Staff Grievances

The University of Arkansas encourages fair, efficient, and equitable solutions for problems that might arise out of the employment relationship. Therefore, this policy has been adopted to provide an avenue of resolving grievances for all staff employees. Note that different grievance policies exist for faculty members.

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Who can file a grievance:

All appointed employees, classified or non-classified, of the U of A who are not otherwise eligible for the faculty grievance process. Employee categories are defined in Section 2 of the Staff Handbook

Non-appointed employees (such as hourly employees) may consult with the Grievance Officer but are expected to address issues through their supervisory chain.

What is a Grievance?

A grievance is defined as:

• An alleged misinterpretation, misapplication, or violation of a specific provision of university policy that materially affects the grievant’s terms and conditions of employment; and/or,
• Bullying – this includes, but is not limited to, repeated and ongoing acts of intimidation, humiliation, or ridicule - either written, verbal, electronic, or physical - against the grievant that materially interferes with the work environment; and/or
• Terminations that are deemed to be “terminations-for-cause” as defined in Section 10.4 of the Staff Handbook.

Excluded from the grievance process are:

• Issues related to wages, salary, or benefits involving reappointment, performance evaluation, reassignment of duties, or demotions or promotions, are not due to a failure of the university to follow established policy;
• Alternative work arrangements or scheduling;
• Classification of positions;
• Separation of employment (whether voluntary or involuntary) except “terminations for cause”;
• Retrenchment of employees pursuant to Board Policy 405.5;
• Falsification of application materials; and/or
• Personality disputes.

Informal Grievance

The grievance process is designed to help employees resolve issues as easily as possible. If you are a staff employee and just want to discuss a situation, the informal grievance process allows for simple discussions to understand the situation and advise on how to proceed. Resolutions within the informal grievance can be found with or without the assistance of the Grievance Officer, but if you need someone to talk to or just have a question, we are here to help.

Formal Grievance

If you are unable to resolve the issue through the informal procedure you may still have the ability to appeal the decision taken against you through the formal grievance procedure. If you feel as though your situation can no longer be resolved through the informal grievance process or you were terminated for cause, please contact the Grievance Officer to discuss your concerns.

University policy prohibits any form of retaliation against people who initiate or participate in the grievance procedure. While such retaliation is prohibited, the filing of a grievance shall not prevent an employment action taken for bona-fide, non-retaliatory reasons that are independent of the filing of the grievance. Employees who have initiated a grievance are responsible for performing their job duties and complying with all university policies, and the filing of a grievance does not preclude these obligations.

For the complete text of the staff grievance procedure policy, please refer to the Staff Grievance Procedure