/Institutions/University-of-Dubai/json/2024-2025/Policy-and-Procedure-Manual-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Dubai/json/2024-2025/Policy-and-Procedure-Manual.json

Policy and Procedure Manual 2024-25 > Faculty and Professional Staff > Professional Staff Employment

Professional Staff Employment

Policy

 1. Equal Employment Opportunity, Discrimination 

UD provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or any other status. 

Employment and promotion decisions will be based on merit and the principle of furthering equal opportunity. The requirements we impose in filling a position will be those that validly relate to the job performance required. 

All other personnel actions including compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, recalls from lay-offs, training, education, tuition assistance and recreation programs will be administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, or any other status, in accordance with appropriate local and national law.

 

2. Non-Academic Unit Manpower Planning 

On an annual basis, each department (both academic and non-academic) will be requested to submit a manpower plan and identify staff vacancies. This department manpower plan is to help in determining the needed human resources for smooth internal operations. This annual manpower budget will be submitted to the finance department and reviewed by top management for approval. The manpower planning is linked to the overall university budgeting and business planning process which is driven by the number of students and planned research and consultancy activitiewards the achievement of the university’s operational goals. Each department planned increase in hiring manpower should be justified by clarifying the increase in number of students and business research and consultancy income. In addition, the new hire job role and description along with the expected joining date.

After collecting all the manpower budgets from all the departments, the finance department will consolidate the total number of employees for UD and their positions and start dates to submit this information for the management review and approval. Hence, it is important to clearly justify any increase or decrease in the number of staff with the rationale behind the suggested increase. 

When the president approval is obtained on the number of new employees for each department and their role, the new budgeted employee can be added to the department budget which is reflected in UD overall budget.

Any request for new employees not budgeted will not be considered unless approved by the president for special cases. 

On a regular basis, UD conducts regular review of the existing personnel and aligns the human resources to UD strategic and operational requirements to perform the departments’ objectives. In some circumstances, UD HRD can be allocated as deemed appropriate, such as reallocating an existing staff, updating the job descriptions and the department objectives or outsourcing UD facility /service and/or filling an approved employee vacancy with full time employees, part time or temporary employees.

As UD is accredited by CAA,MOE, the university adheres to the CAA requirements of not exceeding the ratio of part time faculty above 25%.

2.1 Establishing the need

The need for staff is established and explained in the annual manpower plan or from the replacement of staff who have left. If a new employee budget is approved, the department head sets the needed qualification, years of experience, start date and rank and timeline to fulfill the vacancy. 

When the process starts for hiring new staff as per the approved budget, the department head must submit a request to HRD detailing the following information:

1. Number of people to be recruited

2. Job description and minimum qualifications

3. Justification for additional staff 

4. Expected start date

All vacancies must have the President's approval prior to the commencement of the recruitment process at all times. If new staff is needed whom no budget is assigned to.

2.2 Identifying the Job Role

When a position is new, it is important that the job description is approved by the University President. The job role will be established after studying the organization structure and reviewing the current department needs. Financial consideration will also be looked at when deciding on a new job role.  The new job role may be assigned a salary range; however, actual salaries will be determined on a case by case basis subject to the employee qualifications, skills, relevant experience and other traits affecting job performance and the market value of the candidate. HRD will monitor the necessary documentation and ensure its continual review and compliance with this procedure.

2.3 Job Descriptions

In most cases recruitment will be of job roles already established which have existing job descriptions.  It is important that these are checked for relevance as they may need updating if they have not been reviewed recently.

To ensure consistency and that job descriptions contain sufficient detail to be effective the following information will be included in each job description:

1. Job Title

2. Reporting to

3. Qualifications

4. Experience, skill, knowledge for successful performance

5. Job duties 

6. Changes in the responsibilities of any position should be reported to the HRD by the concerned Line Manager for review and for implementation of the changes.  
   
   

2.4 Recruitment Search and Advertising 

All job vacancies will be advertised on the UD website once the Job description contains the above information has been gathered and confirmed. The agreed draft of the advertisement should be obtained from the department head. HRD then ensures that the text covers the necessary details regarding the requirements for the job and the terms and conditions.

2.5 Short Listing Candidates

Applications for the advertised post will be reviewed by the Head of the relevant department, who will draft a short list (with CV attached) for the University President’s approval.  

Those candidates who are not successful at this stage will be sent a standard rejection letter unless otherwise mentioned in the job advertisement.  

Candidates shortlisted for interview will receive an invitation to interview together with a job description and a link to the University web site to assist them in gathering additional information.

2.6 Selection Process

At this stage, decisions will have been made regarding the selection process itself.  This may involve testing of candidates, presentations by them or additional interviews.

Tests may be given to all candidates shortlisted for either administrative (word processing, computer literacy, office skills), managerial (functional knowledge) or academic roles.  These can be used to assist in the decision making process.

For administrative staff vocational tests should be appropriate to the specified role.  All candidates who fall below the minimum requirements will be rejected.

Dependent upon the rank of the role and the number of suitable candidates, it may be necessary to conduct up to three interviews per candidate:

• Preliminary interview (via telephone or zoom) to check career history and general suitability for the vacancy, which can be conducted by the line manager (in conjunction with others as deemed necessary), 

• Panel interview (typically line manager, subject matter expert and HR) for those who are selected from the preliminary interview stage, to search in depth into the candidate’s suitability.

• Final interview with UD President which can be scheduled the same day as the panel interview (Applicable only to high level positions including Vice-Presidents, Dean’s and Managers).

Recommendations for the appointment will then be sent to the University President for formal approval.

During the interview process compensation and salary ranges must not be discussed by anyone other than HRD.  

2.7 Conflicts of Interest in Staffing

Conflicts of interest occur when a member of the selection committee is in a position to influence recruitment processes where there might be personal gain and/or personal relation or have an interest in the outcome (separate from their professional role). Whenever possible, those with potential conflicts should remove themselves from involvement in the decision.

The first and most important line of defense against conflicts of interest must be from the university selection committee members. The university, therefore, requires the University faculty, staff and selection committees to disclose their intention to recommend candidates for available vacancies within the university that might lead to a conflict of interest and if he/she wishes to introduce a potential candidate (e.g. close relatives, friends, ex-colleagues) for an interview. 

Depending on the consensus of the selection committee, the member involved may or may not be required to attend the recruitment process for the candidate that he/she has introduced. In the event that potential conflicts cannot be resolved at this level, they should be referred to the higher authority within the University. This authority will forward a recommendation to the Hiring manager for final resolution.

It is acknowledged that employees of the University and the selection committee sometimes refer or recommend suitable candidates for the University for existing vacancies. All candidates whether known or unknown to any member of the University and the committee must follow the recruitment process along with all other candidates

The university prohibits nepotism in all its forms, defined as the favoritism or unfair treatment of individuals based on familial or personal relationships. Faculty and staff are expected to adhere to a fair and equitable hiring, promotion, and decision-making process, ensuring that personal relationships do not unduly influence recruitment, appointment, evaluation, promotion, or other employment decisions within the university. Disclosure of such relationships is required, and appropriate measures will be taken to mitigate conflicts of interest and maintain a transparent and impartial environment.

 

2.8 Employment of Immediate Relatives 

UD does not encourage the employment of the existing UD staff/faculty relatives, except if there is an apparent no conflict of interest, direct or indirect reporting from a personal or business relationship standpoint. In no circumstance shall an employee report indirectly or directly to a relative. New hires are required to identify any potential conflict of interest during the recruitment process. Relatives of present employees are given equal consideration with other qualified candidates for employment.

2.9 Checking and Verification

During the preliminary interview stage, job candidates are informed that all finalists are subject to a thorough reference checking process, which will involve contacting prior employers for detailed discussions of the candidate's work experience and performance.

For those candidates reaching the final stage of the selection process a number of checks shall be made in respect of the following:

1. Qualifications – original authenticated certificates must be available. All certificates should be translated in Arabic and duly attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy in the country where the document was issued.

2. References – written references from previous employer(s), in cases where this has not been provided or cannot be provided the HRD should follow up with previous employers / references via telephone or email.

3. Attested marriage certificate if any 

4. Colored passport copy

Job candidates’ credentials are to be verified by the contacts information provided. Any costs incurred for pertaining to attesting documents and sending them to UD will be paid by the job candidate.

2.10 MOE Security Clearance

Upon the selection of a candidate, they are to be informed by the HRD of the need for having a background investigation and security clearance approval provided by the MOE.  All the University must receive formal approval from MOE prior to the start date of a new employee.

The University will not question the result of the screening made by the relevant authorities in case of denial.  On average, this process takes two working weeks.

Once the HRD receives feedback from MOE, the candidate will be informed of his/her clearance denial or acceptance then an Offer Letter will be sent to the selected candidate.

2.11 Offer of Employment

Offers of Employment will be made for all appointments by the University President.

All appointments will be followed up in writing using the standard terms and conditions developed for academic and non-academic staff.  All offer letters will be signed by the University President.  All offers made are subject to the confirmation of the information provided by the candidate.

 

3. Employment Categories

The objective of this section is to clarify the normal terms of appointment for the various categories and types of employees. Appointments as employees of the University of Dubai will be to one of the employee categories referred to in the tables below:

4. Qualifications of Employees 

All UD employees must qualify to the standards and requirements of the position. 

 

5. New Employees Orientation

New UD employees will be welcomed and oriented about UD policies and facilities via the HRD. The orientation will include a UD package to welcome the new joiners about the following: 

1. General Induction by HRD

2. UD Mission, Vision and Strategic Goals

3. UD Expectations and the UD Code of Conduct, Values, and Ethics

4. Discuss the job role expectations and KPIs and the annual review process.

5. UD policies and Procedures

6. Staff Handbook/Faculty Handbook

7. Address any clarification the new employee may 

Probationary Period 

UD employment contract states that a probation period applies to every newly appointed member of staff. This process helps both parties to monitor early progress.   The probationary period is six months.  The probation period begins on the commencement date of your employment contract, on successful completion of which the employment will be confirmed. During this period, should the new employee fail to reach the required standards of performance or conduct their employment may be terminated with 14 days’ notice from either party. 

All days absent from the University during the probation period will automatically extend the period on a day by day basis and are treated as unpaid regardless of the circumstances. Unpaid days during the probation period are not considered in calculating annual leave accruals and are not factored in the end of service gratuity payment. Therefore, if an employee joined the University four months ago and they have taken on one month of unpaid leave during their probation period they will only have accrued annual leave based on three months of continuous work. This same method will be applied to the calculation of gratuity and in considering eligibility for the annual travel ticket.