Layoff & Separations

Medical Separation

MEDICAL SEPARATION

NOTE: These procedures supplement relevant personnel policies and collective bargaining agreements, and should be read in conjunction with those provisions.

Decision-making authority: Department head or designee.

Resources: Disability Management Services (DMS), Employee Relations, HR Business Partner or HR Representative, Benefits staff, Campus ADA/504 Compliance Officer.

How to Complete the Request for Review (Campus Accommodation and/or Medical Separation) Form

Instructions: How to Complete the Request for Review (Campus Accommodation and/or Medical Separation) Form

** Please read the below instructions before filling out the Request for Review (Campus Accommodation and/or Medical Separation) form (Word). The below instructions are also available in a printable format (PDF).

Layoff: Resources Provided by Employment Services

Employment Services offers a variety of services and resources to employees during their transition. The Special Placement Consideration (SPC) Coordinator and Transition Services Program (TSP) Coordinators are available to meet with employees in one-on-one and group sessions to:

Layoff: Other Resources (Employees)

General Resources

Layoff: What to Expect

Your supervisor will meet with you individually to inform you of the layoff decision and why the layoff was necessary. He or she will describe the assistance available to you in understanding the impact on your benefits, and your job search. Your supervisor will also schedule an appointment with Employment Services, where you will be provided with more detailed information about your rights regarding notice. You may also be invited to additional meetings, which may include representatives from your bargaining unit.

Layoff Planning Flow Chart

This flow chart provides general guidelines for a department faced with budget reductions and programmatic changes. Refer to union contracts and personnel policies for specific notice requirements and key time frames.

Explore non-layoff solutions

Layoff: Introduction (for departments)

Many departments are facing difficult budget decisions that may result in reorganizations or staff reductions.

Nevertheless, sometimes layoffs are inevitable. Having to reduce staff can be one of the most difficult challenges that managers face. To respond to this challenge, Central Human Resources (Central HR) offers services and resources to support both management and staff during these turbulent times.

Layoff: Other Resources (Departments)

People

Seniority Points Calculations

The seniority provisions of the policies and contracts require the University to lay off the person with the least seniority in the classification affected. If there is more than one employee in the classification, you must calculate seniority points and develop a seniority list. The situation may require that a more senior employee "bump" a less senior employee, or you may find that an out-of-seniority layoff is necessary because the position requires very specialized skills that cannot be learned in a reasonable amount of time. These situations are explained below.

Layoff Resources

Avoiding, Implementing, and Surviving Staff Layoffs: Information for Employees and Departments

The University of California, Berkeley is committed to creating a healthy and supportive environment for each employee and to administering all policies fairly and equitably. It is the policy of the University to minimize layoffs required by budget reductions and to consider staffing reductions only after other creative solutions have been considered.