See Salary Administration Policy Changes under Items of Interest.

• Demotions may be (1) voluntary, (2) involuntary, or (3) disciplinary:
  
  1. A voluntary demotion occurs when the employee initiates or requests the demotion.
  2. An involuntary demotion occurs when the position which an employee occupies is reclassified to a lower level or when the demotion is due to inadequate performance or a matter of organizational necessity, such as reductions-in-force.
  3. A disciplinary demotion occurs when the demotion is imposed upon the employee as a disciplinary measure.
• Staff members who have served less than six months in their current position must have the permission of their supervisor/unit head before applying for a position which represents a voluntary demotion.
• Upon demotion, if an employee’s salary exceeds the maximum of the new lower salary grade, the employee’s salary will be reduced to at least the maximum of the new salary grade.  Rate on demotion is reviewed on an individual basis and must be approved by the Vice President for Human Resources.

Salary Administration Policy Changes

PER 5.01 Discipline 

PER 5.04 Appeals

A demotion occurs when an employee moves from a position in one class to a different position in a different class assigned to a lower pay grade. A demotion may occur either within a department or between two departments.

Voluntary  

• Staff members who wish to apply for a demotion must complete or update their Application for Employment with the Human Resources Department. The Human Resources Department will refer only the applications of those who best meet the qualifications established for the vacancy to the appropriate individual in the department for consideration. Upon request by the employing department, however, all applicants who meet the established qualifications will be referred for consideration.
• Following a referral by the Human Resources Department and a preliminary interview with the employing department to determine the appropriateness of their qualifications and their interest in the duties, responsibilities, and working conditions associated with the new position, employees should notify their supervisor of interest in a specific opportunity. All applications shall be considered confidential by the Human Resources Department until the applicant has been determined to be a finalist for a position. At this time, the employee must inform his or her supervisor of the interest in another position.
• The final decision for accepting or rejecting a particular applicant is made by the supervisor/department head as indicated in PeopleSoft, and is subject to review by Human Resources Department to assure compliance with affirmative action requirements.
• Human Resources Department will be responsible for promptly notifying applicants of decisions regarding employment.
• While the Employee Relations and Compliance Office has final responsibility and authority to ensure that all personnel transactions are consistent with the University Affirmative Action Plan in the principle of non-discrimination, the Employee Relations and Compliance Office has delegated to the Human Resources Department day-to-day responsibility to ensure that demotion decisions are made in a non-discriminatory manner.

Involuntary

• The Vice President for Human Resources will, if requested, assist the affected employee in attempting to transfer into a suitable position elsewhere in the university.

Disciplinary

• Disciplinary action may take the form of demotion of the staff member (Section PER-5.01, Disciplinary Action).

Appeals

• Because a voluntary demotion is initiated or requested by an employee, no appeal may be filed. In instances of involuntary demotion or disciplinary demotions, a regular status employee has the right of appeal as outlined in Section PER-5.04, Appeals.

Application for Employment