Call us when you have questions or concerns about:

• Policies - clarification or information
• Probationary Employees
• Performance Planning and Evaluations
• Disciplinary Process
• Disagreements/conflicts in the workplace
• Our formal Grievance Process
• Employee Separations
• Stress - personal or in a group
• Any work situation  
  
  

Policy Clarification
Employee Relations staff are available to help employees and supervisors understand Commonwealth of Virginia Policies (click to view) and Virginia Tech policies and procedures (click to view).  Remember that departments have their own Standard Operating Procedures (“SOP’s”). Many include guidelines or standards for attendance, dress, requests for time off, and department-specific issues. Contact your supervisor for information, (click here for attendance standards that apply to all staff).

Probationary Employees
All staff employees newly hired or rehired at Virginia Tech serve a 12 month probationary period.  Probationary employees should receive training, coaching, mentoring and feedback from their supervisors frequently.  Formal written probationary reviews are required at 6 months and 12 months of employment. At any time during the 12 month probationary period the probationary employee may be terminated.  Managers are encouraged to consult with Employee Relations and/or with the Human Resources consultant assigned to the management area if a probationary employee is not meeting expectations. Infrequently, a probationary employee reaches the end of the 12 month period and is not meeting performance expectations.  In some cases, it is possible to extend an employee’s probation beyond the initial 12 month period.  Requests to extend probation must be made to Employee Relations.  (For more information about probationary employees, click here.)

Performance Management
Managing performance is a continuous process of timely and effective communication between managers, supervisors and employees.  The goals of the performance management process are the help the individual employee be successful in his/her work assignment and to facilitate the organization's accomplishment of its goals. At Virginia Tech, the documents that we use to record expectations and accomplishments of employees are the job description and the P112, which is the Performance Plan and Evaluation. Employee Relations is available to assist employees and supervisors when any part of the Performance Management process is not working well.  For information about performance planning, click here. For information about performance evaluations, click here.  

Disciplinary Process
Employee Relations is available to consult with employees and with supervisors when there are questions or concerns about expectations, performance, or behavior in the workplace. Our staff can coach employees and supervisors and make referrals to other campus resources. Virginia Tech uses a progressive process to address performance and behavioral problems and the Employee Relations staff provides direction to that process.  (click here for Progressive Disciplinary Process information).

Disagreements/Conflicts
Usually, people can have different opinions and continue to work together toward common goals. But sometimes differences in opinion or personal beliefs can result in workplace conflicts.  If you and another employee (co-worker, supervisor, or subordinate) are having difficulty communicating or working together, Employee Relations can offer advice, answers to questions, and information about resources available to employees, including mediation. (click here for information on mediation)