Overload Duties
Academic Staff
Overload duties refer to responsibilities undertaken by academic staff in addition to their normal assigned workload. These duties typically involve teaching extra courses or sections beyond the standard teaching load for an academic year and may be eligible for additional compensation with prior approval. The guidelines for overload duties are outlined in Schedule A (1.4) of the Collective Agreement.
Hire Process
The Department Head, Dean, or equivalent discusses and reaches an agreement with the academic staff member regarding the overload assignment. To be considered an overload, the duties must be clearly in addition to those that constitute the academic staff member’s normal workload and cannot be reassigned or redistributed from existing responsibilities. Overload assignments must be structured to ensure they do not conflict with, or compromise, the academic staff member’s ability to fulfill the obligations of their regular appointment.
The faculty or unit must complete the Approval of Overload Duties form, including signatures from the academic staff member, Department Head (or equivalent), and Dean (or equivalent). If the overload is being arranged outside the academic staff member’s home faculty, the Deans (or equivalents) from both the primary and secondary faculties or units must collaborate to determine the terms of the overload and sign the form. Forms should be completed and approved prior to the commencement of the overload duties.
Once completed, the form must be submitted to hracadem@ucalgary.ca. People and Culture will review the form and process the appointment in the system. Ensure adequate time for processing by submitting the form by the deadlines outlined in the Payroll Deadlines Calendar. Forms received by People and Culture after the deadline will be processed in the following pay period. 
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about Overload Duties
Overload duties may be assigned to academic staff members holding full-time Continuing, Contingent Term, or Limited Term appointments.
Overload duties cannot be assigned to academic staff members holding less than a full-time appointment.
If additional duties are given to Continuing, Limited Term, or Contingent Term academic staff members who are part-time, their appointment (contract FTE) must be adjusted to reflect the increased workload rather than treated as an overload. For more information, please contact academic.contracts@ucalgary.ca.
The remuneration paid for overload duties is determined by half-course equivalent (HCE) and is outlined in Schedule A (1.4) of the Collective Agreement.
In exceptional cases where all parties agree, an overload assignment may be granted within a faculty other than the academic staff member’s home (primary) faculty.
When such an overload occurs outside the academic staff member’s primary faculty, the Deans (or their equivalents) of both the primary and secondary faculties or units must work together to establish the terms of the arrangement and provide their signatures on the approval form.
No. Only overload duties or courses that take place within the same contract period may be included on a single form. If an additional overload assignment is scheduled for a different semester, a separate form must be completed and submitted.
Academic staff members on a Research and Scholarship Leave (RSL) should not be provided with overload assignments while on leave. For further details, please contact your HR Partner.
Academic staff members holding a Reduced Duties Leading to Retirement (RDLTR) contract are not eligible for overload assignments, as such duties would exceed the workload specified in their contract. For further details, please contact your HR Partner.
To cancel an overload appointment which has already been hired, the reports to manager or HR Forms Initiator must submit a Job Termination Request (JTR) form.