WAC
356-39-010 Chapter purpose.
356-39-020 Human resource development--Statewide philosophy/definition.
356-39-030 Human resource development--Assignment of responsibilities.
356-39-040 Agency job assignments for developmental purposes.
356-39-050 Agency human resource development planning.
356-39-060 Human resource development planning.
356-39-070 Agency evaluation of human resource development activities.
356-39-080 Review of agencies' human resource development reports.
356-39-090 Required managerial training.
356-39-100 Tuition reimbursement--Agency authority and responsibility.
356-39-110 Tuition reimbursement--Employee eligibility and responsibility.
356-39-120 Education leave without pay--Agency authority and responsibility.
356-39-130 Education leave without pay--Employee eligibility and responsibility.
356-39-140 Provisions for considering training as time worked.
WAC 356-39-010 Chapter purpose. This chapter sets forth the philosophy of the board and the director on elements of human resource development. Further, this chapter establishes regulatory policies on and assigns specific responsibilities for those elements of human resource development to the department of personnel, the agencies and individual employees.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150. 04-15-018, § 356-39-010, filed 7/8/04, effective 8/8/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-010, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-020 Human resource development--Statewide philosophy/definition. Optimum utilization of its human resources aids state government in providing effective and economic services. Therefore, it is the philosophy of the board and the director that a highly productive, motivated workforce be achieved and maintained through a statewide program of human resource development.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150. 04-15-018, § 356-39-020, filed 7/8/04, effective 8/8/04; 98-19-034, § 356-39-020, filed 9/10/98, effective 10/12/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-020, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-030 Human resource development--Assignment of responsibilities. The responsibility for human resource development is shared by agencies and employees.
(1) Each agency is responsible for providing:
(a) Orientation
(b) Agency-required, job-related training
(c) Assistance with career planning
(2) Each employee is responsible for:
(a) Personal career planning
(b) Maintenance of professional and other licenses
(c) Participation in agency-required training
(3) The department of personnel shall support human resource development by:
(a) Consulting with agencies in their human resource development activities, upon request
(b) Providing training which is interagency in scope
(c) Providing guidelines for human resource development planning and evaluation in accordance with WAC 356-39-060 and 356-39-080.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-030, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-040 Agency job assignments for developmental purposes. Agencies may make the following planned training assignments for employee development without incurring reallocation or compensation obligations:
(1) Performance of higher level responsibilities on a time-limited basis.
(2) Rotational or special project job assignments.
(3) Transfers or reassignments to different duties and responsibilities within job classification.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-040, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-050 Agency human resource development planning. (1) Each agency shall prepare a human resource development plan for a biennial period, with revision as needed. The plan shall be based on an assessment of the human resource development needs within the agency and consideration of the agency's budget.
(2) The plan shall state the agency's policies and objectives for human resource development. The policies shall include at a minimum the following:
(a) Criteria for employee participation in human resource development activities during work hours
(b) Criteria for educational leave
(c) Criteria for tuition reimbursement
(d) Provisions for considering human resource development needs identified in the agency's performance appraisal process and affirmative action plan
(3) The plan shall identify the resources available to achieve its stated objectives.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-050, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-060 Human resource development planning. Each agency shall submit a summary of its biennial human resource development plan to the department of personnel for review.
(1) The department shall provide each agency with an evaluation of its plan. The evaluation shall include recommendations for sharing resources to meet common objectives among the agencies.
(2) Upon agency request, the department shall assist in the preparation of the agency's plan.
(3) The department shall prepare a human resource development plan with objectives and identification of resources to accomplish interagency human resource development activities which have been proposed through agency plans. The department shall distribute its plan to the agencies.
(4) The department shall consider each agency's human resource development activities in preparation of the state's classification plan and in the department's testing process.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150. 98-19-034, § 356-39-060, filed 9/10/98, effective 10/12/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 80-13-047 (Order 147), § 356-39-060, filed 9/16/80; 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-060, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-070 Agency evaluation of human resource development activities. Each agency shall develop an evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of its human resource development activities.
(1) This evaluation process shall include an assessment of:
(a) The effectiveness of the training
(b) The impact of the training on job performance
(c) The contribution of the training to achievement of career development goals
(2) The department of personnel shall assist agencies in the development of their evaluation process upon their request.
(3) Each agency shall submit to the department of personnel an annual fiscal year summary of evaluation data on its human resource development activities and costs. Costs to be reported are for direct learning activities and include:
(a) Participants' travel, per diem, registration, and tuition reimbursement fees.
(b) All administrative and operational costs of the training and development unit(s) of the agency including:
(i) Staff salaries and benefits (prorated, if required)
(ii) Development costs
(iii) Audio-visual aids
(iv) Facility rental
(v) Other materials.
(c) All costs of training programs, equipment, materials, and consultant fees purchased or leased from a vendor.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 81-01-054 (Order 150), § 356-39-070, filed 12/12/80; 80-13-047 (Order 147), § 356-39-070, filed 9/16/80; 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-070, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-080 Review of agencies' human resource development reports. The department of personnel shall review each agency's annual evaluation as it relates to the agency's human resource development plan.
(1) The department shall summarize the agencies' reports, highlighting innovative techniques that have interagency application, and shall submit the summary to the agencies, the board, the governor and the legislature.
(2) The department shall develop an evaluation process to determine the effectiveness of its human resource development activities. In its annual evaluation summary, the department shall include data from this evaluation process.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150. 98-19-034, § 356-39-080, filed 9/10/98, effective 10/12/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-080, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-090 Required managerial training.
(1) An agency may require employees in positions with responsibilities which include planning, directing or evaluating the work of other employees to complete managerial training.
(2) Agencies shall require employees appointed to a supervisory or management position after June 12, 1980 to successfully complete an entry-level management training course as approved by the director, department of personnel. Employees shall be enrolled in this training within nine months of the date of their appointment, or if training is not available, as soon thereafter as it becomes available.
The conditions under which an employee shall be required to complete such training are:
(a) The employee is assigned to a position designated by the agency as entry-level supervisory or entry-level managerial; and
(b) The employee has not been a supervisor previously; and
(c) The employee has not successfully completed an approved or equivalent management training course within the past five years.
(3) Entry-level training shall not be required of any employee who has completed a management training course prior to the employee's appointment which is, in the judgment of the director, department of personnel, at least equivalent to the entry-level course. The department of personnel shall establish guidelines prescribing the conditions or criteria by which such training is approved or considered equivalent.
(4) When training opportunities are available, agencies may suspend the entry-level training requirement, for up to a maximum of six months, or for longer periods of time with approval of the department of personnel, in cases where the ability of an agency to perform its responsibilities would be adversely affected by absence of employee from work site.
(5) Agencies may waive the requirement for entry-level training in cases where an employee has occupied a designated supervisory or management position for at least one year, prior to the present appointment, and has demonstrated experience and competence as a substitute for training.
(a) Agencies shall advise in writing affected individual employees of waivers to this training.
(b) Records of such waivers shall be placed in individual employee personnel files and shall be reported administratively to the department of personnel, under procedures outlined in guidelines published by the department of personnel.
(6) Agencies shall designate individual positions, or groups of positions, as being supervisory or management positions. Criteria for such designations shall be contained in guidelines published by the department of personnel.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 80-13-047 (Order 147), § 356-39-090, filed 9/16/80; 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-090, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-100 Tuition reimbursement--Agency authority and responsibility. (1) Agencies may approve for full or partial tuition reimbursement a qualified course conducted by an educational institution, vocational school, or a professional training organization. To qualify, a course must have an objective of furthering an employee's career development plan and/or changing or enhancing the employee's skills, knowledge, attitude, or behavior. The course must be directly related to a function of state government.
(2) Agencies shall reimburse eligible employees who have satisfactorily completed a course which was previously approved for tuition reimbursement. Agencies may prepay employee's tuition or registration fees.
(3) Agency funds expended for tuition reimbursement will be limited to tuition or registration fees, and will not include textbooks, supplies or other school expenses.
(4) Approvals for any one employee should be limited to no more than nine quarter credit hours, or six semester hours, or other equivalent credits during any one academic quarter or semester.
(5) Absent an agreement to the contrary, when an employee moves to another agency prior to completion of an approved course, the approving agency shall retain the obligation for reimbursement if the course is satisfactorily completed. When payment is not made by the approving agency the gaining agency may, at its option, reimburse the employee.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 82-01-038 (Order 164), § 356-39-100, filed 12/15/81; 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-100, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-110 Tuition reimbursement--Employee eligibility and responsibility. (1) An employee shall be in permanent, or permanent project, status at the time payment is made.
(2) An employee shall not receive federal or state educational reimbursement funds that exceed the total tuition for any course.
(3) An employee shall provide written evidence of satisfactory completion of the course for which payment is made.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-110, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-120 Education leave without pay--Agency authority and responsibility. (1) An agency may authorize educational leave without pay for an eligible employee to attend an accredited educational institution in a matriculated status to enhance the employee's career service in state government.
(2) Educational leave without pay will be approved in advance for a specific period of time, not to exceed twenty-four continuous months.
(3) An employee on educational leave without pay will accrue seniority and periodic increments while on educational leave without pay, provided the employee has successfully completed the academic commitment for which the educational leave was granted.
(4) The return to employment will be in accordance with rules regarding reduction in force and all other applicable rules and must be accomplished within thirty days of course completion.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-120, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-130 Education leave without pay--Employee eligibility and responsibility. (1) Employees with permanent, or permanent project, status are eligible to be considered for education leave.
(2) Employees granted educational leave are responsible for:
(a) Gaining matriculated status at an accredited educational institution.
(b) Maintaining a satisfactory standing consistent with the approved course of study.
(c) Supplying the agency with documentation of satisfactory progress toward and completion of the agreed upon academic commitment.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-130, filed 1/19/78.]
WAC 356-39-140 Provisions for considering training as time worked. Agencies may require employees to attend training during and/or outside of working hours. However:
(1) Employee attendance at agency-required training, either during or outside working hours, shall be considered time worked and compensated in accordance with merit system rules.
(2) Employee attendance at training not required by an agency, either on approved leave from or outside of working hours, shall be voluntary and not considered time worked. Agencies need not compensate employees for attendance at training when it is not considered time worked.
(3) Agencies may develop policies which allow employees to attend time-limited human resource development activities without requiring employees to take leave. Such human resource development activities must be directly related to a function of state government.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.06.150(17). 78-02-049 (Order 116), § 356-39-140, filed 1/19/78.]