>> Return to Staff Manual Homepage <<

A. The Purpose of this Manual

This manual has been prepared to provide you, as a member of the university’s staff, with a descriptionof important university employment policies and practices. Its primary intent is to help you understand the university culture and your privileges and obligations as an employee. The manual also includes statements and policies that are intended to protect the university and minimize its exposure to litigation.

Under Ohio law, Wittenberg University is an “at-will” employer. This means that as an employee, you may resign anytime, for any reason, with or without notice. Similarly, the university retains the legal right to conclude its employment relationship with you at any time, with or without cause. Neither this manual nor any of the policies and practices included within it  constitutes any type of contract of employment, obligation, or guarantee on the part of the university.

The manual is not intended to be all-inclusive. You can obtain more detailed information on any of the topics included in this manual from your supervisor or from the Human Resources department. If you have questions on how to interpret any topic in the manual, please pose them to the Human Resources  department to obtain clarification. It is your responsibility to ask for clarification of any policy or practice that is unclear to you, and, in all cases, the discretionary interpretation of the manual made bythe associate vice president for human resources will be final and binding on you.

A thorough familiarity with the contents of this manual is necessary for you to understand matters relating to your employment. Please read it carefully and refer to it when necessary. The policies in the Appendices are an important part of the manual, and you are responsible to read and understand them.

The university will make all reasonable efforts to keep this manual up to date with its current policies and practices, but it retains the right to modify, eliminate, or change any policy or practice described in the manual at any time, with or without notice to you, in its sole and absolute discretion.
When a revision to the manual is made, the Human Resources department will give you a notice of the revision. The university expects you to read and understand all changes. Changes and revisions will become effective on dates determined by the university, and they will supersede previously existing policies and practices.

The university reserves the right to change, supplement, or discontinue any benefit described in the manual at any time. The existence of benefits and plans does not signify that the university will employ an individual for the requisite time necessary to qualify for these benefits and plans. This manual supersedes all previous employment manuals, management memos, or other oral or writtencommunications which may have been issued on subjects covered within it.

Any federal or state decision and any regulation or statute that modifies or nullifies any provision of the manual will be incorporated by reference into the manual to modify or replace the affected provision.