Contact

University Workforce Operations

Email
workforce-operations@uiowa.edu
Phone
319-335-2381
Fax
319-353-2234
Campus Address
120 USB
Mailing Address

120 University Services Building
Iowa City, IA 52242-1911
United States

Purpose

To capture all relevant information for an individual beginning a new position at the University.

Hiring a New employee vs. Current employee

While the Appointment form type may be used similarly for a new hire, there are additional processes that are quite different depending on whether the person is a brand new or returning employee versus a current employee with an active position at the University of Iowa. To ensure a smooth and seamless appointment, understanding the unique steps required for each scenario is critical.

New Employee

Welcoming a new individual to the University is an exciting and impactful experience for both the employee and employer. However, there are important steps required and pieces of information needed to get them off to a good start. Several system integrations are in place to assist in granting critical accesses for a new employee.

To determine the most appropriate way to add a new employee to the system, follow the guide below based on whether the employee is hired within Oracle Talent Acquisition Cloud (OTAC) or through an alternative process.

HIRING A NEW EMPLOYEE WITHIN OTAC

  • For new employees hired within OTAC (Oracle Talent Acquisition Cloud), personal information will be gathered during the application and hiring process.
  • If a current UI record exists, the University ID (UID) and/or Employee ID (EID) will populate with the creation of the Appointment form.
  • If no current UI record exists, the UID will be created and the employee record will include the personal information provided by the candidate in OTAC.

HIRING A NEW EMPLOYEE OUTSIDE OF OTAC

  • If a current UI record exists, the UID and/or EID will populate with the creation of the Appointment form.
  • If no current UI record exists, the UID will be created and the employee record will include the personal information provided by the candidate in OTAC.
  • Verify that the individual does not have an existing record with the University of Iowa, including previous or current student records.
  • Best practice is to search by the nine-digit social security number to eliminate duplicate names and account for potential name changes. Then search by Name to avoid duplicate records.
  • If searching with the SSN/EID/UID gives you a result with a different name *STOP* and contact Workforce-Operations@uiowa.edu.
  • Name information must be entered exactly as displayed on the legal documents provided as part of the hiring process. The individual’s full legal name (no partial names or nicknames) must be entered.
  • It is imperative that the legal name be provided for tax purposes.
  • Once the new employee information is added, a University ID number and HawkID will be automatically assigned.

After the new employee information is added, the employee will soon be able to take the following actions to continue the onboarding process:

  • Gain access to Employee Self-Service to:
    • Complete W-4 & Direct Deposit
    • Start Benefit enrollment
    • Manage Two-Step Login (Duo)
  • Obtain a UI/UI Health Care Badge
  • Have access granted for system and building access
  • Complete Compliance & Training requirements
  • Parking Permit sign up

Name Changes - New Employees

For new employees that have an existing record on file with the University and are no longer using the same legal name as what the official record indicates, use the below information to determine how to make the appropriate updates:

If the new employee has been...the name change is accomplished by...Supporting Documentation
a former and/or current UI studentcompleting a Name Change Form and submitting to the Office of the RegistrarChanging the Official Student name requires supporting legal documentation
a UI employee but has no student record on file

completing a name change via Employee Self Service or

contact UI Workforce Operations prior to the date of hire

Changing the Official Employee record requires supporting legal documentation

Current Employee

To determine the correct HR Transaction form to use when appointing a current employee that is moving to a new University position other than their current one, and no break in service will occur between the last date in the current position and the first date in the new position, follow the guidance below.

For employees currently in...you must use...

a biweekly student position or

a biweekly position moving to or from a Merit Permanent position

a Termination form and Appointment form to accomplish the move

a Short Term (Paygroup 3) appointment or

a part-time position and is adding an additional position

an Appointment form for a separate Short Term, Biweekly, Fiscal, or Academic position
any other positions (not listed above)a Transfer form to accomplish the move

For benefit eligible positions, the Transfer form will help ensure that the employee maintains their benefit eligibility as they transfer from one position to another.

Questions related to faculty appointments should be directed to the Provost Office.

Percent of Effort

Employee total effort across one or many appointments can only add up to a maximum of 100%. Any effort above 100% will require a Special Compensation form.

Multiple Jobs

For employees holding regular and biweekly positions simultaneously, the regular position(s) total effort must remain at or below 100%.

Biweekly employees effort is tracked by hours worked and not percent of effort.

Effective Dates

The Appointment effective date must correspond to the date listed on the signed offer letter.

Academic vs. Fiscal Appointment

Academic Appointments are based on the current UI Academic calendar. Fiscal appointments are based on working days in a calendar year. These calendars can be found at the Payroll Services website, under Payroll Calendars, and are updated yearly.

 AcademicFiscal
Working Days168 days in academic year / 84 days per semesterDetermined by calendar year and vary by month
Calendar Begin/EndWorking days begin 3 business days prior to the start of classes until the last day of Semester (not last day of class)Fiscal calendar is July 1st through June 30th
Partial/Pro-rated salary computation

To compute partial academic year or semester amounts due:

Take the total budgeted academic year or semester salary X the actual days worked in the academic year or semester / total academic year or semester working days

Example: AY employee terminates prior to end of AY only working 100 out of 168 total academic days

$50,000 X 100 / 168

To compute partial monthly fiscal salary amounts:

Take the monthly budgeted salary amount / total working days for that month X actual days worked.

Example: FY employee terminates prior to end of month

$3,000 / 22 total working days X 10 actual days worked

The UI payroll system calculates payments based upon a fiscal pay schedule and does not accommodate the academic year pay schedule. Academic appointments submitted with a mid-month effective date during an academic session will be entered into the UI payroll system, by University Workforce Operations, with a first of the month date and have a pro-rated salary adjustment processed.

Temporary Appointments

When hiring an individual for a temporary position, there are unique rules and some restrictions that must be considered. These include, but are not limited to, length of appointment, benefit eligibility, rates of pay, and pay schedule.

For additional information regarding non-faculty temporary appointments, see the Compensation & Classification site. Guidance on Faculty temporary appointments can be found in the HR Transaction System Documentation section and on the Provost Office site.

Short Term Appointments

This type of appointment is for those that are expected to last for approximately 5 months or less. The Short Term Appointment form has some unique rules that are important to know prior to proceeding with this type of appointment.

Time Frame
  • Appointments are limited to 150 days or less.
  • Consecutive Short-Term appointments should not be created. Other appointment and/or payment types should be used if the position will extend beyond 150 days.
Payments
  • Paid monthly
  • For additional details regarding how to fill out the form's payment schedule, click here for payment schedule guidelines.
Retirement
  • There are no retirement plan contributions with this type of appointment.
Exception: Retirement will be deducted if individual simultaneously or consecutively holds a separate, retirement plan eligible UI position.
HR Transaction Form eligibility 
  • Short Term appointments are not eligible to use for Transfers, Leave of Absence, or Change of Status actions.
  • An end date is required on this form type and will automatically terminate the position. Therefore, a Termination form is not needed.

 End Dates:

Sometimes the End Date field from a Temporary Appointment Form will automatically terminate an appointment in the HR system; other times it does not.

If the department does not intend to renew an appointment, use the following guidance to determine how to remove the appointment from "active" status.

If the appointment is a...then...
  • Short term Appointment
  • Biweekly Non-Student
  • Biweekly Student Summer
  • Biweekly Student Work-Study
a Termination form is NOT needed to end the appointment because the end date is listed on the appointment form
any other appointment type not listed abovea Termination form IS needed to end the appointment

Appointment Forms by Types - Guidelines

 

Faculty

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Required Attachments

 

Faculty

 

With Benefits

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

Signed Offer Letter, CV

  • Joint, Secondary, and Tertiary Appts also require an MOU signed by the candidate and relevant DEOs

 

 

Faculty

 

 

Without Benefits

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

Short Term *

First Semester *

Second Semester *

 

 

Signed Offer Letter, CV

  • Joint, Secondary, and Tertiary Appts also require an MOU signed by the candidate and relevant DEOs

 

Faculty

 

Complimentary

 

N/A

Signed Offer Letter, CV

  • Joint, Secondary, and Tertiary Appts also require an MOU signed by the candidate and relevant DEOs

 

Faculty

 

VA Appointment

 

N/A

 

Signed Offer Letter, CV

 

Faculty

Bi-weekly

Non-student

 

N/A

 

Signed Offer Letter, CV

*Fiscal Year: Used when a new Faculty employee is appointed based on the fiscal year. Paid in twelve monthly installments, August 1st through July 1st. The work hours follow the fiscal year calendar with vacation accruals.

*Academic Year: Used when a new Faculty employee is appointed based on the academic-year. Paid in 12 monthly installments, August 1st through July 1st.  The work hours follow the academic calendar with applicable breaks, there are no vacation accruals.

*Short Term: Used when a Faculty employee is appointed on a temporary basis. Paid in monthly installments over the period of the appointment. Appointment must be 5 months or less.

*First Semester: Used when a Faculty employee is appointed for the first semester and is paid in 5 monthly installments - September 1st through January 1st.

*Second Semester: Used when a Faculty employee is appointed for the second semester and is paid in 5 monthly installments - February 1st through June 1st

 

P&S

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

P&S

Regular

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

School Year *

Yes

Used when a new P&S employee is appointed to a Regular salaried position.

P&S

Temporary

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

Short Term *

First Semester *

Second Semester *

Yes*

Used when a new P&S employee is appointed to a Temporary fiscal (limited usage) or short-term (5 months or less) position and are paid on a monthly schedule.

P&S

Complimentary

N/A

No

Used when a new P&S employee is appointed to an unpaid Complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges.  Also used for Temporary employees hired through a staffing agency for access purposes. (A brief description of duties and/or why access is being granted should be added to the remarks area of the appointment.)

P&S

Research Intern

N/A

Yes

Used when a new P&S employee is appointed to a Temporary fiscal Research Intern position that is part of the Post-Baccalaureate Research Internship program which is administered by VP Research.

P&S

Bi-weekly Non-student

N/A

Yes

Used when a new P&S employee is appointed to a Bi-weekly (hourly) position and must be paid within the established pay levels.  The majority of P&S Temporary staff are paid on an hourly basis. (Bi-weekly appointments of less than 6 months require an end date on the appointment form and do not require employee participation in a retirement plan.   Bi-weekly appointments greater than 6 months will require employee participation in a retirement plan.)  

*Fiscal Year: This is a Regular 12-month appointment paid on a monthly basis.  This is the most common type of appointment.

*Academic Year: This is a Regular appointment based on the academic calendar.  The work hours follow the academic calendar with applicable breaks, there are no vacation accruals and it is paid in 12 equal monthly payments. –August 1st through July 1st

*School Year: This is a Regular appointment that includes an annual unpaid leave period of at least 2 months.  The work schedule is based on the agreed upon dates. Benefit payments for months not being worked will be withdrawn during the pay periods.

*Short Term: This is a Temporary appointment that is 5 months or less in duration and is paid on a monthly schedule

*First Semester: This is a Temporary appointment that is for the first semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments—September 1st through January 1st

*Second Semester: This is a Temporary appointment that is for the second semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments —February 1st through June 1st

*P&S Temporary Appointment Offer Letter: Require offer letter on transactions with the exceptions of PZ02, PZ03, PZ06 and PZ07.

 

SEIU

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

SEIU

Regular

N/A

Yes

Used when a new SEIU employee is appointed to a Regular salaried position.

SEIU

Weekend

N/A

Yes

Used when a new SEIU employee is appointed to a weekend option position.

SEIU

Bi-weekly Non-student

N/A

Yes

Used when a new SEIU employee is appointed to a Bi-weekly (hourly) position and must be paid within the established pay ranges. (Bi-weekly appointments of less than 6 months require an end date on the appointment form and do not require employee participation in a retirement plan.   Bi-weekly appointments greater than 6 months will require employee participation in a retirement plan.)  

Merit

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

Merit

Permanent

Bargaining *

Exempt *

Yes

Used when a new Merit employee is appointed to a salaried position. Also used when a UI employee is currently working another Permanent (Regular, fiscal year) position and is adding a second Permanent position (not to exceed 40 hours/week).

Merit

School Term

Bargaining *

Exempt *

Yes

Used when a new Merit employee is appointed to a salaried position that is scheduled to work for 9, 10 or 11 months each year. The work schedule is based on the agreed upon dates. Benefit payments for months not being worked will be withdrawn during the pay periods.

Merit

Complimentary

N/A

No

Used when a new Merit employee is appointed to an unpaid Complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges.  Also used for Temporary employees hired through a staffing agency for access purposes. (A brief description of duties and/or why access is being granted should be added to the remarks area of the appointment.)

Merit

Bi-weekly

Non-student

N/A

Yes

Used when a new Merit employee is appointed to a Bi-weekly (hourly) position and must be paid within the established pay grades.  (Bi-weekly appointments of less than 6 months require an end date on the appointment form and do not require employee participation in a retirement plan.   Bi-weekly appointments greater than 6 months will require employee participation in a retirement plan.)

*Bargaining: This is an appointment for someone in a bargaining unit classification (includes confidential positions).

*Exempt: This is an appointment for someone in a non-bargaining unit classification (Merit-Supervisory Exempt).

Graduate/Undergraduate

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

Grad/Undergrad

Graduate Assistant

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

Short Term *

First Semester *

Second Semester *

Yes

Used for graduate students who hold a research or teaching assistantship.

Grad/Undergrad

Graduate Assistant

Complimentary

No

Used when a new graduate student employee is appointed to an unpaid Complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges. 

Grad/Undergrad

Undergraduate Assistant

Academic Year *

First Semester *

Second Semester *

No

Used for undergraduate students who hold an assistantship.

*Fiscal Year: This is a 12 month appointment based on a monthly basis.

*Academic Year: This is an appointment based on the academic year calendar.  The work hours follow the academic calendar with applicable breaks.  This is paid in 10 equal monthly payments - September 1st through June 1st

*Short Term: This is a Temporary appointment that is 5 months or less in duration and is paid on a monthly schedule.

*First Semester: This is a semester appointment that is for the first semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments – September 1st through January 1st

*Second Semester: This is a semester appointment that is for the second semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments – February 1st through June 1st

Post Doctoral

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

Post Doc *

Paid

NA

Yes

Used when a new Post-Doctoral employee is appointed to a paid position.

Post Doc

Complimentary

N/A

No

Used when a new Post-Doctoral employee is appointed to an unpaid complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges. 

*Post Doc: This is a 12-month appointment paid on a monthly basis.

Fellowship

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

Fellowship

Paid

Fiscal Year *

Academic Year *

Short Term *

First Semester *

Second Semester *

Yes

Used when a new Fellow is appointed to a paid position.

Fellowship

Complimentary

N/A

No

Used when a new Fellow is appointed to an unpaid Complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges. (A brief description of duties and/or why access is being granted should be added to the remarks area of the appointment.)

*Fiscal Year: This is a Temporary 12-month appointment paid on a monthly basis.

*Academic Year: This is a Temporary appointment based on the academic calendar.  The work hours follow the academic calendar with applicable breaks, there are no vacation accruals and it is paid in 10 equal payments. - September 1st through June 1st

*Short Term: This is a Temporary appointment that is 5 months or less in duration and is paid on a monthly schedule.

*First Semester: This is a Temporary appointment that is for the first semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments. – September 1st through January 1st

*Second Semester: This is a Temporary appointment that is for the second semester and is paid in 5 equal monthly payments. – February 1st through June 1st

House Staff

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

House Staff

Paid

N/A

Yes

Used when a new House Staff employee is appointed to a paid position.

House Staff

Complimentary

N/A

No

Used when a new House Staff employee is appointed to an unpaid Complimentary position for purposes of access to University of Iowa systems and Library privileges. (A brief description of duties and/or why access is being granted should be added to the remarks area of the appointment.)

Bi-weekly Student

Appointment Type

Appointment Sub Type

Appointment Term

Signed Offer Letter Required on Transaction

Definition/Usage

Bi-weekly Student

N/A

Continuous

No

Used when a UI student is appointed to an hourly paid position. Requires 1 hour of UI enrollment during the academic year. Appointment remains active as long as the student maintains UI enrollment during the academic year. If the student withdraws their enrollment, the appointment should be terminated. Students are limited to 680 hours during the academic year.

Bi-weekly Student

N/A

Summer

No

Used to appoint individuals to an hourly paid position who were UI students during the prior spring, current summer or were enrolled at another college/university or high school during the prior spring. Documentation of prior spring non-UI enrollment must be attached to the appointment for approval.

Bi-weekly Student

N/A

Work Study

No

Used when a UI student is appointed to an hourly paid position under the Federal Work-Study program for either academic year or summer.  Appointments always have an end date based on the Work-Study award period, i.e. Academic year or Summer semester.  Students must maintain half-time enrollment (Academic year: 6 hours for undergraduates and 5 hours for graduates. Summer semester: 6 hours for undergraduates and 3 hours for graduates).  If the student withdraws or drops hours below the requirement, the appointment should be terminated. Students are limited to 680 hours during the academic year.

Attachments and Offer Letters:

Questions regarding required attachments and offer letters should be directed to:

Impact

Using Appointment forms has a great impact on employees.

  • Benefits - Biweekly Non-Student appointments
    • Providing an end date on a Biweekly Non-Student appointment can determine retirement eligibility.
    • If a date is entered, ensure that it is as accurate as possible.
    • If no end date is provided, retirement plan participation may be required, and contributions may start being deducted with the employee's first paycheck.
    • Contact UI Benefits with questions.
  • Immigration Status
    • Entering Citizenship Status that is not verified in the appointment form can put the University and individual at risk and have legal repercussions.
    • Ensure that the information provided is accurate at the time of form initiation.
    • Contact Faculty & Staff Immigration Services with immigration status questions.
  • Timing of Submission
    • Delayed appointment processing can have a significant and adverse impact to the employee
      • Late or incorrect payments
      • Benefits enrollment, coverage delays, and retroactive premium charges
      • Unable to obtain UI/UI Health Care badge
      • Access to buildings, laboratories, parking lots, system access, and other assigned accesses.
    • Creating appointment forms many months in advance of the effective date can cause rework and are more prone to inaccurate information on the Appointment form.
      • Best practice is to submit the form no more than 1-2 months in advance 
    • To ensure accurate pay and to help prevent over/under payments, Appointment forms should be complete through the Workflow system prior to payroll cutoff in the month of hire (5 business days before the end of the month).
  • Payroll
    • Because most appointment forms are autoloaded into the HR system electronically once initiated into Workflow, it is important to know that any changes made during the routing process are not received by University Workforce Operations until the form is complete through workflow and requires manual update to the system.
      • During times of high volume this may take several days.
      • Payment to employees may start, stop, or vary based on the original information provided when the form was initiated.
      • Benefits eligibility may be impacted by date changes.

Post Workflow Processing

Below are the processing steps and timing that should be considered once the transaction form has been initiated.

Posting to the HR system: Form action or types (pay groups = PG): Timing:
Data entered / Not auto loaded
  • All Academic PGs -
    • A - Fall semester
    • AF - Fall fellowship
    • B - Spring semester
    • BF - Spring fellowship
    • 7 - Acad. Year, 10 pay
    • 7F - Acad. year fellowship
    • 8 - Acad. Year, 12 pay
  • All revisions to a form while routing for approval

 

 

Once compete through Workflow, allow 2-3 business days for processing
Auto loaded
  • PG 1 - Fiscal
  • PG 1F - Fiscal fellowship
  • PG 3 - Short Term
  • PG 6 - VA/HHMI
  • PG 9 - Complimentary
  • PG W - Biweekly

Once initiated in Workflow

Biweekly Student Work Study are autoloaded once complete through Workflow

Support

If a form needs to be returned for any reason (i.e. editing, voiding) or for any questions about the HR Transaction System, please contact University Workforce Operations at hr-transaction@uiowa.edu or 319-335-2381.