Human Resources Management

To fill any position in the university (including those associated with grants), the first point of contact is the unit’s administrative lead (Senior Administrative Officer (SAO) or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units). This person must be contacted and will discuss hiring requirements and the associated procedures with you. They will also act as your point of contact with Human Resources for the hiring process. If you don’t know who this individual is, please contact your dean’s office for clarification.

Human Resources offers a number of initiatives to help welcome new employees to Memorial. New Employee Orientation Sessions are hosted in the fall, winter and spring to provide new employees with basic knowledge of university policies and procedures and assist them in becoming familiar with the organization’s culture. New employees are contacted by Human Resources to attend the session held closest to their start date. In addition, Human Resources has developed a New Employee Success Program and a new employee On-boarding Guide to help individuals settle into their roles at Memorial.

Memorial has a dedicated group of payroll professionals who strive to ensure Memorial’s employees are paid accurately and on time. To do this, hiring units need to submit the appropriate paperwork according to the posted payroll and leave entry deadlines. These deadlines can be accessed here. For more information on payroll and taxes, please click here.

Memorial has a number of policies, procedures and guidelines in place related to employment matters. It is important for those in hiring positions, as well as employees, to become familiar with these materials. HR policies cover subjects such as compensation, orientation, hosting foreign nationals, training and development, and student employment (to name a few). A complete listing of HR policies can be found on the policy website under the people resources category.

Recent policy activity has seen the development of the Determination of Employee or Independent Contractor Status Policy. To aid users, an informational video that highlights some of the main points of the policy has been created. To access the video, please click here.

Below are a number of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that are specific to the hiring of grant-funded employees. Please note, additional information is posted on the Human Resources website including FAQs for employees and administrators. For a complete listing of Administrator FAQs, please click here. For a complete listing of the Employee FAQs, please click here.

FAQs for the hiring of grant-funded employees

1. Who is the employer in a grant-funded relationship?

The employer is Memorial University. 

2. Who is responsible for making an offer of employment?

As Memorial University is the employer, only a designated representative from the Department of Human Resources has the authority to make a job offer when a grant-funded position is advertised.  If the position is appointed, the hire can be made by the academic unit. The employee’s name, Social Insurance Number and date of birth must be included on the Request to Fill (Appointment) form.  

3. What should I do to start the process to hire employees that will work with me on this research project?

Employees that will be paid a minimum of 80 per cent of their salary from a research grant fund may be appointed without a job competition provided they meet or exceed the required qualifications for the position. In situations where a qualified candidate has not been identified you may need to advertise the position to identify a pool of qualified candidates. In either situation, please contact the administrative lead (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) to complete the necessary paperwork and facilitate the hiring process within Human Resources.

4. How do I determine the job classification and rate of pay for the staff I need to hire?

The duties required of each employee will help determine the appropriate job classification, title and rate of pay. You should discuss your needs with your administrative lead within your unit (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) and they can provide advice in this regard. They may consult with Human Resources as needed. There are Guidelines for the Employment of Grant Employees available on the Human Resources website.

5. How do I know if the individuals I want to hire are eligible to work in Canada?

Prospective employees must be legally able to work in Canada or eligible for a work permit. If their social insurance number begins with “9” you must obtain a copy of their social insurance card and their work visa. You need to ensure that both the social insurance number and work permit expire on the same date; that they are eligible to work for Memorial University (will be identified on the work permit); and it is important that the employment contract end date cannot extend beyond the end date of these documents. Eligibility beyond the expiry of the work permit is subject to Canadian immigration regulations. You should discuss these situations with the administrative lead within your unit (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) for guidance.

6. Do I need to do reference checks?

Yes, reference checks are required. Any person who completes a reference check on behalf of Memorial University must be trained by a Human Resources Advisor and follow the Reference Check Protocol and document referee comments on the Reference Check form. Please contact the administrative lead in your unit (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) to receive copies of these documents.

7. Do the same hiring procedures apply to administrative positions that are grant-funded?

Yes, with the exception of compensation. All administrative positions, regardless of funding source are subject to the Compensation Policy.

8. The grant-funded employee is requesting a leave of absence, what is the process for that?

Any employee wishing to apply for a leave of absence must apply in writing to their supervisor to request the leave of absence. If supported these requests must be supported by the academic unit in consultation with the administrative lead (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) and then forwarded to Human Resources for final review, approval and processing.

9. The grant-funded employee is requesting maternity/parental leave during their grant-funded appointment, can I deny their request given the potential negative impact on achieving goals set-out during my grant approval process?

The Canada Labour Code provides protected time off work due to childbirth or providing care to a newborn or newly adopted baby. Salary amounts during the period of leave are not paid for by the employer and the grant-holder is free to recruit for a temporary replacement during the period of absence. Currently, a grant-funded employee is eligible for up to 17 weeks maternity leave, followed by 35 weeks of parental leave. Adoption leave is available for periods of up to 35 weeks.

10. Are grant-funded employees eligible for vacation?

Yes, grant-funded employees earn vacation time (usually three weeks per fiscal year based on a full-time contract). In some situations, the grant will not provide for a payment of accrued vacation at the end of the employment contract. Therefore it is imperative from a financial perspective that the employee use all available vacation earned during the course of their employment before the last day of work/contract. If there is any vacation left after the employment contract has ended, it will be paid out through the employee’s respective department.

11. Besides vacation, are grant-funded employees eligible for other types of paid leave?

Yes, full-time contractual employees are entitled to other paid leave benefits such as sick leave, family responsibility leave, bereavement leave and paid statutory holidays. Some of these benefits may be pro-rated depending on the length of the contract and number of hours worked. Please consult with your administrative lead (Senior Administrative Officer or Administrative Staff Specialist in most units) if you have specific questions regarding leave entitlements for your employees.

12. The employment contract for the grant-funded employee is about to end. Is there anything I need to do?

If the contract is ending on schedule, meaning that the original contract end date has not changed, the employee’s pay will stop as of that contract end date. It is important to ensure all vacation is entered into the payroll system (the admin lead in your unit can help you with that) to ensure any final payments are accurate (also see question #10). Your employee can request a Record of Employment by contacting MyHR directly.

Contact information for the Department of Human Resources is available here.