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Grievance Procedures

There are many informal methods to resolve workplace issues as referenced on other pages of this site. If those are not successful, there are formal processes available. A grievance is a formal complaint about a workplace issue that has a direct adverse impact on a Mason faculty or staff member. The goal of a grievance is to raise the issue or concern to the attention of the appropriate level of management so the issue can be addressed. Specific grievance procedures are outlined in the various faculty and staff handbooks. More detailed information can be found below. If you are considering filing a grievance, you can contact Pat Donini at 3-4185 / pdonini@gmu.edu or Dan Taggart at 3-1275 / dtaggart@gmu.edu in Employee Relations for more specific information and guidance on how to complete the appropriate paperwork.

Administrative Professional, Instructional, and Research Faculty

Please contact Pat Donini at 3-4185 / pdonini@gmu.edu or Dan Taggart at 3-1275 / dtaggart@gmu.edu in Employee Relations for faculty grievance procedures. More information is also available in the respective faculty handbooks:

Instructional Faculty
Administrative/Professional Faculty
Research Faculty (Under revision)

Classified Employees

The state grievance process is available to all classified employees that have successfully completed their probationary period. Types of issues that are grieved may include, but are not limited to; formal discipline, termination and performance evaluation ratings.

The grievance process involves review of the complaint by up to three respondents within the employee's management chain. The respondents are different depending upon the employee's department:

• For classified employees in academic units, the normal respondents are:
• First Step - supervisor
• Second Step - Dean/Director
• Third Step - Provost or designee
• For classified employees in non-academic units, the normal respondents are:
• First Step - supervisor
• Second Step - Associate or Assistant Vice President
• Third Step - Senior Vice President
• For classified employees in Facilities Management, the normal respondents are:
• First Step - supervisor
• Second Step - Director
• Third Step - Vice President

The Grievance Process at a glance:

• Employees must initiate their grievance by presenting a completed Grievance Form A to management within 30 calendar days of the event being grieved. The completed Form A should include a description of the issue(s) that is being grieved, the facts supporting your point of view, and a description of what you would like management to do to resolve the issue(s).
• Normally a grievance is initiated by giving the completed Form A and supporting documentation to the employee's immediate supervisor (the First Step Respondent).
• The First Step Respondent then has five workdays to respond in writing to the issues of the grievance and the relief requested.
• The employee then has five workdays to decide whether to conclude the grievance and return the paperwork to Human Resources or give the grievance to the Second Step Respondent.
• If the grievant chooses to advance to the next step, the Second Step Respondent will schedule and conduct a fact-finding meeting with the employee within 5 workdays of receiving the Completed Form A, including the written response from the First Step Respondent.
• Within five workdays of the meeting, the Second Step Respondent responds to the grievance in writing.
• Again, the employee has five workdays to conclude the grievance and return the grievance paperwork to Human Resources or advance it to the next step.
• If the grievant chooses to advance the grievance, The Third Step Respondent will review the grievance and respond to it in writing within five workdays.
• If the grievant is still not satisfied with the result, the grievance may be qualified for a formal hearing conducted by a Hearing Officer appointed by the Department of Employment Dispute Resolution. Not all issues qualify for a hearing. The Employee Relations office is available to help you navigate this process.

Special circumstances may arise which require that the above process be modified. Please contact the Employee Relations team for a more detailed account of how the grievance process will work in your particular set of circumstances. The complete Grievance Procedure Manual is available in the following link: Grievance Procedure Manual (Dept. of Employment Dispute Resolution)