Termination
Academic Staff
Termination refers to the various ways that an academic staff member’s employment relationship with the University can end. Managers are accountable to ensure employees are terminated in a timely manner to minimize any financial or reputational risks. When applicable the online termination form should be submitted at least fours business days before the last day worked. For step-by-step instructions on how to complete a Termination form, see the Termination Request Reference Guide.
Commitment to Timely Terminations
Submitting a termination request promptly is a key managerial responsibility. Delaying this straightforward process can lead to negative consequences for the University. Things such as overpayments and unauthorized access to information can easily be avoided by submitting employee Terminations in a timely manner. Managers can also request a Administrator with the HR Forms Initiator role to support with terminations to ensure they are completed promptly.
For more information on the importance of Timely Terminations see the learning module Timely Terminations: Processing Voluntary Departures at the University of Calgary.
Termination Types
Find the different types of terminations and corresponding processes outlined below.
A resignation is a voluntary termination and is initiated when an employee submits a resignation letter.
Article 31.1: A member of the academic staff intending to resign shall write a formal letter of resignation to the President, with a copy to the Head of the Department and to the Dean, as early as possible, and preferably not later than four months before the date of resignation.
An online termination form must be submitted to ensure the resignation is processed to the system, and the below Offboarding checklist completed. The employee’s resignation letter should be uploaded to the termination form.
Employees are asked to provide three (3) months notice of retirement to their manager. Note to be eligible for retirement the employee must either be; 55 or more years of age and have 2 or more years of pensionable service, or be 65 or more years of age.
An online Termination form must be submitted for the retirement and the below Offboarding checklist completed. Note a retirement letter is required to be upload to the form.
If the retiring employee has a minimum of two (2) years of service there are university funds available to support a retirement party/gift. For information on accessing these funds please email totalrewards@ucalgary.ca.
Research and Scholarship Leave Retirement Program (Article 16.21)
If an academic staff member is interested in retirement at the conclusion of their research and scholarship leave or administrative leave, they must submit a separate notice of retirement to the Dean, as early as possible, but usually after the time the research and scholarship leave or administrative leave is approved and no later than three months before the commencement of the leave (i.e. they have to signal they are going to retire before they go on leave).
Article 16.21 applies to academic staff members:
- who are sixty (60) years of age or older with at least fifteen (15) years of continuous service; or
- who are sixty-five (65) years of age with at least three (3) years of continuous service in a full-time, Continuing, Contingent Term or Limited Term appointment by the end of the research and scholarship leave or administrative leave
For more information on RSL to Retirement, see Article 16.21. An online Termination form must be submitted for the retirement and the below Offboarding checklist completed. Note a retirement letter is required to be upload to the form.
Academic appointees holding Specific Term appointments of more than twelve months shall normally receive a written decision whether there shall be a renewal of contract, not less than four months before the end of the stipulated period of contract.
For more information, contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca.
A termination is considered involuntary when a regular appointment is being terminated at the discretion of the department or when a temporary appointment is being terminated prior to its expected end-date and at the discretion of the department. Examples include position abolishment and probationary release.
Managers should connect with their HR Partner for more information and support with involuntary terminations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about the new Termination form
The job termination process is being updated to reduce manual paperwork, increase efficiency, and simplify tasks for managers and form initiators. This update aims to optimize workflows, minimize complications, and improve the effectiveness of managing employee transitions, aligning with the University’s commitment to streamlining operations and improving overall efficiency.
Users can now upload resignation and retirement letters directly within the form, eliminating the need for separate email submissions. Additionally, individuals holding the HR Forms Initiator role will have the capability to submit termination requests on behalf of managers. Automation will be implemented for processing terminations across various job types within HR. Furthermore, a new functionality will enable leaders to submit terminations for all Academic positions. Email notifications will be sent to confirm the submission of terminations.
To navigate to the Request Termination page, log into the My UCalgary portal. Navigate to My work and select the HR Transactions tile. From the menu, choose: Request Termination (Manager) if you are a Reports-to Manager or Request Termination (Admin) if you are a Forms Initiator. For detailed instructions, see Termination Request quick reference guide.
The form will be applicable to all Salaried and Recurring Part-time Support Staff, as well as all Management and Professional Staff, and Academic positions. It serves as the online termination platform for resignations and retirements across all staff groups.
Administrators holding the HR Forms Initiator roleset will have the capability to submit termination requests on behalf of managers. HR Forms Initiator is a security access role requested through a PeopleSoft Access Request (PSAR). To submit a PSAR request, visit the IT website: https://ucalgary.service-now.com/it?id=kb_article&sys_id=c722d0cbdb37b01498a40d53ca9619ab
HR will contact you and request that you complete the termination form online.
Resignation and retirement letters are essential for salaried, regular, and continuing positions but are not mandatory for contractual roles with defined end dates. If you've forgotten to include resignation or retirement letters with the online form, please make every effort to obtain them and submit to hr@ucalgary.ca. If you're unable to provide the letter, please include an explanation. HR will ensure that all documentation is properly recorded in the employee file.
For assistance with submitting online, resources are available to guide you through the process. For detailed instructions, review the Reference Guide. For further assistance, contact UService at hr@ucalgary.ca.
Offboarding
This checklist outlines the steps a manager should follow to support the resignation/retirement of an academic staff member.
Working with the academic as well as any designated contacts in your department, follow the steps outlined below to ensure the exit process runs smoothly. Not all steps will apply to all employees; complete only if applicable.
Preparing for Exit/Transfer
As soon as you are aware of an academic's resignation / retirement, send the departing academic a link to their Academic Staff Member Offboarding webpage and ensure they work to complete the tasks on their checklist. This includes valuable information for them, including how to register for an alumni email account.
Academics must provide a written resignation/retirement letter to the President, with a copy to the Head of the Department and to the Dean as per Article 31.1. : A member of the academic staff intending to resign shall write a formal letter of resignation to the President, with a copy to the Head of the Department and to the Dean, as early as possible, and preferably not later than four months before the date of resignation.
An online termination form must be submitted to ensure the resignation is processed to the system, and the below Offboarding checklist completed. The employee’s resignation letter should be uploaded to the termination form.
For Project Budget Owners
Meet with the academic to discuss how their research project will proceed and items related to any to students and/or research staff on the project.
- Research Services
- Research Accounting
- Ethics Board (CFREB or CHREB)
- Animal Care
- Biosafety Committee
- Calgary Centre for Clinical Research
If the academic is leaving the university and will be closing down their lab, they are asked to follow the Procedure for Lab Check-Out to properly decommission their lab.
Questions?
Contact Environment, Health and Safety at 403.220-6345 or ucsafety@ucalgary.ca for more information
Connect with the Employee
The following activities are typically completed just prior to the employee's departure.
Arrange a time to meet with the employee to discuss the status of their teaching/projects/committee involvement/etc. and plans for knowledge transfer as required. In addition to any knowledge transfer that must take place, ensure any university information/data is also transferred to an accessible secure shared drive and is not saved on the staff member's computer drive.
Email accounts cannot be accessed (by a former employee) after an employee departs and managers can only request access to terminated accounts in certain circumstances.
Departing staff are not eligible to keep their @ucalgary.ca account after termination regardless of former student or alumni status. Staff may still register an alumni account.
If the employee has asked you to provide a written or verbal reference, ensure you have them complete the Reference Consent Form and keep it on file for one year.
Ensure the employee has submitted all outstanding expenses, including Professional Expense Reimbursement (PER), before the end of their last day. Also, if the employee has any outstanding expense advances, ensure they have been paid back.
If relocation reimbursement was provided for the staff member and they are leaving the university prior to the return-in-service commitment being met, they will be required to refund the remaining portion. See the Relocation Expenses - Operating Standards and Practices (section 4.7 – 4.9) for additional details.
Human Resources will be in contact with the individual to indicate the amount owing and discuss repayment options.
Please contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca for further actions.
Except for the RSL to Retirement program, all academic staff members must return and render regular, full-time service to the university equal to the number of months comprising the Research & Scholarship Leave, or reimburse the university for the amount of assistance received during the leave period. See the RSL website and the Collective Agreement 16.20(a)
Please contract hracadem@ucalgary.ca for further action.
Academic staff members are expected to take their full entitlement to paid vacation prior to termination. Except where the fulfillment of university duties precludes a staff member from taking their full entitlement, pay in lieu will not be permitted.
Refer to Schedule "A", Clause 2.15 and 2.16 for details regarding the accrual of annual vacation and procedures pertaining to the academic vacation payout process. If a vacation payout is required, complete the Termination of Employment - Vacation Payout Form.
Ensure all equipment and/or software (e.g. cell phone, computer and peripherals, tools, research equipment, etc.) have been returned and given back to the appropriate stakeholder.
Collect any University Credit Cards (P-Card or T & E Card) in the employee's name and destroy the card(s). Visa Purchasing Cardholder Maintenance and/or Travel & Expense Cardholder Maintenance forms will need to be completed to cancel the card(s).
On the employee's last day, ensure they return all keys/swipe access cards (including office, filing cabinet, building access cards, electronic access cards, etc.). Also, collect all remaining business cards.
If the employee is leaving the university, you should also collect and destroy their employee ID card (Unicard).
If the employee has swipe access to any buildings/offices/labs, etc., contact your access administrator to remove access as appropriate.
Administrative Preparation
Send an email to the individuals in your faculty/unit to let them know the employee will be leaving. A sample email is included below:
It is with mixed feelings that I announce [employee's name] will be leaving our team and her/his last day will be [Date]. Please join me in thanking [employee's name] for all they have done over the last [x months/years] to [provide some specific details about the employee's contributions, projects, etc.].
Please join me in wishing [employee's name] all the best in his/her future endeavors.
Best regards,
[Manager]
You are no longer required to complete an IT access removal form as part of the off-boarding process when an employee is leaving the University of Calgary. The process for IT is triggered automatically based on PeopleSoft HR data when an employee no longer has an active job record. Access removal includes, but is not limited to: shared drives, shared email accounts, SecurID, and individual file shares.
In the event of a transfer and access removal is required, please select the appropriate IT service from the IT website that the access removal is associated with on the services page.
If the employee has access to any stand-alone applications or systems (those that are not authenticated through their IT account), ensure you contact the appropriate administrator to remove their access.
Prior to their last day, remove any temporary delegation for Finance or Human Resource transactions effective their last day.
If this employee was a department budget owner in your faculty or unit, contact the Finance Partners in your area to identify impacts their departure might have on administration of budgets in your faculty or unit. It is important that their departure does not leave a gap in the approval processes required to maintain consistent faculty or unit operations.
Request a change or termination of the telephone using an Information Technology Voice and Network Services request form.
Ensure the faculty/unit phone and email lists as well as website contact lists/information including their faculty profile, have been updated by contacting the appropriate administrator(s) in your area.
For Employees Retiring
If the retiring employee has a minimum of two (2) years of service, there are university funds available to support a retirement party/gift.
For information on accessing these funds, email totalrewards@ucalgary.ca.