As part of Human Resource Design’s strategic plan, University of Wisconsin will be making changes to its employee grievance procedure where the university will handle the process instead of the state of Wisconsin.

Grievance procedures are a means for employees to voice their complaints and for UW to address and resolve them.

The state Legislature gave UW the authority to come up with the new procedure so they can properly assess any grievances staff may have, Patrick Sheehan, director of Workforce Relations for the Office of Human Resources, said.

One of the most significant changes is the new four-person panel put in place to further review any unresolved disputes between employees and HR, Sheehan said. This panel will consist of two representatives from UW staff and two administration representatives, he said.

There are measures in place in case the panel comes to an impasse and cannot decide on granting, denying or modifying the grievance, Sheehan said. The next step would be for the grievance to be taken to an impartial hearing officer, who is a non-UW employee, where a final decision on the matter will be made, he said.

“It is intentionally an even number [of people on the panel] for those situations where there’s a clear difference of opinion on a matter or it’s so complicated that they can’t come to a decision,” Sheehan said. “Then it would be brought to that next level.”

The office of state employment relations originally wrote and managed the existing policy, Sheehan said. Now that UW is creating its own procedure, the panel is replacing the Wisconsin Employee Relations Commission, which deals with 120 to 160 grievances each year from UW, he said.

Permanent employees hired prior to July 1 will have the option to choose either the panel and impartial hearing officer or the WERC, Sheehan said. Those who are not permanently employed by UW as of July 1 will take matters to the panel as a third step, he said.

“We’re just looking for an equitable way to resolve workplace issues and ensure that our policies are fairly uniform,” Sheehan said.