Important Deadlines and Actions to Take - Spring Hiring

ASE/GSR, Lecturer, and Trainees/Fellows hire deadlines and actions for departments to take for Spring 2027 appointments

UC Berkeley continues to experience earlier-than-usual deadlines that are also impacted by the upcoming winter curtailment timeframes that were announced on September 10, 2026 by People & Culture. The key to everyone’s success is if you identify and approve new hires as early as possible. Most core processes remain the same. Please refer to this webpage for the most current dates and details.

BRS Regions will begin communicating details to their departments in October 2026.

Written Notice of Appointment Letter Templates

All new UAW represented ASEs and GSRs appointments should use Written Notice of Appointment Letter Templates.

For ASE Hires: Departments must download the latest templates from the People & Culture’s Forms & Letters for Labor Contracts webpage.
For GSR Hires: GSR Appointment Letters generated by BRS can be found on Smartsheets.

Note: Smartsheets does not generate letters for ASEs.

Requesting new/rehires with Spring '27 appointments

Collect and begin entering your new Spring ‘27 appointment information on your existing Smartsheets:

ASE/GSR Hiring: AY26-27
Student Assistant Hiring: AY26-27
Trainees and Fellows: AY26-27
Lecturer Hiring: AY25-27

System Updates

The 10/01/26 range adjustments for ASE/GSR and Trainee/Fellows have been added to the respective Smartsheets. Examples/screenshots of the adjustments are reflected in the ASE/GSR Hiring FY25-26 Smartsheet Changes document.

Union Contract Compliance

GSR 6-Week Submission Rule: Due to the GSR Union Contract requirement for appointment notification at least 30 days in advance, all GSR requests should be submitted a minimum of six (6) weeks prior to the GSR start dates.

Target Deadlines (unless otherwise communicated by a region)

Please adhere to the following deadlines to ensure there is sufficient time for entry to UCPath as well as DocuSign completion to avoid pay disruptions.

Spring 2027 Hiring deadlines

Important DocuSign packet details

Please encourage all new hires to complete their DocuSign Onboarding Packet immediately upon receipt. This will help expedite their UCPath employee record setup, Employee ID (EID) generation and ensure on-time pay.

Key Compliance Deadlines:

First Day of the Semester: DocuSign packet must be completed by the first day of the semester at the latest. Late submissions may result in damage payments which cannot be paid with Federal Funds. Late submissions may require teaching day basis recalculations.
Work Authorization: Form I-9 Work Authorization and DocuSign completion are required before the first day of work
Critical Requirement: Employees are strictly prohibited from starting work until both their DocuSign packet and Form I-9 Work Authorization verifications are complete.

Short Work Break (SWB)

Consult with your respective region if they will be utilizing Short Work Breaks (SWBs) for ASE/GSR and/or Lecturer appointments.

Summer Sessions Bridging & Onboarding

Appointments ending in May qualify for up to a 31-day bridging period prior to the first day of their Summer Session appointment.

Summer Sessions A, B, C, and 12W: Employees are typically allowed to bypass onboarding if there is an appointment approved on the Smartsheet.
Summer Sessions D, E, and F (exceeds 31-day bridging period): These sessions fall outside the 31-day bridging window, appointment letters must be issued so employees can complete the required onboarding and rehiring process.

Other important reminders for departments

Here are other details to keep in mind for Spring '26 appointments:

Late Appointments

Work directly with your HR Generalist for any late hire requests. Please contact them as soon as possible.
- Verify Position Number: Ensure Position Number data is accurate with the appointment data in Smartsheet to help mitigate process delays.
- Processing Cutoff: Late appointee(s) submissions added to Smartsheet and/or new employees completing onboarding AFTER the applicable deadlines may miss UCPath deadlines for on-time pay. BRS Regions will work with their respective departments on these cases.

Important Dual FLSA reminder

Multiple jobs, concurrent appointments and/or multi-location appointments (MLA) with dual FLSA/pay cycle complications can cause additional processing delays.

Manual Timesheets: Provide the affected employee with manual (paper) timesheets. Please save the following and provide it to the affected employee in the event of delays to timekeeping system access:

Non-returning Employees: In order to avoid potential overpayment, departments should respond to their region's request for terminations for those employees that will not be returning in the Spring.

Smartsheet tools and information page

Using Smartsheet to enter new hire/rehire appointments

BRS HR Generalists grant editor access to their department’s specific Smartsheet to those who initiate ASE/GSR and Lecturer appointments identified by the Department Manager.

Requesting Access: Please contact your BRS HR/APS support team to additional team members who need Smartsheet access.
Logging In: Check your email for the Smartsheet invitation. Log in using your CalNet ID and password. View instructions on logging into Smartsheet for detailed instructions.
Updates: View detailed information about updates that occurred in previous semester(s) in this Smartsheet Changes document.

When you need assistance

Your BRS HR Generalist is your primary point of contact for questions related to these hiring processes.

Find your HR Generalist:

Locate your BRS Region using this Find your Region tool.
Navigate to the HR section to search for your department’s HR/APS service team.
Contact your HR Partner if you do not see the HR Generalist listed.

Guide for Hiring Roles and Responsibilities
Quick Reference Guide