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Orientation for New and Returning Employees

Welcome to the University of California, Santa Cruz

Orientation provides employees with the necessary tools, resources and support to foster confidence in the University, and in their ability to achieve success in their new role. New and returning employees are required to participate in an orientation session on or before their first day of work. 

The orientation date for a new or returning employee is confirmed during the verbal offer. Once the formal offer is accepted and a hire date is confirmed, Talent Acquisition will email the employee with information about when and where to report to orientation, requirements for I-9 documentation to prove their ability to work in the United States, and information related to the signing of their employment paperwork. 

The employee orientation presentation will:
  • provide an overview of our culture, campus tools, and support systems
  • highlight the many benefits of belonging
  • demonstrate actions required in the employee self-service portal and time card system
  • provide support to complete required employee paperwork

There is also time allotted to assist employees with access to campus systems, confirm signatures on employment paperwork through DocuSign, provide specific information about benefits, and answer any questions that may have surfaced through the orientation process.

Orientation sessions last approximately two hours and are offered to new hires, re-hires and interlocation transfers on a weekly basis. We are currently offering orientation on Monday and Thursday mornings via ZOOM.

For more information regarding the new/rehire employee orientation process, please contact the Talent Acquisition office at hiring@ucsc.edu.

Employee Experience

In an effort to showcase the many benefits available to our UCSC employees, we have created a one-stop-shop resource guide. Please visit our Employee Toolkit for an overview of our campus tools and support services at UC Santa Cruz. 

New employees can also utilize our Orientation Checklist to:

  • help navigate taskss required prior to the first day at work
  • come prepared to your orientation session

You will receive a copy of the orientation presentation and can use the New Employee Onboarding Checklist to help you track required action items for the first few days and weeks in your new role.

Tracker I-9 @ UC Santa Cruz

Tracker I-9 is an online portal used by all UC’s to manage and increase compliance of the Federal I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification forms. 

All new and returning employees must complete required steps and provide documentation to verify their identity and authorization to work in the US. 

What Does Tracker Do?

  • Processes all I-9s digitally, removing the need to fill out and scan paper forms.
  • Allows the employee to fill out Section 1 of the form before they arrive for their first day.
  • Allows a third party/campus representative (Authorized Representative) to witness employee documents remotely for Section 2.
  • Tracks compliance of I-9 forms over time:
    • Timeliness
    • Renewals
    • E-Verify
    • Reverification

Tracker I-9 Resources and Information

The use of an Authorized Representative (AR) is designated for new and returning hires that are not working on campus on their first day. The employee will be asked to identify an AR during their offer call, and the AR will be added to the Tracker I-9 workflow.

Instructions for new and returning* employees, and their Authorized Representative (if applicable) are included in the welcome email that is sent after a hire date is established. 

*Note: some returning employees will have an active I-9 that will allow them to skip this process. The employee will be notified if they are not subject to the I-9 requirements, and they can then let their Authorized Representative know that they will not need to witness their documents.

  • After the initial welcome email is sent from the Talent Acquisition team, the employee will receive an email requesting completion of Section 1
    • The email will come from i9complete@trackercorp.com or employment.authorization@universityofcalifornia.edu
    • If you do not receive this email, please check your SPAM or JUNK folder before reaching out to Talent Acquisition
  • Once Section 1 is complete, the AR will receive an email allowing access to the Tracker I-9 portal to confirm the employee’s identification
  • The employee must present the required document(s) to the AR IN PERSON in order to verify their identity and legal right to work in the US
    • The document(s) must be original and valid - expired documents and copies will NOT be accepted
  • After reviewing the employee identification, the AR will complete Section 2 online
    • The AR should ensure the details populated in Tracker I-9 are accurate
  • Once both Section 1 and Section 2 are completed, Talent Acquisition will verify that the correct fields are populated and complete the I-9 record.
    • If any information in Section 1 or Section to is incomplete or incorrect, Talent Acquisition will initiate a request to amend the data via an email from Tracker. There will be instructions related to what needs to be corrected in order to complete the request.

To learn more about the Tracker I-9 process at UC Santa Cruz, including instructions for new/returning employees and requirements for remote I-9’s, please email the Talent Acquisition team at hiring@ucsc.edu.

For more information about Tracker I-9 process, please visit the websites below:

Contact Staff Human Resources

Talent Acquisition: (831) 459-2009 / hiring@ucsc.edu

Benefits Office: (831) 459-2013 / benefits@ucsc.edu

Labor Relations: (831) 459-2017 / elrinfo@ucsc.edu

Staff HR Contact List