FOREWORD - Wentworth Institute of Technology

WIT Employee HandbookForewordFOREWORDThe Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) Handbook was prepared as anemployee guide to benefits, services, policies and procedures. The handbook isapplicable to Wentworth Institute of Technology employees only. It supersedesall previous personnel handbooks.Please take notice of the following disclaimer:Wentworth reserves the right to amend or modify the handbook or makeexceptions to application of any of its provisions in particular situations.The handbook is not intended to imply any conditions of employment. Thelanguage used in this handbook is not intended to create, nor is it to beconstrued to constitute, a contract between Wentworth and any one or allof its employees. Employment with Wentworth continues to be at will. Atwillemployment means that either the employee or the employer mayterminate the employment at any time for any reason, with or withoutcause.As policies change, new pages will be issued to replace outdated ones. Pleasemake every effort to keep your copy current. The handbook is also availableonline at www.wit.edu.Some of the policies and procedures presented in this handbook may not applyto employees who are subject to collective bargaining agreements. Except asmodified by specific provisions in such agreements, the policies and proceduresset forth herein are intended to apply to such employees, but this handbook shallnot be construed as providing them rights and benefits beyond those their unionhas specifically negotiated for them.If you have any questions, please contact anyone in the Human ResourcesDepartment.Elissa Silverman, Assistant Ext. 4190Susan Morin, Manager Ext. 4191Margaret Card, Director Ext. 4192Anne Gill, Vice President Ext. 4193Main Extension Ext. 4190March 20091

WIT Employee HandbookForewordPlease take notice: Important state and federal information regardingemployee rights is posted on the Human Resources bulletin board.Employees should familiarize themselves with the posted information.March 20092

WIT Employee HandbookTable of ContentsTABLE OF CONTENTSFOREWORD .................................................................................................................... 1 OVERVIEW OF WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ................................... 8 THE MISSION ....................................................................................................... 8 THE ORGANIZATION ........................................................................................... 8 SECTION I: INSTITUTE POLICIES ................................................................................. 9 I A. EMPLOYMENT POLICIES .............................................................................. 9 1. NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY ............................................................ 9 2. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVEACTION ............................................................................................ 9 3. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) ........................................ 9 4. DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT .............................. 10 5. SEXUAL HARASSMENT PROHIBITED ............................................... 10 6. EMPLOYMENT OF FAMILY MEMBERS—NEPOTISM ....................... 10 7. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ............................................................. 11 I B. SMOKING AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICIES ....................................... 12 1. TOBACCO-FREE POLICY ................................................................... 12 2. ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE POLICY ............................................. 13 I C. CONDUCT POLICIES ................................................................................... 14 1. PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT ............................................................... 14 2. CONSULTING AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES ............................ 14 3. USE OF WENTWORTH LETTERHEAD ............................................... 14 4. SOLICITATION POLICY ....................................................................... 14 5. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ......................................................... 15 6. PERSONAL TELEPHONE CALLS ....................................................... 15 7. STATUS CHANGES ............................................................................. 15 8. COMPUTER CODE OF ETHICS .......................................................... 15 9. CONFLICT OF INTEREST ................................................................... 16 10. WHISTLBLOWER AND ANIT-RETALIATION POLICY ...................... 17 I D. GENERAL POLICIES ................................................................................... 20 1. FIREARMS/WEAPONS POLICY .......................................................... 20 2. PERSONAL PROPERTY ...................................................................... 20 3. WENTWORTH PROPERTY ................................................................. 20 4. USE OF COMPANY VEHICLES ........................................................... 20 5. POSTING OF NOTICES ....................................................................... 20 6. TRAVEL POLICY .................................................................................. 21 SECTION II: EMPLOYMENT POLICY ........................................................................... 22 II A. EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES ....................................................................... 22 March 20093

WIT Employee HandbookTable of Contents1. TYPES OF APPOINTMENTS ............................................................... 22 2. HIRING PROCEDURES ....................................................................... 23 II B. CURRENT EMPLOYEES ............................................................................. 26 1. EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATION ............................................................. 26 2. PERSONNEL RECORDS ..................................................................... 26 3. CREDIT INFORMATION ...................................................................... 26 4. REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 26 5. ACCESS TO PERSONNEL FILES ....................................................... 26 6. MAINTENANCE OF PERSONNEL FILES ............................................ 27 7. HOURS OF WORK ............................................................................... 28 8. ABSENCES .......................................................................................... 28 9. PERFORMANCE REVIEWS ................................................................ 28 10. JOB DESCRIPTIONS ......................................................................... 28 11. REQUESTS FOR POSITION REVIEW .............................................. 29 12. SALARY REVIEW ............................................................................... 29 13. PROMOTIONS ................................................................................... 29 14. CAREER DEVELOPMENT ................................................................. 29 15. PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE ............................................................. 29 16. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE ............................................................... 31 II C. TERMINATION ............................................................................................ 34 1. VOLUNTARY TERMINATION (RESIGNATION) .................................. 34 2. INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION ........................................................... 34 3. EXIT INTERVIEW ................................................................................. 35 SECTION III: PAYROLL ................................................................................................. 36 III A. TIME SHEETS ............................................................................................ 36 III B. W-4 UPDATES ............................................................................................ 36 III C. PAY DAY ..................................................................................................... 36 III D. DIRECT DEPOSIT OF PAYCHECK ........................................................... 36 III E. PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS ........................................................................... 37 1. STANDARD AND OPTIONAL PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS .................... 37 2. CHANGES IN PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS ............................................. 37 III F. OVERTIME PAY .......................................................................................... 37 1. NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEES ............................................................... 37 2. EXEMPT EMPLOYEES ........................................................................ 38 III G. EXEMPT PAY PRACTICES ....................................................................... 38 SECTION IV: BENEFITS ................................................................................................ 40 IV A. MEDICAL INSURANCE PROGRAM .......................................................... 40 1. ELIGIBILITY .......................................................................................... 40 2. CONTRIBUTION ................................................................................... 40 3. DESCRIPTION OF MEDICAL BENEFITS ............................................ 40 4. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP COVERAGE .............................................. 41 March 20094

WIT Employee HandbookTable of Contents5. EXCLUDED MEDICAL SERVICES ...................................................... 41 6. SUBROGATION ................................................................................... 41 7. COBRA (CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGETRECONCILIATION ACT OF 1985) ................................................ 42 8. WAIVER ................................................................................................ 42 9. CONTINUATION OF COVERAGE AFTER TERMINATION OFEMPLOYMENT .............................................................................. 42 10. CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP AFTER AGE 65 ....................... 43 11. DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE WITH MEDICAL COVERAGE .............. 43 IV B. DENTAL INSURANCE ................................................................................ 44 IV C. LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAM .................................................................. 45 1. WENTWORTH SPONSORED GROUP LIFE INSURANCEPROGRAM ..................................................................................... 45 2. OPTIONAL GROUP UNIVERSAL LIFE ................................................ 45 IV D. RETIREMENT AND ANNUITY PROGRAM ............................................... 46 1. ELIGIBILITY .......................................................................................... 46 2. CONTRIBUTIONS ................................................................................ 46 IV E. SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT ANNUITIES (SRAs) ............................. 47 1. ALLOCATION OF PREMIUMS FOR RETIREMENT ANNUITIESAND SRAs ..................................................................................... 47 IV F. DISABILITY INSURANCE PROGRAMS ..................................................... 48 1. SHORT-TERM DISABILITY .................................................................. 48 2. LONG-TERM DISABILITY .................................................................... 48 IV G. DEPENDENT CARE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT .......................... 50 IV H. SURVIVOR BENEFIT ................................................................................ 50 IV I. SOCIAL SECURITY (FICA - FEDERAL INSURANCECONTRIBUTIVE ACT) .............................................................................. 52 1. SOCIAL SECURITY AND AGE 65 ....................................................... 52 IV J. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ............................................................... 53 1. WORKERS' COMPENSATION ............................................................. 53 2. REPORTING OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES .................................... 53 IV K. STATEMENT OF ERISA RIGHTS .............................................................. 54 IV L. EDUCATION BENEFITS ............................................................................. 56 1. TUITION ASSISTANCE ........................................................................ 56 2. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SEMINARS ....................... 58 IV.M. OTHER BENEFITS .................................................................................... 58 SECTION V: HOLIDAYS, LEAVES AND VACATIONS .................................................. 59 V A. VACATION ................................................................................................... 59 1. VACATION TIME FOR NON-EXEMPT AND EXEMPTEMPLOYEES ................................................................................. 59 2. REGULATIONS .................................................................................... 59 3. VACATION ACCUMULATIONS ........................................................... 61 V B. HOLIDAYS ................................................................................................... 62 March 20095

WIT Employee HandbookTable of Contents1. STANDARD HOLIDAYS ....................................................................... 62 2. BONUS DAY PROGRAM ..................................................................... 62 V C. LEAVE OF ABSENCE PROVISIONS .......................................................... 64 1. BEREAVEMENT LEAVE ...................................................................... 64 2. JURY DUTY .......................................................................................... 64 3. MILITARY LEAVE ................................................................................. 64 4. SICK LEAVE ......................................................................................... 66 5. PERSONAL DAYS ................................................................................ 66 6. FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY .................................................................. 67 7. FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA) .............................................. 67 8. MEDICAL LEAVE ................................................................................. 71 9. MATERNITY LEAVE ............................................................................. 72 10. PERSONAL LEAVE ............................................................................ 72 11. CARE OF CHILDREN AND ELDERLY RELATIVES–THESMALL NECESSITIES LEAVE ACT .............................................. 73 SECTION VI: HEALTH SERVICES ................................................................................ 74 VI A. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION ........................................................................ 74 VI B. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES OR WORK-RELATED INJURIES ................... 74 1. TREATMENT WILL DEPEND ON YOUR MEDICAL CONDITION ....... 74 SECTION VII: FACILITIES & SERVICES ...................................................................... 76 VII A. FACILITIES ................................................................................................ 76 1. ATHLETICS .......................................................................................... 76 2. BOOKSTORE ....................................................................................... 76 3. CAFETERIA .......................................................................................... 76 4. LIBRARY ............................................................................................... 76 VII B. SERVICES ................................................................................................ 76 1. DIRECTORY OF EMPLOYEES ............................................................ 77 2. LOST AND FOUND .............................................................................. 77 3. IDENTIFICATION CARD ...................................................................... 77 4. KEYS .................................................................................................... 77 5. MAIL/ FAX/ COPY SERVICES ............................................................. 77 6. BANKING SERVICES ........................................................................... 78 7. CREDIT UNION .................................................................................... 78 SECTION VIII: GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................... 79 VIII A. AWARDS .................................................................................................. 79 1. SERVICE AWARDS ............................................................................. 79 2. CLUBS .................................................................................................. 79 VIII B. COMMUTING ........................................................................................... 80 1. PARKING .............................................................................................. 80 2. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ............................................................... 80 March 20096

WIT Employee HandbookTable of Contents3. MBTA PASSES ..................................................................................... 80 4. CARPOOLS .......................................................................................... 80 VIII C. EMERGENCIES AND INCLEMENT WEATHER ...................................... 81 2. FIRE EMERGENCIES .......................................................................... 82 3. SAFETY—OSHA .................................................................................. 82 4. PUBLIC SAFETY .................................................................................. 82 VIII D. DIRECTIONS TO WENTWORTH ............................................................ 83 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 84 APPENDIX A: ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ANDUNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE ........................... 84 1. INSTITUTE POLICY ............................................................................. 84 2. SEXUAL HARASSMENT ...................................................................... 84 3. UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ............................. 90 4. DISCLAIMER ........................................................................................ 90 APPENDIX B: DRIVER SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLE USE POLICY ........... 92 1. DRIVER QUALIFICATIONS ................................................................. 92 2. DRIVER AND PASSENGER GUIDELINES .......................................... 92 3. MOTOR VEHICLE RECORDS (MVR) CRITERIA ................................ 93 4. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION CERTIFICATION ....... 94 5. DRIVING ACCIDENTS ......................................................................... 95 March 20097

WIT Employee HandbookOverviewOVERVIEW OF WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYArioch Wentworth, a Boston merchant, attributed his success to his early trainingin mechanics. His strong belief in education and training motivated him to leavethe major portion of his estate for the establishment of a school of technology,"furnishing education in the mechanical arts." To this end, Wentworth Institutewas founded on April 5, 1904, and has since continued to offer education intechnology.THE MISSIONWentworth’s mission is to develop, support, and sustain high quality educationalprograms in the fields of architecture, design, engineering, technology, and themanagement of technology, that are nationally recognized and accredited, in alearning environment that is both caring and rigorous. To this end, Wentworthwill engage talented and dedicated faculty and staff who will provide state-of-theartinstruction based on their creativity, scholarship and innovation. Wentworthwill further support this environment with modern instructional facilities, academicresources, co-curricular programs, and athletic team-building opportunities asbefits a private, independent institution whose emphasis is teaching. Wentworthrecognizes and values the diversity of its student population, and is committed toensuring that a quality educational experience is provided to all, and thatstudents will be provided with the opportunity to fulfill their potential as innovativetechnical problem-solvers, life-long learners, and potential leaders in theirindustries and communities. Wenworth affirms the values of its founder,emphasizing that the goal of the practicing professional is to conduct one’s affairswith honesty, to provide a full measure of effort for the client, to deliver productsand services which conserve resources, and to do so with purpose and order.THE ORGANIZATIONTo accomplish its mission, Wentworth is structured with academic departmentsand divisions. The academic departments include Applied Mathematics andSciences, Architecture, Design & Facilities, Civil/Construction/Environment,Electronics and Mechanical, Computer Science Systems, Humanities/SocialSciences/Management and the Division of Professional and Continuing Studies(part-time programs).The Student Affairs and Enrollment Management divisions are responsible forproviding services to enhance the learning environment. The Business & Financeand Institutional Advancement divisions assist all divisions in developingrelationships and resources that in turn will enhance the ability of Wentworth toprovide a quality education at a reasonable cost.March 20098

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesSECTION I: INSTITUTE POLICIESI A. EMPLOYMENT POLICIES1. NONDISCRIMINATION POLICYWentworth Institute of Technology reaffirms its policy of providing equalopportunity in education and employment for qualified persons in accordancewith federal, state and local regulations. Wentworth Institute of Technology doesnot discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex(including same sex), sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medicalconditions, religion, genetic information, age, disability or handicap, citizenshipstatus, service member status or any other category protected by law in theadministration of its hiring and employment policies. No person shall be deniedany of the above-stated considerations solely on the basis of being a disabled,but otherwise qualified, individual. Wentworth is also committed to equalopportunity in the employment of veterans and Vietnam-era veterans.This policy extends to all rights, privileges, programs and activities includingadmission, employment, educational and athletic programs and relates in part torequirements of federal law including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, TitleIX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Actof 1973, and Section 2012 of the Vietnam Era Veteran's ReadjustmentAssistance Act of 1974 and regulations thereunder.2. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTIONIn accordance with state and federal laws, Wentworth maintains affirmativeaction plans as appropriate.3. AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA)In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Wentworth Instituteof Technology will make reasonable accommodation for a qualified applicant oremployee with a disability to enable such person to perform the essential jobfunctions and/or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment, so long assuch accommodation does not impose an undue burden on the Institute. To beprotected by the ADA an employee must have a "disability," as defined by law,and be qualified to perform the essential functions of the position with or withouta reasonable accommodation by Wentworth. Under the ADA a disability is aphysical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major lifeactivities. A disability also includes having a record of such impairment, or beingMarch 20099

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policiesregarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities include functionssuch as caring for one self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing,speaking, breathing and standing. If you feel you may need a reasonableaccommodation you should request one by contacting the Human Resourcesoffice. All requests are processed by the Human Resources office and not byindividual departments or supervisors.4. DISCRIMINATION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENTAll complaints regarding sexual harassment or discrimination should be broughtto the attention of the Vice President of Human Resources /Affirmative ActionOfficer. Wentworth has established a procedure for investigation and complaintreview. All complaints will be investigated in a prompt manner.Discrimination and harassment infractions are subject to disciplinary review.See the Appendix of this handbook for complaint procedures.5. SEXUAL HARASSMENT PROHIBITEDThe success of Wentworth is based upon a fundamental commitment totreating all persons with dignity and respect. All faculty, staff andstudents have a right to work and study in an environment free of sexualharassment. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination as defined by federallaw, section 703 of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and as amended by theEqual Employment Opportunity Act of 1973, as well as under MassachusettsGeneral Law Chapter 151B and other laws.Wentworth will not tolerate sexual misconduct on the part of any employee,student or associate which has the effect of:• substantially interfering with an individual's work performance• creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive workingenvironment• interfering with the educational/work process• denying any qualified individual equal educational/employment opportunity6. EMPLOYMENT OF FAMILY MEMBERS—NEPOTISMWentworth encourages employees to refer qualified individuals for employment.Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, experience andabilities. Wentworth will employ qualified relatives of current employees but onlyunder certain conditions which Wentworth believes are appropriate to avoid theappearance of impropriety. No individual shall be employed in a department orunit under the supervision of a relative who has or may have a direct effect onthe individual’s progress, performance or welfare at Wentworth. Similarly, noemployee shall directly supervise, have immediate hiring authority over, approvebudget requests for, approve time sheets for, or participate in any way in theMarch 200910

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policiesperformance evaluations of a relative. All employees who accept positions atWentworth in which they are required to perform any of these tasks with respectto a relative must notify the Human Resources Department immediately.7. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPSSexual or romantic relationships between employees and students are strictlyprohibited. Sexual or romantic relationships between employees at differentlevels of authority at Wentworth are strongly discouraged because suchrelationships often cause substantial problems for both Wentworth and theindividuals involved. These relationships may affect the morale of faculty or staffby fostering actual or perceived favoritism. In addition, the different levels ofauthority between the parties increase the risk of abuse or harassment. For thesereasons, neither party to a sexual or romantic relationship may participate informal or informal supervision, review or evaluation of the other. Wentworth willalso alter the work responsibilities of parties to a sexual or romantic relationshipto limit, within Wentworth’s discretion, the professional contact between thoseparties. Wentworth expects all faculty and staff to act with discretion and maturityin their workplace relationships.March 200911

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesI B. SMOKING AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE POLICIES1. TOBACCO-FREE POLICYWentworth Institute of Technology is committed to providing a healthfulenvironment for students, faculty, staff and visitors. Recognizing that smokingand inhaling smoke are health hazards, Wentworth prohibits smoking in all partsof the Institute. The implementation of this policy is in accordance withMassachusetts General Law, Chapter 270, Section 22.Wentworth joins with the American College Health Association (ACHA) insupporting the findings of the Surgeon General that tobacco use in any form,active and passive, is a significant health hazard. Wentworth further recognizesthat environmental or second-hand tobacco smoke has been classified as aGroup A carcinogen by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.Wentworth supports the health goals of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)to reduce the percentage of adults who use tobacco products, and to positivelyinfluence our community by helping people to remain or become tobacco/smokefree.Research has shown that the promotion of a tobacco/smoke-freeenvironment has led to substantial reductions in the number of people whosmoke, the amount of tobacco products consumed, and the number of peopleexposed to environmental or second-hand tobacco smoke.The academic campus of Wentworth Institute of Technology will be a tobaccofreecommunity as of Sunday, August 26 , 2007 at 5:00 p.m.1. The sale, sampling or advertisement of all tobacco products or their use shallbe prohibited on the Wentworth campus and in all Wentworth publications.2. All members of the Wentworth community, including visitors and vendorsworking on campus, are expected to comply with this policy. This policy relies onthe consideration and cooperation of tobacco users and non-users.3. Enforcement of the policy is the responsibility of each member of theWentworth community. Faculty, staff, and/or students are expected to enforcethe policy for their facilities and/or sponsored activities.4. Violations of this policy are covered by existing faculty and staff employmentpolicies and the Student Code of Conduct and as such will be responded towithin the realm, responses, and consequences allowed by those policies orregulations.From August 26, 2007 until September 14, 2007, individuals foundviolating the Tobacco-free Policy will be reminded of the policy andasked to discard their tobacco product.March 200912

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesAfter September 14, 2007, individuals found violating the TobaccofreePolicy will be reminded of the policy, asked to discard theirtobacco product, and forwarded to the appropriate office fordisciplinary follow-up.Please be advised, resident students will be permitted to use tobacco productson the residential campus at the designated receptacles only. Although theInstitute does not support the use of tobacco, it recognizes that the campus ishome to many students and is concerned for the safety of students if required toleave campus at night to use tobacco products. This compromise will berevisited if members of the Wentworth community are found abusing this policy.For further information, please contact the Human Resources office or the Office ofWellness Education.2. ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE POLICYWentworth recognizes that alcohol and drug abuse can impair the ability offaculty and staff to provide quality programs and services. Wentworth believesthat constructive measures to deal with these problems are possible and stronglyencourages employees with drug and alcohol problems to seek treatment.However, Wentworth cannot and will not tolerate drug or alcohol abuse in theworkplace.It is unlawful for employees to manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or useillegal drugs in the workplace or while fulfilling their job duties outside theworkplace. Employees who violate this policy may be required to participate in arehabilitation program and/or may receive disciplinary action up to and includingtermination. Employees, as a condition of employment with Wentworth, mustabide by the terms of this statement.Employees who need assistance in dealing with substance abuse problems arestrongly encouraged to utilize the confidential assistance and services offeredthrough the Wentworth Human Resources department and the Wellness Group,our employee assistance provider. Employees may also consult with the HumanResources Department for confidential advice and referrals through the variousinsured health plans or to seek out other resources in the community.March 200913

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesI C. CONDUCT POLICIES1. PROFESSIONAL CONDUCTEach employee represents Wentworth to those people with whom he or shecomes in contact, either by telephone, in person or in written communication.Visitors, students, parents, alumni, other employees and the general public formtheir impressions of Wentworth by the courtesy with which their requests arereceived, as well as by the quality of the services rendered. Courtesy is not onlyexpected, it is an essential part of an employee’s duties.Employees are asked to maintain a professional appearance. Employees shouldadhere to the guidelines indicated by the Department Head or supervisor.2. CONSULTING AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIESFaculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to participate in professionalactivities as a means of improving not only their own competence and prestige,but the prestige of Wentworth as well.Outside service should not be undertaken, with or without pay, if it might interferewith the discharge of an employee’s responsibilities to Wentworth. Whileengaging in these outside services, Wentworth employees have an obligation toavoid ethical, legal, financial and other conflicts of interest to ensure that theirconsulting or professional activities do not conflict with the interests andpurposes of Wentworth.For more details, please review the Conflict of Interest provisions set forth in item9.3. USE OF WENTWORTH LETTERHEADWentworth or departmental letterheads should be reserved for correspondenceregarding Wentworth business so that personal or professional correspondencemay not be assumed to be official Wentworth statements.4. SOLICITATION POLICYTo protect employees from interference with their work and from direct orinadvertent pressure, Wentworth prohibits solicitation by employees for anycause, or distribution of literature unrelated to Wentworth programs or events,during working time. In addition, an employee who is at lunch or on break maynot solicit any employee who is on working time. Non-employees may notdistribute literature or solicit employees on Wentworth property at any time.Exceptions to this policy may be granted by the prior written approval of the VicePresident of Human Resources.March 200914

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policies5. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATIONWhile employed at Wentworth, an employee may have occasion to work withconfidential information including student records. It is the employee's obligationto keep such information in strict confidence and not to divulge it to family,friends, co-workers or any other third parties without express consent fromWentworth.6. PERSONAL TELEPHONE CALLSPersonal calls (incoming and outgoing) should be limited to essential matters andshould be of short duration. Wentworth should be reimbursed for personal calls,including taxes.7. STATUS CHANGESIt is the responsibility of each employee to inform his or her supervisor and theHuman Resources Department of any change in personal status such as achange of address, telephone number, marital status or number of dependents.A change in personal status may also require a change in health and dentalinsurance coverage, pension and life insurance beneficiaries, and/or W-4exemptions. Contact the Human Resources Department for appropriate forms.The employee should notify the Human Resources Department at least sixtydays prior to the date the employee and/or the employee's spouse reaches 65years of age (for Medicare information), or when a child reaches 19 years of age.Children who reach 19 years of age and are not full-time students are eligible toparticipate in the group health plan for thirty-six months in accordance withCOBRA regulations.Attendance at seminars, completion of courses, and the obtainment of a degreeare other examples of information that is recommended to be on file with theHuman Resources Department.8. COMPUTER CODE OF ETHICSEmployees who use the Wentworth computer facilities assume the responsibilityto see that these resources are used in an appropriate manner as set forth inWentworth’s Acceptable Use Guidelines: http://www.wit.edu/helpdesk/use.html.Misuse of computer facilities is considered to be a form of dishonesty and maybe a violation of law if data or the progress of other computer users aredisturbed.March 200915

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesUsers must comply with these points.• Users will not examine or use someone else's file or output or employsomeone else's user name under any circumstances. Attempts tocircumvent the protective mechanisms in the computer system may beconsidered violations of Wentworth policy.• Users may not deliberately attempt to degrade system performance orcapability.• Users may not enter material that Wentworth may consider obscene oroffensive. This includes messages in the electronic mail system.Wentworth reserves the right to access and review, within its discretion andwithout notice, all records and files on Wentworth’s computer system, includingelectronic mail.For Wentworth’s e-mail policy, please see the following link:http://www.wit.edu/snippets/admin/email_policy.htm.Violation of the computer policy may result in discipline and/or discharge.9. CONFLICT OF INTERESTIt has been and shall continue to be the policy of Wentworth Institute ofTechnology that all officers and employees avoid any conflict or appearance ofconflict between their personal interest and the interest of Wentworth in dealingwith an organization or individual having or seeking to have any businessrelationship with Wentworth.a. DefinitionA Wentworth officer or employee shall be deemed to have a conflict of interest if:• The individual is an officer, trustee, director, partner, employee or agentof, or has a 5 percent or greater interest in, an entity involved in atransaction with or affecting Wentworth.• The individual is aware that a member of his or her family (spouse,parents, children, siblings or anyone living in the same household) is anofficer, trustee, director, partner, employee or agent of, or has a 5 percentor greater interest in, an entity involved in a transaction with or affectingWentworth.• Without regard to the previous statements, the individual’s duties toWentworth are or might appear to be impaired by an existing or potentialfinancial interest.• The individual supervises or participates in a decision affecting a relativeof the individual.b. Guidance for Avoidance of Conflict of InterestAll employees of Wentworth:March 200916

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policies• Are charged with fidelity in the performance of their duties and shouldconduct themselves in such regard solely for the purpose, benefit, andinterest of Wentworth, wholly free from the influence of personalconsideration or relationship.• Have a duty to Wentworth to negotiate with third parties to makerecommendations with respect to such negotiations or to pass judgmenton such negotiations, wholly free from the influence of any personalconsiderations.• Should not accept for themselves or the benefit of any relative or friendany payments, loans, services, favors involving more than the ordinarysocial amenity or gifts of more than token value from any person ororganization doing or seeking to do business with Wentworth.• Should not perform work or services, outside the course of their normalemployment by Wentworth, for an organization doing or seeking to dobusiness with Wentworth.• Should devote their best efforts to the furtherance of Wentworth’s missionduring the course of their employment. Outside employment or personalcommitments which interfere with this are inappropriate.c. ComplianceBefore any action is taken by an individual on behalf of Wentworth where anactual or potential conflict of interest may exist, the individual will promptly makefull disclosure to his or her supervisor and refrain from acting unless writtenapproval is received from the cognizant Vice President and the Vice President ofBusiness & Finance. The individual’s supervisor will coordinate this action.10. WHISTLBLOWER AND ANIT-RETALIATION POLICYWentworth Institute of Technology (the Institute) is committed to compliance withall applicable laws and all officers, faculty members, staff members, employees,consultants, students and parents of the Institute should feel safe to reportwithout fear of reprisal any concerns that are reasonable and made in good faithrelating to the Institute’s financial, accounting or audit matters, and/or toviolations of law, statutes or regulations. It is a violation of this Policy foranyone, acting on behalf of the Institute, to retaliate against an individual who ingood faith reports a possible violation of this Policy.Complaints that are otherwise covered by other Institute policies or procedurestailored to address the matters complained of, such as (by way of example only)the Harassment Policy and Discrimination Policy, are not covered by this Policy,which does not replace them, and such concerns will continue to be addressed inaccordance with the procedures set forth in those other policies or procedures.As part of its commitment to financial accountability and legal conduct, theInstitute expects its employees, consultants and constituents to bring to theattention of Wentworth’s senior management any concerns about the Institute’sMarch 200917

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policiesfinancial, accounting or audit matters, and/or about violations of law, statutes orregulations, or about known or reasonably suspected violations of this Policy.Such complaints include, but are not limited to, suspected improper accounting,internal accounting controls or auditing. Complaints should be made accordingto the following procedure:1. Notificationa) Whom to Notify. Individuals with a complaint or knowledge of acomplaint should promptly notify the Institute. The following people should becontacted:The Institute’s Vice President for Human Resources (AVP HR) is the primarycontact.An individual with a concern may also feel free to contact the Institute’sindependent auditor:Michael Burns, CPATofias PC350 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02139Ph: 617-761-0600Fax: 617-761-0601Anyone receiving notification within the scope of this Policy shall, as appropriate,immediately report such receipt to the Chair of the Audit Committee, who will inturn report, as appropriate, to the Board of Trustees.Because failure to report criminal activity can itself be understood to condone thecrime, individuals should come forward with information about any such activity,without regard for the identity or position of the suspected offender. Failure toreport knowledge of wrongdoing may result in disciplinary action against thosewho fail to report.b) Form of Notice. The notification should specify in reasonable detail thenature of the complaint and the persons involved in and with knowledge of theviolation. It should be accompanied by any supporting documentation.Notification should be made in writing so as to promote a clear understanding ofthe issues raised, but also may be made orally. Notifications which are in writingmay be made anonymously.2. Investigation and Confidentiality - The Institute will investigate reports ofviolations and all those involved are required to cooperate with suchinvestigations. An investigation may in some circumstances mean that theMarch 200918

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesInstitute cannot promise complete confidentiality, but it will act as discreetly asreasonably possible, providing information to individuals on a “need to knowbasis.” When the Institute completes its investigation and if it concludes thatthere is a problem, it will promptly take corrective action. The Institute will reporton its actions to the person having made the report.3. Prohibition Against Retaliation - The Institute will not discriminate againstor discharge individuals for their reasonable, good faith allegations orparticipation in any investigation, or their reasonable, good faith efforts to ensurethe Institute’s compliance with law, and it will strongly discipline anyone whothreatens or retaliates against such individuals. Such prohibited retaliationincludes, but is not limited to, termination, demotion, suspension, harassment,failure to consider for promotion, or any other kind of discrimination. Individualsshould act reasonably and in good faith during any complaint and investigationprocess.4. Acting in Good Faith - A person filing a complaint concerning a violation orsuspected violation of this Policy must be acting in good faith and havereasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation ofthe Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove tohave been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a seriousdisciplinary offense.March 200919

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute PoliciesI D. GENERAL POLICIES1. FIREARMS/WEAPONS POLICYEmployees, students and visitors to the campus (excluding campus policeofficers and members of the rifle team) are strictly prohibited from carrying anyloaded or unloaded weapons on campus (e.g., knives, guns, explosives, etc.) inaccordance with Massachusetts law.2. PERSONAL PROPERTYAny personal property brought onto the premises is done so at the owner'srisk. Wentworth’s insurance protects only property owned by Wentworth. Careshould be exercised to protect personal property and to see that items of valuekept in offices are covered under the employee's own insurance. Manyhomeowner policies will provide such protection.3. WENTWORTH PROPERTYWentworth retains the right to access any desk, locker, cabinet, tool chest,vehicle or other object or space used or leased by Wentworth and located onWentworth’s premises even if locked, either with or without permission and/orknowledge of the employee customarily using such object or space. Use andpossession of Wentworth property is subject to the approval of the immediatesupervisor and/or Department Head. Unauthorized use or possession ofWentworth property will be subject to disciplinary action. Similarly, Wentworthretains the right to access and review, within its discretion and without notice, anycomputer file, including e-mail, backup files and voicemail files maintained on anyWentworth computer or voicemail system.4. USE OF COMPANY VEHICLESStudents may not use Wentworth vehicles. Any use of Wentworth vehicles byemployees is conditional upon the driver's possession of a valid U.S. driver'slicense, verified by the Human Resources Representative or his/her designeeinitially and at the start of each fiscal year on July 1st. A photocopy of theemployee's drivers license must be filed with the Human ResourcesRepresentative. All accidents involving Wentworth vehicles, no matter how minor,must be reported to the Public Safety Department at Wentworth as soon aspossible.5. POSTING OF NOTICESIndividuals are not allowed to post notices of any kind without the prior approvalof an authorized Wentworth administrator. The notice needs to be initialed by theapproving authority and include the duration of posting period (usually for 1-2weeks). Notices are to be placed on approved bulletin boards only. Unauthorizedor inappropriately placed materials will be subject to removal.March 200920

WIT Employee HandbookSection I: Institute Policies6. TRAVEL POLICYA complete travel policies and procedures manual is available from the BusinessServices Department.All official business travel must be approved in advance by the employee’sDepartment Head or Division Head. Information regarding the dates of departureand return, destination and purpose of the travel must be filed with thesupervisor.For attendance at a professional meeting, convention or seminar, it is necessaryto complete the "travel authorization and reservation form" prior to makingreservations.a. Travel Expenses ReimbursementFor travel by personal car, consult the Business Services Department’s travelhandbook for the reimbursement rate per mile. In addition, parking and tollexpenses may be reimbursed (receipts required). Citations, traffic and parkingviolations, and repairs may not be reimbursed. The employee must maintainadequate auto insurance by law.Upon completion of the trip a travel expense voucher form indicating expensessuch as transportation, lodging, meals, etc. needs to be completed forreimbursement. Receipts for expenses must be attached to this document. Thedocumentation is submitted to a Department Head, Dean, or Vice President forreview and approval. The Controller’s Office will issue a check to the employeefor the expenses that may be reimbursed, less any cash advance.b. Travel Accident InsuranceAll Wentworth employees are protected by accident insurance coverage whiletraveling on official Wentworth business. The accident coverage is for the periodof official travel during regular employment. It will be in effect during the time theperson is in travel status. Suicide, loss caused by acts of declared or undeclaredwar and traveling to and from places of regular employment are some of theexceptions to this coverage. Travel which involves high-risk countries or areas,and high-risk transportation, such as war-risk countries or private aircraft, is notcovered under this policy but requires special coverage. Therefore, the HumanResources Department must be notified as far in advance of the travel aspossible so that arrangements can be made for the special coverage.March 200921

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicySECTION II: EMPLOYMENT POLICYII A. EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES1. TYPES OF APPOINTMENTSa. Regular Full-Time EmployeesA regular full-time employee is one authorized by the Human ResourcesDepartment to work 37.5 or more hours per week. Some regular full-timepositions may be for the academic year only.b. Regular Part-Time EmployeesA regular part-time employee is one authorized through the Human ResourcesDepartment to work more than 910 hours per year (at least 17.5 hours but fewerthan 37.5 hours per week). Some regular part-time positions may be for theacademic year only.c. Part-Time EmployeesA part-time employee works less than 17.5 hours per week. Part-timeemployees are not eligible for benefits.d. Temporary Employees/InternsA temporary employee/intern is hired for a pre-determined period of time. Sometemporary employees may be eligible for certain benefits.e. Cooperative Education Student EmployeesA cooperative education student employee is a fully enrolled student whosefull-time cooperative work term is performed at Wentworth as part of the formaleducational program. Unlike all other categories of student workers, acooperative education student is eligible for holiday benefits. See Section V.f. Work-Study StudentsThese students are processed through the Financial Aid Office, not the HumanResources Department. A work-study student is a fully enrolled student ofWentworth who performs part-time or temporary work for Wentworth andreceives payment for the work. Students are employed under the FederalCollege Work-Study Program. The total amount of money they may earn eachyear is determined by the Financial Aid Office. No Institute benefits are provided.March 200922

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policy2. HIRING PROCEDURESa. Position DescriptionsEach job at Wentworth, filled or vacant, has a written job description. Eachemployee may access their job description by utilizing the Peopleadmin systemand logging on at http://jobs.wit.edu/hr. Human Resources will create a useraccount for the employee upon hire. Applicants can request a job descriptionfrom the Human Resources Department.Writing and updating position descriptions is the responsibility of the DepartmentHead, and is performed through the P.A. system. Position descriptions shouldbe reviewed at the time of performance appraisals and at the time of a new hireto assure they are current. Employee input is encouraged for completeness andaccuracy. All position description changes must be approved by the VicePresident of Human Resources.Since the official position description does not rigidly define all the duties thatmay be involved, supervisors may need to assign new tasks or projects as needsof the department change. Employees should be sure they understand all dutiesexpected of them and should not hesitate to ask their supervisor for clarificationin this regard.b. Job PostingsCurrent job openings are posted on the Human Resources bulletin board as wellas online at http://jobs.wit.educ. Position TitlesEvery position is evaluated and assigned a title by Human Resources, andoccasionally with the assistance of outside consultants. Evaluations are made ofall new positions and existing positions which have changed.The purpose of the evaluation is to analyze the content of a position and to rankit relative to other positions.The following factors are used in the evaluation.• Knowledge. The minimum education, training, specific skills andexperience needed to perform the job.• Supervision. The degree of responsibility assumed for directing the workof others. It includes both the number of people supervised and the scopeand variety of activities and skills supervised.• Complexity. The degree of judgment, problem solving, analysis, initiative,innovation and creativity inherent in the position. The extent to whichuncertainty, as opposed to established routines, is part of a position addsto its complexity.• Impact. This factor measures the effect on Wentworth of the actions forwhich a position is responsible. The importance of the position relative toMarch 200923

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicyWentworth achieving its goals, and the degree of autonomy andaccountability associated with the position add to impact.Assigning a title to positions is done as objectively as possible. The positioncontent, not personal performance, is measured. The final ranking of a position istherefore not a measure of an employee's ability nor personal worth toWentworth. This is measured through performance appraisals.d. Pay RangesPay ranges are reviewed each year to consider changes in economic conditionsboth external and internal. Pay ranges are discretionary and subject to theapproval of the President's Advisory Council and the Board of Trustees.Employee performance, education and experience influence the salary paid.e. Screening ApplicantsApplicants undergo several screening steps, which may include formalapplications, interviews, testing, and personal and employment reference checks.These steps are coordinated through the Human Resources Department. Thedecision to hire or not to hire is a joint one involving the Department Head,Division Head and Human Resources.All recruiting efforts are coordinated by the Human Resources Department, theonly department authorized to place recruitment advertisements or registerposition openings with other organizations.All applicants must apply to our online application site at http://jobs.wit.eduThis includes current employees applying for promotions or transfers.A final decision on which candidate to hire is made by the hiring department inconsultation with the Human Resources Department.Hiring departments are not authorized to extend either written or verbal offers ofemployment without the written approval of the appropriate member of thePresident's Advisory Council and the Human Resources Department.1) Security ClearanceIt may be necessary for certain personnel to obtain a security clearance as acondition of employment.2) Employment AuthorizationAll candidates for hire are required by law to provide the Human ResourcesDepartment with documentation of their citizenship, work permit and/orauthorization to accept employment in the United States within three businessdays of their starting date.March 200924

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicyThe employee is required to complete various forms and furnish certain requireditems of information pertaining to his/her personal and professional background.f. Re-EmploymentFormer Wentworth employees who apply for re-employment more than threemonths after their latest employment with Wentworth ended shall be consideredas new applicants.g. Orientation of New EmployeesNew employees will receive an explanation of the benefits and policies andprocedures at Wentworth at a bi-monthly benefits overview. The President’sWelcome orientation is held once each semester.It is the supervisor's and the employee’s shared responsibility to become familiarwith, among other things:• the employee's job duties and responsibilities• the policies and procedures of the department• lunch hours, reporting of absences• the overall function of the department• the quality of services the department provides to the campus community• the physical layout of the office, the building and all other related workareasMarch 200925

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicyII B. CURRENT EMPLOYEES1. EMPLOYEE IDENTIFICATIONAll employees should carry a Wentworth photo identification (ID) card on theirperson while on campus. A photo ID may be obtained at the CommunicationCenter.2. PERSONNEL RECORDSA file of each employee's employment record is maintained in the HumanResources Department. Included in the file are employment application data,performance appraisals, salary records and other documents related to theindividual's employment or required by law.3. CREDIT INFORMATIONWhenever the Human Resources Department receives requests for creditinformation from credit agencies, retail stores and banks, non-confidentialinformation, such as dates of employment, job title, name of department, andother identifying information, will be verified. Confidential information will not begiven to any agency unless the employee specifically authorizes it in writing.4. REFERENCESReferences for current and former employees are given through the HumanResources Department only. No individual employee is authorized to commenton the performance of a former employee or provide references unlessauthorization has been verified by Human Resources.Wentworth will provide as references only the former employee’s position, titleand dates of employment, unless the former employee expressly authorizesWentworth in writing to disclose additional information. Wentworth reserves itsright to make exceptions to this policy, in its discretion, for exigent circumstancessuch as safety, security or the prevention of crime.5. ACCESS TO PERSONNEL FILESPersonnel records are maintained by the Human Resources Department foradministering Wentworth’s personnel program. A personnel file may containpersonal data as well as employment information. Accordingly, the HumanResources Department regards these files as highly confidential. Disseminationof personnel records will be monitored so that only those parties authorized bythe employee, approved administratively, or legally warranted receive it.Each employee may review the entire contents of his/her official personnel fileduring normal office hours at a time reasonably convenient to the partiesconcerned and in the presence of a Human Resources representative. A requestfor access to review the file shall be made in writing in advance by the individualon a "Request to Review Personnel File" form provided by Wentworth. TheMarch 200926

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policyemployee shall be given the opportunity to review his/her file within five (5)business days after Wentworth receives a request form. The employee maymake copies of materials in his/her file.Other Wentworth officials may have access to an employee's file or relevantportions thereof when there is a reason for such review and a request for it hasbeen approved by the Vice President of Human Resources or his/her designatedrepresentative. A request for access to review the file shall be made in writing inadvance by completing the "Request to Examine An Employee's Record ByAdministration" form. The employee may be present during any such review ofhis/her personnel file.6. MAINTENANCE OF PERSONNEL FILESThe Human Resources Department is responsible for maintaining personnelrecords, and for adding, correcting and removing materials from those records.The Human Resources Department should be notified of changes such as:• name, address, telephone number• beneficiary and dependents listed in insurance policies• marital status• number of dependents for withholding tax purposes• person(s) to notify in case of accident• completion of educational courses and programsVoluminous materials may not be placed in personnel files, but a summary sheetreferencing such materials may be placed in the file.If an employee disagrees with any information contained in a personnel record,the employee may petition the Director of Human Resources, in writing, tocorrect or remove that information. The employee’s written statement shall thenbecome part of the employee’s personnel file.Files will be maintained for at least three years after termination of employment.March 200927

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policy7. HOURS OF WORKa. Work YearWentworth operates on a fifty-two-weeks-a-year basis.b. Work WeekAdministrative, laboratory technicians, professional andclerical personnel are employed on a 37.5-hour work week, 7.5 hours a day,between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. They observe anunpaid one-hour lunch break to be taken between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and1:30 p.m. Variations may occur to conform with the working schedules ofparticular departments, and to make certain that all departments are adequatelystaffed during the normal work day.Any changes in the established beginning and ending hours must berecommended in writing by the supervisor and approved by the DepartmentHead, Division Head and Human Resources. These changes are filed in theHuman Resources Office.Unauthorized use of the facilities may be subject to disciplinary action.Employees should notify Public Safety of their location and anticipatedhours on campus when working beyond the normal work day.8. ABSENCESPunctual and regular attendance is required, and is important for satisfactorywork performance. Persistent tardiness may result in loss of wages, disciplinaryaction or separation. Persons unable to report for work are expected to notify theimmediate supervisor or Department Head within one hour of the beginning ofeach work day. Failure to notify the supervisor may result in loss of wages and/orother disciplinary action.9. PERFORMANCE REVIEWSExempt and non-exempt staff receive a three-, six- and twelve-monthperformance evaluation during the first year of employment. Salaried (exempt)staff have a six- and twelve-month performance review during the first year ofemployment. Annual performance reviews occur thereafter for both groups.However, a supervisor may initiate a review when deemed appropriate. Annualperformance reviews are conducted each fall.Performance evaluations are facilitated through the Peopleadmin system.10. JOB DESCRIPTIONSA new employee should discuss his/her job description and responsibilities withhis/her supervisor during the first week of employment to clarify expectedperformance. Current employees should periodically review their job descriptionsMarch 200928

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policyfor accuracy. It is recommended that this occur during the annual performancereview.11. REQUESTS FOR POSITION REVIEWAnyone feeling that their position duties and requirements have changedsufficiently to warrant a new evaluation should speak to their supervisor. Aspecific questionnaire available in Human Resources is to be completed by theemployee and the supervisor and should be reviewed by the appropriate VicePresident. Upon receipt of the position evaluation questionnaire, the HumanResources Department will review the title request.12. SALARY REVIEWSalaries are reviewed annually in the fall after the annual performanceappraisals. Based on guidelines from the Board of Trustees, increases may beawarded. Increases generally become effective January 1. Raises are awardedprincipally on performance/merit.13. PROMOTIONSWentworth encourages its employees to seek positions of greater responsibilitythrough promotions and/or transfers. Vacancy listings are posted on the HumanResources bulletin board. Normally, these positions are posted for a minimum offive working days. Employees may apply for any position posted for which theyfeel qualified. All applicants must fill out the position application forms availablefrom Human Resources as well as applying to our online application site athttp://jobs.wit.edu. Promotions and transfers will be with equal opportunity for all,without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, ethnic ornational origin, veteran status, or disability, but otherwise qualified.14. CAREER DEVELOPMENTAn employee who would like assistance in evaluating his/her future careeropportunities at Wentworth has several options available. Options include: a)discuss career development with the supervisor or Department Head; b) meetwith Human Resources; or c) participate in the Wentworth-sponsored tuitionassistance program by taking courses at Wentworth or another institution.15. PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINEThe purpose of progressive discipline is to correct or improve job-relatedperformance or behavior. For discipline to be progressive in nature, it shouldinvolve the least severe action necessary to correct undesirable behavior andmove to increasingly more severe measures only if the problem is not corrected.The steps of discipline usually will follow a sequence of a verbal warning, writtenwarning, suspension, demotion or discharge. Immediate suspension or dischargemay be required for major infractions, repeated violations, or safety concerns.Discipline at this level must be authorized by Human Resources.March 200929

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicyProgressive discipline is imposed at Wentworth’s discretion. Employees are notentitled to any particular sequence or level of disciplinary sanctions.a. A Verbal WarningA verbal warning is any instance in which a supervisor verbally warns anemployee about inadequate work performance, violation of Wentworth rules orpractices, or a failure to follow work orders. A length of time for improvement isgenerally specified. The supervisor should make note of this warning in his/herrecords.b. A Written WarningA written warning should describe the performance problem, an explanation ofwhat Wentworth expects of the employee in the future, and a statement ofconsequences in the absence of improvement. A written warning becomes partof the personnel record, and a copy is provided to the employee. The employeewill be required to sign the statement signifying receipt of such communication. Ifthe employee refuses to sign the written warning, it should be noted on the formthat the employee was presented with the document but refused to sign it.c. SuspensionSuspension involves the temporary removal of the employee from the work placewithout pay for a specified period of time. In rare circumstances, suspension maybe with pay at Wentworth’s discretion. Suspension may occur for various reasonsincluding the following: absence without proper notice to the supervisor,insubordination, assault, willful destruction of Wentworth property, theft, andfalsification of job applications or other Wentworth records. The employee doesnot accrue vacation and sick leave benefits during the suspension. The length ofthe suspension is determined by the employee’s department in conjunction withHuman Resources. Immediate suspension may be ordered when, for example,circumstances make attendance at work dangerous to the employee or others,when an investigation is needed, or when circumstances seriously impair theemployee's effectiveness on the job. If circumstances require an immediatesuspension, it may be verbally issued. During this suspension period, theemployee will be given an opportunity to hear the charges, review the evidence,and offer an explanation. If the employee fails to take advantage of thisopportunity, his/her employment will be terminated.d. Termination of Employment without Prior WarningsTermination of employment without prior warnings may be implemented whenthe action is deemed severe enough to warrant termination. See Section IIC,Involuntary Termination.March 200930

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policy16. GRIEVANCE PROCEDUREa. Definition of a GrievanceWhile the Institute strives to have a workplace that is professional and congenial,it realizes that, at times, conflicts arise in the workplace. This procedure is inplace to provide non-managerial employees with a mechanism to address andresolve the situations described below that create conflict in our workplace.Although the handbook is a guide to policies and practices and is verycomprehensive, it does not cover all possible scenarios. Accordingly, thegrievance procedure should also be used for situations that are not covered bythe handbook but fit within the grievance categories listed below.Grievances fall into 3 categories.1. Violation of Wentworth written policy or procedure2. Any unfair or inequitable application of a Wentworth written policy orprocedure, or3. Harassment or discrimination based on illegal factors. Refer toDiscrimination and Harassment Grievance Procedure in the Appendix A.A grievance is not:• A disagreement with the existence or substance of a workplace policy(e.g., you cannot file a grievance because there is a policy prohibitingsmoking)• The venue to establish new policies or change old policies (e.g., you wantWentworth to pay 100 percent of the medical plan costs or you believethat vacation schedules should be determined solely by seniority)b. Grievances Concerning Harassment or DiscriminationSituations involving harassment or discrimination based on illegal factors such asage, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation andveteran status, should be reported immediately to the Vice President of HumanResources/Affirmative Action Officer, at extension 4193. Due to the seriousnessof situations involving illegal conduct, these matters will be covered under aseparate grievance procedure found in Appendix A.c. Union MembersEmployees who are members of a union and who have a work-related grievanceshould consult with their union representative and follow the grievance procedureestablished by the union’s collective bargaining agreement with Wentworth formatters covered by that agreement.d. Informal Grievance ProcedureMost employee grievances can be resolved quickly and informally. Weencourage grievances to be brought to the attention of the employee’ssupervisor(s) and/or the Human Resources Department as soon as possible, butno later than 30 days of the issue/incident. Normally, there will be no writtenMarch 200931

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policyrecords of an informal grievance. If the matter is not resolved through informalmeans, the grievance may then be pursued through the formal grievanceprocedure outlined below.e. Formal Grievance ProcedureIf the informal grievance procedure is followed but unsuccessful, an employeemay pursue the matter through this formal grievance procedure. Adhering tothese guidelines will often result in a prompt satisfactory solution. The mattermay be resolved to the satisfaction of all involved parties at any of the followingsteps. The grievance does not proceed to the next step if it has beensuccessfully resolved at an earlier step.Step 1. Contact Human Resources for a Grievance Form. Complete and returnthe form within 10 working days of receiving the form. Human Resources willdetermine whether the issue/incident falls within this Grievance Procedure Policyand if it is to proceed.Step 2. Once Human Resources has made the decision that the issue/situationfalls within the grievance procedure, he/she forwards the Grievance Form to theperson with whom the employee had the issue/incident. After consulting with theparties involved, a written response is provided to Human Resources within five(5) working days. If no agreement or satisfaction is reached, the grievance iscontinued to step 3.Step 3. A Vice President or Division Head reviews the Grievance Form and theresponse. He/she meets with the employee who filed the grievance, and theperson responding to the grievance and attempts to create a solution. If there isno agreement with the suggested solution, the grievance is continued to Step 4 ifthe employee submits a written request to proceed to Human Resources withinfive (5) days of receiving the suggested solution.Step 4. A.) Grievance Committee. A Grievance Committee consisting of arepresentative from Human Resources and four committee members from thepool of appointed members – one of them designated as the moderator. ThisGrievance Pool consists of seven employees that the President appoints eachcalendar year, one being designated as the moderator. The employee filing thegrievance selects one member from the pool and two members will be drawn atrandom. Neither the moderator nor the three committee members may be a partyto the grievance or involved in the grievance issue/incident. If he/she is a party tothe grievance or involved in the incident, they will be removed from the pool forthat case only. Any committee member may recuse themselves fromparticipation if he/she believes she will have a conflict of interest in hearing thegrievance or has reason to believe he/she can not be fair or unbiased.B.) Procedure. The Grievance Committee will meet as soon as reasonablypossible, but no later than 14 business days after receiving all of the materialMarch 200932

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policyrelated to the grievance. Each party has the opportunity to present the facts tothe Committee and the Committee can ask any questions and request anyinformation of the parties it deems relevant to the grievance. The GrievanceCommittee is closed to those not directly involved in the grievance. The meetingis investigatory rather than adversarial.C.) Committee Authority. The Grievance Committee is prohibited from creatingnew or amending existing Wentworth policies (written or unwritten), rules andregulations. The Committee, however, may suggest to the Vice President forHuman Resources that particular policies or rules be reviewed. The Committeewill forward its written findings and recommendations to the President.Step 5. The President shall normally have 15 business days from his/her receiptof the Committee’s recommendation to review it. If the President takes no actionwithin that period, the Moderator shall transmit the Committee’s finding to theparties in writing as Wentworth’s final decision on the grievance and will, onbehalf of the President, take whatever actions are necessary to implement thedecision. If the President reverses or alters the Committee’s recommendation,he/she will communicate this decision in writing to the Moderator. The Moderatorwill transmit the President’s decision in writing to the parties as Wentworth’s finaldecision on the grievance, with instructions for implementation.f. General ProvisionsGrievances must be brought to the informal grievance procedure within 30 daysof the occurrence of the issue/incident, except in unusual circumstances to bedetermined by Human Resources. If the time limits set for advancing thegrievance are not met, the grievance will be deemed to have been settled in amanner consistent with the recommendation at the end of the last completedstep. Requests for an extension of any time limit by a party must be made inwriting to the Human Resources Department, and no extension will be effectiveunless and until the request is approved in writing. In some cases, additional timemay be required by Wentworth or the Committee or the President. In such casesthe employee will be notified by the Human Resources Department of theadditional time required.The failure to provide a written response to the grievance, in a timely manner,shall be construed as a denial of the grievance and the proposed resolution andwill permit the grievance to proceed to the next step if the employee wishes.March 200933

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment PolicyII C. TERMINATION1. VOLUNTARY TERMINATION (RESIGNATION)Employees should give at least 14 days notice of resignation and 30 days whenpossible. Employees who leave employment are eligible for accrued vacationpay. The final paycheck is mailed to the individual on the next normal pay dayfollowing the last day of employment. Employees must meet with arepresentative of Human Resources to conduct an exit interview. For certainpositions, two weeks of pay is granted in lieu of notice.2. INVOLUNTARY TERMINATIONa. A regular employee whose employment is involuntarily terminated for causesbeyond his/her control shall receive notice, or pay in lieu of notice, when laid offfor lack of work, or when there was no deliberate misconduct by the employee.b. For causes within an employee's control, immediate termination is justified forthese and similar offenses.• Theft or misappropriation of funds or property• Interference or failure to cooperate with a Wentworth investigation• Insubordination• Intoxication• Deliberate misuse of Wentworth property• Violation of confidentiality• Sexual harassment• Drug/alcohol use or possession• Violence• Falsification of statements• Deliberate conflict of interest including acceptance of gifts or money fromclients• Offenses that management judges to seriously threaten the well-being ofWentworth or any employee/student• Job abandonment (failing to notify a supervisor of an absence from worklasting 3 or more days)• Other serious infractions which are deemed to warrant dismissalAn employee may not receive notice or pay in lieu of notice whendismissed for cause.March 200934

WIT Employee HandbookSection II: Employment Policy3. EXIT INTERVIEWEach employee who terminates employment must meet with a HumanResources representative. During the exit interview, benefits including COBRArights will be discussed.An employee must settle all outstanding Wentworth accounts, library loans, andcomputer loans, and return all Wentworth keys, ID cards, parking permits, andother school property, including laptops, to the Department Head, the Director ofPublic Safety or the Human Resources Department upon termination. It is theDepartment Head's responsibility to ensure that each departing employee inhis/her department submits a resignation letter to Human Resources Office, on orbefore the employee's last day of employment.March 200935

WIT Employee HandbookSection III: PayrollSECTION III: PAYROLLIII A. TIME SHEETSAll non-exempt (hourly) and exempt (salaried) staff are required to submit weeklye-time sheets approved by the supervisor. All e-time sheets are to be completedno later than Monday at 10:00 a.m. For Monday holidays, e-time sheets shouldbe completed no later than the Friday before the holiday.Department Heads will be individually notified if e-time sheets for any employeein their departments are not completed.III B. W-4 UPDATESEach December, employees should complete a new W-4 form for payroll taxdeductions for the coming year. This record will be maintained in the employee'sfile. Should an employee's tax status change, a new form should be completed atthat time. W-4 updates can occur at any time.III C. PAY DAYPaychecks are available at the Payroll Office. All employees are paid biweekly.Checks are available on Thursdays. The Payroll Office recommends that eachemployee register for IPay, online paycheck stubs.III D. DIRECT DEPOSIT OF PAYCHECKAs a service to employees, direct deposit of paychecks to the employee's bank isavailable. Employees may also participate in the Bank-at-Work program offeredby Bank of America. Bank of America provides direct deposit with no monthlyservice charge and no minimum balance requirement on your checking andsavings accounts. Contact the Human Resources Department for moreinformation.March 200936

WIT Employee HandbookSection III: PayrollIII E. PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS1. STANDARD AND OPTIONAL PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS1. Federal and state income taxes plus Social Security (FICA)deductions are withheld from each paycheck, as required by law.2. If participating in Wentworth group health and/or dental insuranceplans, deductions are withheld for this coverage. Employeecontributions are on a pretax basis when employees have elected toparticipate in Health Insurance Premium Payment Plan (Section125).3. Participation in Wentworth’s retirement plan is available for eligibleemployees. When eligibility is established, appropriate salarydeductions are automatic.4. Participation in the Supplemental Retirement Annuity (SRA) isavailable to all employees. Employees may change their SRAcontributions three times each year (once each semester).5. Dependent Care/Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts6. Life Insurance Premium, where applicable7. Parking charges, where applicable8. Credit Union deductions, where applicable9. Union dues, where applicable10. United Way contributions, where applicable11. Others per federal or state regulations (e.g., wage garnishments)12. MBTA deductions, where applicable13. Institute and employee agreements (e.g., computer loan agreement)2. CHANGES IN PAYROLL DEDUCTIONSAll changes pertaining to payroll deductions must be submitted in writing to theHuman Resources Department. Changes by phone will not be permitted.III F. OVERTIME PAY1. NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEESOccasionally employees are expected to work overtime, depending upon theoperational needs of the department and Wentworth.Employees paid by the hour are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)and are eligible for overtime compensation as indicated below.a. Overtime authorizationOvertime is assigned only under unusual circumstances and must have the priorauthorization of the Department Head.b. Overtime rateOvertime is computed as hours in excess of 37.5 or 40 work hours per week,depending on the normally scheduled work week. Reimbursement is at 1.5 timesthe normal hourly rate.March 200937

WIT Employee HandbookSection III: Payrollc. Overtime paymentsEach biweekly paycheck will include overtime pay for extra hours worked duringthe prior work period.d. Holiday ratesSee Section V B. HOLIDAYS2. EXEMPT EMPLOYEESEmployees who supervise others and whose duties and responsibilities areadministrative, executive or professional are exempt from the Fair LaborStandards Act and are not eligible for overtime payments.Wentworth Institute of Technology (WIT) will abide by Department of Labor(DOL) regulations with regard to the processing of pay for salaried exempt staffmembers.III G. EXEMPT PAY PRACTICESIt is the policy of WIT to abide by the DOL’s FairPay rules, including those relatedto payroll deductions for salaried exempt staff members. Deductions fromsalaried exempt payroll will be limited to the following seven exceptions asprovided for in DOL Law 29 CFR 541.602(b):1. Personal absence of one day or more2. Absence of one or more days for sickness or disability, including workers’compensation, if paid in accordance with a bona fide benefits plan3. To offset monies paid for jury or witness fees or military pay4. Penalties for violating major safety rules5. Unpaid disciplinary suspensions of one day or more6. Initial or terminal week of employment if full week not worked7. Unpaid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaveIn the event of an improper pay deduction, WIT is committed to reimbursing thestaff member as soon as practicable once notification is received.a. Calculating DeductionsWhen calculating deduction amounts allowed under the regulations, the hourlyequivalent of the employee’s full weekly salary will be used. Deductions forviolations of major safety rules will be made in any amount as provided by theDOL’s FairPay rules.When making deductions for unpaid FMLA, WIT may pay a proportionate part ofthe full salary for time actually worked. For example, if an employee whonormally works 37.5 hours per week uses 3.75 hours of unpaid leave under theMarch 200938

WIT Employee HandbookSection III: PayrollFMLA, WIT could deduct 10 percent of the employee’s normal salary for thatparticular week.b. Reporting Improper DeductionsIf an employee feels their paycheck reflects an improper deduction, the staffmember should immediately notify Human Resources at ext. 4190. HumanResources will investigate the claim. If the deduction is then found to beimproper based on the regulations, the staff member will be reimbursed as soonas practicable, but no later than the next regularly scheduled pay period after theerror is confirmed. If Human Resources finds that the deduction is not an error,they will follow up with the staff member’s supervisor so that the reason for thededuction can be explained to the staff member.March 200939

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsSECTION IV: BENEFITSIV A. MEDICAL INSURANCE PROGRAMWentworth sponsors a contributory voluntary group medical plan withMassachusetts Blue Cross and Blue Shield (Blue Choice or HMO Blue). Thisplan is available to all regular full-time and regular part-time employees withregular hours of 17.5 or more. In addition, employees who live outside ofMassachusetts may elect to participate in the Network Blue New Englandprogram.Wentworth reserves the right to change carriers when it deems necessary.1. ELIGIBILITYEmployees are informed about these plans upon the start of their employment.Upon acceptance into the plan, the subscriber will receive an identification cardand a subscriber's certificate outlining the benefits. Coverage begins the day theemployee enrolls. The employee must enroll within thirty days of employment orwait until the open enrollment period. Open enrollment is in December. Duringthe open enrollment period, employees can transfer to either Blue Choice orNetwork Blue.2. CONTRIBUTIONThe employee's share of the premium for this insurance is paid through payrolldeductions. Currently Wentworth contributes 60 percent of the premium while theemployee pays 40 percent on each plan.Through the Health Insurance Premium Payment Plan (Section 125) anemployee may elect each December to have his/her share of the medicalinsurance payment deducted from his/her salary on a pretax basis therebyreducing the employee's taxable income. Employees electing not to participatemust sign a waiver.3. DESCRIPTION OF MEDICAL BENEFITSBrochures describing the comprehensive coverage provided by Blue Cross BlueShield are available in the Human Resources Department.March 200940

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefits4. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP COVERAGEa. IndividualAn individual membership includes the employee only.b. FamilyA family membership includes the employee, the spouse, all unmarrieddependent children up to age 19, unmarried children over 19 who are mentallyor physically disabled, and children of unmarried female dependents.1) DependentsUnmarried dependents who are under age 23 and in full-time attendance at anaccredited educational or vocational institution may be included as dependentson their parents' family plan. A letter from the school's Registrar’s Office verifyingfull-time attendance at the school is submitted to the health plan sixty days priorto the child's 19th birthday. The age requirement may vary depending oninsurance carrier. Consult your health care insurance pamphlet or contactHuman Resources.When a minor, dependent child marries or when a minor reaches age 19 and is notenrolled as a full-time student, coverage under the parent's membership ceases.Cost of coverage is borne by the individual and is available without any waitingperiod by applying directly to the health plan at least 60 days prior to the individual's19th birthday.a) Additions of Dependents or Spouse: Employees planning to be married shouldnotify the Human Resources Office at least a month prior to their date of marriage.This notification will allow time to change from individual to family membership sothat the spouse will be covered at the time of marriage and can begin fulfilling theterms of any waiting period if applicable.Employees with newly born children, stepchildren, or recently adopted childrenshould contact the Human Resources Department as soon as possible to addnew dependents to the plan.5. EXCLUDED MEDICAL SERVICESNo benefits are provided if the patient is eligible for benefits under Workers'Compensation or any municipal, state, or federal law; nor will benefits be providedfor admission to a government-managed hospital such as a veteran's hospital.6. SUBROGATIONAll certificates have a subrogation section added. This does not affect the scope ofthe benefits. It allows the health insurance carrier (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) to beMarch 200941

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefitsreimbursed for its claim payments in cases in which there is recovery from a thirdparty because of liability for injury.7. COBRA (CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT OF1985)Under COBRA, all employees and their "qualified beneficiaries" covered under anemployer's group health plan have a right to elect to continue their coverage underthe plan if their coverage would otherwise end because of a "qualifying event." A"qualified beneficiary" may be an employee covered by health or dental coverage,his/her spouse, and/or his/her dependent children. A "qualifying event" for theemployee may include termination of employment (other than for gross misconduct),or a reduction in hours of employment. A "qualifying event" for a dependent orspouse may include employee's termination of employment or reduction in hours,employee's death, a spouse's divorce or legal separation from employee,employee's entitlement to Medicare, or a dependent child's loss of dependent statusunder the plan. This coverage is available provided the employee or his/herdependents pay the full monthly premium.8. WAIVERAn employee may elect to waive utilization of medical coverage for himself/ herself.Under COBRA regulations, an employee's spouse and/or dependents mustdetermine their own course of action regarding health coverage. An employee maynot waive the spouse and/or dependent children's rights to medical coverage.9. CONTINUATION OF COVERAGE AFTER TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENTIf you participate in a group health plan through Wentworth, your coverage expireson the last day of the month in which you worked. A covered, terminated employeemay be offered continuation of coverage under conditions defined by COBRA.Continuation of the coverage is at the employee's option and expense. Theemployee must contact the Human Resources Department to complete a COBRAoption form. Spouse and dependents must indicate their desire to continue orterminate medical benefits through Wentworth.March 200942

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefits10. CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP AFTER AGE 65When an employee or the employee's spouse reaches age 65, he or she maycontinue to participate in the Wentworth group medical plan. The employee mustnotify the Human Resources Office 60 days prior to his or her 65th birthday to avoidinterruption of benefits and to allow time to notify health carriers.Employees have an option to purchase Medicare at age 65 without penalty. It isrecommended that all employees three months prior to reaching age 65 or withinthree months after, contact their local Social Security Office to register underMedicare A to avoid penalties when the employee retires.Upon retirement from Wentworth, an individual 65 years of age or older must applyfor the Medicare A + B program. Wentworth will provide $108 per month for you andyour spouse towards the purchase of a supplemental medicare health benefit if youmeet the following criteria.• Have ten years of service• Be at least 50 years of age by December 31, 2001• Participate in a Wentworth sponsored health planOr:• Have 19 years of service• Be at least 40 years of age by December 31, 2001• Participate in a Wentworth sponsored health planIf the spouse is under 65, Wentworth will provide $108 per month towards theWentworth sponsored health plan.11. DEATH OF AN EMPLOYEE WITH MEDICAL COVERAGEIf an employee covered by one of our group medical plans dies, his/her spouse andchildren may continue coverage with the group for up to thirty-six months, inaccordance with COBRA regulations. The cost of the coverage is paid by the spouseand/or dependent children.March 200943

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV B. DENTAL INSURANCEThe group dental protection plan is through New England Financial. Fifty percent ofthe premium is to be paid by Wentworth, and 50 percent is to be paid by theemployee.Employees are eligible the first day of the month following date of employment. Theplan covers the following three types of service: Type I—cleanings and X-rays 100percent; Type II—fillings and root canals 85 percent; and Type III—crowns andbridge work 60 percent. If the employee neglects to sign up within 31 days ofemployment, there is a penalty on Type II and Type III. For Type II procedures, thepenalty is a 12-month waiting period; and for Type III procedures, the penalty is a24-month waiting period. There is a $25 deductible per year per person for Type II orType III or a $75 maximum family deductible per year.The calendar year maximum for Types I, II and III expenses is $1,500 per employeeplus $1,500 for each of his/her eligible dependents. Participants in the plan areeligible for three cleanings per calendar year. The orthodontia maximum is $1,500per person on a lifetime basis.Under the Health Insurance Premium Payment Plan (Section 125), employees mayelect to have their dental premium payments deducted from their salary on thepretax basis thereby reducing their taxable income. Employees not wanting toparticipate need to sign a waiver indicating that they wish to have the deductionsoccur on a post-tax basis.Plan booklets which explain the dental coverage in detail are provided by NewEngland Financial and may be obtained in the Human Resources Department.March 200944

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV C. LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAMAll regular full-time and regular part-time employees are eligible to participate in ourlife insurance program upon the first of the month following hire or completion of theeligibility period indicated in the union contract.1. WENTWORTH SPONSORED GROUP LIFE INSURANCE PROGRAMA "Two-Times-Salary" group life insurance policy is provided for all regular full-timeand regular part-time employees. Wentworth shall pay the full premium for thisinsurance so long as it falls due while the holder remains a regular full-time orpart-time employee at Wentworth. This benefit reduces by 50 percent at age 70.2. OPTIONAL GROUP UNIVERSAL LIFEThis insurance is available to regular full-time and part-time employees actively atwork. It provides coverage in increments of $10,000. The employee is responsiblefor all costs. This coverage is portable at group rates. Spouse and dependentcoverage is available as well as a savings plan option. Booklets are available inHuman Resources.March 200945

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV D. RETIREMENT AND ANNUITY PROGRAMAll regular full-time employees and regular part-time employees working 1,000 hoursor more per year may participate in the Wentworth Institute of Technology retirementpension program as indicated below. This program is a “defined contribution”program under the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association/College RetirementEquities Fund (TIAA/CREF). Employees own personal contracts with TIAA-CREF.1. ELIGIBILITYAll regular full-time and part-time employees may participate in the retirementannuity program upon completing one full year of satisfactory employment. Facultymust complete one full year of continuous service to become eligible. The year waitis waived if employee has been in a similar program at another institution for at leastfive years and can provide documentation.2. CONTRIBUTIONSa. Non-exempt (hourly) employeesWentworth will contribute an amount equal to 10 percent of the non-exempt (hourly)employee's base salary to the annuity contract after one year of employment.b. Exempt (salaried) employeesWentworth will contribute an amount equal to 10 percent of the exempt (salaried)employee's base salary to the annuity contract after one year of employment.March 200946

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV E. SUPPLEMENTAL RETIREMENT ANNUITIES (SRAs)In addition to the contributions stated above, an employee may elect to contribute anadditional sum to increase his/her premiums in the annuity contract. A "salaryreduction" form must be completed for this purpose. This option is limited to theamount allowed under the Internal Revenue Service regulations. Contributions willnot be subject to federal income taxes unless the monies are withdrawn early ortaken as an annuity. Early withdrawals are subject to penalties. “Salary Reduction”agreements may be changed three times per year (once each semester).1. ALLOCATION OF PREMIUMS FOR RETIREMENT ANNUITIES AND SRAsThe TIAA/CREF retirement plan is divided into two parts: CREF premiums areinvested in common stocks, money market accounts, bonds, social choice options,global equities funds, and real estate. TIAA premiums are invested in long-terminvestments. Employees elect the distribution of the contributions on the TIAA-CREFapplication form. If the employee would like to change his or her allocations, he orshe may call TIAA-CREF directly at 800-842-2776 to make the adjustment or visittheir web site at www.tiaa-cref.org.March 200947

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV F. DISABILITY INSURANCE PROGRAMS1. SHORT-TERM DISABILITYRegular full-time employees who have completed one year of service are eligible toparticipate in the Total Disability Insurance Program and receive the followingassistance during the first six months of illness. Long-Term Disability Insurancepayments become effective the first day of the month following six months of totaldisability. No employee will be entitled to any more time than described below morethan once in the 12-month period following the first day of disability.a. Wentworth Payments for Short-Term Disability• Employees must use accrued sick and vacation days until exhausted.• Employees who have exhausted earned sick time, and continue to be absentbecause of illness beyond three months, receive from Wentworth an interimmonthly income of 60 percent of monthly salary base, minus Workers'Compensation payments if applicable. This interim monthly income iseffective at the beginning of the fourth month of illness through the end of thesixth month of illness.• The interim monthly income will not be more than $6,000 per month.2. LONG-TERM DISABILITYA group long-term disability insurance program through a private insurance companyis provided to replace a substantial part of an employee's income in the event of along-term disability.a. Definition of Disability"Disability" means you cannot perform each of the material duties of your regularoccupation. After benefits have been paid for 24 months, disability means youcannot perform each of the material duties of any gainful occupation for which youare reasonably fitted by training, education or experience. Benefits are payable forpartial disabilities, as long as there is at least a 20 percent loss of income.b. EligibilityAll regular full-time or regular part-time employees may participate in the disabilitybenefits insurance program upon completing one full year of employment.c. CostThe premium is paid in full by Wentworth.d. BenefitsThe program provides monthly income, which begins on the first of the monthfollowing six consecutive months of total disability and continues during suchdisability as indicated.March 200948

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsThe Monthly Income Benefit, including any income benefits payable from SocialSecurity and Workers' Compensation, is equal to 60 percent of the employee'scovered monthly salary base, as of the date the disability began. However, theMonthly Income Benefit will not be more than $6,000 nor less than $100 per month.Also included in this monthly payment is an additional 10 percent contribution to theemployee's TIAA-CREF retirement annuity contract.e. Termination of Long-Term Disability InsuranceTermination of the employee's insurance occurs if his/her active service isterminated, if he/she ceases to be in a class of employees eligible for coverage, or ifthe Group Policy is terminated. Termination of insurance does not affect benefits fora total disability existing on the date of such termination. Employees may contact theprivate insurer directly to convert this coverage to non-group coverage upontermination of employment.March 200949

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV G. DEPENDENT CARE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTThe Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account as part of Federal Tax Code,Section 125 legislation allows employees to pay for certain dependent careexpenses on a pretax basis rather than a post-tax basis. Employees should projectwhat their annual dependent care expenses are and determine if the federal incometax credit is better than the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. A good ruleof thumb is that employees with an adjusted gross family income of $24,000 or lessare better off using the income tax credit. Those making higher amounts shouldconsider this flexible account.The Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account can be used to reimburseemployees for expenses they incur for dependent child care (day care), or for adultdependent care if that dependent care is needed to allow the employee and spouseto work or go to school full time. In both instances the dependent must beconsidered dependent for tax purposes and claimed as such on one's annual taxreturn.The amount on account, which is processed through payroll, is regulated by federalstandards. The amount set aside should cover only predictable expenses sinceunused amounts are forfeited at the end of the calendar year. The employee's W-2will show the amount of dependent care expenses that were reimbursed but thatamount will not be taxed.Each December, a letter and an enrollment form are sent to the Wentworthcommunity announcing the open enrollment for dependent care. Contact the HumanResources Department for complete plan information and procedures.HEALTH CARE FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNTThe Health Care Flexible Spending Account allows employees to pay for certainhealth care expenses on a pretax basis rather than a post-tax basis. Employeesshould project what their annual health care expenses are and determine they willuse that amount within the calendar year. The minimum amount that an employeemay contribute is $260/year; the maximum amount is $2600/year. Enrollment formsare downloadable from the Human Resources webpage under the EmployeeResources tab on Lconnect. For example of eligible pre-tax health care expenses,please visit www.flexdirect.com.IV H. SURVIVOR BENEFITMarch 200950

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsWhen a regular full-time or regular part-time employee dies during a pay period inwhich he or she was on "pay status,” the estate is paid the amount earned by theemployee to the day of death. Additional payments include the salary that wouldhave been earned from the day following death to the end of the pay period, plus anamount that is equal to one biweekly pay period. The check will include pay forunused vacation that has accrued.March 200951

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV I. SOCIAL SECURITY (FICA - FEDERAL INSURANCECONTRIBUTIVE ACT)All employees of Wentworth, except part-time students working under financial aidprograms, participate in the Social Security program. This government insuranceprogram provides an eligible worker with a monthly income when he/she retires.There are also provisions for survivor benefits, disability insurance and Medicare.The employee and Wentworth pay an equal amount towards this coverage, with theemployee's share paid as a payroll deduction. Since the rate of deduction and thesalary base for deduction are periodically revised by the federal government, specificinformation about present rates and salary bases may be obtained from the PayrollOffice. Each employer is required to deduct the Social Security contribution from anemployee's base salary during each calendar year. If the employee works for two ormore employers in a given year, any deduction paid by the employee which is abovethe base percentage is recoverable by the individual. The employer's contribution isnot recoverable. Social Security rates and benefits are subject to change by federalaction.1. SOCIAL SECURITY AND AGE 65Anyone approaching age 65 should contact the nearest Social Security Office atleast three months prior or three months subsequent to turning age 65 to enroll inMedicare A and become familiar with the Social Security benefit system. Thisrecommendation is effective whether the employee is planning to retire at age 65 ornot.March 200952

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV J. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCEEmployees are covered by the Massachusetts Employment Security Law, underwhich the cost of unemployment insurance is financed by Wentworth. Employees donot contribute toward any part of the cost of the unemployment insurance.1. WORKERS' COMPENSATIONEmployees who are absent because of an injury sustained on the job are coveredunder the Workers' Compensation insurance provided by Wentworth Institute ofTechnology. Persons so injured shall receive payments in accordance with theMassachusetts Workers' Compensation Law.The employee may elect to use his/her accrued sick leave for four consecutive days.The total biweekly payments received by the employee should never be more thanthe employee's regular base pay.2. REPORTING OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIESEmployees injured on the job, no matter how slightly, must report the injury promptlyto their supervisor or Department Head and contact Public Safety. In case ofserious injury, the Public Safety Department will arrange for transportation of theinjured person to New England Baptist Hospital or a local hospital for proper medicaltreatment. See Health Services, Section VI for complete procedure.March 200953

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV K. STATEMENT OF ERISA RIGHTSParticipants in benefit plans are entitled to certain rights and protections under theEmployment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). ERISA provides thatall participants shall be entitled to the following.• The participant may examine, without charge, in the Human ResourcesDepartment (and at other specified locations, such as work sites and unionhalls) all benefit plan documents (including collective bargaining agreementsand copies of all documents filed by the plan with the U.S. Department ofLabor, such as detailed annual reports and plan descriptions).• The participant may obtain copies of all benefit plan documents and otherplan information upon written request to the Plan Administrator. TheAdministrator may make a reasonable charge for the copies.• The participant may receive a summary of the annual ERISA reports to theDepartment of Labor. The Administrator of the Plan is required by law tofurnish each participant with a copy of the summary annual reports.ERISA sets forth the duties of the people who are responsible for the operation ofbenefit plans. The people who operate the plans have a duty to do so prudently andin the interest of the participants and beneficiaries. No one, including the employer,may discharge or otherwise discriminate against participants in any way to preventthem from obtaining benefits to which they are entitled under the plans or exercisingtheir rights under ERISA.If an application for benefits under a plan is denied in whole or in part, the participantor beneficiary must receive a written explanation of the reasons for the denial.Participants have the right to have the Human Resources Department review andreconsider denied applications or requests on eligibility, participation or otheraspects of the operation of any plan and to have the insurance company review andreconsider denied claims under a group insurance contract.Under ERISA, participants may take steps to enforce their rights. For example, if aparticipant requests materials from a plan and does not receive them within 30 days,he or she may file suit in a federal court. In such a case, the court may require thePlan Administrator to provide the materials and pay the participant up to $100 a dayuntil he or she receives the materials, unless the materials were not sent due toreasons beyond the control of the Administrator.If a claim for benefits is denied or ignored, in whole or in part, the participant may filesuit in court. If the Human Resources Department’s responsibility to remit any planpremiums is not discharged according to the terms of a benefit plan or if a participantis discriminated against for asserting ERISA rights, he or she may seek assistancefrom the U.S. Department of Labor, or may file suit in a federal court. The court willdecide who should pay the court costs and legal fees. If the participant is successful,the court may order the person sued to pay these costs and fees. If the participantMarch 200954

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefitsloses, the court may order him or her to pay these costs and fees, for example, if itfinds the claim frivolous.Contact the Human Resources Department if you have any questions about thebenefits plan. If you have questions about this statement or your rights under ERISA,contact the nearest Area Office of the U.S. Labor Management ServicesAdministration, Department of Labor.March 200955

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: BenefitsIV L. EDUCATION BENEFITS1. TUITION ASSISTANCEIn support of each employee's personal and professional development throughcontinuing education, Wentworth provides two tuition assistance plans: tuition waiverfor courses taken at Wentworth and tuition reimbursement for courses taken at otheracademic institutions. There is also the benefit of tuition assistance for dependentsof employees. Provisions follow:a. Employee Tuition Waiver at Wentworth1) Plan Provisions• All regular full-time employees, upon hire, are eligible to take up to 8 creditsper semester for free.• All regular part-time employees, upon hire, are eligible to take one course persemester for free.• Employees are responsible for the cost of fees and other materials.• Courses must be scheduled during non-working hours.• Employees who have had any disciplinary action in the previous year or havea performance evaluation which has not met expectations will not be eligibleto participate in the tuition assistance program.2) ProcessInterested employees may obtain a tuition assistance form from HumanResources. Courses must be approved in advance by the Department Head andHuman Resources.b. Tuition Reimbursement for Courses Taken by Employees at Other Schools1) Plan Provisions and Eligibility• After two years of regular full-time employment, employees will be eligible toapply for tuition reimbursement for a maximum of eight credits per semester.• Reimbursement is up to 8 credits per semester and the value of a Wentworthday credit.• Employees must be enrolled in an accredited degree program for graduatelevel courses that are directly related to their career.• All programs must be approved by the appropriate Division Head.• Individual courses may be approved if they are job related.• Employees will be responsible for the cost of registration fees, books andmaterials.• Courses must be scheduled during non-working hours.• Employees who have had any disciplinary action in the previous year or havea performance evaluation which has not met expectations will not be eligibleto participate in the tuition reimbursement program.• Employees must receive a grade of B or better for reimbursement.March 200956

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefits• Fifty percent reimbursement may be paid in advance and 50 percent uponsuccessful completion.2) ProcessInterested employees may obtain a tuition reimbursement form from HumanResources. Courses must be approved in advance by the Department Head,Division Head, and the Human Resources Office. Employees are paid 50 percent ofthe course’s cost in advance of taking the course providing they submit the signedtuition reimbursement form and proof of the cost of the course. The remainingbalance is paid when a grade of either B or better is submitted.c. Tuition Assistance for Dependents1) For dependent children of regular full-time employeesMinor dependent sons and daughters of regular full-time employees, who qualify foradmission, are eligible for up to 100 percent tuition assistance at Wentworth. Thesponsoring employee must have completed one full year of employment atWentworth. The child must begin the course of study prior to reaching the age of 23.Proof of dependence (as defined by the IRS) may be requested.2) For dependent children of retired or deceased employeesIf an individual with ten or more years of regular full-time service at Wentworthretires from Wentworth or dies while in the employ of Wentworth, the employee'sdependent children alive at the time of the employee's retirement or death areeligible for 100 percent tuition assistance for courses taken at Wentworth as long ascourse of study commences by age 23.3) For spouseThe spouse of a regular full-time employee is eligible for up to 50 percent tuitionassistance for courses taken at Wentworth. The sponsoring employee must havebeen employed for at least one year at Wentworth. Tuition assistance for spouses islimited to 8 credit hours per semester.Waiver or partial waiver for dependents is for tuition only. The sponsoring employeeor applicant is responsible for payment of all other fees and expenses related to thecourse, among which are the application fee, books, and supplies.A tuition assistance form must be obtained from Human Resources and submittedby the sponsoring employee for the dependent child or spouse when registeringeach semester.d. Tuition Assistance for RetireesRetirees are eligible for up to 50 percent tuition assistance for courses taken atWentworth.March 200957

WIT Employee HandbookSection IV: Benefits2. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SEMINARSWentworth supports employee participation in activities and programs of appropriateprofessional associations. Attendance at meetings, workshops and other sponsoredprograms is encouraged. Expenses for attending approved programs may bereimbursed within the guidelines of the Wentworth travel policy and budget limits.IV.M. OTHER BENEFITSEmployee Assistance ProgramWentworth’s EAP is administered through the Wellness Corporation. They provideconfidential assessment and referral services, and short-term counseling to helpemployees and their family members work through life’s challenges. The WellnessCorporation’s counselors are all Masters and Doctoral level, licensed or certifiedprofessionals with many years of clinical experience. Their contact information is 1-800-828-6025 or visit their website at www.WellnessWorkLife.com.March 200958

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsSECTION V: HOLIDAYS, LEAVES AND VACATIONSV A. VACATIONAll regular full-time and part-time employees are eligible for paid vacation time, withlimits indicated below. Vacations must be planned so that there is a uniform workforce in the employee’s department at all times. Generally, vacations should not bescheduled during the first two weeks of a semester nor should they exceed 10consecutive work days unless approved by the Department Head, the Division Headand Human Resources. All vacations must be approved by the Department Head.1. VACATION TIME FOR NON-EXEMPT AND EXEMPT EMPLOYEESEach regular full-time non-exempt employee shall receive paid vacation time basedon the length of service as follows:• Non-exempt employees who are employed less than three years earn 10days per year (6.25 hours/month). Exempt employees earn 15 days per year(9.375 hours/month).• Non-exempt employees who are employed for at least three but less thaneight years earn 15 days per year (9.375 hours/month). Exempt employeesearn 20 days (12.5 hours/month).• Employees who are employed eight years or more earn 20 days per year(12.5 hours/month.)• Executive employees (Vice Presidents) earn 20 days per year (12.5hours/month).2. REGULATIONSVacation time begins accruing on the starting date of employment.Department Heads are responsible for maintaining complete and accurate recordson the vacation leave usage of each employee under their supervision. DepartmentHeads are required to report vacation leave usage on weekly e-time sheets to thePayroll Office by 9:00 a.m. on the following Monday.a. Earned Vacation Days—Academic Year ScheduleRegular full-time employees, as authorized by the Human Resources Department,hired for the academic year only, shall receive prorated vacation time based on thevacation time allotted for regular full-time employees on a 12-month-per-yearschedule.March 200959

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsGenerally this vacation time is taken with the approval of the Department Head. It isrecommended that the vacation be taken during the student vacation periods duringthe academic year.b. Earned Vacation Days—Regular Part-Time EmployeesVacation time for regular part-time employees who are authorized by the HumanResources Department to work more than 910 hours per year (more than 17.5 hoursbut less than full time per week) is prorated based on the vacation time allotted tofull-time employees who work a twelve-month schedule per year.Example for a part-time employee:The number of hours worked per week divided by 37.5 (standard full-time workweek) = X percent of full-time employment. Multiply by the hours a full-timeemployee would accrue.c. Vacation Time AccrualEligible employees hired on or before the fifteenth (15th) of the month will becredited with a full month of service on the first day of the following month.Eligible employees whose employment by Wentworth is terminating must workthrough the fifteenth (15th) day of the month to be credited with a full month ofservice for that month.Vacation time is earned by the month in accordance with the employee's anniversarydate (date of hire) and must be used by the next anniversary date. For example, ifan employee's date of hire was February 1, 2004, vacation time earned fromFebruary 1, 2004 to February 1, 2005 must be used by February 1, 2006. Vacationmay not exceed 200 hours for employees.On a quarterly basis, Department Heads will be supplied a report detailing theamount of vacation time that each individual employee should use by the end of thatcalendar quarter. All vacation time that is not used by the end of that quarter will beforfeited unless the Department Head makes a recommendation to carry overvacation, and it is approved by the Division Head and Human Resources. Paymentin lieu of vacation time is not permitted.1) Absentee EmployeesAn employee on an unpaid leave of absence (after exhausting all Wentworthvacation time or sick leave), will not earn vacation or sick pay during the period ofunpaid absence.d. Holiday—VacationIf a holiday falls during an employee's regularly scheduled vacation, that day will beconsidered as a holiday, and not as a day of vacation.March 200960

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacationse. TerminationAn employee, who voluntarily terminates employment, will receive vacation pay inaccordance with the days earned. Financial obligations such as outstanding loansfor computer purchases will be deducted from an employee’s last paycheck.3. VACATION ACCUMULATIONSAccrued vacation hours are noted on the bottom left corner of each employee's paystub. The vacation hours accrued for a particular month are credited on the lastpaycheck of that month. The hours shown are based on the most recente-time sheet submitted, so it is important to submit time sheets when due.EXAMPLE:148.00 V 104.00 S -8.00 PThis employee has accrued 148 hours of vacation time and 104 hours of sick time,minus eight hours of personal time. The total amount of sick time left is, therefore, 96hours. (The minus sign that precedes the personal time indicates the number ofhours used.)March 200961

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsV B. HOLIDAYS1. STANDARD HOLIDAYSAll regular full-time employees, regular part-time employees and co-op studentsperforming a co-op work semester at Wentworth who worked the basic workdayimmediately prior to the holiday and immediately after the holiday, are eligible forpaid holidays. If a holiday falls during scheduled vacation, the employee is eligible tobe paid for the holiday. The following holidays are observed at Wentworth subject tochange at the discretion of the President:New Year’s DayMartin Luther King DayPresident's DayPatriot's DayMemorial DayIndependence DayLabor DayColumbus DayVeteran's DayThanksgiving Day and theday after ThanksgivingChristmas DayA non-exempt employee, authorized to work on a regularly scheduled holiday, willreceive his/her regular daily pay plus time and one-half pay for hours worked thatday.a. Regular part-time employeesHoliday pay is earned on a prorated basis. See the formula for vacation timecalculation on page 89.b. Co-op EmployeesStudents who perform their co-op work semester at Wentworth will be paid for thoseholidays that fall within that particular co-op work semester.c. Religious HolidaysWentworth will grant time off to those who wish to observe the accepted religiouscustom of their faith. The employee must notify the Department Head in advance tomake arrangements so that the employee's responsibilities will not be neglected.The employee may use a personal day (three personal days are allowed per yearand are deducted from accrued sick time) or a vacation day. If the employee has notaccrued a personal day or a vacation day, this time off is without pay.2. BONUS DAY PROGRAMThis program is applicable to non-exempt employees who have achieved perfectquarterly attendance, i.e., individuals who have used no sick time and have not beenlate more than one time during the quarter. Those employees are entitled to an extraday of pay or a day off with the approval of their Department Heads.March 200962

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsMarch 200963

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsV C. LEAVE OF ABSENCE PROVISIONSIndividuals taking any of the following leaves of absence are advised toconsult the Human Resources Office concerning detailed arrangements forfringe benefits. It is the responsibility of both the employee and his/hersupervisor/Department Head to notify the Human Resources Office when a memberof their department is absent for any of the following reasons:1. BEREAVEMENT LEAVEPaid absence for the death of a family member is permitted up to a maximum of five(5) working days. Family members are defined as: spouse, child, parent,grandparent, brother, sister or other person living in the household of the employee.Family members of the employee's spouse are included.The employee is expected to notify his/her Department Head as soon as reasonablypossible of the amount of bereavement leave needed and the employee'srelationship to the deceased.2. JURY DUTYIf an employee receives a summons for jury duty, he/she should notify theDepartment Head as soon as possible. The Department Head or supervisor willnotify Human Resources. Wentworth will pay the difference between the jury servicepay and the employee's regular pay. A court receipt is required for payment fromWentworth.3. MILITARY LEAVEa. DefinitionMilitary Leave is an authorized absence from work which enables employees to fulfillmilitary obligations as members of the United States Armed Forces (including theNational or State Guard) in accordance with the provisions of applicable federal andstate laws.b. EligibilityAll regular full-time employees and regular part-time employees who must fulfillmilitary obligations in the United States Armed Forces are eligible upon hire forMilitary Leave.Notice: Unless prevented by military necessity or some other exigentcircumstances, employees must give Wentworth advance notice of any MilitaryLeave. When possible, this notice should include expected dates of departure andreturn.March 200964

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacationsc. Length of LeaveThe length of a Military Leave is determined by the employee's military obligation.Military Leave will be granted for the period of time required under the provisions ofapplicable federal and state laws. This includes military reserve unit obligations of upto fifteen (15) calendar days in any one year.d. CompensationEligible employees will be paid the difference between their regular pay and theamount of military pay received from the government (exclusive of allowances) for amaximum of ten (10) workdays in a calendar year. Employees are not eligible forpayment if their military pay exceeds their regular pay for the number of workdaysinvolved in the leave.Employees who are required to take more than eleven (11) workdays in a calendaryear to fulfill their military obligations may charge the additional time off to accruedvacation leave, available personal days, available compensatory time off, or anunpaid leave of absence. In such cases, employees are subject to the provisions ofthe individual policy statements to which the time is charged. Employees onapproved absences to fulfill military obligations maintain their regular benefitsprovided that the absence is not taken as an unpaid leave of absence for personalreasons.e. Call to Active DutyUnder the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act of 1994, MilitaryService Members who have been called to active duty have these rights.• Employees may not be discharged, discriminated against or denied anyseniority-based benefits as a result of a call to duty. They cannot bedischarged without cause within 12 months of reemployment if their militaryservice was more than 180 days; if their military service was more than 30days but less than 181 days, then they cannot be discharged without causewithin 18 months of reemployment.• Employees on Military Leave may elect to continue their medical and dentalcoverage under COBRA. Coverage is reinstated upon return from duty towork.• Military Service Members who have missed less than five (5) years ofemployment due to military service, may be entitled to reemployment if theyreapply for their jobs within 90 days of their release from active duty. MilitaryService Members will be returned to their pre-mobilization jobs or similarpositions unless they are no longer qualified for the position or Wentworth’scircumstances have changed so much that it is impossible or unreasonable todo so.• They will also be granted certain advancements and other seniority-basedbenefits that they would have attained through uninterrupted employment atWentworth.March 200965

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacations4. SICK LEAVERegular employees who are unable to perform their usual work because of illnessare eligible for sick pay within the limits as indicated below. All regular full-timeemployees are entitled to one paid sick day for each full calendar month worked.Regular part-time employees are eligible for one half paid sick day for each fullcalendar month worked. Accrued sick days are cumulative up to a maximum ofseventy working days. Paid sick time may not be used before it is earned.Supervisors/Department Heads are responsible for maintaining complete andaccurate records on the sick leave accruals and usage of each employee under theirsupervision. Supervisors/Department Heads are also responsible for accuratelyreporting sick leave usage on all documents submitted to the Payroll Office andHuman Resources Department.a. Medical ClearanceUpon return from a sick leave of four or more consecutive work days, medicalclearance from the employee’s doctor is required. This is to assure that theemployee is well enough to return to work. The employee should obtain clearancefrom Human Resources before returning to work. We retain the right to ask for awritten doctor's statement and/or an assessment conducted by an independentmedical evaluator retained by Wentworth.In the event of an independent medical evaluation, the employee, as a condition ofemployment, must allow the independent evaluator access to all relevant medicalrecords that are in the possession of other medical personnel or institutions. As aself-insurer of sick and interim disability pay, Wentworth may require, as a conditionof receipt of any such pay, that the employee furnish documentation of illness anddisability, permission for examination by a Wentworth appointed physician or otherappropriate medical personnel, and/or access to relevant medical records of thescope and nature that employees claiming Workers' Compensation payments canbe required to furnish insurers.b. Medical EmergencyIf an employee is transported from Wentworth for a medical emergency, theemployee must submit a written statement from the attending physician andobtain clearance from Human Resources before returning to work.5. PERSONAL DAYSA maximum of three personal days during the year may be authorized at thediscretion of the Department Head. These days are deducted from the employee'saccrued sick time. Personal days are not cumulative from year to year and must berequested in advance. (See also the FMLA, Small Necessities Leave and PersonalLeave of Absence policies below.)March 200966

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacations6. FAMILY RESPONSIBILITYAbsences because of illness of a member of the employee's family may be taken asa personal day (three per year may be deducted from accrued sick time), as unpaidleave (see also FMLA, Small Necessities Leave, and Personal Leave policies below)or accrued vacation time.a. Academic Year ScheduleRegular full-time employees as authorized by the Human Resources Department,hired for positions offered for the academic year only, are entitled to prorated sicktime based on the time provided for regular full-time employees who work on a fiscalyear schedule.b. Absence ProcedureThe employee must notify his/her immediate supervisor or Department Head of thereason for the absence within one hour of the beginning of the employee's work day,to be entitled to paid sick leave. The expected duration of the absence should begiven, if possible. The Department Head must notify the Human Resources Officewhen an absence lasts at least four consecutive work days.It is the responsibility of the Department Head/supervisor to (a) assure thatabsences designated as sickness are for the employee's illness, (b) note the actualtime worked, and reason for absences on all e-time sheets, and (c) keep a record ofall absences. Department Heads are responsible for maintaining complete andaccurate attendance records. This includes vacation time, personal days, sick leaveaccruals and usage.7. FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA)In accordance with the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993(revised January, 2009), Wentworth Institute of Technology has established a policyto allow employees to take a period of leave (generally not to exceed 12 weeks) forthe care of their own serious health condition or that of specific family members asdefined under FMLA. Employees are eligible if they have worked at Wentworth forat least one year, and/or a minimum of 1,250 hours during the previous 12-monthperiod. Wentworth requires that the employee use any earned sick or personalleave, as indicated allowable below [see sections a) through d)], before taking leaveas unpaid. The employee may elect to use earned vacation time if they wish to doso. A letter from the attending physician must be submitted to the Human ResourcesDepartment at this time. Continuation of group health insurance will remain thesame. If the employee is unable to return to work at the end of the 12-week period,Wentworth may consider the employee to have terminated his/her employmentunless the employee has requested and been granted an extension. After 12 weeks,health insurance may be continued at the group rate in accordance with COBRAMarch 200967

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacationsregulations (see Section IV: Benefits) if the employee pays the full premium. Otherbenefits may be affected when the employee is on an unpaid leave.FMLA leave may be granted for the following reasons:1. For incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth;2. To care for the employee's child after birth, or placement for adoption or fostercare3. To care for the employee's spouse, child or parent who has a serious healthcondition4. For a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to performhis/her job5. Military family leave entitlements (see details below)An employee returning from an approved medical leave of absence of 12 weeks orless is entitled to the same or a similar position without loss of employment benefitsfor which he/she was eligible on the date the leave commenced. An employee whois on an approved leave for a period between 12 weeks and 6 months shall receiveevery reasonable consideration by Wentworth in returning to his/her original positionor to a position of like responsibility and pay. However, Wentworth cannot guaranteere-employment nor should any leave result in an employee being placed in a betterposition than would have been the case had the employee remained activelyemployed.EligibilityAll regular employees working at least 17.5 hours per week with twelve consecutivemonths of service, totaling at least 1,250 hours, are eligible for a 12-week unpaidleave of absence during a twelve-month period (see exception for military servicemembers below) for the birth or adoption of a child, for the serious health conditionof an employee, for the care of an employee’s spouse, child or parent with a serioushealth condition or for military family leave entitlements. The twelve-month eligibilityperiod is a “rolling period” measured from the date the employee last used anyfamily or medical leave.“Serious health condition” is defined as an illness, injury or impairment thatinvolves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential care facility or continuingtreatment by a health care provider. Subject to certain conditions, the continuingtreatment requirement may be met by a period of incapacity of more than threeconsecutive calendar days combined with at least two visits to a health care provideror one visit and a regimen of continuing treatment, or incapacity due to pregnancy,or incapacity due to a chronic condition.a) Employee or Family member illnesses:March 200968

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsFor the care of a sick family member, employees may utilize their accruedpersonal and/or vacation time. For the employee's own illness, they wouldbe eligible to utilize all earned sick time.b) Pregnancy or Parental Leave:For employees on pregnancy leave, they may use up to 8 weeks ofavailable sick time, but may not utilize paid sick time for the remaining 4weeks unless advised by a physician to do so, and a physician's statementis presented to the Human Resources Department. Employees onpregnancy leave may, however, utilize their paid vacation leave duringthese last 4 weeks, or take the time as unpaid. For employees on parentalleave, they may use up to 12 weeks of available vacation or personal time.During any portion of the leave that is unpaid, employees will beresponsible for the cost of their benefits. FMLA leave will run concurrentlywith leave taken pursuant to the Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act.c) Adoption Leave:Employees must request adoption leave at least 4 weeks prior to theanticipated leave date, and present a copy of the official adoption paperswhen available. Employees who are the primary care giver of an adoptedchild may use up to 12 weeks of their earned vacation and/or personal timeduring the 12 week FMLA leave or take the time as unpaid. During anyportion of the leave that is unpaid, employees will be responsible for thecost of their benefits.d) Military Family Exigency:Eligible employees with a spouse, son, daughter or parent on active duty orcall to active duty status in the National Guard or Reserves in support of acontingency operation are eligible for 12 weeks of leave. Employees mayuse earned vacation or personal time or take leave without pay. During anyportion of the leave that is unpaid, employees will be responsible for the costof their benefits. Qualifying exigencies may include attending certain militaryevents, arranging for alternative childcare, addressing certain financial andlegal arrangements, etc.e) Military Service Member Illness or Injury:FMLA also includes a special leave entitlement that permits eligibleemployees to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered servicemember during a single 12-month period. Employees may use earnedvacation or personal time or take leave without pay. During any portion of theleave that is unpaid, employees will be responsible for the cost of theirMarch 200969

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacationsbenefits. A covered service member is a current member of the ArmedForces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who had aserious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty while on active duty thatmay render the service member medically unfit to perform his/her duties forwhich the service member is undergoing medical treatment, recuperative, ortherapy; or is in outpatient status, or is on the military’s temporary disabilityretired list.Regular employees working at least 17.5 hours a week with less than twelve monthsof service should refer to information in this section regarding sick leaves, medicalleaves and unpaid leaves.CONSECUTIVE VS. INTERMITTENT OR REDUCED-SCHEDULE LEAVESLeave taken for the birth or adoption of a child may only be taken for a maximum oftwelve consecutive weeks. Leave for birth or adoption must be taken within the 12-month period following the birth or adoption. Leaves taken for the purposes of anemployee’s own illness or the illness of an immediate family member may be takenon a consecutive basis. The employee may also take an intermittent or a reducedscheduleleave when medically necessary. A reduced-schedule leave is one throughwhich an employee works for fewer than his or her usual number of hours perworkweek or workday. When the employee takes intermittent leave for plannedmedical treatments, the employer may require the employee to transfer temporarilyto an equivalent alternative position that better accommodates the recurring periodsof leave.a. Notice of LeaveEligible employees are required to give employers 30 days notice for foreseeableleaves for birth, adoption or planned medical treatments. If the date of birth, adoptionor medical treatment requires leave to begin in less than 30 days, the employee isrequired to provide as much notice as practicable. Employees are required to makea reasonable effort to schedule planned medical treatment so as not to undulydisrupt Wentworth’s operations.b. Designation of Family and Medical LeaveAfter an eligible employee gives Wentworth notice of his or her request to take aFamily and Medical Leave, Wentworth will determine if the requested leave qualifiesas a Family and Medical Leave and will inform the employee if the leave has beendesignated as such. In addition, Wentworth will provide the employee with a writtennotice detailing the specific expectations and obligations of the employee andexplaining the consequences of a failure to meet these obligations. The notice willinform an employee who has requested a Family and Medical Leave whether it hasbeen approved, denied or conditionally approved pending medical certification.March 200970

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacations1) Medical CertificationEmployees are required to provide Human Resources with certification from a healthcare provider detailing certain specified information to justify the need for the leavefor the employee’s own illness or to attend to the illness of an immediate familymember. Wentworth may also require an independent medical evaluation at theInstitute’s expense. It is the responsibility of employees to provide periodic updates(at least one every 30 days) to keep Wentworth informed as to the progress of theirillness or the illness of their family member. Failure to provide this documentationcould result in the denial or delay of FMLA leave.8. MEDICAL LEAVEAll regular employees working at least 17.5 hours per week with three months ofservice are eligible for a medical leave. The employee must submit a written requestfor the leave of absence to his or her supervisor at least one month in advance ofthe desired time off. The one-month requirement may be shortened in emergencysituations. Employee requests must include a letter from the attending physicianspecifying the reason for the leave and the recommended dates of the leave.Wentworth may also require an independent medical evaluation. The request mustbe approved by the Department Head and the Human Resources Representative.The duration of approved medical leave shall be based on the time required for fullrecovery. The employee may be required to substantiate continued medical need atany time during the leave. It is the obligation of the employee to keep in contact withhis/her supervisor and to provide written notice of the intent to return to work.During medical leave, an employee must use all sick leave and vacation pay. Oncesick leave and vacation pay are exhausted, an employee may continue on an unpaidleave of absence in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act Policy.Family or medical leave must not exceed 12 weeks, in total, from the beginning ofthe employee’s absence. A letter from the attending physician must be submitted tothe Human Resources Department at this time. Continuation of group healthinsurance will remain the same. If the employee is unable to return to work at theend of the 12-week period, Wentworth may consider the employee to haveterminated his/her employment unless the employee has requested and beengranted an extension. After 12 weeks, health insurance may be continued at thegroup rate in accordance with COBRA regulations (see Section IV: Benefits) if theemployee pays the full premium. Other benefits may be affected when the employeeis on an unpaid leave.An employee returning from an approved medical leave of absence of 12 weeks orless is entitled to the same or a similar position without loss of employment benefitsfor which he/she was eligible on the date the leave commenced. An employee whois on an approved leave for a period between 12 weeks and 6 months shall receiveevery reasonable consideration by Wentworth in returning to his/her original positionor to a position of like responsibility and pay. However, Wentworth cannot guaranteeMarch 200971

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacationsre-employment nor should any leave result in an employee being placed in a betterposition than would have been the case had the employee remained activelyemployed.Other programs relevant to medical leave policy:• Disability Insurance Programs (Section IV: Benefits)• Family and Medical Leaves (Section V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacations)• Personal Leaves (Section V: Holidays, Leaves and Vacations)b. Consultation with Human ResourcesThis handbook description is only a summary of the Family and Medical Leavepolicy. For a detailed description of the policy, employees should contact HumanResources to schedule an appointment to review the policy.9. MATERNITY LEAVEEmployees who are not eligible for eight weeks of Family and Medical Leave for thepurpose of giving birth or adopting a child may be eligible for Maternity Leave underthe Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act. To be eligible for a Maternity Leave, anemployee must have been employed by the company for at least three consecutivemonths as a full-time employee before the Maternity Leave is scheduled to begin.Eligible employees are entitled to a maximum of eight weeks of Maternity Leave forthe purpose of giving birth or adopting a child under the age of 18 or, if the child ismentally or physically disabled, adopting such a child under the age of 23. TheMaternity Leave period will run concurrently with any Family and Medical Leaveperiod if the employee is entitled to Family and Medical Leave at the time theemployee gives birth or adopts a child. Employees choosing to take Maternity Leavemust give Wentworth at least two weeks written notice of the anticipated date ofdeparture and intention to return to work.10. PERSONAL LEAVEAn unpaid personal leave of absence, not to exceed twelve weeks, may be grantedto regular full-time employees. The request is made in writing to the DepartmentHead, and is subject to the approval of the Department Head, Division Head andHuman Resources. A personal leave of absence is granted only if the work in thedepartment can be carried on without undue hardship, inconvenience or extraexpense to Wentworth.Accrued, unused vacation time may be used before the personal leave begins.Accrued, unused sick leave cannot be used for this purpose.Once the employee reaches "non-pay" status, arrangements may be made throughthe Human Resources Office for the employee to make payment to Wentworth forthe group medical, dental and life insurance in accordance with COBRA regulations.March 200972

WIT Employee HandbookSection V: Holidays, Leaves and VacationsThis is at the employee's option and expense. All other fringe benefits ceaseincluding tuition assistance benefits.An employee on an approved leave for 12 weeks or less shall receive everyreasonable consideration for returning to, but shall not be guaranteed, his/heroriginal position and status or to a position of like responsibility and pay.11. CARE OF CHILDREN AND ELDERLY RELATIVES–THE SMALLNECESSITIES LEAVE ACTMassachusetts law provides that employees who have worked at Wentworth for atleast one (1) year, and have worked at least 1,250 hours at Wentworth during the 12months preceding their first request for leave, may take 24 hours of leave per yearfor the following reasons.• Participation in school activities directly related to the educationaladvancement of their children• Accompaniment of their children to routine health or dental appointments• Accompaniment of an elderly relative to routine medical or dentalappointments• Accompaniment of an elderly relative to appointments for professionalservices related to the relative’s care, such as interviewing at nursing homesAn “elderly relative” is a person at least 60 years old who is related by blood ormarriage to the eligible employee, including parents of the eligible employee.As with personal days, time off through a Small Necessities Leave will be deductedfrom the employee’s accrued sick time. If the employee’s accrued sick time hasbeen exhausted, then the Small Necessities Leave time will be deducted fromaccrued vacation time, or else unpaid.This leave may be taken intermittently and in addition to the 12 weeks of leave withina 12-month period permitted by the Family and Medical Leave Act. If practicable,employees must provide Wentworth with seven (7) days advance written noticebefore taking this leave.March 200973

WIT Employee HandbookSection VI: Health ServicesSECTION VI: HEALTH SERVICESVI A. PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONSome positions require a physical examination, drug screen test, and/orpsychological examination to be successfully completed pending offer ofemployment. Wentworth incurs full cost of the exams.VI B. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES OR WORK-RELATED INJURIESShould an employee have a medical emergency or should an injury occur to you ora co-worker while on the job, immediately contact Public Safety (ext. 4400, 24-hourcoverage) for assistance. In addition, report any injury sustained while working toyour supervisor or his/her superior. Public Safety will assess the injury, provide thenecessary first aid and complete the Employee Incident Report with the assistanceof the employee. The Employee Incident Report will be submitted to the HumanResources Department for processing and distribution to the appropriate people.The medical assistance procedures are as follows:1. TREATMENT WILL DEPEND ON YOUR MEDICAL CONDITIONa. If You Are AmbulatoryIf you are able to walk, talk and are coherent, contact Public Safety for evaluation,treatment and/or referral to the New England Baptist/Occupational HealthDepartment.b. If You Are Seriously InjuredIf you are seriously injured, an ambulance will be called by the Public SafetyDepartment for transportation to the nearest hospital emergency treatment room.Extension 4444 is Wentworth's emergency telephone number.In all cases of injury:1. Notify your supervisor as soon as possible. It is important that you know thename of the attending physician, your medical condition, when a follow-upvisit is required, and your approximate date of return to work.2. The incident will be investigated by Public Safety.3. A report from the attending physician will be required on the day you return towork. This report should be presented to Human Resources. No one mayreturn to work until he/she receives a written clearance from HumanResources. A copy of the clearance is submitted to the employee'ssupervisor.4. If light duty is recommended and no such duty is available, the employee maybe sent home until his/her regular level of functioning can be resumed.March 200974

WIT Employee HandbookSection VI: Health ServicesAll work injuries, no matter how slight, must be reported to the injuredemployee's supervisor or Department Head. It is the responsibility of theemployee to submit an Employee Incident Report which outlines the details ofthe accident. The report must be submitted within 24 hours of the incident tothe Human Resources Department after it has been processed by the PublicSafety Department.March 200975

WIT Employee HandbookSection VII: Facilities & ServicesVII A. FACILITIESSECTION VII: FACILITIES & SERVICES1. ATHLETICSAthletics facilities are available to all employees, except during their normal workinghours excluding lunch hour, upon presentation of their ID card.a. HoursThe Tansey Gymnasium is open during the hours posted at the entrance.b. Sports EventsEmployees are encouraged to support the student intercollegiate athletics programs.Admission to most events is free.2. BOOKSTOREThe Bookstore is located on the ground floor of Beatty Hall, with an entrance off theCommons area. It is available to the entire Wentworth community for purchasingbooks and supplies. It offers a discount to employees for merchandise other thantextbooks and convenience items. The hours the Bookstore is open are posted atthe entrance. Expanded hours are provided when necessary.3. CAFETERIAMeals at reasonable prices can be bought in the Cafeteria locatedon the first floor of Beatty Hall. The Faculty/Staff dining room is open Mondaythrough Friday.Employees may deposit money into a food account through the Financial ServicesOffice and have the Communication Center activate their ID card in order to use thecard rather than cash when making purchases in the Cafeteria.4. LIBRARYThe Library is located on the second and mezzanine floors of Beatty Hall,Room 8-208. Its services are available to Wentworth employees upon presentationof their ID cards. The Library is open during the hours posted at the Libraryentrance.VII B. SERVICESMarch 200976

WIT Employee HandbookSection VII: Facilities & Services1. DIRECTORY OF EMPLOYEESLists of all regular full-time and part-time employees by department and alphabeticallycan be found in the Faculty/Staff Phone Directory on LConnect’s Front Page.These lists include the employee's name, department, title, phone extension and e-mail address. To report any changes for the directory, please contact HumanResources at ext. 4190.2. LOST AND FOUNDThe Lost and Found Department is located at the Information Desk, Wentworth Hall.Unless the owner is obvious and contact can be made directly, all articles foundshould be left at the Public Safety Office.3. IDENTIFICATION CARDAn identification card is issued to each employee upon employment. It is required forsecurity purposes and the use of school facilities. If Public Safety personnel requestidentification, the employee must produce it. This card is issued at theCommunication Center, Wentworth Hall, during the hours posted. The employeemust return the ID card to the Human Resources Office upon termination ofemployment.4. KEYSRequests for keys, when approved by the Department Head, are sent to the Directorof Public Safety who makes the final approval. The Director of Public Safety thenauthorizes the Physical Plant Department to issue the key. All keys must be returnedto the Human Resources Department, on the employee's last day of employment, atthe exit interview.5. MAIL/ FAX/ COPY SERVICESThe Mail Room is part of the Communications Center on the first floor of WentworthHall. It is the center for both outgoing and incoming business mail only. Mail isdistributed to departmental staff through each department office. The Mail Room canassist with special overnight mailings and bulk mailings. The Communication Centeralso handles document copying, printing jobs and the maintenance of satellitecopiers on campus.Employees are advised against having personal mail sent to Wentworth. Any pieceof mail bearing the Wentworth name could be opened inadvertently by anotheremployee. Stamps are available in Beatty Hall Commons for employees who needto send out personal mail.Fax service is available for business purposes only at the Information Center,Wentworth Hall. The fax number should only be disclosed to business associates.March 200977

WIT Employee HandbookSection VII: Facilities & Services6. BANKING SERVICESBanking services available to employees include a Bank of America Automatic TellerMachine (ATM) located on the first floor of Beatty Hall (Building 8).7. CREDIT UNIONA Credit Union is available for the benefit of all Wentworth employees. Membersmay take advantage of the automatic payroll savings plan through payrolldeductions. Loans to members, repayable through payroll deductions, are granted invarying amounts according to the Credit Union requirements. Contact the HumanResources Department for additional information.March 200978

WIT Employee HandbookSection VIII: General InformationVIII A. AWARDSSECTION VIII: GENERAL INFORMATION1. SERVICE AWARDSService Awards are given to employees who attain 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, etc., yearsof full-time continuous employment at Wentworth.The president also administers annual President Achievement Awards for Facultyand Staff. The 3 awards for faculty are the President’s Award for DistinguishedService, the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship, and thePresident’s Award for Distinguished Teaching/Grant Johnson Award. Thereare also 3 awards for staff: the President’s Achievement Awards for Service toStudents; Faculty; and Community. The awards are presented at our annualAppreciation Day Luncheon in either April or May. The awards program criteria isdistributed to faculty/staff, via Lconnect, each January.2. CLUBSa. Quarter Century ClubWhen members of the staff complete 25 years of continuous employment atWentworth, they are eligible to become members of this club. A luncheon or dinneris held in their honor in the spring.b. Retirees ClubWhen a member of the staff retires, they are eligible to become members of thisclub. Membership dues are requested.March 200979

WIT Employee HandbookSection VIII: General InformationVIII B. COMMUTING1. PARKINGLimited parking for the staff is provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Allvehicles must display a valid Wentworth Parking Sticker. There is an annual fee forthese stickers which are issued at the Public Safety Department. One-day parkingpermits are also available for a fee.2. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONThe MBTA Green Line and Orange Line provide transit connections to Wentworth.The MBTA also provides bus connections to the campus. Wentworth encouragesthe use of public transportation.3. MBTA PASSESMonthly passes for the MBTA may be ordered through Human Resources. Regularfull-time and regular part-time employees are given a monthly subsidy of up to $60toward a T pass if they do not have a parking permit. Please contact the HumanResources Department for a sign-up form and further details.If the pass costs more than $60, the employee pays the difference via a biweeklypayroll deduction. Deductions are taken one month in advance of which up to $115(excluding the WIT subsidy) may be a pretax deduction.Linkpasses, or CharlieCards, are available to employees upon hire. Commuter railzone passes are ordered a month in advance. Forms for new passes must bereceived by the first of the month before the month ordered. For example, if you wishto receive a December T pass, the order must be received by November 1.Cancellations of T passes must also be received, in writing, one month in advanceor you will be charged for the pass.Changes and deletions of T passes may be made 3 times per year, at the beginningof each semester, or for a qualifying event (i.e., employee has moved). Again, thechange or cancellation must be received, in writing, one month in advance.Please be advised that the employee assumes total responsibility for his/her T passonce it is retrieved from the Human Resources Office, although, a CharlieCard maybe replaced. Please notify HR asap if you lose your CharlieCard.4. CARPOOLSCarpooling is encouraged at Wentworth. Carpools may be arranged throughCommuteWorks at 617-632-2796. Contact Human Resources for furtherinformation.March 200980

WIT Employee HandbookSection VIII: General InformationVIII C. EMERGENCIES AND INCLEMENT WEATHER1. Wentworth Policy for Delayed Opening/Cancelled Classes/School ClosingWhen severe weather or public safety is a factor, the administration will make adecision to delay the school opening, cancel classes or close the school.Wentworth will close the school for the day, evening, or both when the Institute’sadministration has decided a complete closing is warranted. The latter will be rarebecause we have a large population of residential students, who will continue toneed services on the campus. Many departments (including but not limited to thelibrary, athletics, OIT, and the design studios) will need to be open in order toaccommodate our students.Closing of all campus offices:If the decision is made to close all campus offices, Wentworth employees will not berequired to make up the lost time and they will be paid for the normal working hours.Remember, Wentworth is a campus with over 1,900 residential students.Arrangements are to be made by department heads to provide staff coverage incertain areas where essential operations must continue, i.e., Physical Plant, PublicSafety, Residential Life, and Food Services.Individual decision to stay at home:With the exception of essential staff, employees who may be concerned about safetyin traveling to and from work should use their own judgment about whether to stayhome or leave work early after consulting with their supervisor. An employee’sdecision will be respected but they will be expected to use vacation time forcompensation. Sick time may not be used for this purpose.How to find out if classes are delayed or the campus is closed:When severe weather is a factor, employees are encouraged to check the mainnumber (617-989-4590) or voicemail for messages pertaining to the status of thecampus. Additionally, every effort will be made to make an announcement on AMradio stations WRKO (680), WBZ (1030), TV stations 4, 5 and 7, and LConnect.Please do not call Public Safety for this information as it may detract from theiraddressing a more serious matter.March 200981

WIT Employee HandbookSection VIII: General Information2. FIRE EMERGENCIESIn the event of a fire, pull the nearest fire alarm and notify the Wentworth PublicSafety Department, ext. 4444, of the location of the fire. Vacate the building or officeimmediately.3. SAFETY—OSHAWentworth recognizes its responsibility under the Federal Occupational Safety andHealth Act (OSHA) to provide a safe environment for its employees. DepartmentHeads are responsible for establishing procedures and programs for good safetyhabits as they relate to the job.Achieving the goal of an accident-free work place requires the full cooperation ofevery employee in the performance of his/her job in a safe way. Report immediatelyany potentially unsafe or hazardous conditions to your Department Head or thePublic Safety Department.4. PUBLIC SAFETYWentworth provides a 24-hour-a-day public safety force on campus. In a criminal,safety or medical emergency, contact Public Safety at ext. 4444. Responsibility forsecurity and safety must be shared by all. Employees are expected to report allsuspicious activity and incidents of any unusual nature promptly to the Public SafetyDepartment.Public Safety will also provide any student, employee or visitor to campus with anon-campus escort service as well as an escort service to the Ruggles Orange LineMBTA stop. Call ext. 4400.March 200982

WIT Employee HandbookSection VIII: General InformationVIII D. DIRECTIONS TO WENTWORTHFrom West:Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to the Prudential exit. Drive west on HuntingtonAvenue (Route 9), past the Museum of Fine Arts, to Wentworth Institute ofTechnology on the left.From South:Take Southeast Expressway (Route 93 North) to the Massachusetts Avenue -Roxbury exit. At set of lights, proceed straight onto Melnea Cass Boulevard. Followto the seventh set of traffic lights. Take a left onto Tremont Street. Take first rightonto Ruggles Street and follow to Wentworth Institute of Technology on left.From North:Take Route 93 South to the Massachusetts Avenue - Roxbury exit. At set of lightsproceed straight onto Melnea Cass Boulevard. Follow to the seventh set of trafficlights. Take a left onto Tremont Street. Take first right onto Ruggles Street andfollow to Wentworth Institute of Technology on left.By Public Transportation:Wentworth Institute of Technology is within walking distance to public transportation.Take the Green Line toward Brigham Circle (E line) and exit at the Ruggles/Museumstop or take the Orange line to the Ruggles stop.Directions are also provided on Wentworth’s website.March 200983

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix AAPPENDICESAPPENDIX A: ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ANDUNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACEThis appendix establishes Wentworth’s policy regarding sexual harassment andunlawful discrimination in the workplace by faculty, officers, supervisors, employees,vendors, direct clientele, students and contractors. It also includes examples ofconduct that may constitute sexual harassment and sets forth a complaint procedureto be followed by persons who believe that they are victims of such harassment, orthat they are subject to unlawful discrimination in the workplace.1. INSTITUTE POLICYWentworth fully supports the right of all persons to hold employment withoutsuffering sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination of any kind. It is the policy ofWentworth to maintain a work environment that is free of sexual harassment andunlawful discriminatory actions based on race, gender, age, sexual orientation,religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status or any other protected status.Unlawful employment discrimination and sexual harassment by faculty, officers,supervisors, employees, vendors, direct clientele, students and contractors will notbe tolerated.2. SEXUAL HARASSMENTa. Legal DefinitionSexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is illegal under both federaland Massachusetts state laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 andG.L.c.151B & 18. These laws provide that unwelcome sexual advances, requests forsexual favors, and other physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature constitutesexual harassment when:• Submission to or rejection of such advances, requests or conduct is madeeither explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual’s employmentdecisions affecting the individual.• Such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with anindividual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, humiliatingor sexually offensive work environment.b. Examples Of Conduct That Can Constitute Unlawful Sexual HarassmentSexual harassment does not refer to behavior of a socially acceptable nature, suchas an occasional complimentary remark. Sexual harassment occurs in a variety ofMarch 200984

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix Asituations which share a common element: the unwelcome and inappropriateintroduction of sexual activities or comments into the work environment.Sexual harassment often involves relationships of unequal power. Such situationsmay contain elements of coercion, such as when compliance with requests forsexual favors becomes criterion for granting privileges or favorable treatment onthen job. However, sexual harassment may also involve relationships amongpersons of equal authority or power, such as when repeated advances ordemeaning verbal comments by a co-worker towards another co-worker have aharmful effect on a person’s ability to perform his or her work. Sexual harassmentcan also involve employee behavior directed at non-employees or non-employeebehavior directed at employees.Depending upon the circumstances, examples of sexual harassment could includesuch conduct as the following.• Repeated offensive sexual flirtations, advances or propositions which areoffensive• Verbal abuse or innuendo of a sexual nature which is continued or repeated• Physical contact such as touching, hugging, patting or pinching which isuninvited and unwanted by the other person• Verbal comments of a sexual nature about an individual’s body or sexualterms used to describe an individual• An open, offensive display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures• Jokes or remarks of a sexual nature• Unwanted prolonged and apparent staring or leering at a person• Obscene gestures or suggestive or insulting sounds made towards peoplewho find them offensive• The demand for sexual favors accompanied by an implied or overt threat• Inappropriate remarks about an individual’s employment status or promises ofpreferential treatment• Indecent exposure• Romantic involvement between supervisors and subordinates that is known toothers in the workplace and which impacts the workplace in areas such asassignments, advancement and benefitsc. Dispelling Common Myths About Harassers and VictimsSexual harassment is not limited to prohibited behavior by a male employee towarda female employee or by a supervisory employee toward a non-supervisoryemployee. Depending upon the circumstances, sexual harassment can be found inany of the following types of situations.• A man as well as a woman may be the victim of sexual harassment, and awoman as well as a man may be the harasser.March 200985

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix A• The harasser does not have to be the victim’s supervisor. He or she may bethe supervisory employee who does not supervise the victim, a co-worker, or,in some circumstances, a non-employee such as a vendor or a customerpresent at the workplace.• The victim does not have to be the opposite sex from the harasser.• The victim does not have to be the person to whom the unwelcome sexualconduct is directed. The victim may be someone who is affected by suchconduct even though it is directed at another person. For example, the sexualharassment of one employee may create an intimidating, hostile, humiliatingor offensive work environment for a co-worker, or may interfere with the coworker’swork performance. A group of employees who persist in tellingoffensive or “dirty” jokes, discussing sexuality or describing entertainmentpresenting sexual themes may create an atmosphere which is hostile anddistracting to an employee who is forced to overhear, and who reasonablyconsiders such conversation offensive and inappropriate for the workplace. Inaddition, consensual sexual behavior in the office between two employeesmay be offensive to a third employee or result in favoritism that harms thethird employee.• Sexual harassment does not depend on the victim’s suffering an economicinjury, such as losing a promotion, as a result of a harasser’s conduct.As the examples of improper conduct listed above show, sexual harassment canoccur whenever unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature creates an intimidating,hostile, humiliating or offensive work environment.d. Employee, Supervisor, Faculty Member and Officer ResponsibilitiesEach employee, supervisor, faculty member and officer of Wentworth is personallyresponsible for ensuring that his or her conduct does not sexually harass any otheremployee or non-employee in the workplace. Each person is responsible forcooperating in any investigation of alleged sexual harassment if requested to do soby the person conducting the investigation.e. Discrimination and Harassment Grievance ProcedureThe following sexual harassment complaint procedure has been developedspecifically to ensure that complaints are investigated quickly and fairly.In all instances where an individual believes that he or she has been sexuallyharassed, it may be helpful, but not necessary, to start the process of resolution bywriting down a description of the offensive conduct, the date or dates on which ittook place, and the names of anyone who witnessed the conduct or heard theoffensive remarks. If you would like help writing down your thoughts, the person youspeak with at Step 2 of this procedure will assist you.March 200986

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix A1) Informal ProcessStep 1:If an individual believes that he or she is being sexually harassed, the mostimmediate goal is to stop the offensive conduct. Individuals may do the following.• Firmly confront whomever is doing the harassing.• State that his/her conduct offends, intimidates, and/or embarrasses you.• Describe how the harassment negatively affects your work.• Request that he or she stop the conduct immediately.• Say things such as “Please don’t touch me. I don’t like it. It makes me uncomfortable.” “I don’t think jokes like that are funny. Please don’t tell them when I amin the room.”“I’d like it a lot better if you’d comment on the quality of my work ratherthan the way I look.” “My name is , not ‘Honey’.”If practical, bring a witness with you for this discussion. After the discussion, write asummary of the conversation, including the date and name of anyone whoaccompanied you.In some instances, confronting the harasser directly may be too intimidating oruncomfortable, particularly when the harasser is an immediate supervisor. If you aretoo uncomfortable with or intimidated by confronting the harasser directly, this stepneed not be taken, and the complaint process can begin at Step 2.March 200987

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix AStep 2:An individual who believes he/she has been sexually harassed should contact theVice President of Human Resources/Affirmative Action Officer, as soon as possible.The individual may also contact his/her supervisor or Department Head who mustinform Human Resources.The individual will then have a meeting with the Vice President of HumanResources/Affirmative Action Officer or another investigator appointed by HumanResources to discuss the conduct and events the individual feels are sexualharassment, and to answer any questions the individual may have regarding thecomplaint procedure.Step 3:In instances where an informal resolution is appropriate, the Vice President ofHuman Resources/Affirmative Action Officer, or another investigator, will advise andassist the individual in resolving the matter in that fashion.2) Formal ProcessStep 4:In instances where an informal resolution is not reached and a formal writtencomplaint is made with Human Resources, the investigator will record theindividual’s statement of events. Specifically, the investigator will request thefollowing information: a description of the incident(s), the name of the allegedharasser, times, locations, specific words/actions, and the name of any witnesses tothe incident(s). The investigator’s notes will be for the investigator’s own use duringthe investigation and are not given to the person making the complaint or to theperson alleged to have violated this policy. Individuals may make their own writtennotes when they speak to the investigator.Step 5:The investigator will meet with the alleged harasser. The alleged harasser shouldrespond to the allegations and may submit a written statement.Step 6:The investigator will interview any witnesses outside the presence of the individualmaking the complaint and the alleged harasser.March 200988

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix AStep 7:Upon completion of the investigation, the investigator will draft a report stating his orher finding. The person making the complaint and the alleged harasser shall beinformed of the investigator’s finding.Upon completion of Steps 1-7:In the event that the findings of the investigator indicate that sexual harassment hasnot occurred, the matter will be closed. In the event that the findings of theinvestigator indicate that sexual harassment has occurred, further action will betaken including, but not limited to, disciplinary action as described herein, up to andincluding termination.f. Investigating Complaints1) TimetableWentworth recognizes that the interests of all persons are best served by the promptinvestigation and resolution of sexual harassment complaints. It will strive toinvestigate complaints in a prompt and reasonable manner.2) ConfidentialityAll actions taken to investigate and resolve complaints through this procedure shallbe conducted with as much confidentiality as possible without compromising thethoroughness of the investigation. It is Wentworth’s position that generally acomplainant cannot insist on anonymity because such will impede the fairness andthoroughness of the investigation. The investigators will not discuss the situationwith persons other than those involved in or affected by the complaint, or thosenecessary to implement the investigative process or the disciplinary proceduresunder this policy.3) No Retaliation For Filing Complaint of Sexual HarassmentNo employee, supervisor, faculty member or officer shall be retaliated ordiscriminated against in any way for making a complaint of sexual harassment orunlawful discrimination and/or for assisting/cooperating in the investigation of such acomplaint. Such retaliation is unlawful and will not be tolerated by Wentworth.4) Disciplinary Procedures(a) If an investigation of a complaint of sexual harassment reveals that anemployee, supervisor, faculty member or officer has engaged in actions orconduct constituting sexual harassment, disciplinary action will be taken, inthe complete discretion of Wentworth. Disciplinary action may consist of awarning, reassignment, suspension, mandatory counseling and/or terminationof employment. The disciplinary action taken will depend upon theseriousness of the violation. Disciplinary action will be taken by theappropriate manager, supervisor and/or officer of Wentworth.March 200989

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix A(b) Any employee, supervisor, faculty member or officer who prevents orattempts to prevent an individual from making a complaint of sexualharassment, or who fails to cooperate with or interferes in any way with theinvestigation of such a complaint, will be subject to the disciplinary actionsdescribed above.(c) Any employee, supervisor, faculty member or officer who retaliates ordiscriminates in any way against an individual who makes a complaint ofsexual harassment or assists in the investigation of such a complaint will besubject to disciplinary action.(d) Any employee, supervisor, faculty member or officer who becomes aware ofinstances of sexual harassment, even in the absence of a formal complaint,should report such to one of the investigators.(e) Any non-employee found to have committed an act of sexual harassmentmay be removed or barred from Wentworth’s premises, or other appropriateaction may be taken.3. UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENTa. Making Complaints Within WentworthIndividuals who believe that they have been discriminated against in the terms andconditions of their employment on the basis of their race, age, gender, sexualorientation, religion, national origin, disability, veteran’s status or other legallyprotected status should follow the complaint procedures described herein.b. Making Complaints Outside WentworthThere are state and federal agencies which share responsibility for administeringlaws protecting employees from various forms of discrimination, including sexualharassment. Individuals may contact these agencies by phone or in person.StateMassachusetts Commission AgainstDiscriminationOne Ashburton PlaceBoston, MA 02108617-727-3990FederalEqual Employment OpportunityCommissionOne Congress St.Boston, MA 02114617-565-3200Springfield Office:424 Dwight St., Rm. 220Springfield, MA 01103413-739-21454. DISCLAIMERThe information in this appendix is presented as a guideline that is subject to changeby Wentworth at its discretion. It shall not be construed as a contract of employmentMarch 200990

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix Aor the terms thereof nor shall it give rise to any claim against Wentworth or againstany person charged with responsibility, if not followed.March 200991

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix BAPPENDIX B: DRIVER SAFETY AND MOTOR VEHICLE USE POLICY1. DRIVER QUALIFICATIONSEmployees who drive personal vehicles on Wentworth business or vehicles that areowned, rented or leased by Wentworth must:• Be at least 21 years of age.• Have at least three years of driving experience.• Possess a valid U.S. driverʼs license.• Have an acceptable driving record in accordance with the motor vehiclerecords (MVR) criteria described in Section 3.• Maintain valid liability and property insurance on privately owned vehiclesused for Wentworth business in accordance with minimum statutoryrequirements.2. DRIVER AND PASSENGER GUIDELINES(a) Drivers and passengers are required to wear seat belts at all times.(b) Drivers must obey all traffic rules, drive courteously and practice defensivedriving techniques.(c) Every driver is obliged to maintain a valid driver’s license and validinsurance for privately owned vehicles at all times. Any change in, or lossof, a driver’s license must be reported to the driver’s supervisor and theHuman Resources Office.(d) Drivers are required to report the following to their supervisors as soon aspossible: Traffic violation(s) they receive during working and nonworking hourswhile driving on Wentworth business Changes in their driver’s license status including suspension,revocation or restrictions, including medical restrictionsAny lapse, change or termination of auto insuranceAccidents that occur while they are driving on Institute business ineither personal vehicles or in vehicles that are owned, leased or rentedby Wentworth(e) Except for authorized Public Safety personnel, no driver is allowed to carrya firearm or weapon either in a vehicle or on his/her person duringbusiness hours and while on Wentworth business.(f)Drivers may not operate Wentworth vehicles or drive during business hoursafter having consumed alcohol and or drugs, including legal drugs ormedications that may impair their ability to operate a motor vehicle.(g) Traffic violation payments are not reimbursable. Payment of all violations,including parking tickets and speeding tickets, is the responsibility of theemployee, not Wentworth.March 200992

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix B(h) Only Wentworth-approved drivers who are 21 years old and over may drivevehicles that are owned, leased or rented by Wentworth.(i) When requested to do so, drivers must provide copies of motor vehiclerecords and their current license.(j) Drivers are required to observe all rules and regulations for safe driving asdefined by the state in which they are driving.(k) Drivers should take a break every two hours. No driver should drive morethan a total of 10 hours during a 24-hour period. If there is more than onequalified driver on a long-distance trip, such drivers should considerrotating every two hours. If there are not enough drivers to rotate the(l)driving, an overnight stay should be planned. Avoid driving past midnight.The front-seat passenger should remain awake to help keep the driveralert.(m) Avoid conditions that lead to loss of control: driving while sleepy orinattentive, or driving too fast for road conditions.(n) If the weather is inclement, stop and stay overnight in a safe place. Theadditional lodging cost is worth avoiding the risk of an accident.(o) Do not use a telephone while driving. Stop the vehicle in a safe area to usea cell phone or ask a passenger to operate it.(p) Personal use of Wentworth vehicles is not allowed.(q) Employees whose licenses have been suspended are responsible forworking with their supervisors to find other means of fulfilling theirobligations to Wentworth at their own expense.(r)Employees who are medically unable to drive must provide writtendocumentation from a physician.3. MOTOR VEHICLE RECORDS (MVR) CRITERIAIt is the policy of Wentworth Institute of Technology to obtain motor vehicle records(MVR) at least every three years for people who operate Wentworth vehicles orpersonal or leased vehicles on Wentworth business. MVRs will be obtained prior toemployment for individuals seeking positions that necessitate driving.Prospective employee and student drivers will be asked to sign a consent formallowing Wentworth to obtain copies of their MVRs. Employeesʼ consent forms willbe maintained in their personnel files for three years. Studentsʼ forms will be kept inthe Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs or with the Vice Presidentʼsdesignee.Any disciplinary action(s) taken as a result of an MVR review and/or an accident willbe documented and consistently applied to all employees who fail to comply with thisprogram.March 200993

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix BDrivers who have been cited for the following violations within the last three yearsmay not drive a Wentworth vehicle:• Driving under the influence of alcohol (DWI, DUI)• Negligent homicide• Operating without a valid driverʼs license• Operating with a suspended license• Using a motor vehicle for commission of a felony• Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle• Operating a motor vehicle without the ownerʼs consent• Permitting an unlicensed driver to drive• Reckless driving• Involvement in a hit-and-run accident• Two or more speeding tickets in a one-year periodWITComment [1]: rephrase? Operating without avalid driver's licenseSupervisors should check employeesʼ driversʼ licenses at least once each year toassure that the licenses are valid. An MVR check is recommended every threeyears, or when violations may be indicated.Any applicant who submits false information about his/her driving history or criminalrecord will be IMMEDIATELY dismissed from service.4. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION CERTIFICATIONVehicle maintenance and inspection certification are essential to ensure thatpersonal vehicles used on Wentworth business and vehicles that are owned, rentedor leased by the Institute function properly and safely. Maintenance neglect may leadto driving accidents.Before driving a vehicle, the driver should inspect it to ensure that the headlights,brake lights, turn and hazard signals, wipers, horn and tires are working properly,and report any damage to his/her supervisor immediately.State-required inspections must be completed and maintenance performed inaccordance with the manufacturerʼs specifications.Additionally, vehicles should be inspected monthly. Items that should be checkedinclude:• Brakes (pedal pressure)• Taillights• Windshield and wipers• Horn• Turn Signals• Backup lights/bellMarch 200994

WIT Employee HandbookAppendix B• Headlights (high and low beams)• Tires (safe tread depth without bald spots or irregular wear)• Brake lights• Safety belts• Steering• Side mirrors• Rear-view mirror• Interior accessories (doors, lights, gauges, etc.)Monthly housekeeping of all Wentworth vehicles should also be maintained(vacuuming, washing, etc.).5. DRIVING ACCIDENTSIf an accident occurs, follow these procedures:• If there are injuries, call 911.• Notify local police. If the accident occurs on campus, also notify Wentworth’sPublic Safety Department at 617-989-4444.• Obtain the following information: Driver’s name, address and phone number Driver’s date of birth Driver’s insurance carrier and policy number Driver’s license number and state of issuance Make, model, color and tag of vehicle Damage to all vehicles Injuries Date, time and road and weather conditions Names and addresses of other vehicles’ occupants and any other witnesses• Do not argue or make statements as to who is at fault.• Notify Public Safety at 617-989-4444 as soon as possible after the accident, andsubmit a written Wentworth motor vehicle accident report.• Notify your supervisor as soon as possible after the accident.March 200995