HR Manager Toolkit FAQs
These frequently asked questions provide answers to common questions from managers. These questions includes responses regarding policies, standard procedures, and processing specific transactions.
Should you need more information about a particular topic that is not covered here, please consult either the Columbia University Policies website, or your HR Senior Business Partner.
You may also submit a ticket with the HR Service Center, or call them at 212-851-2888 during regular business hours.
FAQ Topics
General Hiring & Reappointments
- Question
We are hiring a foreign national who does not yet have a Social Security Number (SSN). How do we submit their paperwork?- Answer
- A paper New Hire Personnel Action Form (PAF) for Administrative hires or a paper Nomination Form for Academic hires is used.
A copy of the letter from the Social Security Office confirming they applied (in person) for an SSN must be submitted with the new hire paperwork (along with all other required documents).
Personnel awaiting a Social Security Number cannot be hired using Template-Based Hire (electronic hire templates).- For Morningside/Manhattanville/Lamont new hires, submit the complete new hire paperwork to the HRPC (Human Resources Processing Center) who will assign the temporary SSN.
- For CUMC new hires, submit the complete new hire paperwork to the CUMC-Payroll Office. They will validate the paperwork and contact the HRPC (Human Resources Processing Center) to obtain the temporary SSN and submit the paperwork.
Note: If the new hire completed any tax forms with their temporary SSN, then once they receive their permanent SSN, they must complete new tax forms with their new SSN.
Managing Pay
- Question
- I have an employee who has another paid position in a different department. Will they receive two paychecks every pay period?
- Answer
- Faculty and staff with multiple positions receive a single paycheck with their total pay from all positions, regardless of whether or not the positions are all in one department or in multiple departments.
- Question
- Who should complete the NYS 195 form?
- Answer
- New York State 195 Notice must be provided all faculty and staff upon hire, when there is an appointment change (for example, casual to support staff or student officer to officer of research), or before a change in pay rate (other than the normal annual merit increase) The law applies to the following employees:
- All Academic personnel (excluding Student Officers and Postdoctoral Fellows)
- Officers of Administration (both regular and temporary)
- Union and Non-Union Support Staff (both regular and temporary)
- Casuals
- Work-Study
- Question
- Where can I find the pay calendar?
- Answer
- The Pay Calendar is a campus-specific chart listing of all fiscal year pay dates. The calendar also includes key dates and deadlines for electronic or paper transaction submissions and when the paychecks can be viewed by the employees online. View Payroll Calendars.
- Question
- When should I use the Time Entry Form?
- Answer
- The Time Entry Form is used in rare situations when time for an employee cannot be submitted via FFE or another approved time entry system. For example, when a new casual employee does not appear in FFE, although the Template-Based Hire electronic form/new hire paperwork has been sent to the HRPC and the employee needs to be paid for their work. Visit the Time Entry Form section in the Managing Salary and Pay page for more information and access to the form.
- Question
- Does a foreign national need a social security number (SSN) in order to get paid?
- Answer
- If an employee is to receive a paycheck, they will need to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN). If the international employee will not be receiving pay (a $0 salary appointment), a permanent SSN is not required and the employee will be hired using an HRPC-assigned placeholder SSN. See the General Hiring/Reappointments section for information on hiring and SSNs.
PAC System
- Question
- How do I change my UNI password?
- Answer
- To change your password, please go to the CUIT - Manage My UNI page. Please note that Columbia University requires that all users of the PeopleSoft application change their password every 90 days. This is a precaution to help protect the sensitive personal and payroll data of all faculty and staff.
- Question
- Why can't I see my own job record?
- Answer
- Access to view and/or update your own job information in Manager Self-Service is restricted; your Department Administrator can generate PAFs for your position. If you are in a department where only one person has PAC access, please contact your HR Senior Business Partner and they can assist with the transaction.
- Question
- What happens to my PAC access if I transfer departments?
- Answer
- If you transfer departments, your PAC access is automatically removed. This includes transfers between levels 6, 7 and 8 departments within the same home department (e.g., your position is moved from one level 8 department to another within the same division). To reinstate your access, please complete a new PAC Security Application requesting the required roles and departments once the transfer has been completed in PAC.
Accruals of Time Away from Work
- Question
- Do employees earn sick leave, vacation or personal days while on a leave of absence?
- Answer
- Support Staff members do not earn sick leave, vacation or personal days nor are they entitled to holiday pay while on an unpaid leave of absence; however, these benefits continue to accrue during a paid leave. Adjustments in sick leave, as necessary, are either made within the same anniversary year as the leave of absence if the employee has sick leave available upon their return to work, or in the succeeding anniversary year. Officers do not accrue vacation or personal days during a leave of absence, paid or unpaid. The salary continuation period for an officer on a documented disability leave of absence includes any paid holiday that may occur during the period of disability. An officer is not paid for holidays that occur during an unpaid leave of absence.
- Question
- Can an employee "borrow" sick leave, vacation and/or personal days not earned?
- Answer
- No. Under no circumstances can an employee "borrow" unearned sick leave, vacation and/or personal days. The level of benefit is exactly as it is defined under University policy or the respective collective bargaining agreement.
- Question
- Can sick leave or vacation be used in the case of an on-the-job accident?
- Answer
- The employee should be credited with salary continuation only to the extent dictated by University policy or the applicable collective bargaining agreement relating to on-the-job accidents or illness (Workers' Compensation). Some contracts provide a separate salary continuation plan for Workers' Compensation cases. Note: The 1199 agreements have no salary continuation for Workers' Compensation cases. However, it has been agreed that the first week (5 days), not covered under Workers' Compensation, can be charged to sick leave to the extent the employee has such time available. Under University policy, the same sick leave schedule is used for both occupational and non-occupational illness/injury. In no case may vacation or personal days be used to cover absences due to reported on-the-job illness or injury. Once the applicable benefit is exhausted, the employee should be taken off payroll. Further compensation in all cases will be to the extent to which the employee is entitled in line with the provisions of New York State Workers' Compensation law.
- Question
- What date should be used to determine the appropriate accrual of vacation and personal days (and for Support Staff, sick days)?
- Answer
- Normally, the hire date and seniority date are the same and either could be used to determine the accrual of time. However, if those dates are different and the department is unsure about which date to use, they should contact their HR client manager manager for direction.
- Question
- How are time accruals calculated for regular part-time Support Staff?
- Answer
- Regular part-time Support Staff members are entitled to pro-rated sick leave, vacation and personal days based on the number of hours worked per week. For administrative purposes, regardless of the number of hours a regular part-time employee works per day, their earned benefit "day" is equal to 1/5th the total hours of the work week. Accumulations, therefore, should be maintained in hours.
Actual time lost should be charged against the appropriate hourly balance.
- Question
- Do regular part-time Support Staff members get paid for holidays?
- Answer
- Yes, but only if the holiday occurs on a day the regular Support Staff member would ordinarily be scheduled to work.
- Question
- Do short-term casuals get paid for University holidays? Do they receive other benefits?
- Answer
- Short-term casuals are only paid for holidays, at straight-time pay, if they work on that day. They are not entitled to other benefits (sick leave, vacation, or personal days).