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The University of British Columbia
- a place of mind
- The University of British Columbia
- UBC Human Resources
Congratulations! You have just been hired by Staff Finders, a division of the Human Resources department at UBC. By now, you would have received an e-mail welcoming you and a copy of the details of your first assignment. This online orientation will provide you with important information on our policies and procedures and your responsibilities. It will take approximately half an hour. This orientation is a quick introduction to Staff Finders and UBC. Please visit our FAQ pages for more information.
Please read each section completely before moving on to the next.
Welcome aboard!
After you have completed the Staff Finders online orientation, you will understand:
See also the Staff Finders Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for additional general information.to top
Get to know the campus by visiting the Wayfinding at UBC website.
If you take the bus or skytrain, visit the Translink website for information on how to get to UBC.to top
To complete the hiring process, please fill out the following form online, print it and submit it to Staff Finders.
On your first day at work at UBC, please print, complete and sign a direct deposit form from UBC Payroll. You can fax it along with a void cheque from your account to Staff Finders at 604.822.6800 or e-mail it to Masa Ishida and cc Lucy Hovan. The University pays its employees by direct deposit, so it’s important to submit this as soon as possible.
We have prepared a list of payperiods, timesheet cut off/submission deadlines and paydays. Please print out a copy of the 2013 Timesheet cut off dates, Paydays and Statutory Holidays and record the dates in your personal calendar for reminders. As a courtesy, we e-mail a reminder a day before the submission deadline. Please read these reminders carefully to ensure you are paid correctly and on time.
On your second day at work at UBC, visit our office on your lunch hour to receive and sign your offer letter confirming your employment. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
Your confirmation letter will have your UBC Employee ID number and your PIN number. You will need this number to fill out your timesheets and sign up to various UBC services. You should receive a detailed email outlining all relevant services shortly after being hired. to top
The Staff Finders Placement Coordinator will manage your placements/assignments. She will provide you with the following assignment information by phone and by email – please record this information when you receive it as you will need it to complete your timesheets.
Remember that you are a Staff Finders hourly employee and any concerns involving your placement should be brought to our attention first.
Call the Placement Coordinator desk at 604.822.8107 if you are ill and unable to attend work or when you near the completion of an assignment. If you wish to schedule vacation time, please email the Placement Coordinator with your schedule.
Please print a copy of 2013 Tmesheet cut off dates, Paydays and Statutory Holidays for your records. It is very important to note these cut-off dates to ensure that you submit your timesheets on time and get paid on time.
See Completing & Submitting Timesheets for information on filling out your timesheets.
UBC pays its employees semi-monthly (twice a month).
Hourly employees (temps are hourly employees) are paid wages based on the hours they submit. It takes 5-7 days for hourly timesheets to be processed for payment; therefore the pay days are different than salaried employees.
To clarify, timesheets submitted for the first half of the month, 1-15 (inclusive), will be paid on the 21, 22 or 23 of that month (depending on weekends and statutory holidays). Please check the 2013 Tmesheet cut off dates, Paydays and Statutory Holidays for the exact dates.
Timesheets for pay periods of the second half of the month, 16-31 (inclusive), will be paid on the 6, 7 or 8 of the following month (depending on weekends and stats). Please check the 2013 Timesheet cut off dates, Paydays and Statutory Holidays for the exact dates. It is a good idea to check your paystub on SelfService to ensure that you have been paid correctly. If there are any discrepancies between the hours you submitted and the hours you were paid for, please email Lucy Hovan. to top
Every Staff Finders temporary employee is assigned a mail file in the Staff Finders office. Information from both the university and your union is placed in your mail file. We ask that you pick up your mail every two weeks.
If you prefer to have this information forwarded to your current assignment’s department, please email us your request (make sure to include the department name and campus mail zone).
Note that it can take three days for campus mail to be delivered. to top
The Internet is to be used for work purposes only. If the Internet is used for personal use, the employee should advise their supervisor that they are on lunch / coffee break. Inappropriate use of the Internet is unacceptable and has lead to termination in some instances.
For details of this policy, please visit http://www.universitycounsel.ubc.ca/policies/policy104.pdf to top
Normal hours of work for employees in CUPE 2950, Excluded and CUPE 116 office positions are 35 hours per week which is equivalent to (7) hours per day. You are entitled to not less than 30 minutes and not more than 1 hour for a meal period, approximately in the middle of your work day. You are also entitled to a 15 minute break mid-morning and another 15 minute break mid-afternoon. The department head or supervisor in your area should advise you when you are scheduled to take your breaks. Please note: breaks that are not taken are forfeited – they cannot accumulate for extended lunch or early departure.
Normal hours of work for employees in CUPE 116 labor or research positions are 37.50 hours per week which is equivalent to 7.50 hours per day. You are entitled to not less than 30 minutes and not more than 1 hour for a meal period, approximately in the middle of your work day. You are also entitled to a 15 minute break mid-morning and another 15 minute break mid-afternoon. The department head or supervisor in your area should advise you when you are scheduled to take your breaks. Please note: breaks that are not taken are forfeited – they cannot accumulate for extended lunch or early departure.
Normal hours of work for employees in M&P positions are thirty-five (35) hours per week. Please note that M&P do not get overtime pay for extra work. Please contact Laurie Mitchell if you have any questions.
For those employees working in other affiliations, we will advise you at the time of placement.
Once an employee commences work, she / he receives a minimum of four (4) hours pay. If less than four (4) hours is worked on an assignment (i.e. temporary asked to leave early), we ask that you advise the department of our four (4) hour minimum charge. They may not be aware of this provision.
When you are requested to work overtime, regardless of the affiliation or union, Staff Finders must be contacted . We want to ensure that proper authorization is obtained in order to avoid any misunderstanding when we bill our client department. Please note that M&P don’t get paid overtime for extra hours worked. Please contact Laurie Mitchell if you have any questions.
In CUPE 2950, Excluded and CUPE 116 positions, overtime is paid at double time. Overtime applies when you work over seven (7) hours in a given day or over thirty-five (35) hours in a given week. For example: if you work Monday through Thursday, and your fifth day is a Saturday, you will not be paid overtime for Saturday.
M&P don’t get paid overtime for extra hours worked. Please contact Laurie Mitchell if you have any questions.
Pay entitlements will vary based on employment group (affiliations, unions, agreements…).
CUPE 2950/Excluded positions: To be paid for seven hours, a temporary employee must work 15 seven-hour days in the 30 days prior to the statutory holiday, and must be on active assignment the first working day following the stat. If you have worked less that 15 seven-hour days in the previous 30 days, your stat entitlement will be pro rated (based on 152 hours) as long as you return to work the day after the stat.
CUPE 116 positions: To be paid for seven hours, a temporary employee must work 11 seven-hour days in the 30 days prior to the statutory holiday, and must be on active assignment the first working day following the stat. If you have worked less that 15 seven-hour days in the previous 30 days, your stat entitlement will be pro rated (based on 152 hours) as long as you return to work the day after the stat.
M&P positions: To be paid for seven hours, a temporary employee must work 11 seven-hour days in the 30 days prior to the statutory holiday, and must be on active assignment the first working day following the stat. If you have worked less that 15 seven-hour days in the previous 30 days, your stat entitlement will be pro rated (based on 152 hours) as long as you return to work the day after the stat.
Exceptions:
Christmas stats are defined as Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Please check our FAQ – Statutory Holidays for details.
Employees who are new to Staff Finders serve a probationary period of 66 worked days of accumulated service, which helps to determine the suitability of the new employee to the University.
Staff Finders contacts the department that you are assigned to during this time to ensure that our high standards are maintained. Using a performance evaluation form, we ask questions about your communication skills, dependability, quality of work, computer skills, etc. If a concern is brought to our attention, we will call you immediately to discuss it. You’re also welcome to contact our office if you have any concerns about the assignment you have been given.
Upon completion of 66 actual days worked (not including statutory holidays, vacation, sick days or weekends) with Staff Finders, you may be eligible to apply for basic benefits (effective on the first of the month following your eligibility), including:
At the end of the month we review all employees approaching the end of their probationary period. We will send you a detailed email explaining the probationary interview, benefit entitlement and benefit enrolment procedures and processes. to top
When you are off sick, whether you are on probation or not, it is critical that you contact the Staff Finders offices as soon as possible, preferably before the start of your workday. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a voice mail message at 604.822.8107.
It is important to us that we provide the best service possible to our clients, and when you are unavailable, even for a day, we like to offer the department the option of another temporary employee until you are able to return.
For timesheet purposes, please deduct the hours / days for the sick time taken and note in the comment section of your timesheet the reason for your absence. If you are eligible for sick entitlement, Staff Finders will cover the payment of wages. to top
Please note that this information is for an employee with a CUPE 2950 status. If your employment status or affiliation changes, this information will change as well. Please contact Lucy Hovan in such a situation to get details.
Vacation is 6% of your gross pay and it is paid out on each of your paycheques. 6% vacation is equivalent to 3 weeks off per calendar year. We allow our employees to take up to 3 weeks of unpaid time off in lieu of vacation per calendar year. 3 weeks of unpaid vacation time off starts anew each calendar year.
Vacations need to be pre-approved by us. We will make every effort to accommodate you, but due to the nature of “temp” work, we also need to accommodate the departments (our clients). So before you book a plane ticket or a hotel room, please e-mail your request to Lizzy Duguay. She will contact the department on your behalf, make the necessary arrangements, and will email you the outcome. Your e-mail should include the dates of your vacation and the actual day you will be available to return to work. Please allow Lizzy enough time to respond to your requests: notify her at least one (1) week in advance of your vacation plans for vacation requests that are less than one (1) week and at least two (2) weeks’ notice for any vacation request of more than one (1) week.
The busiest time of year at Staff Finders is between August 15 and September 30. As such, Staff Finders applies a vacation blackout period during that time and we may have difficulty accommodating any requests during this period.
If you require further information, please contact the Staff Finders Manager. to top
As a Staff Finders employee, if you are hired into a CUPE 2950 position, you will be a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 2950. As such, you are required to attend a union orientation meeting as close to your start date as possible, as outlined in article 7.04 of the CUPE 2950 Collective Agreement.
Please contact your union office at 604.822.1494 to arrange an orientation. Staff Finders will pay for your time while attending this meeting provided you are on assignment the week that you attend.
If you are scheduled to work, please make arrangements with your department to attend such a meeting at your earliest convenience. Staff Finders will pay for you to attend this orientation, not the department you are assigned to. So on the day that you attend, you should work 6 hours (excluding one (1) hour unpaid lunch break) at your assignment and attend the union orientation for 1 hour to make it a complete 7 hour paid day. On your timesheet, please remove the one (1) hour from your daily worked hours and record this one (1) hour in table D of your timesheet and note that you attended a union orientation. We will add the one (1) hour to your pay. If you are not scheduled to work or unable to attend the meeting within the first month of your employment, please contact Staff Finders for further instructions.
In the union orientation, you will receive a copy of the CUPE 2950 Collective Agreement. It is very important to take the time to review your rights and privileges under the terms of this agreement.
See Resigning or Transferring Out of Staff Finders for information on terminating your employment with Staff Finders.
