Change of Employee Name Policy

Policy Number: CS-1319-2017

Policy Title: Change of Employee Name Policy

Policy Owner: Chief Human Resources Officer

Effective Date:

Last Revised:

On this page:

  1. Purpose
  2. Application and Scope
  3. Definitions
  4. Principles
  5. Accountability and Compliance
  6. Rules
  7. Policy Revision Date
  8. Attachments
  9. Specific Links

1. Purpose

As a college community, we strive to be equitable and inclusive in all our interactions, practices and processes. Mohawk College is committed to upholding college members’ right to bring their whole selves to work knowing this is integral to our collective working experience and well-being. This policy outlines the process for employees to change their name in their employee records and to ensure processes are in place to maintain the integrity of employee records. 

As an inclusive learning community, Mohawk College acknowledges that many of its members identify themselves using different first names than their legal first names. 

Except in legal records and official documents, a preferred or lived first name can and should be used wherever possible at the College. No supporting documentation is required to utilize a lived or preferred name. The college is currently undertaking a pan institutional Banner Business Transformation Project. As part of the project, the college will review all interfaces derived from employee names and prioritize the use of lived and preferred names for any process that does not require a legal name. 

This policy aligns with the Ontario Freedom Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act. 

2. Application and Scope

This policy applies to an employee requesting a legal, lived, or preferred name change on their college employment records with the exclusion of third-party records. Examples of third-party records are CAAT Pension and Benefit (Sunlife) plans and Revenue Canada tax documentation.

To be concise, the policy will be using the term lived name as a distinction.

3. Definitions

“Database” refers to a centralized electronic repository or employee data maintained by Mohawk College.

“Employee” refers to a person employed for wages or salary at the College.

“Employee Record” refers to a collection of personal information that is organized and capable of being retrieved using an employee's name or employee number.

“Gender” refers to an individual’s self-identification of their inner and/or individual sense of being male, female, both, neither, or anywhere along the gender spectrum. An individual’s self-identified and/or preferred gender may be the same as or different from that which was assigned at birth. Supporting documentation is not required for people to change their gender information. 

“Legal Name” for Canadian citizens, refers to the name an individual is registered under in a province, typically the name assigned at birth. For non-Canadian citizens, the legal name refers to the name registered in Canada and taken from their immigration documents and passport.

“Legal Name Change” refers to a legal name change can be obtained by providing a certificate (passport, driver’s licenses, change of name certificate or a court order) as issued by a province or country of residence and a copy of your SIN Card or SIN Confirmation Letter. 

“Legal records and official documents” refer to employee records and documents that must use the legal name include: 

  • Tax documents 
  • Financial documents 
  • Benefit and Pension documents

“Lived Name” refers to a name a person only identifies with therefore is not just a preference.

“Marital status” refers to a person's relationship to their partner or spouse, i.e., married, cohabiting, single, divorced, or widowed.

With supporting documentation, people may change their names because of their marital status.

“Name” refers to a word or combination of words by which a person is assigned, called, or known.

“Preferred Name” refers to a name an individual prefers to be called or identified by and not what others prefer to call them. 

“Personal Information” refers to the definition by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, personal information is the recorded information about an identifiable individual, including:

information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status of the individual,

  1. information relating to the education or the medical, psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved,
  2. any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual,
  3. the address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual,
  4. the personal opinions or views of the individual except where they relate to another individual,
  5. correspondence sent to an institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence,
  6. the views or opinions of another individual about the individual, and
  7. the individual’s name where it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name would reveal other personal information about the individual.

“Record” refers to any record of information in printed form, on film, by electronic means or otherwise. This includes emails, memorandums, books, plans, films, sound recordings, machine-readable recordings, and any other documentary material. In relation to this policy, a record primarily refers to written documentation in the College’s databases and physical files. 

“Requestor” refers to a current or former employee of Mohawk College requesting a name change. 

“Social Insurance Number (SIN)” refers to a Service Canada issued nine-digit number required to work in Canada or have access to government programs and benefits. 

“Social Insurance Registry” refers to s Service Canada stores your personal information in the Social Insurance Registry including your name which is used in the production of your SIN Card or SIN Confirmation Letter.

“Student” refers to a person who is admitted, enrolled, or registered for study at Mohawk College either full time or part time.

4. Principles

The College understands and supports employees’ right to self-identity therefore their lived name should be used throughout the College to ensure a healthy and welcoming working environment for all members. The College is also committed to keeping the integrity of its employee records. Good governance of college records requires a sound protocol.

4.1 Indigenous Reclamation of Culture and Cultural Practices 

The College also understands and supports Indigenous employees right to be known and called by their traditional (Indigenous) name. A traditional name is to be considered a lived name. This practice helps to affirm Indigenous peoples’ rights, culture and reclamation of culture. 

5. Accountability and Compliance

5.1 Accountability Framework

This policy has been approved by the Senior Leadership Team. 

Employees are responsible for ensuring that employee name records are accurate and that all changes and updates are submitted in the manner outlined in Appendix A - Change of Employee Name Procedure. Employees are further responsible for any fees charged by government agencies associated with changing their legal name or the name on the Social Insurance Registry. 

Human Resources (HR) is tasked with ensuring that the employee’s name and its recordkeeping is facilitated, modified, and maintained in accordance with this policy and the direction provided by the employee. This includes providing forms or electronic means that allow an employee to update and communicate their name changes to the College. HR ensures previous names are retained for historical purposes. The information will be stored in a secure password protected database. Database access is limited to those with a legitimate business need.

Information Technology (IT) is responsible for developing and implementing the workflow for name changes to be captured in other college systems (Active Directory, LMS Systems, ONE card, email, Working at Mohawk etc.)

5.2 Compliance

The Chief Human Resources Officer or their designate is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this policy and revising this policy according to an established schedule or more frequently in response to feedback from the College Community. 

6. Rules

Employees and former employees may request a legal, lived name or preferred change to be used on applicable College employee records. Human Resources will provide guidance and support throughout the name change process as necessary. Details on the process for changing an employee’s name are outlined in APPENDIX A – Change of Employee Name Procedure.

The College will maintain a record of an employee’s legal first and last names as part of the individual's employee record. A middle name will also be recorded when provided. The College will also maintain a record of the preferred and lived names as indicated by the employee. Name information will be securely stored in the employee’s record. Access to these records will be limited to those with a legitimate business need.

6.1 Limitations

Please note that the CAAT pension, benefit, and government agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency cannot accept a lived name or preferred name. It is recommended that if an employee wants to have their lived name represented on documents from these third-party providers, they should complete the steps required for updating their legal name.

If an employee was a former Mohawk College student and wants their student records to reflect their current lived name, it is recommended that they also review the Student Name Change Procedures. 

7. Policy Revision Date

7.1 Revision Date

March 2029

7.2 Responsibility

The Chief Human Resources Officer or their designate is responsible for reviewing this policy every five years or earlier when required.

8. Attachments

9. Specific Links

Appendix A - Change of Employee Name Procedure

The intent of this Procedure is to provide consistency in the operation, processes and standards related to the Change of Employee Name Policy (here after referred to as “the policy”).

1. Context

The Change of Employee Name process is meant to ensure safeguarding of employee information and consistency in recordkeeping is facilitated, modified, and maintained in accordance with the policy and the direction provided by the employee. 

Employees are responsible for ensuring that employee name records are accurate and that all changes and updates are submitted in the manner outlined in this Appendix.

2. Eligibility

All employees and former employees of Mohawk College can submit a name change. 

3. Procedure

3.1 To Change your Legal Name

  • Make a copy of your new/updated government issued ID including Driver’s License, passport, change of name certificate, court order or marriage certificate.
  • Make a copy of your updated SIN Confirmation Letter from Service Canada.
  • Update your legal name in Dayforce and upload the supporting documents. You can follow the specific steps by following the Dayforce Quick Reference Guide on Name and Marital Status Changes.
  • Seven (7) days after your legal name change submission, please contact the ONE Card office to request a new identification card. (There will be no     cost associated with the new card if the old card is submitted upon pick up)
  • Employees are encouraged to notify their manager of the name change and any communication preferences relating to the change.  Human Resources Strategic Partners can assist the parties as necessary. 
  • Following the receipt of the Legal Name Change, the Benefit and Pension will provide the employee with documentation required to change the legal name with the benefit (Sunlife) and Pension (CAAT) providers, if applicable.

3.2 To Change your Preferred and/or Lived Name

  • Update your lived/preferred name in Dayforce. No supporting documentation is required. You can follow the specific steps by following the Dayforce Quick Reference Guide on Name and Marital Status Changes.
  • Seven (7) days after your preferred or lived name change submission, please contact the ONE Card office to request a new identification card. (There will be no cost associated with the new card if the old card is submitted upon pick up).
  • Employees are encouraged to notify their manager of the name change and any communication preferences relating to the change.  Human Resources Strategic Partners can assist the parties as necessary. 
  • Benefit, pension and payroll records will not be changed to reflect preferred or lived name as the legal name is required for these purposes.
  • Some external institutions may not recognize or accept a preferred name or lived name for legal purposes.

3.3 Former Employees Name Changes

  • As a former employee, you continue to have access to Dayforce. 
  • You can access Dayforce as follows:

    • Dayforce URL:   www.dayforcehcm.com 

    • Company:           mohawkcollege

    • User Name:      firstname.lastname

    • Password (your date of birth): YYYYMMDD 

  • Follow the instructions above for legal or lived/preferred name changes.