What is HR Restructuring?

Why are we doing this?

The University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and The College of William & Mary undertook restructuring in order to gain increased autonomy and flexibility in several areas, including procurement, construction, finance, IT and human resources (HR). Representatives from the State and the three universities agreed that a "one size fits all" approach in these areas did not meet the unique needs of the schools or their employees. In HR, restructuring allows us to create a new system that is more responsive to the institution's needs, to your needs, and to the marketplace.

The University's goal is to recruit, retain, develop and competitively compensate a superior workforce, and creating a new University Staff HR Plan will help us to do that. Simply put, our employees deserve better.

What do we believe about this process?

EVP/COO Leonard Sandridge has often said that our workforce is our greatest strength and our greatest asset. We believe this wholeheartedly, and that by developing a system that focuses on career development, fair compensation, meaningful goal-setting and evaluation processes, and excellent training and professional development, we can truly be the leading employer in the region as well as a leading employer in higher education.

What didn't change?

These areas must remain unchanged from the current system:

• Retirement
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Workers' Compensation
• All covered employees will continue to have access to the state's Grievance Procedures

Who is impacted?

Anyone who was hired since July 1, 2006 is already designated as University staff and is in the new system. All Classified staff are invited to opt in to the University Staff HR Plan. It is important to note that Classified staff and A&P faculty will not be transferred to the new system without their consent. Classified staff and A&P faculty have an opportunity, at least every two years, to decide if they would like to remain in the "existing" HR system or move to the "new" HR plan.

While new positions are posted as University staff, any Classified staff hired before July 1, 2006, have the option of remaining under the current state system until the end of their employment, even if they are transferred, promoted, or take a newly posted job. Most Administrative and Professional (A&P) faculty are also eligible to join.

What you can expect from UHR?

We are committed to keeping you informed about this process as it unfolds. We promise to use multiple communication vehicles to pass on news. We promise to include all types of employees in the process. We promise to consider your feedback and ensure that changes to the system are made available for review and comment. Our goal is to provide state-of-the-art Human Resources that works for you and for U.Va.!