Layoffs, reduction, and ending employment due to lack of work or funding
Table of Contents
Layoffs for permanent staff and regular professional staff
Separation for probationary staff
Layoffs for represented student employees and academic personnel
Probationary period separation for academic personnel
Other Temporary HR Actions for Academic Personnel
When a department must end employment due to insufficient work or funding, a layoff is typically the appropriate action. However, the layoff process and associated rights apply only to specific employee types. The following information provides an overview of the requirements for notifying employees when their positions are being eliminated due to stop work orders or unanticipated loss of federal funding.
Layoffs for permanent staff and regular professional staff
Regular classified and contract covered staff who have completed their probationary period and regular professional staff may be laid off when their position is being eliminated due to lack of work or funding.
Notification requirements
Employees who are laid off must receive written notice of a pending layoff that is signed by the employing unit’s appointing authority or designee. Appointing units must provide at least the amount of advance notice required by the employee’s employment program or collective bargaining agreement as follows:
| Employment Group/Union | Layoff Notice Period |
|---|---|
| Classified non-union (CNU) | 15 calendar days |
| Inlandboatmen’s Union | 15 calendar days in accordance with civil service rules |
| Professional staff | 30 calendar days |
| SAG-AFTRA | (90) calendar days in advance, but no less than thirty (30) calendar days |
| SEIU 925 | 30 calendar days |
| SEIU 925 Libraries (professional libraries and press employees) | 45 calendar days |
| SEIU 925 IHME | 45 calendar days |
| UAW RSEs | 45 days, however: “This Article does not apply to emergency layoffs due to acts of nature, financial emergencies, suspension of operations, or furloughs.” |
| SEIU 1199 Hall Health | 30 calendar days |
| SEIU 1199 HMC ALNW | 30 calendar days |
| SEIU 1199 UWMC NW | 30 calendar days |
| Teamsters 117 Police | 30 calendar days |
| WFSE | 30 calendar days |
| WFSE Police Management | 20 working days |
| WSNA Montlake | 30 calendar days |
| WSNA Northwest | 30 calendar days |
Process
Please work with your Human Resources Consultant on all layoffs and consult the Layoff and Reduction webpage for more information.
Separation for probationary staff
Probationary employees being separated due to lack of work or lack of funds must receive at least one calendar days’ notice. Because probationary employees have not completed their probationary period, achieved permanency and earned seniority rights, the typical layoff process does not apply.
All contract covered staff and classified staff serve a probationary period. Units can check the probationary service period end dates for employees in Workday by using the R0491 Probationary Period Audit report. End dates are not automatically adjusted on a day-for-a-day basis and may need to be corrected. Please reach out to HCM Operations for assistance.
Separation process
Use the Hourly Student, Intermittent, and Nonpermanent Notice Template (MS Word) form to provide notice to employees about their probationary period separation. Units are encouraged to provide the End of Employment Guide for Probationary, Fixed-Term, Intermittent, and Nonpermanent Positions (PDF) with the notice.
Layoffs for represented student employees and academic personnel
The following groups of personnel may be laid off due to lack of work or lack of funds in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement.
| Employment Group/Union | Layoff Notice Period |
|---|---|
| UAW ASEs | One month in advance or as soon as practicable unless the layoff is considered an “emergency layoff.” An emergency layoff is the suspension of an appointment to which an ASE is assigned or is working due to acts of nature or financial emergency.” |
| UAW Postdoctoral scholars | 60 calendar days, unless the layoff is considered an “emergency layoff” due to an act of nature, a financial emergency, or a suspension of operations. |
| AFT | 45 days |
| SEIU 925 Libraries (librarians only) | Permanent librarians: 6 months, unless the reason is loss of funds |
Process
Please work with your Human Resources Consultant on all academic layoffs.
Probationary period separation for academic personnel
Represented extension lecturers may be separated due to lack of work or lack of funds with at least one calendar days’ notice.
Process
Please work with your Human Resources Consultant on all represented academic personnel probationary period separations.
Other Temporary HR Actions for Academic Personnel
Research Faculty and WOT Faculty
Research and Without Tenure (WOT) faculty who are paid for all or part of their salary through external sources and who temporarily may be unable to meet their funding obligation may be placed in reduced responsibility status as described in GIM 38 – Faculty Reduced Responsibility Status Involving External Funding. Review appointment letters and Faculty Code 24.21 to confirm requirements and then reduce the faculty member’s effort in accordance with the percentage of their pay supported by federal funding to no less than 5% FTE (for the purposes of supporting their efforts to source new grant funding).
Faculty on an H1-B or similar visa cannot be put on reduced responsibility. Contact International Scholars Operations with questions.
Fully-tenured faculty or faculty on annual or multi-year term appointments
Fully-tenured faculty or faculty on annual or multi-year term appointments should not have their FTE reduced without their initiation. Departments must utilize internal funding to maintain their salaries.
Nonpermanent, intermittent and hourly paid fixed term staff
Nonpermanent, intermittent and hourly paid fixed term staff do not have layoff rights. Except for nonpermanent and intermittent employees covered by the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), nonpermanent and intermittent employees may be separated from employment with one workday’s notice prior to the conclusion of the appointment.
Use the Hourly Student, Intermittent, and Nonpermanent Notice Template (MS Word) form to provide notice to employees about early conclusion of their appointment. Units are encouraged to provide the End of Employment Guide for Probationary, Fixed-Term, Intermittent, and Nonpermanent Positions (PDF) with the notice.
Student hourly employees
The duration of a student hourly position is subject to the needs of the employing unit and may be ended as determined by the unit for reasons unrelated to the student’s job performance.
Use the Hourly Student, Intermittent, and Nonpermanent Notice Template (MS Word) to provide notice to nonrepresented student hourly employees about early conclusion of their job.
Stipend recipients
Stipend recipients have funding set by their funding agency. Conduct an individualized review of their award letter. If the letter doesn’t allow for temporary measures, funding will need to be maintained through other non-grant or contract sources.