Date Adopted: 11/13/2009
Date Revised:
Date Last Reviewed: 01/16/2024
References: UMW Personnel Policies
Issuing Office: Administration and Finance
Approved By: Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance
Permanent staff at The University of Montana Western are subject to a six-month probationary period. During that period, employees may be terminated for any reason without a showing of cause and without recourse to any grievance procedure.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with state and federal opportunity and affirmative action requirements and to provide probationary period to both employee and employer to determine permanent employment.
Unless otherwise specified in a collective bargaining agreement, permanent staff are subject to a six-month probationary period.
Time on leave without pay is not credited toward completion of a probationary period, as it is not time spent performing job duties and therefore cannot be considered to evaluate an employee’s performance. Thus, if an employee has taken leave during the first six months of employment, his or her probationary ending date is adjusted to compensate for the leave taken.
Employees serve only one probationary period upon initial hire. Employees who have completed the probationary period and transfer to another University department do not complete a new probationary period. If an employee transfers to another department during the probationary period, his/her probation will continue until the period is completed. Employees transferring from a state agency or another unit of the Montana University System to the University shall complete a new six-month probationary period with UMW.
An employee’s probationary period may be extended in unusual circumstances for an additional three to six months. Written notice to the employee must be done before the end of the probationary period informing the employee of the length of the extension.
Upon successful completion of the probationary period, a regular employee may be involuntarily terminated only for reasons of just cause or layoff.
UMW Personnel Policies
Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance or delegee, EEO/Affirmative Action Officer
