Personnel/HR
Creating/Filling Positions
Prior to creating any new positions, please evaluate the organizational structure of your department. SAP’s Position Status report can be used to evaluate existing vacant positions to determine if you can maintain a vacant position and open it for hire or if you need to create a new position. You must also ensure that you have recurring funding to cover both salary and fringe for any additional hires. One-time savings cannot be used for positions.
Whether you are maintaining an existing position or creating a new one, a Position Description Template and a Memorandum (detailed instructions on the different types of Memos can be found in the Office of Research Personnel Action Matrix) must be submitted to the Office of Research as the initial step in the hiring process. Please note that positions that are changing substantively, either in duties, subfamily, or moving between career levels (Support, Professional, Management) will require a review by HR Compensation via the Position Evaluation Request. Please allow up to 15 business days for this review.
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Please refer to the materials and information on the BU Human Resources site and BU TechWeb’s HCM
Help Guides once the memo has been returned (links provided below):
Training sessions for HCM are available and the schedule can be found on this TechWeb page.
If you have any questions about the hiring process or positions within your unit, please contact the Office of Research at research@bu.edu.
Position Descriptions
A position description is needed to create a new position. Please refer to the materials and information on the BU Human Resources site, which describes steps to writing a thorough and accurate position description: Writing Position Descriptions.
It is important to take time to review tips and instructions provided on the HR Compensation page because a well-written position description can reduce the amount of time the Compensation team needs to turn around a position evaluation.
All Position Description Templates need to include the career level, family, subfamily, and job title. Career and Job Level Guide level guide is available on the Career Categories and Levels page of the HR website. Job families, subfamilies and a list of job titles are available on the Job Families page of the HR website. If a job title is not listed, naming conventions for job titles are based on level and subfamily. For example, a job in the financial subfamily at the P2 level would have the title Finance Manager II, with the II indicating the career level. For jobs that are in the management (M) category, the career level would come first. In this example if it was a finance role at the M3 level, the title would be Management III Finance.
Position Evaluations
If there are changes to a position, please complete a position evaluation request on the HR Compensation website. The Position Evaluation Request online form provides Compensation with the necessary information to classify the position. If you have any questions regarding the writing and evaluation of position descriptions, please contact: hrcomp@bu.edu or the Office of Research at research@bu.edu.
Salary Increase Requests
All requests for salary increases for existing positions require approval of the Vice President and Associate Provost for Research. Once you have received the VP/AP approval, please submit the Salary Increase form located on the HR Compensation website. This form should only be submitted for recommended increases that are less than 10% of the current base salary. Requests for salary equal to or greater than 10% of the current base salary should be done via a Position Evaluation request to allow Compensation to provide a full review of the level and equity. For Salary Increase Requests, it is helpful to provide a copy of the employee’s resume, or information regarding relevant experience prior to Boston University. Please allow up to ten days for a recommendation from the date of submission. There are also information and resources on the HR Website: Manager Resources Compensation.
For general questions regarding compensation processes, please contact Lena Tamutiene, Director, Finance & Administration in the Office of Research, or submit your question to hrcomp@bu.edu.
If you have questions about how to submit a form in SAP, please visit HR Systems for guides and resources.
Office of Research Personnel Action Matrix
Our office has developed a Personnel Action Matrix document to clarify the workflow process for personnel actions that include creating a new position, promotion/salary increase, processing an overbase payment, and increasing an employee’s percent time. The purpose of the Personnel Action Matrix is to describe the different procedures and to specify what kind of approval is required for each request.
If you have questions about the Matrix, please contact the Office of Research at research@bu.edu.
Hiring New Employees
Please follow these steps to hire a new employee.
- The Hiring Process begins with opening and then posting a vacant position. If a new position is required, you will need to follow the process outlined in Creating/Filling positions. The most important part of this process is ensuring that the job description and requirements are accurate.
- The next step is working with the HR Talent Acquisition Specialist to ensure that your job is posted on the HR Recruitment page and other platforms. You may be interested in posting your job through specific professional organizations that are related to your area of work. This is encouraged, but any associated fees will be incurred by the department. The University has a limited number of slots on LinkedIn for postings and will rotate all requested jobs through those slots. Some websites, like indeed.com, will share postings from organizations on their own website. This is not done at BU’s request, and, therefore, HR has no control of how long postings stay up or how visible they are. In addition to LinkedIn and indeed.com, the University has also recently begun promoting jobs on a variety of DEI platforms such as DiversityTrio Group, HBCUConnect.com, or AbilityJobs.com at no cost to your area.
On the BU’s recruitment page, newer postings push down older postings, and eventually older postings are removed from the “Latest Listing” section of the HR Recruitment page. Once the older postings are removed from the “Latest Listing” page, they are only displayed in the “Current Openings” section. If a position has been posted for over six months, you can request that your Talent Specialist refresh the posting so that it shows back up under Latest Listings.
- Once the Hiring Manager is ready to move forward with their final candidate, contact Molly Davidson, who will help you complete the Offer Detail Form which will be sent to HR to finalize the hiring process. More information on the university hiring procedures can be found on the HR hiring and recruiting page.
- Please keep in mind that departments should not be making offers to candidates themselves and the offers should only come from HR (unless it is an ARJF position or a casual position).
Based on the requirements of the Immigration and Reform and Control Act of 1986, all new employees of Boston University must complete a Form I-9 within their first three days of employment. Employees who do not complete a Form I-9 within their first three days of work will not be able to continue working at the University until a Form I-9 has been completed. Access will be automatically suspended after 3 days, and they will not be able to access University systems or enter time sheets.
After an employee is hired into their new role, they will receive an email prompting them to create a unique BU email and password. Once the BU account has been created, an email will be sent to the employee with a link to BU’s Red Carpet Portal. Here they will submit Section 1 of a federally required I-9 form (in addition to submitting their direct deposit information, updating/verifying personal information, etc.). Section 2 of the Form I-9 should be completed on the new employee’s first day of work in Human Resources. A new employee can complete their I-9 either in person or remote (the I-9 instructions will be included in the HR onboarding email).
Completing a Remote Form I-9
This process should only be used if you are physically not located in Boston during the first three days of employment. If you are being hired for an off-campus location or will not be physically located in Boston during your first three days of work, please contact the HR onboarding team to discuss the possibility of a remote I-9 at onboard@bu.edu.
Remote I-9 instructions are linked here.
Failure to complete an I-9 will result in a loss of access to university systems and resources and could result in the termination of employment with the University.
Please note: All Boston University employees who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents must verify their employment eligibility by completing a Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Document at the International Student and Scholar Office within three days of beginning employment. Additional information, including location and appointments, can be found at the ISSO website.
If you have any questions regarding the I-9 requirement, please contact onboard@bu.edu or visit the I-9 Process page.
Non-Compensated Positions
If your department hired a non-compensated employee (visiting faculty and research scholars) and would like to request an Affiliate Account for the person, please follow the instructions described here. Prior to requesting the Affiliate Account, please review the University’s Policy on Visiting Faculty and Research Scholars.
If a student employee needs access to SAP systems, they need to be hired into a non-compensated position.
Staff Onboarding Checklist
Before your new employee’s first day:
- Order computer equipment, determine what access the employee will need to shared files, and communicate with IT to arrange for computer imaging, security access, etc.
- Work with Telecom to set up a new line or have the information updated on an existing line
- Order basic office supplies: pens, highlighters, and scissors on Terrier Marketplace
- Order a magnetic name badge and business cards on Terrier Marketplace
- Order a key for your employees if needed
- Determine what business roles your new employee will be responsible for and notify your DSA to make sure the position has the correct permissions
- Provide the Office of Research with the employee’s start date
On your new employee’s first day or shortly after:
- Your new hire will most likely begin their first day by attending a half-day orientation session led by Human Resources
- After orientation, when your new employee arrives in the office, provide a tour of the office space, and show the employee the kitchen, restrooms, and supply closet.
- Send an email introducing the employee to the relevant areas
- Determine what trainings the new hire should attend
Staff Departure Checklist
Letter of Resignation
- A letter of resignation is required to post the position for hire.
Time Off Requests
Make sure sick and vacation time has been entered and approved prior to the last workday. Note: employees cannot take vacation on the last day of employment.
Reconcile Travel and Purchase-card Charges
- The employee should reconcile all Concur and P-Card charges and contact both card offices about his/her change in position. Both cards should be returned to the employee’s manager.
Contact Your DSA
- Please notify your area’s DSA so the employee can be removed as a cost object approver in Concur.
Parking and Transportation Services
- If a departing employee has parking or T-pass, he/she should contact Parking and Transportation Services to stop future charges to the account. Physical parking permits must be returned.
Exit Interviews
- Optional exit interviews should be scheduled with the employee’s manager or Human Resources.
Keys and BUIDs
- All office keys and the employee’s BUID must be returned to the employee’s manager on his/her last day.
Out of Office and Voicemail Messages
- Please determine if it’s appropriate to leave a message by email or voicemail regarding departure.
Performance Evaluation
Performance evaluations are conducted on an annual basis and managed by the HR Business Partners, Compensation and the Office of Research. The Annual Merit Process is administered based on employee type (to see the list of the three employee types eligible for merit and associated timelines, please visit the Annual Merit Process page). Our office will reach out to the Center Administrators well in advance of the HR deadlines regarding the process details and the timeline.
Please note that while academic researchers are not listed on the HR’s website as a separate employee type, our office can assist your area with managing the group’s performance evaluation process at the same time as it is done for non-represented staff. However, if any individuals are supported on grants or restricted funds, recommended increases must be supported by external or restricted funds. For individuals in the Academic Research Job Family, central administration will only be providing additional funds for those positions set to be paid from unrestricted budgets.
If you have questions about the process, please contact the Office of Research and/or your HR Business Partner.
To find resources regarding different performance management tools, please visit this page.
Employee Handbook
BU Employee Handbook can be found here.
Remote Work
For the most up-to-date remote work policies at BU, please refer to this page. Per the university’s policy, eligible staff members may request to work remotely up to two days per week by completing an electronic Remote Work Request Form.
Please note that in order to be eligible to request remote work arrangements, an employee has to have no active correction action in place (some examples are non-compliance with vaccination requirement and performance improvement plan). To be able to work remotely a couple of days a week, an employee has to have an overall performance rating of 3 (successful) or above on the most recent performance evaluation.
If there is a change to the employee’s remote work schedule, including an update to different days or the number of days, a new remote work request should be submitted.
No exceptions can be made without prior approval from Gloria Waters, the Associate Provost and VP of Research. Any requests for an exception must include a justification.