DESCRIPTION

Temporary employees are appointed upon the recommendation of the employing unit to provide capable persons to staff the university’s temporary employment needs.

Temporary Employees may be enrolled at Wayne State University for five (5) or less credit-hours as an undergraduate or three (3) or less credit-hours as a graduate student. If enrollment exceeds the limit, the individual should be assigned as a Student Assistant or College Work Study (CWS) student as applicable.

TERM(S)/DEFINITION(S)

 A temporary employee is an hourly worker that is not eligible for any university benefits, can be hired on a part-time or full-time basis, and whose employment status is of a temporary or contingent nature.  Such temporary assignments are primarily for short-term projects, sick leave and vacation replacement, peak period workloads, and for filling vacant positions currently posted until a regular, full-time employee can start work.  Full and part-time employees with a regular Wayne State University assignment cannot be hired as a temporary employee. If deemed appropriate, the employee can be assigned to and must comply with the APPM Section 3.3.1, Additional Service Assignment.

 Temporary Employee Classification Titles - Union  

POLICY

Introduction

It is the intent of the university to hire qualified, temporary employees in units to fulfill short-term staffing needs.  The process is initiated with the unit assessing its requirements, determining if hiring a temporary employee is in the best interest of the university and within the unit’s ability to fund.  If the unit decides hiring a temporary employee is the optimal solution to achieve its short-term goals, the unit is to follow the procedures outlined in this policy to begin the hiring process.

All temporary hiring decisions must be approved by the dean or vice president of the employing unit.

This policy is designed to adhere to applicable collective bargaining agreement provisions on the utilization of temporary employees and to comport with pertinent employment laws.

Duration of Assignments

All temporary employees are limited to a maximum of 1,000 hours per fiscal year.  All units are required to establish an assignment end date, within a six month period, prior to filling an assignment. Temporary employees will be automatically terminated upon reaching the maximum hours or on the pre-established assignment end date.

 A reminder will be sent to units whose temporary employees have worked 800 or more hours.  A request to extend the assignment end date can be submitted as long as the temporary employee has not worked beyond 1,000 hours.

This policy prohibits the following actions:

• A unit cannot change the job title, position number, or e-class of a temporary employee who has exceeded the hour and/or time limitations.
•  A unit should not repeatedly hire temporary employees in lieu of filling a vacant position.

Special Considerations

Candidates approved for the temporary assignment must not have been under any of the following:

• Special separation agreement prohibiting employment with Wayne State University under that agreement.
• Involuntarily terminated from regular employment at Wayne State University
• Previously worked at Wayne State University and is not eligible for rehire

Hiring Process

Hiring departments should interview candidates and select the best qualified individual.  Before an assignment is approved, the selected candidate must complete an application in the Online Hiring System and all required employment paperwork. The unit must also submit documentation to describe the circumstances under which the temporary employee will be hired (e.g. peak workload, position vacancy, scheduled vacations) and a description of the work performed.

Nepotism

Relatives (as defined in the APPM Section 3.0.3, Family Employment) of current employees (permanent or temporary) may not be employed within the same department without review by and notice to the Human Resources Client Services Department.  If relatives are considered for employment, it is necessary for the dean or vice president to certify that such action will not result in one family member supervising or having influence in employment matters of another family member.

Employment restrictions might also include others living within the employee's household or otherwise so closely identified with the employee as to suggest the potential for difficulty in the employment relationship. Relatives (or other closely affiliated persons) of current employees are not given preference in employment.

Reference Checks

Departments should complete reference checks and credentials verification (if applicable) for all final candidates for temporary assignments.

Employment Eligibility

Prior to the employee’s start date, departments must verify the eligibility for employment by having the prospective employee complete the appropriate documentation, including:

• Temporary Employment Application (Online Hiring System)
• Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9)
• Tax withholding forms (Federal, State, City)

Orientation

Hiring managers are responsible for providing appropriate university and department orientation to temporary employees. Departments are required to ensure that temporary employees are aware of all university policies.

Work Hours

Work schedules may vary with each assignment.  Temporary employees who work at least 6 hours a day may be granted two (2) ten minute breaks.  If the temporary employee works more than 6 hours, an unpaid lunch period is granted according to a schedule determined by the immediate supervisor.

Wage-Hour Administration

All temporary employees must be paid at or above the State minimum wage.

Temporary employees should submit a completed Web-Time Entry timesheet for each biweekly period in which work is performed. Temporary employees are paid on the same biweekly schedule as full –time regular employees and must adhere to the same payroll deadlines.

All temporary employees are subject to the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA).   Non-Exempt employees earn time-and-one half for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a work week. An employee must actually work over 40 hours in a single work week to receive overtime compensation. Lack of funds does not relieve a department from its liability to compensate overtime work at the rate of time-and-one-half. The additional pay is to be included in the paycheck for the pay period in which the overtime was worked.

Note: Some units may require occasional mandatory overtime as a condition of employment. Such a requirement should be explained to candidates during the interview and selection process.

 Temporary employees are not eligible for compensatory time off.

 Temporary employees do not receive pay for a university holiday not worked.

Separation / Release

Temporary employees serve “at will” and may be dismissed at any time, for any reason, without any obligation to state the reason to anyone, without recourse to appeal procedures and without additional university compensation or preference in hiring.

Security Clearance

Based on the nature and location of the work, certain positions may be required to undergo a warrant check and fingerprinting for employment and/or continued employment.  Refer to APPM 9.5 to determine if a security clearance is required and the procedures.

Signatory Authority

The determination on whether a temporary employee should possess signatory authority should be made by the unit's respective dean or vice president.

Use of Technology

 The university community is encouraged to make innovative and creative use of information technologies and users are expected to use computer and network resources in a responsible manner. Refer to University policy, 00-1, Acceptable Use of Technology.

Request for access to the university’s administrative systems must be authorized by the dean, vice president or the authorized designee of the employing unit.

When the temporary assignment has ended, it is the responsibility of the supervisor to request that the employee’s access to administrative systems be terminated.

PROCEDURES

I. Hiring

II. Termination

SCOPE

This policy applies to all Wayne State University temporary employees.