Separation Process

Separation of Employment

Separations of employment may be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary separations include resignation with notice, resignation without notice, job abandonment, and retirement. Involuntary separations include layoff, end of appointment, completion of contract, and discharge. All non-faculty involuntary separations must be processed by the department in conjunction with Employee & Labor Relations (ELR). For information regarding faculty separations, please contact Academic Affairs at (305) 348-2168.

Resignations

Employees voluntarily separating from the university should submit a minimum of two weeks notice. Certain positions may necessitate extended notice due to the complexity and operational issues associated with the position.

An employee will notify the supervisor of intent to resign in writing. The supervisor should immediately notify the employee of their acceptance of the resignation in writing and clearly indicate that they accept the resignation and confirm the effective date. If an employee gives a verbal resignation, the supervisor should respond in writing to accept the resignation. Both the employee’s resignation and supervisor’s acceptance should be promptly sent to ELR via email at elr@fiu.edu, on the day of receipt. A resignation may not be rescinded by the employee without concurrence by the university.

Separation Process for All Departing Employees

The supervisor and employee must complete the Separation from Employment/Transfer Clearance Form on or before the effective date of separation. The form is completed online and printed, signed by the supervisor, and submitted to ELR at elr@fiu.edu for processing. The department should retain a copy for their records.  An employee is required to return all university property issued during their tenure and to settle all outstanding debts and accounts with the university prior to their last day. FIU reserves the right to offset funds, if applicable, which are due to the employee at the time of separation to compensate for unreturned property or unsettled accounts. The supervisor should advise the employee that they are responsible for contacting the Student Financials Office if a Tuition Waiver was used for the semester. The supervisor should advise the employee to contact the FIU One Card Office regarding the balance of funds on their account.

The supervisor should notify the departing employee that funds owed to the employee at the time of separation will not be processed until the Employment/Transfer Clearance Form is completed, signed by both employee and supervisor, and forwarded to ELR for processing.

The supervisor should inform employees to keep contact information up to date in PantherSoft HR Employee Self Service including home/mailing address. Any future correspondence will be mailed to the address on file provided by the employee.

Upon receipt of separation/transfer documents, ELR will send an email to the employee requesting the complete an Exit Review Questionnaire and Exit Interview. The employee will be directed to schedule an appointment with a representative from ELR on or before their effective separation date.

On the employee’s last day of employment, the supervisor will collect all university property including but not limited to:

  • Panther ID card
  • Uniforms
  • Keys must be returned directly to Key Bank and obtain original receipt for departmental records
  • Equipment (i.e.: laptop, materials, etc.)
  • Pro-Card: Supervisor must cut the Pro-Card in half and affix to the Card Cancellation Form and forward the form to the Pro-Card Coordinator in Purchasing Services.

If on the last day of employment, the employee has not returned university property or cleared his/her debts with the university, and attempts by the department to contact the employee to recover the debt/property are unsuccessful, the supervisor should contact ELR immediately.

If the employee has one year of continuous employment at the time of separation, the employee shall be paid, in accordance with the Vacation Leave Policy . All unused vacation leave balance should not exceed the maximum accrual amount stated in the policy and listed below:

  • Non-exempt employees: 250 hours
  • Exempt employees: 352 hours

In accordance with the Sick Leave Policy, employees will not be paid any sick leave hours upon separation with one exception: employees with 10 years of consecutive service at the university as of July 1, 2005. Eligible employees will be grandfathered under the previous sick leave policy for purposes of receiving payment for accumulated sick leave hours upon separation of employment from the university. The employee will be paid 25% of the accrued sick leave hours as of July 1, 2005 or current balance, whichever is less, at the time of separation.

Note: Separation from Employment/Transfer Clearance Form is required for all employees separating employment, and it needs to be completed by the department.

Retirement Process

Whether you are a new hire or have been at the university for years, FIU offers great options for retirement. From the required selection of a state plan to additional voluntary retirement plans, our employees have many opportunities to save and prepare for their future. When you are ready to retire, our Benefits team provides you with the assistance you need to transition into your new life!

If you are considering retirement, take the time to review the Employee Retirement Guides our Benefits Administration team has prepared to help you navigate through the overall process. These guides are intended to provide you with the relevant information pertaining to retirement from FIU and facilitate your understanding of the retirement process as well as the benefits offered to retirees.

For more details, review our “Preparing for Retirement Section”.

Note: Separation from Employment/Transfer Clearance Form is required for all employees separating employment, and it needs to be completed by the department.

Exit Interviews

Exit Review Questionnaire

The university asks employees to complete an Exit Review Questionnaire and Exit Interview in an effort to assist with our retention and recruitment efforts. This process has been established for employees who are transferring or voluntarily separating from their employment with FIU. Upon receiving separation documents, Employee & Labor Relations (ELR) will send an email to the employee requesting they complete an Exit Review Questionnaire and Exit Interview. The employee will be directed to schedule an appointment with a representative from ELR on or before the effective separation date. The Exit Review Questionnaire is designed to elicit voluntary information about each transferring or departing employee’s experience at FIU and the reason(s) for their leaving. This data is collected, analyzed, and appropriately reported to FIU leaders to recommend improvements to policies, procedures, and practices. This information will assist with identifying work environment issues contributing to both retention and turnover, as well as providing exiting employees an opportunity to identify areas where the university does well and areas we can improve.

Transferring within FIU

An employee transferring to another department should coordinate the effective date of the transfer with the assigned recruiter and submit a resignation letter. When possible, employees transferring should provide a minimum of two weeks notice.

Supervisors must complete the Separation from Employment/Transfer Clearance form with the employee on or before the effective date of separation. The form is completed online and printed, signed by the supervisor, and submitted to Employee Labor & Relations (ELR) at elr@fiu.edu for processing. Please note the department should retain a copy for their records. Supervisors must work with their departmental technical support to update membership to any groups utilized to manage internal share drives. In the event the department does not have internal technical support, a request can be submitted via an online request directly with the Division of Information Technology.

Upon receipt of transfer/separation documents, ELR will send an email to the employee requesting they complete an Exit Review Questionnaire and Exit Interview (see Exit Review Questionnaire information above). The employee will be directed to schedule an appointment with a representative from ELR on or before the effective separation date.

On the employee’s last day of employment, the supervisor must collect all university property (refer to list above in resignation).

An employee transferring from a non-exempt position to an exempt position who has accrued compensatory leave time will be paid by the departing department in which the employee earned the leave.