Editor's notes:
TITLE: Staff Development, Volume V of Carnegie Mellon's Staff Handbook: A Human Resources Guide
DATE OF ISSUANCE: The staff handbook was most recently revised effective July 1, 2007.
ACCOUNTABLE DEPARTMENT/UNIT: Human Resources. Questions on policy content should be directed to Barbara Smith, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, x8-4747.
For the remainder of the handbook, see:
You can view or print a copy of the handbook in Portable Document Format (PDF). To do this, you need a copy of Adobe Acrobat. (Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.)
Although the direction of your career and the decision to pursue developmental opportunities is in your hands, the university supports promotion of qualified staff members into higher-level positions in a variety of ways.
Your human resources manager is available to provide you with information about employment practices and procedures. You are welcome to discuss your job, career plans and job opportunities with a human resources manager http://hr.web.cmu.edu/resources/hrmanagers/ . Upon request, your human resources manager can also offer assistance on resume preparation and effective interview techniques. Please call for an appointment so that sufficient time can be reserved to discuss your interests fully .
You can learn about campus employment opportunities in a variety of ways:
Positions that will be filled by qualified staff members already working in that department are not posted.
1C. Applying for a Posted Position
To apply for a posted position, you should submit an on-line application and resume to Careers@CarnegieMellon - http://hr.web.cmu.edu/prospective/ for each position of interest. You are encouraged to also include a cover letter summarizing your interest in the position. Since some jobs are filled soon after being posted, it is important that you apply as early as possible in the recruitment process.
Applicants who are interviewed by a department will normally receive further notification from the interviewing department regarding the outcome of the search. Although you are not required to tell your supervisor that you have applied a posted position, you are encouraged to do so.
If you are selected as a final candidate for a position, you will want to tell your supervisor that you have applied for a posted position, if you have not already done so. At this point in the process, the hiring department will want to obtain an employment reference from your current supervisor.
Except under very unusual circumstances, staff members are required to complete 12 months of continuous service in a position to be eligible to apply for positions in other departments. Staff members who wish to apply for positions in other departments before fulfilling this requirement may do so only if they have successfully completed the six-month provisional period and obtained their supervisor's approval.
Promotion within your department is not subject to the service requirement.
When you are offered a position in another department, you are encouraged to give at least two weeks' notice to your present supervisor before the transfer can be completed. Exempt staff members are encouraged to provide a month's notice whenever possible. Staff members who transfer to new positions may be asked to train their replacements.
If a transfer involves no change in your employment status, your benefits eligibility remains the same and accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) days are carried over to the new position. If a transfer involves a change from part-time to full-time status or full-time to part-time status, send e-mail to the Human Resources Service Center at hrhelp@andrew.cmu.edu or call x8-4747 to learn how the change will affect your benefits.
Carnegie Mellon strives to stimulate learning and development. We encourage our staff members to broaden their knowledge and meet their professional and personal goals by taking advantage of the tuition benefits extended by the university. For eligible full time employees, the university pays the tuition costs for up to two courses at any one time taken at Carnegie Mellon. The university pays 50% of the tuition costs for courses taken at other institutions. (Courses at other schools must be credit bearing and career related.) For eligible part-time employees, the university pays the tuition costs for one course at any one time taken at Carnegie Mellon. The university does not pay for courses taken other institutions by part-time employees nor for certificate programs.
Employees enrolled in a graduate program, taking graduate-level courses at Carnegie Mellon, or taking graduate courses at another institution will be subject to federal income and social security tax on the value of the tuition benefits they receive over $5,250. These taxes will be deducted from their pay.
Details about tuition benefits--and the educational benefits extended to children of employees--are available on the Human Resources web site, by sending e-mail to the Human Resources Service Center or by calling x8-4747.
Learning and development is a key factor in helping staff members to realize their full potential. The university identifies employee success as an integral component of its strategic plan. Continuing to learn and grow professionally is an important aspect of all Carnegie Mellon careers.
Managers and employees should work in partnership to identify development opportunities that will serve the needs of the department and employees. A variety of courses are available through Human Resources, ranging from professional and personal development to managerial and leadership skills development.
For more information regarding learning and development opportunities available at Carnegie Mellon, go to the Human Resources web site, send e-mail to the Human Resources Service Center or call x8-4747.
Carnegie Mellon provides an environment designed to facilitate excellence in teaching and research, recognizes the importance of the university's human resources, and believes that the job performance of the individual determines the quality of the institution as a whole. Furthermore, the university recognizes that job performance may be affected by personal problems, which, when addressed in a timely, confidential and professionally supportive manner, can be successfully resolved. Carnegie Mellon, therefore, has partnered with an outside EAP vendor to offer expert information on various topics like time management, job, money, relationships, well-being, family and life. Also available are personalized community referrals and telephone or face-to-face contact with an employee assistance professional. All of this information and more can be found on their web site. You can link to their web site from the Human Resources Home Page.
All counseling through the EAP vendor is on a voluntary basis, even if recommended to the employee by management, although it may be required as a condition of continued employment in certain disciplinary situations. Consultation with the an EAP professional will not jeopardize an individual's job security, limit promotional opportunities within the university, or relieve the employee of his or her responsibility to meet established job performance and attendance standards.
The EAP vendor will hold information regarding any employee using the services in strictest confidence. No information will be released regarding an employee's problem without written authorization from the employee, unless required by law.
The EAP vendor will provide counselors to assess individual problems and provide referrals for those individuals who require specialized or long-term assistance in resolving their problems at no cost. However, fees (if any) for the services of referral resources are the responsibility of the individual and/or his or her group health plan. The EAP vendor is committed to minimizing costs by coordinating referrals, where possible, with the employee's existing insurance coverage.
Employees and family members can elect to use the service at their own initiative and may contact EAP vendor directly to schedule an appointment with an employee assistance representative. This representative will work with the employee to assist in identifying the cause of the problem, resolving the problem, and as appropriate, will refer the employee to other treatment or counseling. Any assessment or referral will remain confidential.
Management referral to the EAP vendor is based on:
Supervisors may suggest an EAP referral when they detect a change in an employee's on-the-job behavior or overall work performance. Since it is not the supervisor's job to attempt to diagnose any such problems, supervisors are encouraged to make referrals to the EAP when there is an indication of job performance difficulty that might be the result of problems appropriate for EAP treatment.
Any member of an employee's immediate family also may use the EAP. The EAP counselor will arrange a confidential consultation at a local office for the individual or will provide the necessary assistance on the telephone. Any communication between the individual and the EAP counselor will be held in strictest confidence.
Employees are expected to use the EAP on their own time. Any time off from work to attend a counseling session is treated the same as other absences due to personal illness, injury or medical appointments. Arrangements should be made with the employee's supervisor in advance to schedule time away from work or make up any time lost.
All counseling is conducted in strict confidence and no information from an individual's record will be provided to anyone without the individual's written consent, unless required by law.
Statement of Assurance | Human Resources Home | Policies Home