Posts Tagged: policy
Annual whistleblower notification to all ANR employees
The University of California is committed to maintaining the highest standards of conduct in the fulfillment of its education, research, public service and patient care mission. Every employee at the University plays a role in maintaining our ethical standards. The University's Whistleblower Policy provides multiple avenues for employees to bring forward concerns of potential employee misconduct. The University encourages you to report concerns about possible improper governmental activity directly to the whistleblower hotline (universityofcalifornia.edu/hotline; (800) 403-4744); or your supervisor, department head, Locally Designated Official (LDO) or other appropriate university offices or officials.
The systemwide whistleblower hotline is independently operated to receive calls or web-based reporting from faculty, staff, students or members of the public. The hotline allows for anonymous reporting, forwarding reported concerns to appropriate University officials for processing. This hotline is staffed seven days a week, 24 hours per day and is capable of receiving reports in a number of different languages.
For more information about the whistleblower process, please visit the UC Whistleblower website and keep an eye out for posters displayed in various employee areas that outline reporting channels. Additionally, the University's whistleblower poster highlights other avenues for reporting improper governmental activity, such as the California State Auditor and the California Attorney General.
The California Government Code requires every state agency, including the University of California, to annually distribute to its employees a message from the California State Auditor that provides an explanation of the California Whistleblower Protection Act. Please find the 2023 message attached.
Our collective goal is to ensure that the University of California remains a highly ethical institution, adhering to our internal policies as well as external regulations and laws. Together, we can continue to foster an environment of integrity and uphold the principles that define our institution.
Robin Sanchez
Director of policies, compliance and programmatic agreements
Abusive Conduct Policy updates, required training
Colleagues,
We recently announced the new Presidential Policy on Abusive Conduct in the Workplace to provide UC ANR employees notice of the new policy, procedures and training requirements. The Abusive Conduct Policy covers abusive conduct and retaliation by and against members of the university community in the workplace. The policy prohibits retaliation against any person who, in good faith, reports abusive conduct, assists someone with a report of abusive conduct, or participates in an investigation or other process under the policy.
The new UC Abusive Conduct in the Workplace training materials have now been released (DA-UCLOL0075-ECO). If you did not receive an email with the required training, please reach out to humanresources@ucanr.edu. This training is required training for all employees and must be completed in the UC Learning Center within 90 days.
How to Reach Us:
UC ANR Employee and Labor Relations will coordinate complaints of abusive conduct for both academic and staff through this confidential email address: anr-abusive-conduct@ucanr.edu.
In addition, for confidential support if abusive conduct has been experienced, the following offices are good places to start:
- Harassment, Discrimination and Complaint Program (HDAPP) - supports the University's commitment to a harassment and discrimination-free work and learning environments for all members of the community by supporting prevention, assisting resolve conflict and caring for employee concerns.
- Ombuds Office – The Ombuds Office is a confidential, independent, impartial, and informal problem-solving and conflict management resource for all members of the UC Davis, UC Davis Health and UC ANR communities.
- Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) - The Academic and Staff Assistance Program offers confidential, cost-free assessment, intervention, consultation and referral services to all UC ANR employees and their immediate families.
- Center for Advocacy, Resources & Education (CARE) – If you or someone close to you has experienced sexual harassment or any form of sexual violence, CARE advocates can provide confidential help with processing emotions, going over reporting options, resource referral and more.
- Confidential Whistleblower Reports and Complaints – UC ANR provides several straightforward and uncomplicated ways by which UC ANR employees can anonymously and confidentially.
For additional information, please contact Ian Smith at ljsmith@ucanr.edu or anr-abusive-conduct@ucanr.edu or view the full text of the Presidential Policy on Abusive Conduct in the Workplace, including the Frequently Asked Questions, available on the UCOP website.
Employee comment: Academic review, leave policies
The University of California invites comments on proposed revisions to Section 210 and Section 710 of the Academic Personnel Manual.
APM-210 Review and Appraisal Committees
The University invites comments on proposed revisions to Section 210 of the Academic Personnel Manual: APM-210, Review and Appraisal Committees.
Summarized below are the proposed key policy revisions that are being distributed for systemwide review.
The proposed changes include the addition of mentoring to criteria and assessment, revisions to evaluation and evidence of teaching and mentoring effectiveness, contributions to diversity, equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for policy-covered librarians, minor additions of numbering for clarity, and technical revisions for grammatical consistency. Proposed substantive changes are made to the following APM-210 sections:
- 210-1 Instructions to Review Committees That Advise on Actions Concerning Appointees in the Professor and Corresponding Series;
- 210-2 Instructions to Review Committees That Advise on Actions Concerning the Professor of Clinical (e.g., Medicine) Series;
- 210-3 Instructions to Review Committees That Advise on Actions Concerning the Lecturer with Security of Employment Series;
- 210-4 Instructions to Review Committees That Advise on the Appointment, Merit Increase, Promotion, Career Status Actions for Members of Librarian Series;
- 210-6 Instructions to Review Committees That Advise on Actions Concerning the Health Sciences Clinical Professor Series.
In addition, it is proposed that APM section 210-5, Instructions to Review Committees that Advise on Actions Concerning Appointees in the Supervisor of Physical Education Series be removed as this title series has been discontinued and no appointees remain in the title, and that Appendix B be removed since it expires June 30, 2023.
The proposed revisions to the APM-210 are posted to the Academic Personnel and Programs website under the “Systemwide Review” tab. It may also be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July 24, 2023. Please indicate "APM-210 Policy" in the subject line.
APM-710 Leaves of Absence/Sick Leave/Medical Leave
The University invites comments on proposed revisions to Section 710 of the Academic Personnel Manual:
- APM-710, Leaves of Absence/Sick Leave/Medical Leave.
Summarized below are the proposed key policy revisions that are being distributed for systemwide review.
The proposed changes are largely technical revisions to add a designated person for family and medical leave due to changes to the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), effective January 1, 2023. Proposed substantive changes are made to the following APM-710 section:
- 710-20 Use of Proposed Sick Leave
The proposed substantive change allows academic appointees to use accrued sick leave for medical appointments or illness of a designated person.
The proposed revisions to the APM-710 are posted to the Academic Personnel and Programs website under the “Systemwide Review” tab. It may also be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/.
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment on this policy revision, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than July 24, 2023. Please indicate “APM-710 Policy” in the subject line.
Human Resources: New Abusive Conduct Policy
Colleagues,
After several years of dedicated effort, including extensive systemwide discussion review, a new Presidential Policy on Abusive Conduct in the Workplace became effective on Jan. 1, 2023.
This policy applies equally to faculty, staff and student employees. The Abusive Conduct Policy covers abusive conduct and retaliation by and against members of the university community in the workplace. The policy prohibits retaliation against any person who, in good faith, reports abusive conduct, assists someone with a report of abusive conduct, or participates in an investigation or other process under the policy.
The University of California is committed to promoting and maintaining a healthy working and learning environment in which every individual is treated with respect. Abusive Conduct (also known as bullying) interferes with individuals' ability to learn, teach, research and work. Abusive Conduct in violation of this policy is prohibited. In his policy issuance letter, President Drake stated that this policy represents a critical step toward "strengthening an inclusive, respectful, and safe university community" and "expanding opportunity and excellence."
The content of this policy will be familiar to many because of its similarities to existing campus staff policy and faculty guidelines on abusive conduct. Notably, this new policy applies uniformly to all university employees, including student employees. Local procedures, including an updated website will be available in the coming weeks. UC ANR Employee and Labor Relations will intake complaints of abusive conduct.
A series of new training materials also has been developed and will be released shortly. These include a required training for all employees, which must be completed in the UC Learning Center within 90 days of its release. In addition, we will provide materials about supervisor training, a video series, and a website with a repository of systemwide and location-specific resources.
In addition, for confidential support if abusive conduct has been experienced, the following offices are good places to start:
- Ombuds Office – The Ombuds Office is a confidential, independent, impartial, and informal problem-solving and conflict management resource for all members of the UC Davis, UC Davis Health and UC ANR communities.
- Academic and Staff Assistance Program (ASAP) - The Academic and Staff Assistance Program offers confidential, cost-free assessment, intervention, consultation and referral services to all UC ANR employees and their immediate families.
- Center for Advocacy, Resources & Education (CARE) – If you or someone close to you has experienced sexual harassment or any form of sexual violence, CARE advocates are able to provide confidential help with processing emotions, going over reporting options, resource referral and more.
For additional information, please contact Ian Smith at ljsmith@ucanr.edu or humanresources@ucanr.edu, or view the full text of the Presidential Policy on Abusive Conduct in the Workplace, including the Frequently Asked Questions, available on the UCOP website.
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
Employee Comment: Revised policy language on purchasing
The University of California Office of the President invites comments on a proposed Presidential Policy UC-PS-20-0489-BUS-43 Purchases of Goods and Services; Supply Chain Management. The policy is proposed to be revised and includes the following key issues:
- Respond to feedback from the previous systemwide review. During the 2021 systemwide review of BUS-43, multiple commenters noted that BUS-43 was difficult to understand, and the language didn't match best practices for Presidential Policies. As a result, BUS-43 has been rewritten using natural language rather than jargon whenever possible.
- Address inconsistencies and formatting errors. The last full review of BUS-43 was in 2012, and over time subsequent revisions introduced formatting errors such as incorrectly numbered sections and inconsistent styles within each section. This revision corrects those errors and applies a consistent style throughout the policy. This revision also updates BUS-43 to match current Presidential Policy guidelines.
- Clarify what policy does and does not allow. BUS-43 currently uses “should” and “should not” in policy requirements. This has caused confusion in determining what are policy requirements vs what is recommended or allowable. The BUS-43 revision clarifies what are policy requirements (“must” or “must not” do), what is or isn't allowed (“may” or “may not” do), and what is recommended as best practice for procurement at the University of California.
NOTE: The revision does not change the intent or requirements of BUS-43. The new language is designed to help faculty, students, and staff understand what the policy requirements are. - Separate policy from procedure. BUS-43 currently contains both policy and procedures for Procurement. The procedures are not required policy, and therefore don't belong as part of BUS-43. The BUS-43 revision contains just the policy and required procedures. The remaining procedures will be moved to the Systemwide Procurement portal as guidelines for faculty, students, and staff who participate in the procurement process at the University of California.
The final draft of the policy can be viewed at https://ucanr.edu/sites/PCPA/Revisions/
If you have any questions or if you wish to comment, please contact Robin Sanchez at rgsanchez@ucanr.edu, no later than April 21, 2023. Please indicate “BUS-43 Policy” in the subject line.