51社区黑料

If you are a new employee, you will have received a link to the New Employee Orientation along with your Offer of Employment please take time to review this.

Your Supervisor is responsible for helping employees feel welcome on their team and as part of the university. This includes an overview of SFU鈥檚 culture; an understanding of the faculty/ department鈥檚 structure, procedures and tools for carrying out duties; training and expectations for the role, and a safety orientation.

• (Canvas - requires log in)
• Safety including 

All university employees receive statutory (mandatory) benefits: Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Employment Insurance (EI), Workers鈥� Compensation (WCB) and the provincial medical plan, Health Insurance BC (HIBC). The grant pays the employer鈥檚 portion of premiums, and some premiums are paid by the employee - these will automatically be deducted from your pay. Deduction details can be found on your pay advice at myinfo.sfu.ca.

As of April 1st, 2026, all Research Assistants are eligable for extended health and dental. The employer is responsible for 75% of the premiums and the employee is responsible for 25%.  Enrollment is not automatic - if you wish to enroll click here. 

Benefits coverage is not automatic. To enroll in the group plan, click here, where you can find more information. 

WELLNESS

Research employees (and their families) who are not covered by the student health plan MySSP also have free access to SFU's Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) and the university's many resources to support

, and the TSSU Collective Agreement. 

getting paid

51社区黑料pays its employees on a bi-weekly basis. Your pay will be direct deposited to your bank every other Friday. The Payroll department in Finance is responsible for this function.

Your rate of pay is determined by your Supervisor, although it must meet the bargained minium in the TSSU Collective Agreement. Your specific compensation details can be found in your appointment letter you signed before starting work. 

Hourly vs Salaried

Some employees are hired on an "hourly" basis, others as "salaried", below details some differences between:

Vacation 

If you are a 鈥渟alaried鈥� employee, you are entitled to receive a minimum of 2 weeks鈥� time off per full year of service. This amount will be pro-rated if your appointment is shorter than a full year, provided you have worked for at least 5 days. For appointments that are shorter than 4 months, your Supervisor has the option of paying a minimum of 4% in lieu of that vacation time 鈥� if this has been agreed to, it will appear on your appointment letter and on your pay advice.

If you are entitled to time off, but have not taken your full vacation entitlement at the end of your appointment, the remaining amount will be paid to you on your final pay. For this reason, it鈥檚 important to request vacation time in writing and/or follow your Supervisor鈥檚 procedures for keeping track of your time off.

If you are an 鈥渉ourly鈥� employee, you will be paid a minimum of 4% in lieu of vacation pay on top of your hourly rate. There is no legal requirement for you to take time off, and any time you do take off would be without pay. 

We encourage our employees to take their vacation time in order to refresh.

Overtime

Overtime must be approved in writing by your Supervisor, before it's worked.

Any hours worked over 8 in one day or 40 in one week are subject to overtime rates - across all your roles at 51社区黑料(some employees hold more than one appointment). 

Proper timekeeping will help ensure your pay is accurate, so be sure to check with your Supervisor and follow protocols for capturing hours worked, requesting and taking time off. 

Statutory & general Holidays

"Statutory" holidays are public holidays recognized by the federal government and/or the province.  

Employers may also allow paid time off for "general" holidays for occasions e.g. Boxing Day and Easter Monday, which are not statuory holidays. 

There are currently .

You are eligible for statutory holiday pay once you've been employed for 30 days, and if you have worked or earned wages (e.g. paid vacation days or statutory holidays) on 15 of the 30 days before a statutory holiday:

• equal to an average day's pay if you do not work on the day (total wages 梅 number of days worked)
• time and a half for hours worked on a statutory holiday 
• double-time for hours worked over 12 hours on a statutory holiday 
•   

Seasonal Closure

The university also extends paid time off to eligible employees during the Christmas holiday period.

Eligibility is based on whether the employee:

• Is grant-funded with a signed appointment letter
• Has an appointment that begins before December 25 and ends after January 1; and
• Will have worked and earned wages on 15 of the 30 days prior to December 25 - there are no minimum hours required and no requirement for those days to be consecutive.

If you are a part-time employee and/or your hours are variable, eligiblity would depend on whether you were/ would be already scheduled to work during that period.

Employment termination is governed by the TSSU Collective Agreement, and your appointment letter reflects the date your employment is expected to end.

IF YOUR EMPLOYMENT ENDS AS PLANNED

When your employment ends as agreed to in your appointment letter, your Supervisor will conduct the university鈥檚 standard Separation Checklist to collect equipment, keys etc. and no other action is required.

IF YOU END YOUR EMPLOYMENT EARLY

Should you decide to resign and end your employment early, you鈥檒l need to give written notice to your Supervisor (ideally 2 weeks) that you are resigning, and indicate when your last day of work will be.

Your Supervisor will submit this notice to the HR Research People Team.

If you鈥檙e a 鈥渟alaried鈥� employee and have not received pay in lieu of vacation time, it is strongly recommended that you take your vacation during your appointment, however, you will be paid out for any vacation earned but not taken and on your final pay, unless you鈥檝e been receiving pay in lieu of vacation.

If you鈥檙e an 鈥渉ourly鈥� employee, you will have been paid your vacation entitlement on each pay and therefore you won鈥檛 receive a payout at the end of your employment.

IF YOUR SUPERVISOR ENDS YOUR EMPLOYMENT EARLY

Regardless of the reason for ending employment early (insufficient funding, lack of work, etc.), the university is required to provide sufficient written notice or pay equal to the amount of the notice period.

The amount of notice is determined by the length of service, according to the TSSU Collective Agreement. 

Your Supervisor will submit a notice of early employment end to the HR Research People Team and you鈥檒l receive a "notice of termination" letter from SFU, informing you that your appointment is ending.

If you are a 鈥渟alaried鈥� employee, you will be paid out for any vacation earned but not taken and this will be noted on your final pay advice, unless you鈥檝e been receiving pay in lieu of vacation.

If you are an 鈥渉ourly鈥� employee, you will have been paid your vacation entitlement on each pay and therefore you won鈥檛 receive a payout at the end of your employment.

There are many facilities and services available to the 51社区黑料community (students, faculty, staff and alumni), however, these are not all available and free to temporary employees, and grant-funded research employees are temporary employees. Be sure to check with each facility or service to determine whether you have access and/or your access is covered by 鈥渟taff benefits鈥� or you need to pay the relevant fees.

• Recreation: aquatic center, fitness center, tennis, squash/ racquetball, climbing wall, playing fields 鈥� membership & pass fees may apply
• : Burnaby, Vancouver and Surrey 鈥� free to 51社区黑料community
• Online learning: 鈥� free to 51社区黑料students, staff and faculty
• IT Services: get access to remote work tools like Zoom or download software like Microsoft Office, anti-virus 鈥� free to 51社区黑料community
  
• Health and counselling: mental health tips and links to resources
• COVID-specific wellness:  well-being tips and links to support strategies, webinars, videos
• Social justice: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Aboriginal Reconciliation Council;
• Safe walk program

NOTE that all Canvas courses and any online courses e.g. animal care, ethics, require an active computing ID.  

Please also speak with your Supervisor and explore the 51社区黑料website for other amenties and services that might be available.

 provides employers and employees with guidelines to ensure the consistent and legal application of employment practices. Refer to the ESA website and for facts and procedural information. 

Since March 2025, Research Assistants are governed by the TSSU Collective Agreement. If you have questions about the collective agreement, reach out to lr_team@sfu.ca or the TSSU directly.