| Title: | Employment and Contracting for Service of Relatives, Policy on |
|---|---|
| Policy Owner: | Office of University Compliance and Human Resources |
| Applies to: | Faculty, Staff, Students |
| Campus Applicability: | All UConn Campuses |
| Approval Date: | August 21, 2026 |
| Effective Date: | August 31, 2026 |
| For More Information, Contact: | Office of University Compliance and Human Resources, Labor Relations |
| Contact Information: | UConn Health: (860) 679-4180 or (860) 679-2426 UConn Storrs/Storrs Based Campuses: (860) 486-2530 or (860) 486-5684 |
| Official Website: | https://compliance.uconn.edu/conflicts-of-interest/ or https://hr.uconn.edu/labor-relations/ |
BACKGROUND
The employment or contracting for service of Relatives in the same department or area of an organization may cause conflicts and serve as the basis for complaints concerning disparate treatment and favoritism as well as violations of the state’s Ethics statute.
PURPOSE
To protect against conflicts and complaints concerning disparate treatment and favoritism, and to provide for the ethical and legally consistent treatment of individuals with relatives seeking employment or who are employed by the University.
APPLIES TO
Faculty, staff, and students on all campuses
DEFINITIONS
Relative: Defined in this policy as a spouse, child, step-child, child’s spouse, parent, brother, sister, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, dependent relative or a relative domiciled in the employee’s household.
Direct Supervisor: An employee’s immediate manager or supervisor.
Indirect Supervisor: Any person above an employee’s direct supervisor in the employee’s reporting chain.
POLICY STATEMENT
No employee of the University of Connecticut may be the direct or Indirect Supervisor of or take any action which would affect the financial interests of one’s Relative. This may include, but not limited to, decisions regarding appointment, award of a contract, promotion, demotion, disciplinary action, discharge, assignment, transfer, approval of time-off, and approval of training or development opportunities, as well as conducting performance evaluations or participating in any other employment action, including serving on a search committee acting on a Relative’s application, or otherwise acting on behalf of a Relative except as noted under “Procedure” below. Further, no employee may use their position to influence an employment action of a non-Relative if such action would benefit one’s Relative.
Under no circumstances will the University approve the employment of dependent children or step-children as student employees under direct or indirect supervisory relationships.
ENFORCEMENT
Violations of this policy and any related procedures may result in appropriate disciplinary measures in accordance with University By-Laws, General Rules of Conduct for All University Employees, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and the University of Connecticut Student Code.
PROCEDURES/FORMS
The University recognizes the potential for conflict of interest, claims of disparate treatment and/or discrimination in the employment of Relatives in the same department, work unit or in a direct or indirect supervisory relationship. The University further recognizes that there are infrequent but compelling circumstances under which such employment relationships may be in the best interests of the institution. Thus, to protect both the involved employee and the institution in those situations, the following procedure must be followed.
- No employee may sign any document that would affect an employment action on behalf of a Relative.
- An employee who is confronted with an employment decision or action involving a Relative must inform the immediate supervisor in advance, in writing, of the situation. The employee will describe the relationship and the proposed action requiring a decision by submitting the Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form.
- The COI Disclosure Form is submitted through the supervisory chain and at a minimum must be approved by a dean/department head/director (DDD). If the employee’s direct supervisor is a DDD, then the COI Disclosure Form must be approved by the next appropriate senior manager. Using the COI Disclosure form, the employee’s direct supervisor shall propose to their senior manager an appropriate conflict resolution plan (CRP) to resolve the conflict. In general the CRP should address how the required decisions will be made to avoid any conflicts.
- The senior manager shall determine if the proposed plan for the resolution of the conflict is within the best interest of the institution, and approve or modify the plan using the COI Disclosure form. The written resolution and implementation of the plan shall be communicated to the dean/director and through the supervisory chain to the employee(s) involved in the conflict of interest.
- The COI is then routed through Human Resources for processing purposes and shall be reviewed with the Office of University Compliance for consultation on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the mitigation plan. Any additional recommendations will be made at the time of this review.
- The supervisor, dean/director, or provost/vice president (the first level outside of the reporting process of each person in the conflict) shall oversee the implementation of CRP.
- Should the conflict involve the provost or a vice president, then the actions/decision shall be directed to the president or designee.
REFERENCES
Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form
POLICY HISTORY
Policy created: 11/09/2010 (Approved by the Board of Trustees)
Revisions:
08/21/2026 (Approved by the University Senior Policy Council and President)