Article 30 – Letters of Expectation and Letters of Instruction

A letter of expectation is a non-disciplinary letter issued by a Dean to an employee. The purpose of a letter of expectation is to counsel and communicate.

A letter of expectation shall have the following attributes:

1. it shall be clearly labelled as a letter of expectation;
2. it shall identify and clarify the expected standard of performance, or the tasks, functions, or responsibilities that are expected of an employee and shall not refer to culpable actions or behaviour on the part of the employee;
3. it may provide guidance and assistance, as appropriate;
4. it shall not prescribe actions of the employee;
5. it shall not identify concerns possibly warranting future discipline or be used as the foundation for building potential future disciplinary actions;
6. it shall not be added to the employee’s personal file.

Letters of instruction are disciplinary letters and may be a precondition to discipline as per Article 31.1.3. The purpose of a letter of instruction issued by a Dean to an employee is to direct the standard of performance that is expected, and specifically, the standard of performance that is not acceptable.

A letter of instruction shall have the following attributes:

1. it shall be clearly labelled as a letter of instruction;
2. it is a specific and proper instruction concerning the tasks, functions, responsibilities, or standard of performance expected of the employee;
3. further incidents may be followed by further letters of instruction or discipline
4. the letter shall be added to the employee’s personal file in accordance with Article 12.3.7.