Human Resources Policies

The Juilliard School is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its relations with its faculty, staff, students, and other members of the Juilliard community, and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, national origin, alienage, ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, predisposing genetic characteristics, marital status, partnership status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable local, state, or federal law. This nondiscrimination policy covers, but is not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, benefits, rates of pay and other forms of compensation as well as student admission, access, and treatment in school programs and activities.

• Non-Discrimination Policy

The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all employment practices. An individual with a disability is defined as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. To be protected by the ADA, a person must not only be an individual with a disability, but must be qualified. A qualified individual with a disability is an employee or applicant who satisfies the requisite work, experience, education and other job-related requirements of the employment position such individual holds or desires, and who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of such position.

If you, someone who reports to you, or an applicant for employment needs an adjustment or change at work, in the application process, or in a benefit or privilege of employment for a reason related to a disability, please contact the Director of Human Resources for further information.

The Human Resources department maintains an “Open Door” policy for staff and faculty. While in general staff members are encouraged to discuss workplace-related issues directly and constructively with their supervisor, there may be instances in which the staff member feels uncomfortable having that discussion, or has discussed it but with unsatisfactory results. In such situations, staff members should feel free to make an appointment with the Director of Human Resources, Room 231, ext. 355, who will attempt to develop an approach to resolving the matter through fact-gathering and discussion with the parties involved. Whether the situation involves a potential violation of school policy, or a conflict in style or personal approach, the director will work toward the best and most appropriate resolution possible. Please note that issues involving sexual harassment or discrimination will be handled in accordance with the Sexual Misconduct and Harassment Policy.

Staff members should be aware that Human Resources seeks to help address staff members’ workplace issues as discreetly and confidentially as possible. However, depending on the nature of the issue, it may be necessary or required to disclose the matter to others at Juilliard on a “need to know” basis, or with others in order to conduct an effective inquiry regarding the matter.

Salaried administrative employees are paid biweekly, on Thursday, and are paid through Friday of that week. Hourly employees are paid on Thursdays as well, for hours reported on timesheets for the period ending two weeks prior to the pay date. If Thursday is not a workday, paychecks are available on the preceding workday. Paychecks are delivered to each department for distribution to employees, or may by special arrangement be picked up in the Payroll Office.

A direct deposit payroll plan is also available. After filling out a form in the Payroll Office, the check will be deposited into a personal bank account. With few exceptions, the money will be in the account on Thursday morning.

Full-time nonexempt administrative staff members at Juilliard are paid for 40 hours per week, but actually work 35 hours since they are given a one-hour lunch break each day. Most nonexempt staff are not required to work overtime on a regular basis. However, there are times when nonexempt staff might be asked to work longer than their usual workday. In such cases the employee will receive either straight time or overtime pay, as appropriate.
 
For hours worked in excess of the employee’s regular workweek (including work performed remotely on a computer, tablet, or smartphone) but fewer than 40, the employee will receive straight time. In cases where an employee is asked to work more than eight hours in one day, every effort should be made to adjust the employee’s hours on another day(s) during the same workweek so that s/he is not working more than 40 hours. If the employee is asked to work more than forty hours in any workweek, overtime is paid at 1 1⁄2 times the employee’s regular wage after 40 hours, rounded to the nearest quarter of an hour. For purposes of overtime calculation, vacation, sick leave, personal days, bereavement days, jury duty, and summer Fridays are not counted toward the 40 hours in that week. Scheduled school holidays are included in the calculation. All overtime must be specifically requested and approved in advance by the supervisor.
 
All nonexempt employees should record their overtime and straight time hours in Cadence effective July 1, 2022 on their timesheets and have it approved by their supervisor.

References or information regarding current or former employees will be supplied only through the Department of Human Resources. Any inquiries regarding current or former employees, or requests for references should be directed to the Department of Human Resources. Reference requests for students or former students who worked as student employees should be directed to Financial Aid.

Candidates applying for employment at Juilliard should either be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. However, Juilliard does occasionally sponsor visas for employees. Hiring managers should discuss in advance with Human Resources any potential candidate who will need sponsorship. Any such sponsorship must be approved by the Director of Human Resources in writing before an offer of employment is made.

Under no circumstances should an administrator or staff member sign a letter or document supporting either an employee’s or student’s request for a visa or permanent resident status. All such requests must be referred to Human Resources.

The Juilliard School provides a supportive environment to enable breastfeeding employees to express their milk during work hours. Breastfeeding employees are allowed to breastfeed or express milk during work hours using their normal breaks and meal times. For time that may be needed beyond the usual break times, employees may use personal leave or may make up the time as negotiated with their supervisors.

A private room is available for employees to breastfeed or express milk. If employees prefer, they may also breastfeed or express milk in their own private offices, or in other comfortable locations agreed upon in consultation with the employee’s supervisor. Expressed milk can be stored in the designated refrigerator provided in the lactation room or in the employee’s personal cooler. For specific information, please contact Human Resources.

In order to promote a safe and productive learning, working and living environment, The Juilliard School conducts background checks for all new faculty and staff. Background checks may also be conducted periodically during employment. Employees are also required to self-disclose to the Director of Human Resources, within 30 days of the conviction, any criminal convictions between background checks.

The background check will be conducted by a third party vendor selected by Juilliard. Each background check will consist of, at a minimum:

• Social Security Trace (provides information on current and former addresses of the candidate)
• Criminal Record Search
• National Sexual Offender Registry Search

Please note that the search will only report criminal convictions that have occurred within the last seven years. The seven year period does not apply to sexual offenses which may be permanently part of the offender’s record.

If the background check indicates that there are no convictions, the results of the satisfactory check will be kept on file.

If the report indicates a conviction, the Director of Human Resources, in consultation with appropriate members of the administration, will review the report. A former conviction will not automatically result in adverse action against the employee. The conviction will be considered consistent with the standards set forth in the New York State Correction Law, Article 23-A. Factors considered include (but are not limited to): relevance of the criminal conviction to the specific job duties; how recently the offense occurred; severity of the offense; age of the individual at the time of the offense; evidence of rehabilitation or good conduct subsequent to the offense; the public policy of the State to encourage the employment of individuals who have been convicted of an offense and the legitimate interest of the employer in protecting property and the safety and welfare of individuals and the public.

Reported convictions for faculty members will be reviewed by the President and the Provost and Dean, in collaboration with the Director of Human Resources. Reported convictions for staff members will be reviewed by the appropriate senior staff member and the employee’s department head, in collaboration with the Director of Human Resources. If convictions are reported which Juilliard determines are serious enough to warrant further review, the employee will be notified. The employee will be sent a copy of the report from the outside vendor and will receive instructions on how to dispute the findings. If the finding is not determined to be erroneous, it will be evaluated consistent with the standards identified above and may result in adverse action, including possible termination.

All information concerning convictions will be maintained in a secure location and will be shared only with individuals who have a legitimate need to know.

Juilliard may take disciplinary action (up to and including discharge) against any staff member for failing to adhere to recognized standards of behavior. Such failure has already been noted elsewhere under sections dealing with attendance, sexual harassment, and a drug-free workplace. Additional examples of unacceptable behavior at Juilliard include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Falsification of employment application or other school records and forms.
2. Unauthorized possession, use or copying of school records or disclosure of information
3. contained in such records to unauthorized persons.
4. Possession of firearms or other types of weapons while on school premises.
5. Creating or contributing to unsafe or unsanitary conditions.
6. Theft or misappropriation of property belonging to the school, to a student, or to another school employee.
7. Making or receiving excessive personal calls, emails, texts or using the internet excessively or inappropriately.
8. Failing or refusing to perform satisfactorily the duties and responsibilities of the job or related duties as assigned.

Juilliard requests that employees planning to terminate their employment give as much advance notice as possible. Employees who resign voluntarily must give a minimum of 10 working days' notice in writing to their supervisor, with a copy to the Department of Human Resources, in order to receive payment for accrued, but unused vacation time within limits described herein. Employees who resign with proper notice or are terminated by Juilliard will receive pay for accrued vacation if they have been at Juilliard for more than six months.

1. Full-time
   1. Full-time administrative personnel are salaried employees who work at least 40 hours per week for 42 weeks per year, or 30 hours per week for 52 weeks per year.
2. Part-time
   1. Part-time salaried personnel are those employees who receive a set salary each pay period but work less than full time.
   2. Part-time hourly personnel are those employees who work variable hours each pay period and report hours worked on time sheets.

Employees are expected to come to work regularly and on time. For this reason, excessive or habitual absenteeism or tardiness (even for "justifiable" reasons) may result in discipline.

If an employee must be absent from work or late for some unavoidable reason, s/he must notify his/her supervisor at the beginning of the workday or before if the absence is for a reason other than illness. Failure to do so may result in discipline.

It is the responsibility of all supervisors to keep a record of their staff members’ absenteeism and tardiness.

Working hours for administrative personnel are usually from 9am to 5pm with an hour for lunch. A few offices have different schedules. If an individual applies for a position in one of these offices, s/he will be informed of the hours at the time of the interview.

Changes in address, telephone (both home and cell) number, marital status, number of dependents, etc., must be reported to the Office of Human Resources immediately. You can update your demographic information on Cadence. Accurate records are necessary for payroll, for tax purposes, and for the administration of employee benefits.