The university supports the efforts of staff who want to acquire and improve skills that qualify them for higher level positions. Staff interested in a promotion or transfer must ensure that their official IU employment application and related materials are current. Human Resources Administration maintains each staff member’s employment application.

Staff may obtain higher level positions through a promotion within the department or by transfer to and promotion within another department. The university seeks to create an atmosphere that allows staff to explore these options. Consequently, managers and supervisors are expected to consider employees for promotion within their own departments and to allow them opportunities to seek transfers to other departments.

The university considers the following factors when determining an employee's qualifications for promotion or transfer:

• Experience
• Past performance
• Educational background
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation
• Ability and qualifications to perform the work completely, with or without reasonable accommodation
• Attendance record (not including extended periods of sick leave due to serious illness or injury, approved leaves of absence, or absences under the FMLA)

If two or more employees are relatively equal in terms of these factors, then seniority governs the promotion or transfer. In such cases, the final decision is based on occupational unit seniority first and university seniority second.

An employee must work on a job for at least six months before requesting a change to another job. A supervisor can waive this requirement by providing the employee with a letter granting permission to seek another job.

If a department anticipates filling a vacancy by promoting or transferring an employee from within the same occupational unit, it may post the position within that occupational unit only. Unless other methods of communication are adequate, the vacancy should be posted on appropriate bulletin boards. See Policy 3.1, Posting and Advertising a Position, for methods of advertising a vacancy.

At the request of individuals with a disability, departments must provide information about vacant positions in alternative formats. This includes vacancies within an occupational unit and those listed with Human Resources Administration.

Before promoting or transferring an employee from within an occupational unit, departments must (1) review campus affirmative action requirements and (2) consult with Human Resources Administration before making an offer.

Before making a transfer commitment

Before making a transfer commitment, the hiring department should ensure that the transferring employee has informed his or her present department head. A start date should be discussed; a two week notice is required. A notice period of less than or more than two weeks must be agreeable to the employee, the employee’s current supervisor, and the employee’s new supervisor. Human Resources Administration coordinates all transfers across departments.

Transferring benefits

When a biweekly employee has accrued compensatory time, the current department must grant the time off or pay the overtime before the promotion or transfer occurs.

Salary increase (for promotions)

Salary determination (for transfers)

Lateral transfers will normally be made at the incumbent's current salary. An employee will not receive a salary increase for such a transfer. If an employee's salary must be reduced because of budgetary limitations, Human Resources Administration should be contacted to determine the proper rate.

When it is contemplated that an employee is going to be transferred to a lesser classification, Human Resources Administration must be contacted. A review of the employee's salary history and a salary determination will be made by Human Resources Administration. Consideration will be given to whether the transfer was voluntary or involuntary.

PAF form

Consult with Human Resources Administration to determine the process for completing the Staff Personnel and Payroll Action Form (PAF).

Disciplinary actions

Disciplinary actions which are over one year old will be removed from an employee’s personnel file before the file is sent out to a department which has requested it for promotion or transfer.

Applying for a promotion

Each supervisor must determine what is "reasonable" time off, keeping in mind the university’s favorable attitude toward promotion and transfer. If a supervisor believes that one’s absences are excessive, then he or she can require the employee to make up the time.

Biweekly staff may be required to charge excessive absences to accumulated time off benefits.

Newly-promoted or transferred SM employees must successfully complete a three-month evaluation period before the promotion or transfer becomes final. The university will determine if the evaluation period has been satisfactorily completed, and if not, the employee may be given up to a two-week notice of termination.

A promoted or transferred employee who fails to meet the standards of the new job within the evaluation period will be given preference for the next position (provided qualifications are met) open in the functional classification. A promoted or transferred employee who voluntarily requests within the evaluation period not to continue in the new position will also be given preference for the next position (provided qualifications are met) open in the functional classification. In these events, a request for reinstatement in the employee's former occupational unit will be given first preference when an opening occurs.

If reinstated in the previous occupational unit within one year of the date of promotion or transfer, the employee’s former seniority date in that unit will be reinstated.

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