Separation of Employment

This page contains definitions and policies regarding separation and retirement from the university. Note: If you, or an employee you supervise, are separating or retiring from the university, you may find checklists and procedures on the Offboarding Resources and Procedures webpage.

TERMINATION

With any type of appointment, termination may be initiated by:

• The appointee through resignation or retirement with reasonable notice;
• Mutual agreement of the appointee and the appointing authority for promotion, transfer, or voluntary disability leave; or
• The appointing authority.

If a continuing, unclassified, unrepresented employee's appointment is being terminated, they will be notified at least 90 calendar days prior to the termination date established in the notice. The appointing authority of the unclassified employee is the informing agent. In an instance where the appointment was issued for a specified term, no notice is required and the last day of that term will be the termination date of the employee's appointment. (Policy 3342-6-05)

If the employment of a classified, unrepresented person is not being continued, they will receive a letter of termination and will have an opportunity to appeal the decision to the State of Ohio Personnel Board of Review.

RETIREMENT

Planning for retirement is very important. Current state law, under the State Retirement System, gives a choice of retirement plans to full-time classified and unclassified employees and faculty; Ohio Public Employees Retirement Savings (OPERS), State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) and the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP). Tax deferred annuity accounts, available through payroll deduction, provide employees with the opportunity to set aside income on a pre-tax basis for additional retirement income. More information is online for OPERS at www.opers.org. Visit STRS at www.strsoh.org. 

Employees who meet the eligibility requirements for age and service retirement under the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) or State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) should first contact their respective retirement system directly for instructions on the application process. 

POSITION ABOLISHMENT AND LAYOFF

A classified civil service employee may be laid off due to a temporary lack of work or lack of funds expected to last less than 12 months, or as a result of the abolishment of a position. A lack of work, for purposes of layoff, means a department has a current or projected temporary decrease in the workload which requires a reduction of current or projected staffing levels. A lack of funds means a department has a current or projected deficiency of funds to maintain current levels, or to sustain projected levels of staffing or operations. Abolishment is defined as the deletion of a position or positions from a department or the university for lack of continued need for the position or positions. An abolishment is expected to last more than 12 months.