Human Resources and Payroll Information

Human Resources and Payroll Information

As the department HR/Payroll coordinators, our jobs are to provide HR advising and facilitation/submission of all hiring requests following COM-T; UArizona and federal/non-federal guidelines. 

For hiring, payroll increases, Talent postings, Career Conversations:     Denise Carrillo (dyg@arizona.eduFor Employee Performance/Management issues: Christine Duddleston (cmeranza@arizona.edu)


Our Role:

  •  Find type of position to fill based on info from PI.  Supply PI list of job titles, pay ranges based on duties.
  •  Submits required HR documents to COM-T HR for review.
  •  Provide regular status updates on position creation.
  •  Work with COM-T HR and PI to finalize position.
  •  Posts approved position on Talent.
  •  Generates/Issues Offer letter.
  •  Completes official hiring process.
  •  Sends new hire “Welcome” email and provides “Welcome” packet.

COM-T HR’s Role:

•    Ensures positions are consistently and equitably mapped to career architecture.
•    Advises on compensation best practices.
•    Advises on career path/options for incumbent employees and new hires.
•    Consults on employee performance issues, reductions/increases in FTE, lay-offs, non-renewals.

Hiring Manager Role:

  •   Connect with Physiology business office at least four weeks in advance of desired start date for new hires (Complete New Hire Request form).
  •   Complete the Position Description form providing as many details as possible for job duties.
  •   When Talent posting has been open for 7 calendar days, review applicants on the 8th day. A minimum of two qualified candidates (applicants who meet minimum qualifications) must be interviewed when the applicant pool yields ten or more qualified candidates.
  •   When candidate is chosen – confirm desired pay with business office BEFORE making a verbal offer.
  •  Complete reference checks. Recommend getting 3 professional references.  If the candidate previously worked at UA, we can assist in obtaining employment history.
  • Work with Physiology Business Office on letter of offer and start date. (Preferably beginning of pay period with enough lead time to complete transaction process for easier on-boarding)
  • Disposition remaining applicants in Talent
  • Retain all recruitment notes/materials for 3 calendar years from the date of hire.
  • Plan for on boarding of new hire.
  • When in doubt, ask first!

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity employer. Most positions require competitive recruitment via UA Talent. For assistance with hiring students/staff/faculty/postdocs/grads, please reach out to Denise Carrillo at dyg@arizona.edu.  Because the hiring process for staff/postdocs can take up to 3-4 business weeks to complete, it is important to reach out to Denise well in advance for any hiring requests. To facilitate the hiring of a staff or postdoctoral research associate, please complete a PSIO Staff/Postdoc Hire Request Form.   To facilitate the hire of a student employee (grad and/or undergrad), please review the guidelines for hiring student employees (see below). 

To the greatest extent possible, all personnel actions should be implemented on the first day of a pay period. This includes promotions (position life-cycle), FTE changes, pay increases, etc.  This minimizes the workflow burden placed on processing units and is an expectation of the Provost's Office and Workforce Systems. 

To facilitate the hiring of an undergraduate student - please read the guidelines below and submit a complete Student Hire Request Form to Denise Carrillo, dyg@arizona.edu

Student Worker: A student worker is a part-time employee who is concurrently enrolled at the University of Arizona. The student’s employment is interim or temporary in nature and is incidental to the pursuit of the student’s education. Student workers are at-will employees. There is no guarantee of employment, implied or otherwise. Student workers must be currently enrolled at the University of Arizona and actively attending classes in accordance with the enrollment requirements below. Student workers must continue to be enrolled for the appropriate number of units for the duration of student employment. Incoming students who have not yet begun classes, or graduating students who have completed their last exams or course requirements, are not eligible for student employment.

The hiring of student employees is exempt from UA Talent requirements.

Enrollment Requirements

It is the employing department’s responsibility to verify that a student worker meets the following minimum enrollment requirements each semester of student employment.

  • Fall Semester: Minimum enrollment of 6 credit hours.
  • Spring Semester: Minimum enrollment of 6 credit hours.
  • Summer Session:  Minimum enrollment of
    •  at least 3 credit hours during Summer Session; or,
    • if not enrolled in at least 3 credit hours during Summer Session, the student must have completed at least 6 credit hours during the previous Spring semester and be registered for at least 6 credit hours for the following Fall semester.
  • Winter Session:  Minimum enrollment of
    •  at least 3 credit hours during Winter Session; or,
    •  if not enrolled in at least 3 credit hours during Winter Session, the student must have completed at least 6 credit hours during the previous Fall semester and be registered for at least 6 credit hours for the following Spring semester.

Off-Cycle Merit Increase

To facilitate a salary increase outside of the salary increase program or any mandated raises, the College of Medicine - Tucson requires:

  • Completed Off Cycle Merit Increase form
  • Most recent Career Conversation
  • Resume
Incumbent Review

If a position duties are changing more than 30%, an incumbent review may be warranted.    To facilitate an incumbent review, COM-T HR requires the following documents:

  • Completed Incumbent Review form
  • Position Description for the new position
  • Most recent Career Conversation
  • Resume
  • Correspondence that shows the department chair/head and/or supervisor is in support of the IR.

Stated Policy

Effective July 1, 2023, all current and newly hired Postdoctoral employees, regardless of the position title,  must be hired at or increased to the new minimum annualized salary of $56,484 prorated by FTE.  Postdoc appointments may be renewed on a year-to-year basis for not more than four (4) years after the initial appointment, whereupon their employment as a postdoc at the UA terminates.  Please consult with your assigned Human Resources Consultant if you have any questions. 

Conditions of Postdoctoral Service

Postdoctoral Affairs 

The University encourages open communication and goal setting between supervisors and employees.  Should performance issues arise, please contact Christine Duddleston, cmeranza@arizona.edu for consulting advice. Read below for more information about performance guidelines from the University of Arizona Human Resources Department. 


Career Conversation

Career Conversations are yearly structured discussions between staff members and their supervisors. They are designed to support staff success and growth through reflection, planning, problem solving, and honest and constructive feedback. Career Conversations begin when staff members reflect on their significant accomplishments, key strengths, and goals for the future, and continue during check-in meetings throughout the year.  More information about Career Conversations can be found on the Career Conversations website created by Human Resources.

Supervisors are expected to assist employees in achieving acceptable performance and conduct through frequent communication, performance evaluations, and setting clear standards.

Whenever possible and appropriate, supervisors are encouraged to use informal or formal corrective action to address  performance issues, inappropriate conduct, or policy violations. Corrective actions, whether formal or informal, are not progressive and may occur in any order, depending on the individual circumstances.

Informal Corrective Action

Informal corrective action does not require consultation from the Division of Human Resources, although Sr. HR Partners are available to provide guidance. Informal corrective action may take the form of:

Coaching: Ongoing conversations with employees to provide guidance and support in order to successfully meet performance expectations and goals.

Corrective Counseling: Informal conversations for the purpose of correcting behavior and discussing specific actions or behaviors to improve performance.

Verbal Warning: Communication to an employee that behavior or performance is not acceptable and must be improved.

Supervisors are advised to follow up on informal corrective action with a written summary to the employee of the conversation that includes expectations.

Formal Corrective Action

Before initiating formal corrective action, the supervisor should consult the designated Sr. HR Partner within the Division of Human Resources and obtain guidance and approval for corrective action. Formal corrective action may include:

Written Warning: A document notifying an employee that behavior or performance is not acceptable and must be improved. It also notifies the employee of specific policy violation(s) and that the employee may be subject to discharge if the behavior or performance does not improve.

Performance Improvement Plan (PIP): A document that describes the steps an employee must take within a specific timeframe to meet departmental expectations. A PIP is warranted for serious performance/conduct issues or when there is a pattern of sustained issues without significant improvement. The PIP  includes a statement that failure to complete the improvement plan may result in discharge.

Suspension Without Pay: A temporary release from duty without pay, when it is determined that a violation of policy or an employee’s conduct is serious enough to warrant such action.

Whenever possible, the supervisor will issue the corrective action in a meeting with the employee. Supervisors are responsible for providing a copy of the corrective action document to the employee and forwarding a copy to the Division of Human Resources – Employee Records and the Sr. HR Partner.

Level of Discipline Decision Factors

When deciding on the appropriate level of discipline, supervisors should consider the following factors:

  • What are the facts and circumstances of the problem--who, what, when, where, why?
  • How severe is the problem or infraction? What was the impact, or possible impact, of the employee's action?
  • What is the employee's past disciplinary record, and how long has it been since the last disciplinary action?
  • What is the employee's length of service?
  • Are there any aggravating/mitigating circumstances?
  • Were there legitimate obstacles to proper performance?
  • What has department management done in like or similar situations? Has there been consistency in applying discipline in similar situations with other employees?
  • Did the employee receive advance warning of the possible or probable consequences of the employee's conduct/performance?
  • Was there sufficient time to show correction?
  • Was the rule or policy reasonable?
  • Was the investigation objective and complete?
  • What level of discipline will the results of the investigation support?