Orientation – Staff

General Information

The UBC Online Orientation provides helpful orientation information for new faculty and staff. It provides information on topics such as immigration, relocation, accommodation, childcare, important dates, and more.

In-person orientation sessions are available on campus on a quarterly basis. New faculty and staff from all sites are encouraged to attend.

Please review UBC Policies including the UBC Respectful Environment Policy.

The UBC Faculty & Administrative Directory provides contact information for all UBC faculty and staff.

The Department Directory provides detailed contact information for department faculty and staff.  Please contact Donna Bradley if need to have your information updated.

An inter-hospital shuttle offers free transportation between BC Children's/Women's Hospitals, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Cancer Agency, and St. Paul's Hospital. There is another shuttle that runs between VGH and UBC Hospital. This shuttle will also accept mail to courier between sites. More information about each hospital site can be found at the following: BC Women's, VGH, St. Paul's.

The UBC Card can be used as your official UBC ID, library card, and to access facilities including the gym and aquatic centre. You can apply for your UBC Card on campus or online. If you choose not to obtain a UBC Card, you may obtain a UBC Library Card to borrow materials and to use online databases and services. UBC employees are also entitled to various perks including attraction and fitness discounts.

Faculty-Staff Housing & Relocation Services can provide information on the Faculty-Staff Restricted Rental Housing Program, Faculty Down Payment Assistance and Mortgage Assistance Programs, Faculty Home Ownership Program, special purchase incentives from third-party developers, and resources for finding off-campus rentals or for-purchase housing.

Workplace Learning offers professional development workshops to support career and personal development. The workshops are open to the community, with discounts available for faculty and staff.

UBC Coaching offers free one-on-one professional coaching services to faculty and staff. Coaching is a series of confidential meetings focused on achieving the client's goal which could include any of: solving a program, developing performance, strategic planning, creating change, etc.

New to Vancouver/Canada

If you are new to Vancouver and Canada, the Before You Arrive site provides information on work permits, benefits, income tax, medical coverage, spousal employment, housing assistance, childcare, banking and driving.

The UBC Work-Life Relocation Centre offers assistance to faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and staff who are relocating to join UBC. They offer advice on housing, relocation, family care, health care, etc.

Faculty-Staff Housing & Relocation Services can provide information on the Faculty-Staff Restricted Rental Housing Program, Faculty Down Payment Assistance and Mortgage Assistance Programs, Faculty Home Ownership Program, special purchase incentives from third-party developers, and resources for finding off-campus rentals or for-purchase housing.

The Medical Services Plan (MSP) is the Provincial Government's medical insurance plan. It pays for medically required services of physicians and surgeons. Under the Medicare Protection Act, enrolment with the MSP is mandatory for all eligible residents and their dependents.

New or returning BC residents must complete a waiting period before they are eligible for MSP. The waiting period consists of the balance of the month of arrival, plus two months. New residents coming from other parts of Canada should maintain coverage with their formal provincial medical plan during this waiting period. New or returning residents from outside Canada should arrange for private coverage during the waiting period for MSP. Private coverage can be purchased through David Cummings Insurance Services.

Foreign academics who are visitors to Canada and are issued a Visitor Permit rather than a Work Permit are not considered residents of BC. These individuals should arrange for medical insurance coverage from the current insurance carrier or a private carrier such as David Cumming Insurance Services.

If you are accompanied by your spouse (including common-law partner) and provided your work permit is valid for at least six months, s/he may be eligible to apply for a spousal work permit. Please see the Citizenship & Immigration Canada website for more information.

If you will be paid via UBC Payroll, you must apply for a Social Insurance Number, in person at a Service Canada Office. The SIN is a 9-digit number used in administration of various Canadian government programs.

While at UBC, any earnings are considered Canadian income, unless otherwise indicated by the Canada Revenue Agency in writing prior to your arrival. Please note that by law, deductions are taken from your salary for Canada Income Tax, Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI). If you receive fellowship earnings, CPP and EI will not be deducted. In the spring of every year, you will receive T4 and/or T4A slips from Payroll, which will be used to file your tax return. You must ensure that your forwarding address is up to date in the event you leave UBC prior to this time. Please contact a financial advisor or the Canada Revenue Agency for tax and financial information.

New Employees

Workday is the portal where employees can view and update personal information, view employment information, review pay stubs, and download an electronic T4. This is also where UBC employees can apply for UBC jobs as an internal applicant.

Salaries are paid twice monthly (15th and the last day of the month). It is mandatory to have direct deposit at UBC. Sometimes there is a delay for the first pay cheque, and it may need to be picked up in person on campus. Pay stubs and T4 slips can be found on Workday under Pay.

Faculty and staff are entitled to various leaves including vacation, sick, medical/dental, personal, maternity/paternity/parental, etc. depending on the employee group. Please see the UBC Leaves site and select your employee group. Please contact Donna Bradley for questions about leave entitlements.

UBC offers wide-ranging benefits that vary by employee group. Benefits for specific employee groups can be found on the UBC Benefits site. You will be directed to enroll in your employee benefits package during your onboarding process via Workday.

The Department Ergonomics Representative is available to advise on computer workstation set-up, signs and symptoms of ergonomic injuries and control strategies to reduce or prevent symptoms. Contact Donna Bradley if you would like assistance.

The purpose of performance development & review is to enrich the existing job, expand an employee’s capabilities within the organization, help foster the working relationship between supervisors and employees, provides an opportunity to clearly identify performance expectations, as well as improve job satisfaction. It is strongly recommended that performance reviews take place on an annual basis, providing an opportunity to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement and to set goals for the coming year.

UBC employees are required to complete online training for the Prevention of Bullying & Harassment in the Workplace upon starting employment. Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this training and provide Donna Bradley with the completion certificate.

If you are leaving your position, please inform your manager and Donna Bradley as soon as possible, as it takes several weeks to process a resignation or transfer.

Research Staff Training

Lab safety training is offered free of charge to UBC faculty, staff, and students. Courses include Laboratory Biological Safety, Laboratory Chemical Safety, etc. Please contact Larisse Melo, Interim Research Program Manager, if you need assistance in determining appropriate training.

The Occupational & Preventive Health Program is a comprehensive in-house program that seeks to protect the health and well-being of UBC employees. This program offers services such as vaccinations, health screenings, lab tests and consultations for other occupational health concerns. These services are offered free of charge to UBC employees and are confidential. Anyone whose work involves exposure to animal species, human blood, body fluid, tissue or cell lines, human feces, urine, infectious biological agents and/or work in a hospital facility should enroll in this program.

Animal care training courses are offered to all employees who work with animals in teaching and research at UBC. The Experimental Animal User Training Program is required and is free of charge.

All personnel who will have contact with human research participants are required to complete the Online Tutorial for the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2 2018).

UBC employees working at PHSA sites must complete mandatory privacy education through the online Privacy and Confidentiality course available through the PHSA Learning Hub.

Staff Employee Groups

CUPE 2950

The CUPE 2950 Collective Agreement outlines the terms and conditions of CUPE 2950 staff members’ employment. It is strongly recommended that you review this document in detail upon your hire.

A CUPE 2950 orientation session is mandatory for new employees. It provides information on the collective agreement, benefits, professional development opportunities, etc. Register by contacting the CUPE office.

The Job Skills Training Program provides funding of up to $1400 per year for professional development purposes. Review activity and course eligibility and guidelines for approval and reimbursement at the JSTP site.

LinkedIn Learning is an online training service to which CUPE 2950 staff have unlimited access. LinkedIn Learning has a library of online software, technology and professional business practices training.

If your responsibilities include finance-related activities, you may be interested in taking Workday courses.

All CUPE 2950 employees are entitled to Christmas Leave, paid time off for the three working days between Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

Management & Professional (M&P)

The Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS) Agreement outlines the terms and conditions of Management & Professional staff members’ employment. It is strongly recommended that you review this document in detail upon your hire.

The AAPS New Member Information Session will inform you about the services you are entitled to as a member of AAPS as well as provide an overview of the organization. AAPS encourages you to attend soon after your start date. Information on this session will be in your offer letter.

The M&P Professional Development Fund provides funding up to $550 per year. Please review eligible activities and application procedures on the M&P PD Fund site.

The Managing at UBC program provides support to new managers or managers new to UBC (within the first year). This is a self-directed program that includes coaching, online lessons and resources and in-person workshops.

If your responsibilities include finance-related activities, you may be interested in taking Workday courses.

The M&P Health Spending Account is available for use for reimbursement for benefit expenses not covered by extended health or dental plans. Those who are enrolled in the M&P extended health plan are eligible for this benefit. Detailed information including eligibility, process for reimbursement, and eligible expenses can be found on the HSA site.

Christmas Leave is not an entitlement for M&P staff, rather it is a benefit that can be offered for extra work or outstanding service throughout the year. Please discuss this with your supervisor. Generally, this time is given as paid time off as it is usually recognized that M&P staff work significantly more hours than is outlined in the Agreement.

Non-Union Technicians/Research Assistants (NUT)

The Handbook for Non-Union Technicians & Research Assistants outlines the terms and conditions of NUT/RA employment. It is strongly recommended that you review this document in detail upon your hire.

NUT/RAs are eligible to apply for funding from the Professional Development Fund in the amount of $800 per year.

Christmas Leave is the three days between Boxing Day and New Year's Day. It is expected that NUT staff are given these three days as paid time off. If it is operationally necessary for employees to work on these days, they must be given three days of paid time off at another time.