Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
January 18, 2002

Council developing severance package proposal

by Anne Krapfl
Severance pay equal to three months of salary and payment for at least some accumulated sick leave for employees whose jobs are eliminated are part of a proposal in the works by the Professional and Scientific Council. Members of the council's compensation and benefits committee are drafting a policy that would replace the current "dismissal due to reorganization or financial conditions" policy governing P&S employees. Their proposal was introduced at the council's Jan. 3 meeting and will be discussed again at its Feb. 6 meeting.

In introducing the proposal, Barry McCroskey, who chairs the committee, said committee members believe a severance package is a "fair and reasonable thing to do." The proposal also would guarantee P&S employees the option of using accrued vacation time during the existing 90-day notice period to search for another job, as well as access to university computers, e-mail, the Internet, and copy and fax machines to help in the search.

Human resource services director Carla Espinoza, who regularly attends council meetings, raised two concerns about the proposal. She said severance pay would delay the date employees could begin collecting unemployment compensation by three months, during which time they wouldn't have health benefits. She also said sick leave is part of the benefits package at Iowa State, not part of a person's compensation package. Sick leave can't be distributed as income, she said.

Compensation and benefits committee members will continue to discuss and refine their proposal before the next council meeting. One option could be to request an opportunity to convert some accrued sick leave to payable vacation when a person's job is eliminated.

McCroskey said current planning to deal with shrinking budgets spurred the committee's discussion. But he added that, given the tight job market, the committee is trying to take better care, for the long run, of P&S employees whose jobs are eliminated.

In other P&S announcements:

The annual joint P&S-ISU Extension professional development day has been set for Tuesday, April 9, at The Hotel at Gateway Center, Ames. The keynote address, "Putting the Spirit of Work to Work," will be presented by motivational speaker James Autrey, Des Moines. The registration fee for the day-long conference is $60.

P&S employees are asked to discard the 3-ring notebook version of the P&S Handbook, first issued in 1993, which no longer is a source of current, reliable information. Human resource services staff are updating the online version of the handbook, available at the HR Web site. In the meantime, questions about P&S policy can be directed to Carla Espinoza, 4-6458; or Marlise McCammon, 4-9131. The council's next meeting begins at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, in the Memorial Union Pioneer Room. At noon in the same location, ISU Foundation President Tom Mitchell will give a short presentation and respond to questions on the future of the foundation and its relationship to the university.