Offboarding
Academic Staff
Working with your manager and/or a designated contact in your department/faculty, follow the steps outlined below to ensure your exit runs smoothly. Not all steps will apply to all employees — complete only if applicable.
Preparing for Your Resignation/Retirement
Academics intending to resign or retire must 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 (preferably not later than four (4) months before the date of resignation).
If you are an academic with a defined end date (e.g. Contingent, Limited Term, or Sessional) and your appointment is ending on the pre-determined date, you do not need to submit a letter.
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.
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.
For information on the termination of benefits coverage, benefit claims submission after termination, as well as information regarding your pension contributions (if applicable), visit the Benefits and Pension at Termination of Employment section on the Life Events page.
You are invited to take a few moments prior to your departure to complete the University of Calgary Employee Exit Survey. This survey was designed to help the university understand where it can improve or develop to increase staff and faculty satisfaction. An invitation to complete this survey will also be emailed to you once HR has received your resignation letter and the exit processed.
Ensure all outstanding expenses, including your Professional Expense Reimbursement (PER), have been submitted prior to your last day. Also, if you had submitted any outstanding expense advances, ensure they have been paid back.
For Project Budget Owners
Meet with your Department Head and/or Associate Dean Research to discuss how your research project will proceed and how students and/or research staff on the project may be affected.
Notify your funding agency that you are leaving the University of Calgary. The Tri-Council (CHIR, NSERC and SSHRC) has checklists for those individuals holding Tri-Council funds who are leaving an institution. Project Holders with funding from other sources should contact Research Services.
Notify both Research Services and Research Accounting in advance of your departure so they can address any updates/changes required to your project account(s).
Research Accounting: rtahelp@ucalgary.ca or 403.210.7900
Research Services: very@ucalgary.ca or 403.220.4121
Contact the following offices to notify them of your departure, as appropriate:
- Ethics Board (CFREB or CHREB)
- Animal Care
- Biosafety Committee
- Calgary Centre for Clinical Research
If you have clinical research, next steps will depend on whether or not the study will be on-going or is finished. For both scenarios, first determine whether or not the study has previously been submitted into PSP. If yes, proceed to the instructions outlined below for each scenario. If no, add the project code under the section "My Existing Protocol Submissions" in PSP. Answer all questions as completely as possible — all documents attached will become the repository for the file. In the shared comments box, indicate whether this PSP submission is for the purpose of closing the project code or for an amendment. Wait unit CCCR moves this project code to your list called "My Approved Protocols" before continuing to the next step.
Scenario A: PI leaving the University of Calgary and the study is still on-going
If the study is on-going, the PI has to find a suitable replacement to take over the study. Ethics must be notified about the change in PI as well as the sponsor. In PSP, please make a submission under "Contract/Protocol Amendment." Fill in all the information, select the corresponding project code from the drop-down box, choose the new PI's name in the field for "PI," and indicate in the comments section that the amendment is for a change in PI. Attach a draft amendment from the sponsor for this PI change (in Word Document format), Ethics approval letter of this change, and any other relevant additional documents. The submission will move to the Legal Department's worklist for review. When ready for signatures, CCCR will be notified by Legal and will assist in getting the amendment executed. After everything is done, the amendment request will move to the "Approved" list.
Scenario B: PI leaving the University of Calgary and the study is finished
If the study is finished, a project code closure request should be submitted. Please refer to the CCCR website for the necessary forms. The project code closure process is a two-step process.
If there is Ethics approval, Ethics is required to be notified of the completion of the study using the Completion/Termination Form 7. Once the signed Form 7 has been received by Ethics attach it to the signed CCCR project code closure form.
Complete and sign the CCCR project code closure form. Ensure to identify the number of boxes to be archived and the number of years to be archived. CCCR will remove the archiving fees based on this information before the project code is closed. Additionally, the CCCR website has more information regarding off-site storage. Submit both the signed Form 7 and CCCR project code closure form on PSP. The link to PSP is also on the CCCR website. It is not necessary to submit a request to zero out the funds in the project code prior to submit a request to close. All transfers will be performed with one request to close the project code.
PSP Project Code Closure Procedures
Submit your request under the section "My Closure Request" and complete the fields and attach signed Form 7 and signed CCCR Project Code Closure Form. Select the corresponding project code in the drop down menu.
Questions?
Visit the Calgary Centre for Clinical Research (CCCR) website for contact information.
Visit the Procedure for Lab Check-Out for details on the process to properly decommission your lab.
Questions?
Contact Environment, Health and Safety at ucsafety@ucalgary.ca or 403.220.6345 for more information.
Connect with Your Manager
The following activities are typically completed just prior to your departure.
If you have any university credit cards (P-Card or T & E Card), ensure you provide the card(s) to your manager prior to your last day. Visa Purchasing Cardholder Maintenance and/or Travel & Expense Cardholder Maintenance forms will need to be completed to cancel the card(s).
Return all equipment and/or software (e.g. cell phone, computer and peripherals, tools, research equipment, etc.) to your manager.
Also, ensure you return any rental equipment or library resources on loan from university service providers
On your last day, return your SecurID (if applicable) and all keys/swipe access cards (including office, lab, filing cabinet, building access cards, electronic access cards, etc.) to your manager. Also, provide all remaining business cards to your manager.
If you are leaving the university, you should also return your employee ID card (Unicard) to your manager.
For Employees Leaving the University
The following section applies to those who will not be maintaining a working relationship with the university (examples of ongoing working relationships include Term Certain Instructor, Emeritus, Faculty Professor, or Retired Short Term appointments).
Arrange a time to meet with your manager to discuss the status of your teaching/projects/committee involvement/etc. and plans for knowledge transfer as needed. 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 your computer drive.
For UCalgary Campus - if you have a parking permit, return it to Parking Services in a timely manner. Permit holders can expect to be charged as follows:
- By the 3rd day of the month: No charge for that month
- Between the 3rd and the 15th day of the month: Charged for half the month
- Between the 16th and the end of the month: Charged for the full months.
For parking at Foothills (Alberta Health Services) - please contact parkingcalgary@albertahealthservices.ca to arrange cancelation or changes to your parking.
Ensure your mailing address is up-to-date. Accurate contact information will ensure that final pay advices and tax receipts are directed to your correct address after departure. To verify and update your personal information, including home address and phone number:
- login to the myUCalgary portal
- Select All about me
- All personal info can be updated under My info
Ensure the banking information you provided in your Direct Deposit Information will be valid for a minimum of 30 days after you leave the university. Expense reimbursements or vacation payouts may not be processed until after your last day of work. To ensure you receive these payments in a timely manner, it is recommended that you keep your bank accounts open until you have received all final monies owed by the university.
Ensure you print off any required pay statements or tax receipts for your personal records. If you have any personal emails in your email account, please export these before your termination date. Access to this information will not be available after your termination date.
If you would like your manager or a colleague to provide a written or verbal reference, ensure you complete the Reference Consent Form for Employees and provide them with a copy.
If you currently participate in the Universities Academic Pension Plan (UAPP), a termination options package will be sent directly to your home address (from UAPP) within 8 weeks after your last day of employment. Ensure that your current address is provided on PeopleSoft.
If you have previous service in the Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP), i.e. Combined Pensionable Service, Alberta Pensions Services Corporation will provide a termination options package and send it directly to your home address within eight weeks after your last day of employment. Ensure that your current address is provided on PeopleSoft.
If applicable, you can apply for a alumni email account. Staff are not eligible to keep their @ucalgary.ca account after termination regardless of former student or alumni status.
For Employees Retiring
Review retirement information and resources on the Life Events page (under Pension Estimates/Retirement).
Shortly after retirement, the Unicard Office (Main Campus in the Dining Centre, Room 18) can provide you with a Retired ID Card. This card can be used to access retiree benefits outlined in the Information for Retiring Academic Staff.
For those with Emeritus appointments, consider joining the Emeritus Association to stay connected with colleagues and take advantage of association events and activities.