Dispute Resolution Process

Eligibility for Dispute Process:

Regular and Term staff members who have successfully completed their initial orientation period are eligible.
Temporary and PRN staff members are not eligible.
You can appeal a written PIC, a final PIC or discharge.
Staff utilizing this process may not be represented by an attorney.
Recording devices may not be used during any of the proceedings.
Participants who are disruptive or refuse to abide by the guidelines forfeit their opportunity to continue in the Dispute Resolution Process.

Process:

Staff members are encouraged to meet with their supervisors to discuss the situation. If the discussion does not result in a satisfactory resolution, the staff member may proceed to the next step. The staff member may choose not to have a discussion with their supervisor and skip to completing the Dispute Resolution Form.
Staff members who feel that they have been discriminated or retaliated against should file a complaint with the Opportunity Development Center (ODC) who will investigate the claim. All allegations of unlawful discrimination will be addressed regardless of the amount of time that has lapsed between the incident and the complaint. The investigations conducted by the ODC must be completed before the dispute process can continue.
The staff member has 10 calendar days , from the date the PIC was issued or discharge occurred to turn in a completed Dispute Resolution Form. This form can be found on the HR website under 'Forms and Documents' or you can get a hard copy from Employee Relations. The completed form should be given to the Employee Relations departmental representative.
The Employee Relations representative will schedule a meeting with the Administrator over the staff members department. After the meeting, the Administrator will respond via certified mail of their decision to reduce, overturn or uphold the PIC or Discharge. If the issue is not resolved to the staff member's satisfaction, they have 10 calendar days from the date of the letter to inform their Employee Relations representative that they wish to move to the next step.
The Employee Relations representative will schedule a meeting with a Human Resource Facilitator. After the meeting the Facilitator will respond via certified mail of their decision to reduce, overturn or uphold the PIC or Discharge. If the issue is not resolved to the staff member's satisfaction, they have 10 calendar days from the date of the letter to inform their Employee Relations representative that they wish to move to the next step.
The Employee Relations representative will schedule the Dispute Resolution Hearing. Three panelists are selected from a list of trained individuals from both the University and the Medical Center. Every effort is made to ensure that the panelists are not associated with the staff member disputing or the department which they work(ed). Employee Relations facilitates this process. Both the department and the disputing staff member may have witnesses which must be current or former Vanderbilt employees with direct knowledge pertaining to the dispute. A staff member utilizing this process may bring one person currently employed by Vanderbilt to the hearing for support purposes only. The panel will collectively make a decision to reduce, overturn or uphold the PIC or Discharge and inform via certified mail. The decision of the panel is final and marks the end of the dispute process.