Changes in hiring at WSU

g Thursday, Oct. 29 to discuss new employment procedures for Weber State University.
“Every one of the changes we made in this past year were made based on a specific articulated need,” said Holly Hirst, assistant director of Human Resources. “Our new hires needed more timely access to services and information.”
One of the new changes is that every adjunct professor and other employees in specific jobs dealing with students have to have a background check before they can begin work. The change was made after the state legislature passed a law stating certain positions need background checks.
Now, instead of hiring just anyone, certain jobs require a background check before they can be filled. This process can take anywhere from two days to two weeks.
“It’s kind of a pain for the people ‘cause it’s been a lot easier to just hire who they want,” said Heather Jones, an hourly/adjunct hiring specialist. “But in the long run I think it’s really helpful, because we are more careful who we hire and it’s a more fair way of who we hire so people aren’t being discriminated (against).”
Current employees and adjunct professors will not be reviewed. Only those adjunct professors who have been gone for more than one year will be required to have background checks. If an employee transfers from one job to another within the university, they will have to have a background check.
Other state legislatures across the country are putting the same policy into action.
“It’s in response to sort of the environment we live in,” Hirst said. “We have a need for greater security. We have a need to better protect our property and our populous. I think it just is a really good indicator of the times.”
If a person has a criminal record, a council will be held to decide if that person could be a threat to the university. That person writes a letter about their life and hands in three to five recommendations. The person hiring will not know if the person they hired has a criminal record.
“If a person has a criminal background, the hiring manager doesn’t see that at all,” Jones said. “They’re not aware, so they won’t use that against that person. It’s kind of fair that way ‘cause then the hiring manager can’t judge on someone’s past. It’s all confidential.”
Hirst said Human Resources found if they changed one process it affected another process. All the changes needed to be connected from start to finish. Human Resources wanted all of the applicants across campus to go through the same portal to apply.
Another change Human Resources made was the adjustment of non-student employee hours to 1,500 hours overall. WSU modified the process to allow management to use employees more during busy months and less during slow months.
Before, non-student employees were allowed roughly 20 hours per week; now, on average, they are allowed 29 hours per week.
“I’m happy about the higher amount of hours for the non-student hourly people,” said Jolene Frazier, hourly payroll team leader. “That’s a new change … they can work more hours than they have in the past. I think it’s a good change to get some of these policies updated.”
Other changes include tuition benefits for employees, allowing employees’ children to receive benefits, and student hourly employees were changed to 25 hours a week.
“It was difficult to manage because they all came at once, but I think that they are by and large positive changes,” Hirst said.