A-to-Z Index

Policy 1311
Personnel Action Request Form (PAR)

Date of Current Revision: December, 2011
Responsible Officer: Director of 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 current business process and assist in ensuring timely and accurate transactions.

2. AUTHORITY

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

3. DEFINITIONS

I-9 Form
An I-9 Form is used to verify identity of an individual and authenticate 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 current or rehired employees.

PAR Form
Personnel Action Request form. The paper document used to affect any personnel action related to employment status or salary including but not limited to hire/rehire, separation, pay increase/decrease, role change, change of working title, etc. It is available at: http://www.jmu.edu/humanresources/doc/newpar.doc. The PAR Form is neither a contract nor an offer of a contract.

PAW form
The Pay Action Worksheet is used to provide supporting information for pay action requests.

Transcripts
A transcript is a document used to verify the award of educational degree(s).

4. APPLICATION

This policy applies to all employees of the university.

5. POLICY

Personnel actions and status changes are generally processed by submitting a completed and approved PAR form to the Human Resources Department. The PAR form must be accompanied by appropriate attachments and include authorized signatures.

6. PROCEDURES

6.1 Approval Signatures

All PAR forms must have an authorized signature. If the PAR form is missing this signature, the Human Resources department is unable to process the action and will contact the initiating department and return the form to the department for completion.

All actions funded by grants must be approved by the Office of Sponsored Programs. PAR forms received in HR without the authorized signature will be sent to Grants Accounting for consideration.

All actions originating from the Division of Academic Affairs must have approval from the division designee before Human Resources is able to process the request. Incomplete PAR forms will be forwarded to the Academic Affairs designee for an authorized signature.

6.2  Required Documentation

All PAR forms must be accompanied by the appropriate supporting documentation in order to be processed and submitted to the Payroll department. Incomplete requests will be returned to the originator. An Onboard Form (electronic) is required prior to the submission of the PAR form before all newly hired and rehired employees can be processed.

  • Employee References:
    • Newly hired employees require at least three complete, job-related references
    • Rehired employees:
      • No references are required if the employees has a break in service of less than a year if there is at least one reference currently on file
      • §  One reference is required for any rehired employee for whom no references were previously on file
  • 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: Official transcripts are required for all employees teaching a credited class at JMU and for all Student Teacher Supervisors.

7. RESPONSIBILITIES

The department head/director/ budget authority 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 documentation is accurately completed and received in Human Resources prior to the effective date of the action or applicable payroll calendar deadline. For all newly hired and rehired employees, the PAR originator must submit an Onboard Request Form prior to the first day of employment. Termination PAR forms must be submitted within three business days once the supervisor becomes aware of the employee’s separation (Policy 1314).

8. SANCTIONS

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 generally required for individuals whose relationship with the university is in a non-working capacity (e.g. volunteer).

10. INTERPRETATION

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

Previous Version: December, 2011
Approved by the President: May, 2002

Index of terms

PAR Form
Personnel Action