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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.
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Ames, Iowa 50011, (515) 294-4111
Published by: University Relations,
online@iastate.edu
Copyright © 1995-2001, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.
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