In an effort to avoid conflicts of interest that can interfere with a positive work environment, all University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder) employees must comply with the University of Colorado Administrative Policy Statement titled Nepotism in Employment (Policy). CU-Boulder is a very large employer that often employs multiple family members. The Policy is designed to allow " (as defined in the Policy) to work at CU-Boulder while at the same time avoiding conflicts of interest that could arise.
- When a conflict exists due to the supervision of an immediate family member, deans, directors and department heads (Department Heads) must submit a written statement to the Department of Human Resources (HR) outlining the remedial actions taken to ensure that the supervisor of an immediate family member has recused himself or herself from participating in any decisions regarding personnel actions involving the subordinate immediate family member.
The Policy defines "personnel actions" to include appointments, hiring, termination, layoffs, promotions, demotions, tenure decisions, salary setting, performance appraisals, perquisites, benefits and grievance and disciplinary procedures. A copy of the written statement to HR provided to HR must also be included in the departmental personnel file for each employee.
- Please note that Department Heads are no longer required to report to HR every familial relationship that exists within their organization, only those that involve an actual or potential conflict of interest due to the supervisory relationship of an immediate family member. The written statement outlining the relationship and the actions taken to eliminate the conflict of interest needs to be provided only once; no longer is it required to be reported to HR every year.
Human Resources is available to work with Department Heads to discuss alternatives for resolving these conflicts of interest. Please contact 303-492-6475 for assistance.