Staff employees are employed at will throughout their employment at the College. An employee has the right to terminate their employment at any time, with or without cause or notice, and the College has the same right. No manager, supervisor, or employee of the College may enter into an agreement for employment for any specific period of time or to make an agreement for employment other than at will. Only the College’s President has the authority to make such an agreement and then only in writing.

Job Elimination

If the staff position to which an individual is assigned is eliminated for (1) financial reasons; (2) because the work is no longer required; (3) through a reorganization/restructuring; or (4) for any other reasons, and if the individual’s performance has been satisfactory, the College will attempt but does not guarantee to place the person in another position on campus. If the College deems relocation not feasible, the employee will receive separation pay based on the salary at the time of separation and years of completed service to Haverford in accordance with the following schedule. The receipt of separation pay is conditioned on the employee signing a general release in a form satisfactory to the College.

EF-Job Elimination

Years of Service	Separation Pay
1-5	4 weeks
6-10	9 weeks
11-15	13 weeks
16 and over	18 weeks

Resignation

If a staff employee plans to leave the College, they are requested to notify the immediate supervisor in writing preferably at least two weeks before the proposed date of departure for non-exempt employees and four weeks before the proposed date of departure for exempt employees. This will provide for the orderly transition of responsibilities and will enable properly handling of the employee’s final pay and matters related to benefits. In addition to agreeing upon a date of departure with their supervisor, the employee should provide a description of work in progress as well as any other information a successor will need. The employee’s last date of work will be recorded as the termination date, and unused vacation, if any, will be paid out in the final pay.  Participation in insured benefit programs normally ends on the last day of the month of termination of service.

Termination

In the case of misconduct which the College deems serious, a staff employee may be dismissed without notice and without recourse to the College’s grievance procedure. Serious misconduct generally includes behaviors or actions which could threaten the physical or mental well-being of members of the College community or the reputation or standing of the College.

When job performance or conduct falls below acceptable levels, notice will be given to the employee and made a part of the employee’s permanent personnel record. An employee also may be placed on a performance-improvement plan. Failure by an employee to be responsive to such corrective action will lead to further disciplinary action and/or termination. Such termination normally would be at the end of an annual appointment, where applicable, but could occur at any time as discussed between the supervisor and the employee.

An employee who has been terminated may file a grievance if it is felt that the College’s personnel policies and procedures were not followed in handling the case. In such a situation, the written grievance should outline the departures from those policies and procedures that allegedly occurred. 

Although the College generally intends to follow the above guidelines for discipline and termination, nothing contained in this section will have the effect of altering the at-will status of a person’s employment in serving at the pleasure of the President and the Board of Managers.

Exit Interview

A departing staff employee will be asked to schedule an exit interview by the Office of Human Resources prior to their leaving campus, usually during the last week of employment. Employees are required to return all College property (e.g., keys, ID card, purchasing card, and computer and other equipment). They will have the opportunity to pose any personal questions they may have concerning benefits, final pay, etc.

Retirement

Under the Haverford College Retirement Plan, normal retirement is at age 65. The timing of an employee decision to retire is up to the employee and is not restricted by the College’s retirement plan. When ready to retire, an employee should notify their supervisor and the Office of Human Resources at least two months in advance so that arrangements for retirement income can be made in a timely fashion.