Leaving Duke (Voluntary and Involuntary) Policy
Policy Statement
A staff member wishing to leave employment with Duke in good standing must provide a written resignation to the immediate supervisor at least two (2) weeks prior to the effective date for hourly-paid staff (except RNs) and one (1) month prior to the effective date for RNs and monthly-salaried staff (except APPs which requires 3 months). The staff member’s resignation will precipitate the termination process (to include, termination notice, eligible for rehire designation, final pay and exit interview information).
Policy Details
- Voluntary Resignation or Retirement
- Accrued Sick Leave (Retiring Hourly-Paid Staff)
- Exit Survey
- Involuntary Termination
Voluntary Resignation or Retirement
To allow for time to plan for a staff member’s departure and replacement and for the staff member to leave Duke in good standing, he or she must give written notice of resignation based on the requirements below. The supervisor can waive the notice period. Staff who do not provide sufficient notice will be designated not recommended for rehire.
| Action | Health System | University |
|---|---|---|
| Written Notice | Hourly-paid: 2 weeks (RNs are required to provide a 1-month written notice) Monthly-salaried: 1 month (APPs are required to provide a 3-month written notice) | Hourly-paid: 2 weeks (RNs are required to provide a 1-month written notice) Monthly-salaried: 1 month (APPs are required to provide a 3-month written notice) |
| Exit Survey Process | Eligible | Eligible |
| Pay for Accrued and Unused Time Off | Voluntary Resignation:
100% of accrued and unused Short-Term Bank and Long-Term Bank hours are viable. |
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| Payment for Accrued and Unused Time Off |
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Final Paycheck
- The final check will be deposited in the staff member’s designated bank account or sent to his or her last stated home address on the next scheduled payday following separation. Upon termination, a staff member’s final pay is subject to all involuntary deductions established and to all voluntary deductions authorized by the staff member.
- IRS guidelines only allow mid plan year healthcare changes if you have experienced a qualifying life event within the last 30 days and the change requested is consistent with the event. If you have gained other group insurance with another employer in the last 30 days, you will need to submit a qualifying life event form via Duke@Work and provide proof of gaining other insurance within 30 days to stop your insurance prior to your final paycheck. Coverage will be ended the day before you gained other group health insurance. Otherwise, health benefits (medical, dental, and vision) will end the last day of the following month based off last day worked or last day benefits eligible, unless Medicare eligible and no longer working. For the Duke Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan, you may change or stop your voluntary contributions (pre-tax or Roth after-tax) at any time through Duke@Work. For other voluntary benefits, the employee would need to contact the benefit vendor directly. For other Duke voluntary deductions, such as parking, the employee would need to contact the department responsible for those deductions to request cancellation of the deduction. Deleting voluntary deductions is the sole responsibility of the staff member. If the staff member does not initiate action to delete any or all voluntary deductions, those deductions will be taken from a final paycheck. In the case of deletion, any contribution normally made by Duke in the affected category will not be made. Terminated employees may request a copy of their last paycheck stub by contacting Corporate Payroll Services at 919 684-2642.
Return of Duke Property
All work-related equipment should be returned to the supervisor by the staff member’s last day of work. These items include – but are not limited to – tools, identification badges, procurement cards, cell phones, pagers, keys, computer equipment, etc.
Termination/ Transfer Check List
Please refer to Duke's termination and transfer checklist.
Retirement Preparation
All retiring staff should contact the Benefits Office for information regarding preparations for retirement.
Use of Accrued Sick Leave for Retiring Hourly-Paid Staff
Please refer to the table below for information concerning the use of accrued sick leave for retiring hourly-paid staff.
| Hourly-Paid Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Hourly-paid staff who elect to retire from Duke will receive either a normal or early reduced pension – as provided in the Employees' Retirement Plan. These individuals are also eligible for additional credited service by calculating the amount of the retirement benefit. At the time of retirement, a staff member's total accrual of unused sick pay or carry over bank hours is calculated. | The total of unused sick pay or carry over bank hours is used to adjust the staff member's credited years of service for benefit calculation. This adjustment is accomplished by taking the total number of the unused sick-pay or carry-over bank hours and converting them into additional length-of-service credits that are then used to calculate the staff member's eventual retirement payment.
The exact method of computation of pension benefits and the conversion of unused sick pay or carry over bank hours into additional length of service credits is governed and defined in the Employees' Retirement Plan. |
Exit Survey Process
An exit survey process is available to assist with retention and recruitment efforts. The process has been established for staff who are voluntarily terminating their employment with Duke.
This process is designed to elicit voluntary information about each departing staff member's experience at Duke and the reasons for their leaving. This data is collected, analyzed, and reported to Duke leaders to recommend improvements to policies, procedures, and practices.
All staff who are voluntarily resigning are sent an invitation to their Duke email account encouraging them to complete the online questionnaire. This is an anonymous survey unless the staff member requests contact and provides contact information. The information provided will be used as part of Duke's continuing efforts to improve policies, practices, and programs and to create a more favorable workplace and work experience.
- If the staff member has already left Duke he/she will not be sent a survey request.
- If the staff member does not have an email address, the supervisor will be sent the survey and asked to have the staff member complete and return to Staff and Labor Relations.
This process does not apply to staff who are transferring within Duke, staff leaving Duke involuntarily, temporary staff or faculty members.
For further information of the exit survey process, please contact the Staff and Labor Relations Office at 684-2808.
Involuntary Termination
After appropriate counseling, staff who are unable to meet the established standards of performance or conduct for a position may be terminated.
Please refer to the table below for further information concerning involuntary termination at Duke.
| Reason for Termination | Eligibility for Rehire |
|---|---|
| Performance | Eligibility for rehire is dependent upon the appropriate match between the job vacancy and the staff member's skills and capabilities. |
| Misbehavior or Misconduct (including attendance violations) | Staff who have been terminated for disciplinary reasons other than serious conduct or performance violations will be eligible to seek Duke employment after having demonstrated acceptable work performance during the gap of separation. |
| Serious Conduct or Performance Violations | Staff terminated for serious conduct or performance violations are not eligible for rehire in any type of Duke employment. |
Involuntary termination requires prior review and approval by the entity/department Human Resources representative and a Staff and Labor Relations representative. The basis for the termination and the facts supporting the action must be fully documented. If a staff member is absent for three consecutive, scheduled workdays without contacting his or her supervisor or department in accordance with departmental procedure, the staff member will be considered to have abandoned the position and will be discharged.
Please refer to the table below for information concerning notification of involuntary termination and termination payment.
| Action | Health System | University |
|---|---|---|
| Written Notice | Dependent upon reason for termination. See previous chart. | Dependent upon reason for termination. See previous chart. |
| Accrued and Unused Time Off |
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| Exit Survey Process | Not Eligible | Not Eligible |
Final Paycheck and Deductions
The final check will be deposited in the staff member's designated bank account or sent to his or her last stated home address on the next scheduled payday.
Upon termination, a staff member's final wages are subject to all involuntary deductions established and to all voluntary deductions authorized by the staff member.
Employees should contact the appropriate vendor to cancel voluntary benefits such as supplemental life or voluntary disability. The deletion of voluntary deductions is the sole responsibility of the staff member. If the staff member does not initiate action to delete any or all voluntary deductions, those deductions will be taken from the final paycheck. In the case of deletion, any contribution normally made by Duke in the affected category will not be made.
Return of Duke Property
All work-related equipment should be returned to the supervisor by the staff member's last day of work. These items include – but are not limited to – tools, identification badges, procurement cards, cell phones, pagers, keys, computer equipment, etc.
Policy Number: 04.04
Workplace Expectations & Guidelines Policy