Policy 1311
Personnel Action Request Form (PAR)

Date of Current Revision: February 2008
Responsible Office: Director, Human Resources

1. PURPOSE

Because personnel actions often affect pay and always affect employees and supervisors directly, it is important that the process of submitting, recording and tracking information related to these actions be clear and well managed. This policy serves to define the process and assist employees in ensuring accurate transactions.

2. AUTHORITY

The university has charged the Human Resources office with coordinating, monitoring and being accountable for the transaction of personnel-related data. Therefore, the Human Resources office has the authority to establish policies related to that responsibility.

3. DEFINITIONS

I-9 Form:
An I-9 Form is used to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States.

New Hire and Personal Information Changes form:
A New Hire and Personal Information Changes form is used to submit personal information (i.e. address, birth date, gender) for all newly hired employees. It is also used when personal information changes for rehired employees or current employees.

PAR Form:
Personnel Action Request form. The document used to record any employment status or salary-related change such as hire, termination, pay increase, role change, change of working title, etc. It is available at: http://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/doc/newpar.doc. The PAR Form is not a contract or an offer of a contract.

PAW form:
The Pay Action Worksheet is used to explain pay action requests.

Transcripts:
Transcripts are used to show the award of educational degrees.

4. APPLICATION

This policy applies to all employees of the university.

5. POLICY

Personnel actions and status changes are always processed by submitting a completed and approved PAR form to the Human Resources Office. The PAR form must be accompanied by appropriate attachments.

6. PROCEDURES

6.1 Approval Signatures

All PAR forms must be signed by a budget authority. If the PAR form is missing this signature, Human Resources will return the paperwork to the department.

All actions funded by grants must be forwarded to Grant Accounting for approval. If the PAR form is missing this signature, Human Resources will forward the paperwork to Grant Accounting.

All actions originating from the division of Academic Affairs must have approval from the division designee before Human Resources will process the request. If the PAR form is missing this signature, Human Resources will forward the paperwork to the Academic Affairs designee.

6.2 Required Documentation
All PAR forms must be accompanied by the appropriate documentation. If documentation is missing, Human Resources will not send the PAR form to Payroll for processing.

  • I-9 Form: A completed I-9 form is required for all newly hired employees on the first day of employment. All rehired employees must have a recertified I-9 before the end of the third business day of employment (Policy 1326 – Immigration Reform and Control Act).
  • Personal Information Sheet: A completed personal information sheet is required for all newly hired employees and for any change in personal information.
  • PAW: A completed Pay Action Worksheet is required for all classified and wage PAR forms that initiate a pay action. This may include newly hired employees, rehired employees, pay rate changes, bonuses, etc.
  • Transcripts: Transcripts are required for all employees teaching a credited class at JMU and for all Student Teacher Supervisors.
  • Criminal Background Check Form: A completed Criminal Background Check form is required for all newly hired employees and for any rehire that has been separated from the University longer than 120 days (Policy 1321 – Criminal History Investigation).

7. RESPONSIBILITIES

The department head/director is responsible for determining the availability of funds prior to initiating any personnel action. The employee designated to complete PAR forms is required to ensure that all paperwork is accurately completed and received in Human Resources prior to the effective date of the action or applicable payroll calendar deadline.

8. SANCTIONS

Non-compliance with this policy may result in an employee not being paid accurately, on time, or at all for a particular pay period.

Sanctions will be commensurate with the severity and/or frequency of the offense and may include termination of employment.

9. EXCLUSIONS

PAR forms are not normally required for those who are doing volunteer work for the university.

10. INTERPRETATION

The authority to interpret this policy rests with the President, and is generally delegated to the Director of Human Resources.

Previous Version: May 2006
Approved by the President: May, 2002

Index of terms

PAR Form
Personnel Action

 

Policy 1311 PDF Version