A message from Austin Wood, Employee Relations Officer
We are back with another edition of the ERO Open Forum. This edition will focus on data collected and analyzed by the Equal Opportunity Compliance Office (EOC) for the 2023-24 academic year.
Annual Data Review
Each year, the ERO compiles a report that analyzes trends in resolutions and outcomes related to ACC’s Resolution of an Employee Grievance Guideline/Procedure. As your ERO, it is vital to share these insights to enhance our support for the College community. This data review encompasses cases from August 21, 2023, to August 25, 2024.
This past year, the ERO supported 144 cases. An analysis of case types reveals that Consultations constituted 41% of all cases received. This category includes instances where employees seek guidance on processes or policies before initiating formal actions, such as filing a grievance or addressing performance management issues.
Grievances comprised 25% of the cases, while Performance Management represented 34%. It is important to note that, as of July 2024, all performance management cases have been transitioned to the HR Business Partners. We expect this category of cases to decline significantly in the coming year.
ACC’s Resolution of an Employee Grievance thoughtfully included a mechanism for the ERO to coordinate a report to the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees, and the ACC community concerning the state of the grievance process at the College and recommendations for improvement. The data below helps explain the current state and reviewing potential system issues at ACC. Remember that some cases of Consultations may have covered multiple topics, while some did not, as employees simply reached out to gather information about the grievance process and were not yet comfortable sharing their particular situation.
This academic year, 58% of ERO Consultations were categorized under Work Culture—the most prevalent topic among Employee Grievances at 42%. Issues commonly addressed in this category include disrespectful behavior in the workplace, such as eye-rolling, interrupting colleagues during meetings, isolation, dismissive remarks, gossiping, and persistent complaints without efforts to find solutions.
The ERO is committed to promoting a culture of respect, highlighting the importance of self-awareness and civility in employee communication. The higher number of consultations compared to grievances indicates that employees actively seek informal resolutions before engaging in formal processes.
This trend is consistent across nearly all areas addressed by the ERO. Notably, Termination stands out, accounting for 24% of employee grievances. This issue is distinct as it typically involves formal disputes related to termination decisions and does not lend itself to informal resolution efforts.
For comprehensive details, including information on other departmental areas, refer to the 2023-2024 Equal Opportunity Compliance Annual Report.