Administrative Guide To HR Services

Compensatory Time Report - The Compensatory Time Policy is designed to provide an alternative to paid overtime for hourly-paid employees whose hours of work, scheduled paid leave, and holidays exceed 40 per week. A departmental list of compensatory time is available to each account sponsor. The report reflects the compensatory time due each employee paid through the account. As compensatory hours are taken, they are subtracted from the earliest month in which there remains a balance. Questions? Contact Payroll and Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Employee Orientation Programs - The Employee Orientation Program is designed to familiarize new university employees with personnel policies, organizational structure and employee benefits. During this time employees will also have an opportunity to sign up for all health and retirement related benefits. Employees will receive a resource packet containing information on benefits, programs and services available to them. Each budget unit head is expected to make sure that all employees holding at least half-time continuous appointments in their work group are scheduled to attend. Orientation sessions are held by the Office of Human Resources every Monday in the NEL building, room 215. Questions? Contact Employee Benefits at 325-2963 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Employee Relations and Development - Training and development programs are designed to facilitate human resource development for employees. Employee Relations coordinates all training programs for the Office of Human Resources. The Employee Relations and Development office is located in NEL 258. Programs and services are open to all staff, faculty and student employees.

Staff Development and Training Policy - The university is committed to staff development and training for its employees. Budget units are expected to promote the development and training of their staff members. It is permissible to give staff members time off during working hours to participate in staff development and training activities. Approval is given through regular supervisory channels. No employee will have to make up approved time spent attending the programs. The university reserves the right to schedule staff members for development and training time to minimize work interruption. It is expected that each budget unit head and supervisor will make sure that each staff member in the work group will be allowed to participate in University sponsored development and training opportunities. Policy Regarding Training and Development (Section 3.18 of the Staff Handbook). Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) - The Immigration Reform and Control Act provides for an employment eligibility verification system designed to prevent the employment of unauthorized aliens. Under this federal law, the university is required to document the legal employability and personal identity of all new employees. Documentation proving employability and personal identity must be furnished and verified within (3) business days of hire. Failure to provide the required documentation will result in a paycheck being placed on "hold" or termination of employment. New employees can meet with representative from Payroll and Personnel Records (NEL 244) to have their Form I-9 completed and verified. If the employee does not go to the Payroll and Personnel Records, the employing department is responsible for verifying the employee's eligibility to work, identity, and completing the employer certification. This may only be done by a department representative who has received training from the Office of Human Resources.

For off-campus units of the university, administrative procedures of the Immigration and Naturalization Service permit completion of the verification process by individuals acting as "agents" of the university. This may include notaries and attorneys. In this case, the "agent" verifies in writing that he has reviewed the appropriate documentation, reproduces the documents, and has the employee complete the I-9 Form. This documentation is then forwarded to the employing department who will complete Part 2 and the certification portion of the I-9. By law, liability rests with the university. Verification of eligibility to work and identity may also be obtained from local state employment agencies who will agree to perform this function. Questions? Contact Payroll and Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Faculty and Staff Career Development Programs - A broad range of programs and services at are available to faculty and staff free of charge through Employee Relations and Development. Time off during working hours may be given to attend training and development programs. Permission to enroll in and attend these programs is approved through regular supervisory channels. Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Faculty and Staff Fee Waiver- Full-time regular faculty and staff may enroll in courses at the University of Oklahoma at the rate of one-half the general fee charged to regular students for a maximum of six credit hours during the fall and spring semester and three credit hours during the summer semester. Additional a waiver of some special fees may also apply. Details of the fee waiver policy are outlined in the Faculty and Staff Handbooks. In order to take advantage of the fee waiver, a Faculty and Staff Fee Waiver Application Form must be completed by the applicant. This form is available in quantity from the university storeroom. The Fee Waiver Application Forms must be approved by the head of the employing department and presented to the Office of the Bursar at the time of fee payment. Questions? Contact Employee Benefits at 325-2963 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Grievance Procedure- The university has established a formal guideline through which employees have the right to express grievances and seek solutions concerning disagreements arising from working relationships, working conditions, employment practices, or differences in interpretation of policy. The issues not covered by the grievance procedure are: wages and salaries; performance-related dismissals during probationary period; university statements concerning policies and rules; falsification of employment-related documents; protected category discrimination, sexual harassment, and racial/ethnic harassment. Protected category discrimination, sexual harassment, and racial/ethnic harassment are covered by a separate policy administrated by the Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Office.

The university grievance procedure guarantees a prompt and impartial review of all factors involved in the grievance, without fear of coercion, discrimination, or reprisal. The staff grievance procedure is available to all staff employees of the university. A separate procedure applies to faculty members. The Staff Handbook outlines the steps to be followed in the grievance procedure. Final disposition of a grievance is made following a review and determination by the president of the university. Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Hourly Time Record Sheets - Hourly employees report time worked and hours taken on the 'The University of Oklahoma Hourly Time Record' form which is located on the Human Resources Website. All hourly employees must maintain a time sheet that includes the hours worked each workday and the total hours worked each workweek. The time sheet must be signed by the employee and approved by the employee's supervisor. Once this form is completed and signed by both the employee and supervisor, it is delivered to the representative in their department to assist them in reporting payable time for the employee. Time worked must be reported if an employee is to be paid.

The original time record which reflects hours worked each day must be maintained in the department until authorization to destroy that record is obtained from the Office of Human Resources. State record retention rules require original time records to be retained for at least three years, or longer if litigation is pending. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Insurance and Other University-Paid Benefits - For current information on the various types of university paid insurance and other benefit programs, refer to the Faculty Handbook or Staff Handbook and the latest edition of the Benefits Enrollment Guide, which is available from the Employee Benefits. Department chairs and account sponsors should ensure that each of their employees has a copy of the appropriate publications and assist in responding to simple questions which employees may have. Refer employees to Employee Benefits in the event you are unable to respond to questions. It is very important that departments do not attempt to create summaries of the various benefit plans for their new employees. Questions? Contact Employee Benefits at 325-2963 ((email ohr@ou.edu).

Internal Promotions- An internal promotion is a change of status within the same department to a higher pay classification. Employment and Compensation Services is to be notified of any position that will be filled through an internal promotion. Internal promotions may be completed without listing the job as long as an underutilization of ethnic minorities and women does not exist within the department or if the department lists a lower level vacating position. If underutilization exists, the department will be required to list the position. Departments will notify their current employees of vacancies prior to completing an internal promotion. The job must remain open for the required period of time, and internal candidates may also apply during that period. Departments must delay the selection decision until all recruiting procedures have been completed. An Internal Promotion Selection Report (IPSR) form, must be completed and submitted with the Personnel Action Form (PAF) for the employee selected. The position vacated by an individual who is promoted should be listed as provided by the University Staffing Plan unless it is filled by an internal promotion.

Job Classification and Reclassification- The university's classification system is designed to insure that staff positions requiring similar duties, skills and qualifications are given the same title and range of pay. A Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) should be completed and submitted to Employment & Compensation Services when requesting classification of a new position or reclassification of an existing one. The PDQ is used to provide a site-specific description of the essential functions, relationship to others in the organization and minimum qualifications. Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Lateral Transfers- Lateral Transfer is a transfer from one department to another at the same classification or pay band. Salary increases will normally not be approved for lateral transfers. Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Leaves With and Without Pay- The university provides several types of leave with and without pay for the benefit of its employees. Refer to the Faculty Handbook or the Staff Handbook as appropriate for leave policies and procedures. A brief description of these programs is given here for quick reference.

Paid Leave and Extended Sick Leave - Paid leave and extended sick leave are available to staff and 12-month faculty with the rank of instructor or above who hold continuous appointments. Nine-month faculty receive extended sick leave benefits. Employees working at least half-time will earn paid leave and extended sick leave benefits on a proportional basis to their appointment. Student employees and other temporary employees are not eligible for paid leave or extended sick leave benefits. Accrued Paid Leave is to be used for vacation, personal illness, funeral attendance, illness of a family member or other personal business. New employees may not use paid leave for vacation until they have been employed six months. Extended Sick Leave is used only for personal illness. The first seven days of an illness must be taken from paid leave. A Personnel Action Form and the proper medical documentation must be submitted to Payroll and Personnel Records before extended sick leave can be credited to the employee. The university reserves the right to require acceptable evidence of illness or disability before allowing any charges to Extended Sick Leave. All paid leave accrual that exceeds the maximum accrual allowance will be deposited into Extended Sick Leave. Paid leave benefits accrue on a monthly or hourly basis according to a schedule listed in the Faculty and Staff Handbooks. Refer to these handbooks for further information on paid leave and the extended sick leave policies and procedures. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Family and Medical Leave Policy - This policy incorporates provisions of existing university policies and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. All regular faculty and staff who hold continuous appointments with an FTE of .50 or greater can access their accrued leave as provided under the Paid Leave and Extended Leave Policy. Additionally, after one year of employment employees are eligible for a total of 12 work weeks of leave (combined paid and unpaid) during a 12-month period. Under the Family and Medical Leave Policy, leave may be taken for the following reasons: 1) Birth of a child and for care of the child.;2) Placement of a child for adoption or foster care. 3) To care for a spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition; 4) Serious personal illness or injury. When FLMA related leave is taken, accrued paid leave and accrued extended sick leave shall be first. When leave with pay is no longer available, the leave may be extended to a total of 12 work weeks in a 12-month period using leave without pay. During this time, university-paid insurance benefits will continue but additional benefits will not accrue. Eligible employees who take a family or medical leave of absence from a position within the university will be able to return to the same or equivalent position and employment benefits.

Holidays - The university recognizes eleven (11) holidays each year. These are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, plus four other holidays as listed in the annual holiday schedule. An annual holiday schedule is distributed at the beginning of each fiscal year (July 1). Copies of this schedule may be obtained from any account sponsor or from the Vice President for Administrative Affairs. Holiday benefits with pay are administered according to policies and procedures listed in the Faculty and Staff Handbooks. Please refer to these publications for further information.

Leaves Without Pay - Leaves without pay may be granted under special circumstances when paid leave benefits are not available or appropriate. Leaves without pay for monthly paid employees must be for one day or more. Questions regarding leaves without pay should be discussed with the Office of Human Resources. Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Loyalty Oath - Oklahoma statutes require that any state employee employed for more than 30 days must sign a loyalty oath. An employee who has worked for the university within the previous 30 days need not sign a new loyalty oath when changing positions or returning to work at the university. Nine month employees are not required to sign new oaths when returning to work each Fall. The loyalty oath is not required for a person on a fellowship or a scholarship. The loyalty oath must be notarized and will be maintained in the employee's personnel file. Employees may complete the loyalty oath and have it notarized free of charge through Payroll Personnel Record, NEL 244. The loyalty oath can be signed and returned through the mail, but the form must be notarized before it is returned. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 ((email ohr@ou.edu).

Monthly Payroll and Leave Certification- Monthly employees report time taken on the monthly certification form that is available on the Human Resources Website. Once this form is completed and signed, it is delivered to the representative in their department to assist them in verifying that all salaried employees worked or were on approved leave with pay during the month. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Paycheck Distribution - An employee may pick up their paycheck at the Office of the Bursar in Buchanan Hall. Employees will be asked for a photo identification. Paychecks for hourly employees will be distributed every other Friday after 8:00 A.M. Paychecks for monthly employees will be distributed on the last working day of the month after 8:00 A.M. If an employee wishes to have their check automatically deposited, they may request an Automatic Deposit Transmittal form from the Payroll and Personnel Records (NEL, 244) or Payroll Distribution (Buchanan Hall). The form must be completed and mailed directly to the State Office of Personnel Management. It will take up to 60 days for automatic deposit to commence. Special announcements will be made of payroll distributions which are affected by holiday schedules. Questions? Contact Payroll and Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Payroll Extracts - The Payroll Extract report provides university account sponsors with payroll auditing information including the dollar amount scheduled to be paid to each employee and a listing of corresponding payroll accounts from which payments will be deducted. With this information, account sponsors are able to verify that the payment and payroll account distributions are correct. Errors in the Payroll Extract report should be communicated to Payroll and Personnel Records within the current payroll schedule to allow adequate time to make any needed corrections. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Performance Evaluation- The university's performance evaluation policy states that a performance review should be conducted between January 1 and March 31 every year for all staff members who have completed their probationary period. Exceptions to this requirement may be made by the appropriate vice president or provost. Results of the formal performance evaluation will be used as a basis for recommendations involving promotion, termination, salary adjustment, and other actions. Budget units may use the performance evaluation document which is considered most appropriate. In all cases the university's Staff Performance Summary Report is to be completed and signed by the employee's immediate supervisor and the employee. One copy of the Summary Report is to be given to the individual evaluated, one copy is to be kept for departmental records, and the original is to be sent to the Office of Human Resources. The specific procedures for performance evaluations can be found in the Staff Handbook for the Norman campus. Questions?? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Personnel Action Form - The Personnel Action Form (PAF) is used for: 1) An appointment of an individual being placed on the university payroll for the first time; 2) A reappointment of an individual previously appointed at any time by the university; 3) A change of status, including adjustments, transfer or additional appointments and; 4) Employee termination or leave of absence. The employing department is responsible for preparing the PAF unless a new appointment is an academic or executive officer position. Academic PAFs are generally prepared by the academic dean's office or the Office of the Provost. Graduate teaching assistant or graduate research assistant appointments are generally prepared by the employing department. Executive officer PAF's are prepared by the president's office or the regents' office. The Personnel Selection Report should be sent to the Employment and Compensation Services if a new appointment or a transfer of a staff employee to a new department is involved. Questions? Contact Payroll and Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).Questions about Academic Appointments? Contact the Office of the Provost at 325-3221.

Personnel Selection Process- Employment and Compensation Services will initiate and forward a computerized referral and application for each qualified candidate to the department for consideration. Qualified candidates will continue to be referred until the hiring department notifies Employment and Compensation Services that they do not wish to consider any more applicants or until a candidate has been hired.

Candidates referred to the department for an interview must be considered for the vacancy without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran. Exceptions to this standard are allowed if age, sex, or a physical requirement represent a legitimate occupational qualification. Employment & Compensation Services is available to provide assistance on conducting effective and legal employment interviews. After all interviews have been conducted, the department should inform all candidates whether they are eligible for further consideration. If candidates will not be considered, let them know in a timely manner so they may pursue other employment opportunities.

When a hiring decision is made, all candidates who were eligible for hire should be informed by the department of the decision. Departments should thank the unsuccessful candidates for their interest and refer them back to human resources to continue their job search. The hiring decision must be documented by submission of the Personnel Selection Report to Employment & Compensation Services. Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Probationary Period- All university employees serve a probationary period. The length of the probationary period is six (6) months for hourly paid staff and twelve (12) months for monthly paid staff. Written, oral, mechanical and physical examinations may be given during the probationary period to help determine whether an employee is qualified for continued employment. Each time an employee receives a promotion or transfers to another department, a new probationary period begins. However, this new probationary period does not affect the employee's use of accrued vacation or sick leave. Performance related terminations during the probationary period are not subject to the grievance procedure. Transfers to other departments should normally not be considered until the satisfactory completion of the probationary period.Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Promotional Transfers- A promotional transfer is a change of status to a higher pay band. Only university employees who have successfully completed the designated probationary period of employment for their most recent position may be considered for transfer opportunities. Positions that are to be filled by a transfer should be listed according to the university staffing plan. Departments filling a position by a transfer should expect the transferring individual to provide one pay period's notice to the former department. Departments accepting employees by transfer will be responsible for the employee's accumulated paid leave and short-term disability benefits.

Staff Employment - The information in this section pertains to employment of persons classified as administrative staff, managerial staff, professional staff, supervisory staff, and service and operations staff. For guidance in employment of executive officers, administrative officers and faculty, please contact the Office of the Provost or appropriate vice president's office.

The university's employment policies are designed to assure maximum utilization of available personnel resources, and to reaffirm the university's policies concerning equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. Employment at the University of Oklahoma must follow designated policies and procedures including: 1) Affirmative Action Recruitment Procedure; 2) The University Staffing Plan; 3) Acting and Interim Appointment Policy; or 4) The Policy Regarding Promotion and Transfers.

When staff vacancies occur, the department should contact the Employment & Compensation Services for assistance in filling the positions. All applicants for employment should be directed to the Office of Human Resources. If a department independently recruits an applicant for a position, that individual should be directed to Employment & Compensation to complete the pre-employment paperwork. Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Student Employment - Student employment status applies to those persons whose principal affiliation with the university is by the enrollment in university courses and whose employment is for the purpose of helping meet the cost of the individual's education. The budget units heads are responsible for determining student employment status and reporting it on the hiring Personnel Action Form (PAF). Individuals must be enrolled in at least one credit hour at the University of Oklahoma to be considered for student positions. For a student employee to be exempt from paying FICA taxes, they must be enrolled in enough course hours to be classified as a "half-time" student or more.

Student employment is considered temporary, and persons occupying this position is not eligible for employment benefits, but they are covered by worker's compensation insurance. All international student employees will be required to provide a social security number and documentation validating immigration status or citizenship. A student that was employed in the Spring semester but will not be enrolled in the summer semester may remain in a student title for the summer if they are planning to enroll in the Fall semester. In this case the department may keep the employee at the current rate of pay or increase the pay by the FICA differential by changing the employee's rate of pay.

Departments that want to retain the employee under a non-student title may do so, but they must raise the employee to the wage minimum to the non-student job classification or get an exception to the non-student rate of pay from the appropriate provost or vice president.Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Supplemental Payments - A Supplemental Payment is made for work performed in situations when payment through a regular appointment is not appropriate. For example, employment of an appointed university employee outside of his or her primary department. If the work is not exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, the department for whom the work is being done must pay time and a half for any hours worked which take the total university hours worked by the individual to over 40 in a work week.

Supplemental Payment Request Forms are available on the Office of Human Resources Website or by contacting the Payroll and Personnel Records. Supplemental Payment requests cannot be accepted until the work is completed and the individual to be paid has completed and returned the necessary payroll Anyone paid by Special Payment must have a W-4 Form, an I-9 Form, and a copy of their social security card on file. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Tax Withholding- All individuals paid through the university's payroll system must have a Form W-4 on file with Payroll and Personnel Records. The individual's social security number must be verified before payment can be made by presenting the employee's original social security card to a representative from Payroll & Personnel Records. A copy of the social security card will be made and kept in the employee's personnel file. New or replacement social security cards are available through he local social security office located at 2507 N. Shields Blvd., Moore, Oklahoma (phone: 799-0701). Any claim for federal withholding tax exemption must be accompanied by proof of qualifications. Questions? Contact Payroll and Personnel Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Temporary Staffing (Peak Program)- The Office of Human Resources employs people through the Peak Program who are interested in temporary employment. Peak people are available for all types of work including professional, clerical, technical, skilled crafts and trades, and service and operations. Departments with special needs should contact the Peak Program in advance of the time of need in order that temporary employees may be recruited. Departments utilizing the Peak Program will be assessed a 10 percent administrative charge. Questions? Contact Employment & Compensation Services at 325-1826 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Termination of Employment- Employees terminated under circumstance other than "for cause" will receive written notice in advance of their termination. Employees may be terminated without advance notice for just cause. The Reduction-In-Force policy printed in the Staff Handbook will be followed for all terminations resulting from budget limitations, decreases in staff requirements, closing of service operations, and other related circumstances.

An Employee Who Terminates Employment - The department should contact the Office of Human Resources upon receiving notice of an employee's intent to terminate. Once notified, human resources will send the employee an "Information for Terminating Employees" sheet which includes relevant information the employee needs to know about the termination process. A copy of each written notice of termination, layoff or resignation should be forwarded with the Personnel Action Form with the appropriate action / reason code. The university expects to receive written notice equal to one pay period from employees resigning from university employment. Questions? Contact Employee Relations and Development at 325-3706 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Unemployment Compensation Claims- Unemployment compensation is a benefit intended for former employees who, through no fault of their own, are temporarily out of work, and who are making a sincere effort to obtain other employment. All university employees, except student workers, are covered by unemployment compensation. When a person applies for unemployment compensation, the university is notified and has ten (10) days in which to respond to the notice with information on the termination. The Office of Human Resources is responsible for responding to the notice. If the university fails to respond within the ten (10) day period, the university loses its opportunity to object the employee's claim for benefits and the state will determine eligibility for benefits from the information provided by the claimant. Since the university is self-insured, it is essential that we respond to all claims in a timely manner to minimize costs.

Most employer notices and requests for information are sent to the Office of Human Resources. Occasionally, the employing department will receive requests for information concerning a former employee's claim. If such notice is received, the department should telephone the Office of Human Resources and promptly forward the request for information and any documentation from your files relative to the employee's termination. The employing department may be asked to supply additional information and documentation about the employee's employment record. This may include attendance records, performance evaluations, records of oral and written corrective discipline, letters of resignation, and letters of dismissal. Supervisors may be called upon at a later appeals hearing to testify on behalf of the university, and such testimony will be greatly enhanced by thorough documentation. A human resources representative is available to assist departments and individual employees in matters pertaining to unemployment compensation. Questions? Contact Employee Benefits at 325-2963 (email ohr@ou.edu).

University Records Retention (Payroll)- Each department is responsible for maintaining employment and payroll records independent of the official university payroll records. State law requires that the signed hourly employees weekly time sheets be retained for a period of three years. Permission must be received by the Department of Libraries before the documents may be destroyed. Questions? Contact Payroll and Records at 325-2961 (email ohr@ou.edu).

Workers' Compensation - All university employees, regardless of FTE (Full-Time Equivalent), including student and other temporary employees, are covered under the Workers' Compensation Act, O.S. Title 85. This Oklahoma state statute specifies who is covered, what injuries and diseases are covered, and gives the benefits to be paid to employees with injuries and diseases that are compensable under the Workers' Compensation Act. The Act requires the university to pay for the cost of medical treatment plus a percentage of the employee's wages if he is unable to return to work. The Act states that a workers' compensation claim must be filed when an employee has an on-the-job accident which requires medical attention away from the work site or for which the employee will be missing time from work under doctor's orders. The university self-insures this coverage, and the program is currently coordinate by Risk Management and Safety Services. Questions? Contact the Worker's Compensation Office at 325-0866.