human Resources to identify the appropriate administrator if the sensitivity of the situation suggests the employee’s supervisor may not be appropriate. An employee may also signal a perceived conflict of interest through the Whistleblower policies.
- If it appears that a material conflict may arise between the personal interest or external activities of an employee and the employee’s responsibilities to Earlham, the employee shall notify the appropriate administrator by submitting a written statement describing the nature of the possible conflict.
- If an employee is in doubt as to whether the employee is confronted with a potential conflict of interest, the employee shall consult with the appropriate administrator to determine if the outside interests could conflict impermissibly with employee’s obligations to the Earlham.
- The appropriate administrator shall promptly notify the employee or associate in writing that: (a) there is no conflict and the employee may proceed; (b) there may be a conflict and further consultation is necessary prior to reaching a determination; or (c) there is a conflict and the employee shall not proceed. In some cases, it may be determined that after full disclosure, Earlham’s interests are best served by participation of the employee despite the conflict or appearance of conflict.
- The employee may appeal the administrator’s decision to the Chief Financial Officer.
- The employee must report any significant changes in the outside interest that occur during the year and consult with the appropriate administrator if the undertaking of a new outside interest is considered.
- Consequences for Violations of this Policy
Employees found in violation of this policy will be subject to discipline up to and including termination.
Regardless of position or contact, an employee’s professional responsibilities make it possible for that employee to influence the status or circumstances of any student; therefore, Earlham prohibits all employees from entering into amorous relationships with students.
Efforts by employees to initiate or oblige romantic or sexual relationships with students is considered a violation of Earlham policy and subject to disciplinary action, including but not limited to termination of employment.
When there is a preexisting consensual sexual or romantic relationship between an employee and a student, the employee must:
- Recuse themselves from any supervisory or evaluative authority over the student, and
- Notify their supervisor and the Office of Human Resources about the situation so that adequate alternative supervisory or evaluative arrangements can be put in place. Teaching faculty or administrators with teaching loads must also notify the office of the Provost.
Please refer to Earlham’s Employee-Student Amorous Relationships Policy.
Earlham College is committed to protecting the safety, health and well-being of all employees, students, and individuals on our campus. We recognize that alcohol abuse and drug use pose a significant threat to our goals. We have established a drug-free school and workplace program that balances our respect for individuals with the need to maintain an alcohol, tobacco and illegal drug-free environment.
Please refer to the Alcohol and Drug-Free Campus and Workplace Policy.
A. Approval of Emeritus Status
Emeritus Status may be granted when a full-time member of the teaching faculty has served Earlham for a minimum of 10 years and leaves Earlham for retirement.
Near the start of the spring semester, the Provost asks all division conveners for a list of any colleagues who have announced pending retirements or who have retired. Conveners provide brief bios as well as a brief paragraph with a rationale as to why emeritus status should be granted.
The Provost and President (or Dean of the Earlham School of Religion) determine whether a faculty member is to be granted Emeritus status.
B. Privileges
Faculty granted emeritus status enjoy the following benefits:
- Baccalaureate and Commencement: Emeriti faculty are encouraged to attend and be part of the academic procession at the Baccalaureate and the Commencement ceremonies.
- E-mail: Emeriti faculty retain e-mail access and privileges indefinitely.
- Faculty Meeting for Business: Emeriti faculty may attend and observe the Faculty Meeting for Business.
- Community Lunch: Emeriti faculty are encouraged to attend the regular Community Lunch.
- Faculty Retreat: Emeriti faculty are encouraged to attend and be part of Faculty Retreat.
C. Revocation of Emeritus Status
At the sole discretion of Earlham College, Emeritus Status may be revoked at any time. Without limiting such discretion, revocation may occur when it is determined that the individual’s conduct, before or after receiving the Emeritus designation, conflicts with the intent and spirit of the designation and/or causes harm to Earlham’s reputation. The President is authorized to make the decision to revoke Emeritus Status. The President shall inform the affected individual, and shall notify the Board of Trustees, for information purposes, as well as the Chief Academic Officer, appropriate Division Convener, or administrative officer. A determination specific to the position of President shall be made by the Board of Trustees. This section is intended to confirm the existing “at will” nature of Emeritus Status and thus applies to all individuals who currently hold Emeritus Status or may be granted such status in the future.
Employee Council provides a communication link between clerical/hourly staff and the College. The committee serves as a staff nominating committee when needed and allocates staff professional development funds in response to employee requests.
Seven Employee Council members are chosen by clerical/hourly staff annually. A Human Resources designate also attends all Employee Council meetings. Employees serve three-year staggered terms. Approved minutes from these meetings should be
placed in Community Documents in a timely manner.
Employee Council normally meets on a monthly basis, but may schedule more frequent meetings if a matter requires special consideration.
Committee Assignments
Employee Council assigns representatives to the following committees: Budget, Welfare, Wellness, Grievance Council, and Campus Life Advisory Committee.
Employee Council also names observers to the Faculty Meeting and to the Board of Trustees meeting. If those meetings occur on days or at times not normally worked, then the employee required to attend as a result of official membership on the committee will be compensated at their usual rate or at their overtime rate, if applicable.
A. Internal Speakers
Earlham employees who guest lecture in a class should ordinarily not be paid to do so.
When Earlham faculty are asked to give presentations during times when they are notordinarily under obligation at Earlham (for example teaching faculty during the summer), stipends can be provided. These vary widely, depending on the source and amount of available funding
B. Stipends for Extra Service
Teaching faculty are sometimes asked to attend committee meetings or working sessions between one academic year’s Commencement and a new year’s Faculty Retreat. Where possible, the College will attempt to compensate them for this extra service. Consult with the Chief Academic Officer’s office for current rate.
Administrative faculty are usually on 12-month appointments, with vacation day allowed as specified in Benefits Section 13. If they participate in workshops, meetings etc., during the summer, it is presumed that this is a part of their responsibilities and therefore is not eligible for additional compensation.
C. Outside Employment / Moonlighting
Earlham recognizes the right of employees to engage in employment opportunities outside of Earlham. Outside employment must not conflict with the duties, responsibilities, and regular periods of work of Earlham employees. Earlham relies on the judgment and integrity of employees to avoid conflicts of commitment.
Guidelines
- For full-time employees, employment at Earlham is considered to be the primary appointment and employment elsewhere should not interfere with this primary job commitment.
- Employees who accept employment elsewhere in addition to Earlham employment must be aware of any Earlham requirement to work extra hours at scheduled or unscheduled times. Earlham expects employees to meet these requirements in spite of other employment commitments.
- When an employee is appointed to a full-time position, a conflict of commitment is presumed should that employee accept a full-time appointment elsewhere.
- All Earlham employees must avoid outside employment that creates a conflict of interest. See the Conflicts of Interest Policy.
CLERICAL NOTES
February 21, 2024: Provost amended to Chief Academic Officer.