Section 8. Hiring Research Personnel

Appointment of Personnel

Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) Pre-award staff serve as liaison to University of West Florida Office of Human Resources (HR) to help researchers with questions about the employment of individuals working on sponsored projects. For assistance in these matters, contact RSP staff Carol Rafalski at 850-474-2825 or Theresa Byrd at 850-474-2827.

In addition to the appointment procedures described in this section, please refer to the UWF Employment Rules, Policies and Procedures on the HR website and the Faculty Handbook on the Academic Affairs website for additional information.

The University’s Fringe Benefit Analysis Chart to be used for budget estimates provides for a small percentage of the salary base paid on any grant or contract fund to offset the cost of unused annual and sick leave, as well as, Workman’s Compensation and Unemployment benefits. For employees funded under a sponsored research project, the grant fund will be charged only the amount of leave actually used while working under the grant during the period of the grant performance. Any funds beyond this must be paid to the employee from an unrestricted fund based on a prorated appointment percentage formula to the Sponsored Research Fringe Benefit Reserve or from the appropriate E&G or other funding sources However, please note that it is an administrative responsibility of the PI to require that employees of grant-funded projects take annual leave earned under the project prior to the end date (see Faculty Handbook, Section VIII, Annual Leave). The Sponsored Research Trust (SRT) fringe benefit reserve is designed primarily to provide for payments of eligible sick leave hours that the employee may have earned during tenure with the University.

Line-Salaried vs. OPS Employees

There are two basic types of employees—Salaried (line) and Other Personnel Services (OPS). Salaried (line) appointments are used for long term staffing needs. Salaried employees must be classified in accordance with the appropriate University pay plan (Faculty or University Work Force [previously A&P, USPS]) and are entitled to fringe benefits (insurance, retirement, annual and sick leave benefits) that are funded by the contract or grant through the appropriate fringe benefit percentage rate applicable to the base salary.

OPS appointments provide temporary or short-term staffing needs, including faculty, administrative and professional, support staff, and student employment. OPS employees are not eligible for fringe benefits (including annual, sick, holiday or administrative leave pay). A small portion of the fringe benefit percentage is assessed to OPS salaries paid to cover the costs for FICA payroll taxes and Workman’s Compensation benefits. This rate is also shown on the Fringe Benefit Analysis Chart.

OPS appointments may be made for “contract” appointments in which the individual is paid a salary rate to accomplish duties assigned without regard to actual hours worked. This type of appointment is usually made for a professional or faculty level appointment and the employees will be paid based on the prorated rate for the period of appointment. No time sheets are required but the PI (or other designated party) must certify each pay period that the work for the FTE appointment has been completed. Unless the Payroll Department is notified, OPS employees in this category and appointed at a biweekly rate remain in full pay status at the assigned FTE during pay periods containing holidays. When change to the biweekly rate for work performed is necessary due to illness, vacation or contracted work not performed during a period when the University is closed, the PI/supervisor is expected to notify the Payroll department (e-mail is acceptable) on or before time certifications are due for payroll processing.

Faculty

Faculty titles and their use are regulated by the Provost for Academic Affairs and the respective dean's office and are shown in the University Banner E-Class and Position Class inventories (see the HR Services Web page). Generally, a master's degree is a minimum requirement. The faculty plan has no set pay ranges, but all appointments are subject to the approval of the dean or director and the Provost for Academic Affairs.

Most salaried faculty and staff positions, regardless of funding source, are subject to the University's Affirmative Action and Search and Screen procedures. Please be aware that the posting and Search and Screen procedures take several weeks to complete. Some appointments, such as individuals specifically designated in the contract or grant as the "Principal Investigator," or other “key personnel” are exempt from these procedures (Refer to Section 3. Preparing a Budget (Direct Cost Categories, Salaries & Wages). After complying with applicable procedures, the person may be appointed without further recruitment procedures. Several forms and documents are required, most of which require the person's signature and/or authorization. Be sure to include all the required forms to avoid delays in the appointment process. Refer to the HR Web site “Essential Documents” for a list of the required forms.

Some faculty appointments may be made as OPS. They are limited to temporary appointments and must be approved by your dean and Provost of Academic Affairs. Remember that OPS appointees are not eligible for benefits. Please consult your dean's office for more information on academic OPS appointments.

For assistance in hiring salaried faculty, please consult your dean's office or RSP. Further information on this topic is available through the Faculty Handbook on the Academic Affairs website or contact RSP staff Carol Rafalski at 850-474-2825 or Theresa Byrd at 850-474-2827.

End of Appointment or Notice of Non-Renewal of Employees

Faculty and UWF staff who are covered by an employment contract (issued at initial employment or upon initial appointment to a grant project) are notified in this document and all subsequent contracts of the time-limited nature of their employment and that no further notice of cessation of employment is required. PIs are provided notice at 90-60-30 day intervals prior to a scheduled end of a grant project and are encouraged to provide notice to all employees on the project as soon as the notices have been received if continued funding has not been assured.

In-unit faculty are not entitled to any notice that their appointment is ending or that their appointment will not be renewed except as follows:

If an employee was hired before June 30, 1991 and has been continuously employed by the University since that time, the employee shall be provided with one year’s notice of non-renewal of employment.

If an employee was hired after June 30, 1991, and has been employed by the University for more than 5 continuous years, the employee shall receive 90 days notice of non-renewal of employment.

University Work Force Employees

University Work Force employees are hired on time limited appointments under grant/contract funding. These appointments end on the date specified on the appointment or personnel action form.

OPS Employees

OPS appointments are temporary by nature and are expected to exist no longer than the specific period of appointment. Although no formal notice to these employees is required, PIs are encouraged to provide as much notice prior to a termination of the appointment to the employee as possible.

If there are any questions regarding appropriate notice to employees appointed to grant projects, the PI should contact HR and RSP for guidance.

Students

Students may be appointed in several pay grades or classification titles/codes. Details regarding student employment are available on the HR Web section titled "Student Employment." A particularly helpful document at this site is the Frequently Asked Questions about Student Employment.

Workmen’s Compensation and FICA (depending on credit hour enrollment) payroll costs are assessed against student wages. Investigators should budget for these as part of the Fringe Benefits section of a project budget (Refer to Section 3. Preparing a Budget (Direct Cost Categories, Fringe Benefits).

For job posting and student recruitment processing services, see Student Employment Opportunities page on the HR Web site.

Graduate Students

Graduate students employed under grant-funded projects should be appointed on an hourly rate and compensated for hours worked. In this case, the student’s approved biweekly time sheet serves as the appropriate support documentation of direct costs for grants. Graduate students employed at least 10 hours per week are eligible for tuition waiver (usually partial in-state fees) available through academic departments and some College offices. Matriculated Graduate Students may be appointed as Graduate Assistants or Graduate Research Assistants. The student must be appointed for the entire length of the term for which the tuition payment is awarded. Whenever possible, investigators are encouraged to include graduate student tuition at the in-state level in their proposed project budgets as well (see Section 3. Preparing a Budget (Direct Cost Categories, Other Direct Costs).

Student Employment Classification and Pay Plan documents are available on the HR Web site section titled “Student Employment” including information on requisition to fill and requirements for appointment. For assistance, contact RSP staff Carol Rafalski at 850-474-2825 or Theresa Byrd at 850-474-2827.

Students who are not appointed on an hourly rate (and with the permission of the sponsor) may be paid a “stipend” for work and education during a specific period of time such as an academic term. Stipends are considered compensation in lieu of salary for students and are usually awarded to graduate research assistants who are working directly under a faculty member’s supervision as part of an educational experience. Stipends require a written agreement between the faculty member and the student to outline the expectations of performance and a formal assessment (such as a grade on a directed individual study, thesis credit or approved internship enrollment) completed at the end of the appointment period. The faculty member’s assessment of the student’s performance is expected to include documentation of hours worked toward the completion of the objectives.

Undergraduate Students

Matriculated undergraduate students may be employed in any Student Employment Classification other than those specifically designated at the Graduate Matriculated student level. The policies and procedures for these appointments are similar to those for graduate students and details may be found on the HR Student Employment Web site.