Temporary Employment (S-12)
Standard: S-12
Responsible Executive: Vice President for Human Resources
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Human Resources
Date Issued: January 1, 2019
Date Last Revised: N/A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contacts
Individuals and Entities Affected by this Standard
Statement of Standard
Responsibilities
Definitions (defined terms are capitalized throughout the document)
Related Documents, Forms and Tools
History and Updates
Appendix
CONTACTS
Title/Office |
Telephone |
Email/Webpage |
Vice President for Human Resources |
765-494-7395 |
Title/Office |
Telephone |
Email/Webpage |
Fort Wayne: Director of HR Data Analytics |
260-481-6654
|
|
Northwest: Compensation Administrator |
219-989-5636 |
|
West Lafayette: Director, Compensation |
765-494-0097 |
INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS STANDARD
- Colleges, schools, departments, offices, and other units of the University that employ staff in Temporary Appointments
- Employees holding a Temporary Appointment
STATEMENT OF STANDARD
To comply with federal regulations mandating employer health insurance, and to ensure that employees who are eligible to participate in the University’s retirement plans are afforded that opportunity, the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources limits the amount of time that an employee may work in a Temporary Appointment without becoming eligible for benefits.
Employees in Temporary Appointments may work up to, but not exceed, 1,000 hours in a 12-month period. Once the employee’s Temporary Appointment(s) reaches 1,000 hours, the employee must either be hired into a benefits-eligible position or be separated from the Temporary Appointment(s). An employee who is separated from the Temporary Appointment may not return to a Temporary Appointment until six months have passed from the separation date.
The total hours worked across one or more Temporary Appointments count toward the total hours during the 12-month period (i.e., each Temporary Appointment held by an employee is combined for the purposes of counting hours). The 1,000-hour limit is calculated from the first hour an employee works in a Temporary Appointment. If an employee works more than one Temporary Appointment, the hours are combined for purposes of calculating the 1,000-hour limit.
When a college, school, department, office, or unit needs a half-time or greater position for a duration of one to two years, the hiring unit is required to fill the position as a Limited Duration Appointment (i.e., not as a Temporary Appointment).
Employees of the University may be prohibited from also holding a Temporary Appointment with the University. Refer to the below table for explanation of these situations.
Employee Position |
Type of Temporary Appointment Prohibited |
Staff in full-time or part-time benefits-eligible positions |
Both Exempt and Non-exempt appointments |
Continuing lecturers |
Both Exempt and Non-exempt appointments |
Limited-term lecturers |
Non-exempt appointments (both Temporary Appointments and regular staff appointments) |
RESPONSIBILITIES
Supervisors
- Monitor hours worked by employees in Temporary Appointments.
- Ensure that Temporary Appointments comply with this standard.
Employees in Temporary Appointments
- Understand the established limit of hours for Temporary Appointments.
- Upon hire, make their supervisor and business office staff aware of any other Temporary Appointment(s) they hold or have held within the last 12 months.
- Accurately record and monitor their hours worked to ensure they stay within the established hour limit.
Business Office Staff
- Understand and communicate this standard to supervisors and employees.
- Verify with Human Resources whether an employee hired to a Temporary Appointment holds or has held another Temporary Appointment within the last 12 months.
- Notify Human Resources when an employee in a Temporary Appointment is nearing the established limit of hours.
Human Resources
- Serve as a resource to hiring departments, employees, and the business office regarding Temporary Appointment questions.
- Monitor compliance with limits on Temporary Appointments; if found that an individual is outside the limit, the department may be charged benefit fringes and the employee will become eligible for benefits.
DEFINITIONS
All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Refer to the central Policy Glossary for additional defined terms.
Exempt
A type of position that is not subject to the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Limited Duration Appointment
A staff member who is employed for no less than one year and no greater than two years at half-time or greater. Staff members in this type of position are eligible for staff benefits that correspond to the classification of the position.
Non-exempt
A type of position that is subject to the overtime and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Temporary Appointment
A staff member who is employed for a limited period of time during the year, or whose employment is intermittent, irregular, casual, or seasonal, whether full-time or part-time during the period employed. Temporary Appointments may be used for a specific project, as relief for employee absences, to supplement staff affected by increased workloads, or under other conditions that create a short-term need. Employees in Temporary Appointments are not eligible for benefits.
RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND TOOLS
This standard is issued in support of the policies on Terms and Conditions of Employment of Staff (IV.F.5) and Terms and Conditions of Lecturers (VI.F.4).
Related laws and regulations include 29 USC § 1052(a)(1)(A), 26 USC § 410(a)(1)(A)(ii), and 29 CFR § 2530.202-2.
HISTORY AND UPDATES
January 1, 2019: This is the first standard to address this issue.
APPENDIX
There are no appendices to this standard.