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Category: Employee Relations

Employee Relations

Executive Office Employee Relations supports fair, professional, and compliant workplace relationships within the EO. The Associate Director of Employee Relations provides consultation on a wide range of employee-related issues and partners with central HR and Labor Relations to resolve complex matters.

Employee Relations is responsible for:

  • Advising on performance management best practices
  • Collaborating with HR partners to manage leave and accommodation requests
  • Consulting with supervisors and employees on workplace environment concerns
  • Resolving workplace conflict and supporting conflict resolution processes
  • Partnering with HR and Labor Relations to resolve grievances
  • Supporting onboarding and offboarding processes
  • Ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements and University policy

By partnering with EOHR Employee Relations, your unit can ensure that it is following the best HR practices, aligning with University standards, and working to maintain a positive and equitable work environment.

Explore Employee Relations

Diversity Equity & Inclusion

University resources to support an inclusive workplace.

Learn about DEI

Onboarding & Offboarding

Onboarding and offboarding support for employees and supervisors, with guides and resources to ensure smooth transitions at every stage.

Hire Staff

Outside Work Agreement

Guidelines and submission steps required for Outside Work Agreements.

Hire Students

Peformance & Professional Development

Guidance on year-round performance management, including reviews, professional development, and employee recognition.

View PPD Resources

University Resources

Links to key UW HR contacts, employee benefits, workplace resources, and support services available to Executive Office employees.

View University Resources

Onboarding & Offboarding

The Executive Office HR team is committed to ensuring a seamless onboarding and offboarding experience. We support the onboarding process for new hires and their supervisors within the Executive Office organization, as well as the offboarding process for departing employees and their supervisors. Our goal is to facilitate effective transitions for every employee, providing the necessary support throughout the process.

EOHR’s Role in the Onboarding Process

  • Onboarding Support for New Hires: We guide new employees through the onboarding process, helping to ensure they know to complete all necessary tasks.
  • Supervisor Assistance: We support supervisors of the newly hired employees in coordinating the onboarding experience, providing resources and guidance for a successful start.
  • New Manager Support: The Employee Relations Associate Director meets with new employees moving into managerial roles to offer guidance on becoming an effective and supportive supervisors.
  • Employee Relations Support: The EOHR Associate Director of Employee Relations is available to assist all employees in the Executive Office organization, new or established, with any employee relations matters.
  • Training Guidance: We inform new hires about required university trainings they need to complete.
  • Resource Access: We connect employees with essential resources and support services available at the University of Washington.

EOHR’s Role in the Offboarding Process

  • Offboarding Support for Employees: We guide employees through the offboarding process, helping to ensure they know to complete all necessary tasks.
  • Supervisor Assistance: We support supervisors of the departing employee by coordinating the offboarding experience, providing resources and guidance for a proper exit. As well, we are available to provide guidance for the supervisor regarding any interim staffing needs.
  • Exit Interview Availability: Upon request, the EOHR Associate Director of Employee Relations is available to meet with the employee going through the offboarding process.
  • Employee Relations Support: The EOHR Associate Director of Employee Relations is available to assist all employees in the Executive Office organization with any employee relations matters, during any phase of the offboarding process or otherwise.
  • Resource Access: We connect employees with essential resources and support services available at the University of Washington.

EOHR Onboarding & Offboarding Guides

Employees

Onboarding Guide

New Employee

This guide provides clear steps for HR/Payroll onboarding for all Executive Office employees, along with answers to frequently asked questions.

Go to the Employee Onboarding Guide

Offboarding Checklist

Employee

The offboarding checklist provides departing employees with essential information and to-do’s for a smooth transition.

Go to the Checklist

Supervisors

Onboarding Guide

Supervisor

This guide assists supervisors onboard new hires.

Go to the Supervisor Onboarding Guide

Offboarding Guide

Supervisor

The offboarding guide provides supervisors a plan with clear offboarding procedures.

Go to the Supervisor Offboarding Guide

Support Contact

Contact the Executive Office HR team for any inquiries or additional information regarding EOHR onboarding services.

Contact Terry Wilson, Associate Director of Employee Relations, for questions related to an employee relations matter, onboarding-related, or otherwise.

University Resources

UW Human Resources

Additional Campus Resources

Outside Work Agreement

The UW Outside Work Request for Approval form [PDF] for staff positions is required to be completed any time a UW employee is engaging in work (whether paid or unpaid) that is outside of the University.

The form should be completed and signed by the employee, then routed to the appropriate individuals for Section II (supervisor) and Section III (department director/head) for approval. Finally, the form, and any accompanying supporting documentation, should be routed to the Executive Office HR team. EOSS is responsible for reviewing the form and securing the final approval in Section IV (Unit Administrative Head).

Guidelines

The following are critical guidelines to ensure you have correctly filled out the Outside Work Request for Approval form and provided additional supporting documentation before submitting it to the Executive Office HR team for final approval:

  • Dates of work: Outside Work Request Forms for the Executive Office cannot be approved on an “indefinite” basis. Instead, the “dates of work” section should reflect no more than a 12-month period. If the work is continuing beyond a 12-month period, a new Outside Work Request form must be completed and submitted for approval.
  • Describe the activities: Include full details of job duties/responsibilities for the outside work and whether the work is compensated. An additional sheet can be used in order to capture all relevant details.
  • When will work be performed: Additional details should be provided (using an additional sheet) to capture the schedule of outside work, such as date(s) of performance and hours per day.

Support Contact

Contact the Executive Office HR team for any inquiries or additional information regarding this form or the Executive Office guidelines.

Performance & Professional Development

Performance Management Throughout the Year

Effective performance management is a continuous, positive collaboration between you and your employees all year round. Be proactive in managing your employees and their individual and collective goals by using the following guidelines:

Performance Management Throughout the Year

Meet with your employees regularly, formally and informally, so that you can provide timely feedback about the employee’s performance. Regularly scheduled team check-in or stand-up meetings offer the opportunity for you and your employees to connect on day-to-day items, report out on ongoing projects or processes, and share out information regarding new or upcoming issues or events.

In addition to group check-ins, you should be holding regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports to provide individualized performance management and coaching, including developing and documenting your employee’s immediate and long-term plans and goals. During these one-on-one meetings, be sure to discuss any additional support or training your employee may need to accomplish those goals and further their professional development.

Encourage a two-way dialogue with your employees. A clearly communicated open-door policy is good. Actively initiating conversations with your staff is even better. Foster an environment where employees feel safe to discuss work challenges and mistakes freely. You cannot help if you do not know a problem exists, and your employees may not communicate openly if they fear there will be repercussions for their honesty and openness.

Do not let performance issues linger. Addressing them immediately is the best way to prevent challenges from snowballing into problems, then into formal corrective action. Focus on being an effective coach so that you spend less time — or maybe no time at all — correcting performance.

If an individual’s goals change, such as a change in duties or the need for additional training or development, be sure to document the changes and give the employee a copy of the revised goals. Throughout the year, keep notes on your employees’ achievements and performance. This information will come in handy when it is time again for annual performance reviews, to ensure that there are no “surprises” during the annual review.

We encourage all managers to consult UW HR’s detailed Performance Management Supervisor Guide, for further guidance and resources on performance management. If, after following these steps and addressing and documenting performance issues, you have an employee who is not meeting expectations of the position, consult with Executive Office Shared Environment for further guidance.

Performance Review

Performance Review

Formal performance reviews should be completed on at least an annual basis. Semiannual or quarterly reviews may be implemented, so long as you are consistently following the same review structure and schedule for all of your direct reports.

For new classified staff positions, a performance evaluation should be completed in advance of the end of the six-month probationary period and then continue on at least an annual basis thereafter. Although Professional Staff employees do not have a probationary period, new Pro Staff employees should have a formal performance evaluation completed at the six-month mark and then continue on at least an annual basis thereafter.

The annual review is intended to provide an assessment of the employee’s performance over the past year, as well as set plans and goals for the upcoming year. It is also necessary for the purposes of informing merit increases.

The timing of the annual review is set by the Executive Office HR team. During spring quarter, a communication will go out to all supervisors asking that all annual performance evaluations be completed by a certain deadline. All performance review documentation (e.g. email to employee summarizing meeting, evaluation forms, etc.) should be forwarded to Terry Wilson, Associate Director for HR Employee Relations, by that deadline.

The format for the annual review should follow the recommendations on the UW HR Performance Management and UW HR Labor Relations/Union websites. Consult the UW HR Manager’s Guide to Performance Management and use the following forms and guides.

Peer evaluations for Professional Staff can also be used to gain feedback on employee performance, especially in the areas of collaborative teamwork, customer service, or client relations. These are areas that you may not directly observe in your capacity as supervisor. If you decide to use peer feedback as part of the annual review process, be sure to implement the practice consistently across all employees who report to you.

UW HR Performance Feedback Form

Professional Development

Within the availability of your unit’s resources, we encourage all managers to promote professional development and career enhancement for all employees. Investing in the development of your employees is key to retaining talented personnel and boosting employee engagement and performance. Professional development can take many forms based on the goals of the employee, the needs of the unit, and the resources available.

Professional Development

UW’s Professional and Organization Development (POD) offers courses, certificate programs, leadership training, webinars, and one-on-one coaching for employees. Encourage your employees to explore the options available via UW Professional & Organizational Development (POD).

External training, certification programs, workshops, and conferences are also opportunities for your employees to keep up to date on the trends, technologies, skills, policies, and other characteristics of their field. Encourage your employees to be proactive in researching opportunities, and be sure to consult with the Executive Office HR team to discuss available funding before approving any requests.

Cross-training among your team members is an excellent way to promote professional growth for your employees while also addressing business continuity. For critical functions or processes within your unit, be sure that multiple individuals are cross-trained (and stay current with the training) to ensure readiness in the event of a gap or disruption.

Employee Recognition

Recognition of meritorious work can boost employee engagement. Recognition can be awarded individually or collectively, formally or informally, publicly or privately. Communicate with your employees on how they like to be recognized.

Employee Recognition

The UW has a formal recognition program based on years of service. Notifications of upcoming service anniversaries are sent directly to the Manager listed in Workday along with instructions for the employee’s selection of the service recognition gift. Please consult the UW Service Recognition webpage for additional information.

If you would like to develop your own recognition plan for your unit, please consult with the Executive Office HR team on appropriate criteria, budgets, and allowable funding and activities.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and in the Executive Office. We are committed to building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment for all students, staff, and faculty. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by introducing us to a broad range of ways to understand and engage with the world, identify challenges, and discover, design, and deliver solutions.

DEI Definitions

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is not just a phrase; each word communicates distinct values.

Diversity
The representation of different and unique identities, characteristics, experiences and perspectives.
Equity
Giving everyone what they need to succeed by increasing access, resources, and opportunities for all; especially for those who are underrepresented and have been historically disadvantaged.
Inclusion
A welcoming culture in which differences are celebrated and everyone is valued, respected, and able to reach their full potential.

Resources

For more information, resources, or ways to get involved, review the following resources:

Equity Focus | Diversity at the UW
UW Diversity website

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
UW Human Resources DEI site

Faculty & staff | Diversity at the UW
UW faculty & staff DEI resources

Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity
The CCDE strives to be a space where our community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni gather to promote greater equity.

Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity
The Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity (CERSE) focuses on conducting high quality program evaluation and research to improve equity and broaden representation in STEM fields, with a focus on higher education.

D Center
The D Center is UW’s Disability and d/Deaf Cultural center is located in the Husky Union Building – Room 327, where students can study, organize, rest, or hang out with fellow students and other community members.

Diversity Research Centers & Institutes
Various centers and institutes conducting research on the benefits of cultural diversity, as well as its challenges. This generates new knowledge that has economic, social and cultural impacts, on both local and global scales.

wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House
wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is a longhouse-style facility on the Seattle campus. It provides a multi-service learning and gathering space for American Indian and Alaska Native students, faculty and staff, as well as others from various cultures and communities to come together in a welcoming environment to share knowledge.

Leadership without Borders
Leadership Without Borders (LWB) works to serve and empower undocumented students at the University of Washington.

Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity
OMAD works to increase diversity on campus and enrich the collegiate experience.

Native Life and Tribal Relations
The purpose of this website is to centralize the Native-focused resources available on the University of Washington’s campus in Seattle.

Q Center
The Q Center is a primarily student run resource center dedicated to serving anyone with or without a gender or sexuality – UW students, staff, faculty, alum, and community members.

Race & Equity Resources
A variety of resources, tools, readings, etc.

Social Groups at UW
A list of affinity groups supported by the UW as a way to advance recruitment and retention efforts

Student Veteran Life
Student Veteran Life is a unit founded by student veterans, for student veterans.

UW ADVANCE
The UW ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change is a campus and national resource for best practices in academic leadership development, cultural change and policy transformation, and increasing the advancement and number of women faculty in STEM fields.

Women’s Center
The UW Women’s Center is a catalyst for change. Disrupting cycles of oppression and breaking down gender-based barriers through transformational education programs, leadership development, and advocacy for girls and women.