1001 Employment Termination
Employment with the WRLC is based on mutual consent; both the employee and WRLC have the right to terminate employment at will, with or without cause, at any time. The most common reasons for employment termination are:
- Resignation - voluntary employment termination initiated by an employee;
- Retirement - voluntary employment termination initiated by the employee meeting age, length of service, or other criteria for retirement from the organization;
- Discharge - involuntary employment termination initiated by the organization;
- Layoff - involuntary employment termination initiated by the organization for non-disciplinary reasons.
Resignation is a voluntary act initiated by the employee to terminate employment with the WRLC. Employees are expected to give adequate written notice of:
- at least two weeks' written notice of resignation for nonexempt employees and
- four weeks written notice for exempt employees.
At the discretion of the Director, vacation that was scheduled during the notice period can be suspended.
Employees must provide a letter of resignation containing their last day of employment with the WRLC to their supervisor and to the Director of Administration and Finance. Any equipment or other resources provided to the employee by the WRLC must be returned in acceptable condition prior to the termination date. Employees will receive their final pay in accordance with applicable state law. All accrued vacation hours up to the maximum accrual, will be paid (less any advances or other monies owed to WRLC.) Medical and personal leave hours are not payable and are forfeited upon termination. Medical and dental benefits are in effect until the last day of the month of termination. These benefits may be continued at the employee's expense if the employee so chooses. Contact the Director of Administration and Finance for detailed information regarding benefit continuation.
1002 Return of Property
On or before a departing employee’s final day of work, he or she must return all WRLC property to the appropriate supervisor and satisfy all outstanding financial obligations. Some examples include but are not limited to:
- cellular phones or pagers,
- credit cards,
- computer equipment, software, manuals or documentation ,
- keys, keycards, or security passes,
- tools or other WRLC-owned equipment.
Where permitted by applicable laws, WRLC may withhold from the employee's final paycheck the cost of any items that are not returned. The WRLC may also take all action deemed appropriate to recover or protect its property.
Transfer of Computer Files or Permission to Access Files
Departing employees should transfer their computer files to their supervisors or otherwise provide means for the files to be accessed before they leave the WRLC. An employee’s access to WRLC information systems will be discontinued upon departure.
Pay for Unused Leave
Departing employees are paid for unused, accumulated paid leave. Hours paid cannot exceed the maximum leave accrual for that employee’s position. No payment will be made for unused medical or personal leave.
1003 Severance Pay
WRLC may grant severance pay to terminated employees under certain limited circumstances, most typically a reduction in force. Regular full-time employees will be considered eligible for severance pay if they have worked full-time for at least one year. Employees will not be considered eligible for severance pay if their employment is terminated by WRLC for cause, or by the employee through voluntary resignation, retirement, permanent disability or death.
The WRLC intends to provide three months notice of any reduction in force or the elimination of a position. In the circumstance that the WRLC is unable to provide three months notice to the employee, the WRLC will make every effort to provide salary and benefits equivalent to three months in a combination of time worked and severance pay.
The WRLC retains the right to amend or terminate its severance policy at any time.