To define temporary employment, procedures for payment, and guidelines for employees who transfer from temporary to regular status.

A job is considered temporary if the position is expected to continue for less than one (1) year. An employee in this position is temporary and is not eligible for paid allowances (e.g., holidays, personal holidays, vacation, or sick leave) and is not eligible for participation in the University's benefit plans.

1. If the duration of an assignment falls within a single pay period, and it is certain that the individual will not be hired again by the same Department/School/Division for at least three (3) months, the Staff One-Time Payment Request procedure should be followed.
2. If the duration of assignment is expected to continue longer than a single pay period but less than one (1) year, a hiring manager may hire a temporary employee through one or more of the following options:
   1. Contact the University Human Resources Management (UHRM) Temporary Pool Administrator who will select and place a qualified temporary employee into a temporary position. The Temporary Pool Administrator will complete all interviewing, testing, reference checking, and new hire paperwork.
   2. Hire a temporary employee directly by using the Temporary Employment Form, and submit the appropriate paperwork to UHRM-Wage and Salary Administration (Records Office). If recruitment assistance is needed, the HR administrator and/or hiring manager may request a position to be posted by UHRM on the online employment site (UChicago Jobs). The HR administrator and/or hiring manager should conduct a search for a temporary employee using the same guidelines as searches conducted by UHRM, which include Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO), record keeping, interviewing, testing, and reference checking.
3. When a temporary employee’s assignment expires and the Department/School/Division wishes to continue the individual’s employment, the Department/School/Division must follow the recruitment and selection processes to fill a regular, benefits-eligible position. This includes advertising the open position for at least seven (7) calendar days.
   
   In most cases, a regular, benefits-eligible position will be posted. A temporary employee’s pay rate is not guaranteed to remain the same upon transfer to a regular benefits-eligible position. The departmental budget, the level of the position, internal equities, bargaining unit provisions, and the applicant’s credentials (i.e., certifications, test scores, relevant experiences) will determine the appropriate salary.
4. The hiring manager may request an employee’s service to be bridged to a date prior to the employee having attained regular status, provided the following conditions are met:
   • The regular benefits-eligible position represents the same assignment as was performed in the temporary capacity within the same department, for the same supervisor(s).
   • There must not be a break in service of more than seven (7) calendar days, either during periods of temporary employment or between them and the beginning of regular benefits-eligible employment; in the event that such a break occurs, paid allowance accruals shall be made retroactive only to the first day of continuous employment.
   • The temporary employee must have maintained minimum weekly schedules of twenty (20) hours; in the event that the employee worked fewer than twenty (20) hours per week, service bridgement and paid allowance accruals should be made retroactive only to the first continuous employment period where weekly schedules of twenty (20) hours or more were maintained.
   • Probationary periods will be adjusted to begin with the dates of bridgement; the Department/School/Division should be aware that retroactive bridgements will shorten or may entirely negate a probationary period.

Cross reference:

U202 Recruitment and Selection Process.