Pol-Demotions

policy Demotions modified Fri Jun 27 2025 15:47:57 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

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University of Louisville

OFFICIAL
UNIVERSITY
ADMINISTRATIVE
POLICY

POLICY NAME

Demotions

EFFECTIVE DATE

May 1, 1992

POLICY NUMBER

PER-2.07

POLICY APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to University of Louisville staff.

POLICY STATEMENT
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
DEFINITIONS

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.

PROCEDURES

A.  Voluntary

  1. Staff members who wish to apply for a demotion must complete or update their Application for Employment.  All applications submitted will be routed to the appropriate individual in the department, or their designee, for review. The hiring manager, or their designee, will be responsible for screening and dispositioning the applications. Only those candidates who best meet the established qualifications for the position should be selected for further consideration.
  2. Following 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.
  3. The final decision for accepting or rejecting a particular applicant is made by the supervisor/department head as indicated in Workday, and is subject to review by Human Resources Department to ensure consistency with university hiring policies and applicable employment regulations.
  4. Human Resources Department will be responsible for promptly notifying applicants of decisions regarding employment.
  5. The Human Resources Office has final responsibility and authority to ensure that all personnel transactions are consistent with the University policies 

B.  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.

C.  Disciplinary

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

D.  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.

FORMS/ONLINE PROCESSES
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY

Vice President for Human Resources

RESPONSIBLE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT/DIVISION

Human Resources
215 Central Avenue, Suite 205
Phone: 502-852-6258
Email: askhr@louisville.edu

HISTORY

Revision Date(s): July 8, 2014; August 29, 2019 (template revision); August 27, 2020 (minor revision); December 14, 2021 (minor edits); August 24, 2022 (minor edit);  June 27, 2025

Reviewed Date(s): March 8, 2016;  June 13, 2025

The University Policy and Procedure Library is updated regularly. In order to ensure a printed copy of this document is current, please access it online at http://louisville.edu/policies.