Human Resource Services

Overview

All temporary employees hired for non-faculty duties are coordinated through Human Resource Services. Temporary staff may not be hired or begin work until proper approvals have been obtained using the Jobs@UNI Requisition and has met other requirements detailed on this webpage.

Temporary Appointment Limits

P&S - Appointments may be full- or part-time for an appointment period which shall not extend beyond one year (12 months).

Merit - Appointments may be full- or part-time but are limited to less than 780 hours per fiscal year.

Pay

P&S temporary employees are paid on a hourly basis. The hourly rate is generally based on the market for the position.

Temporary Merit employees are generally paid at the entry-level wage for the classification of work being performed within the Merit classifications. Students should be hired through Student Employment where possible. A Merit employee serving in a non-temporary position may also hold a temporary appointment.

Based on federal wage and hour law, hours worked over 40 in a workweek will be paid at a rate of time and one-half the regular hourly rate of pay for positions paid on an hourly basis.

Pay Schedule

Temporary employees are paid monthly on the last working day of the month. Please make sure temporary employees know how to complete and submit their timecard. Employees paid on a hourly basis submit their timecard on a weekly basis. Supervisors must also approve weekly timecards on a weekly basis. Pay period information can be found at the Office of Business Operations Payroll Periods and Paydays web page.

Benefits

Temporary employees scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week are eligible for health insurance coverage as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Temporary employees also become eligible for IPERS when their appointment is scheduled to last six (6) months or more or when gross wages paid are $1,000 or more in two (2) consecutive calendar quarters. P&S and Merit temporary staff are not eligible for other benefits.

Fringe Benefit Rates

For information on the current fiscal year fringe benefit rates go to: https://obo.uni.edu/fringe-benefit-rates.

Steps to Hire a Temporary Employee

1. As soon as temporary hiring need is known, develop a job description or list of duties and then complete and route a Jobs@UNI requisition to obtain approval to hire. Once approved, the temporary position will be listed on the UNI Employment Opportunities page and will automatically feed to IowaWORKS. Current regulations for federal contractors require all position vacancies, including temporary positions, lasting at least three (3) days to be listed for at least three (3) full calendar days with the state workforce development office.
2. Using temporary hiring guidelines listed below, determine candidate(s) to be hired for temporary position.
3. Complete a Personnel Action Form (PAF) no later than the first day of the temporary assignment. Note the Jobs@UNI requisition number on the PAF and attach the temporary offer letter signed by the department head or director and the person hired.
4. Ensure that the new temporary hire completes new hire paperwork in HRS by their first day of employment. Federal regulations require that employees must complete an I-9 no later than their first day of employment and must be submitted to HRS by their third day of employment.
5. There is no formal new hire orientation for temporary staff, but encourage the new temporary hire to visit the New Hire web page for information that will supplement the departmental orientation efforts.

Temporary Hiring Guidelines

Direct Hire

1. List all temporary positions lasting three (3) days or more on the UNI Employment Opportunities page and IowaWORKS. These listings will be accomplished via HRS once a Jobs@UNI requisition is fully approved.
2. Advertise the temporary vacancy in other relevant recruitment sources as desired. All recruitment advertisements must be approved by the Office of Compliance & Equity Management. The advertisement should be based on the job description or list of duties and qualifications for the position. For further guidance, contact HRS using the contacts on this page.
3. Search Process:
1. Within Jobs@UNI, review and rate all applicants.
2. Within Jobs@UNI, submit a Pre-Interview Report for OCEM approval. Do not begin interviews until this approval is obtained.
3. Once Pre-Interview Report is approved, conduct interviews to determine the most qualified candidate(s).
4. Make applicant selection.
5. Once a selection is made, email hrs-employment@uni.edu to indicate the name of the person that has accepted the offer.
6. HRS will officially close the position in Jobs@UNI.
4. Offer the position using the P&S Offer Letter for Temporary Position, or Merit Offer Letter for Temporary Position.
5. Keep your hiring records (ad, application information, selection notes/justification) for three years.

Temporary Agency Hire

In lieu of directly hiring a temporary employee as described above, departments may elect to hire temporary staff through a temporary agency. UNI has purchasing agreements with selected temporary staffing agencies. A list of those companies is available on the Office of Business Operations website (scroll down to Temporary Staffing). We must utilize these agencies unless they are unable to provide requested temporary staffing.

1. Complete a Temporary Hire Pre-Approval Form to obtain approvals to hire a temporary employee. HRS will list the temporary vacancy on the UNI Employment Opportunities page and IowaWORKS similarly to the direct hire process above.
2. Contact the temporary staffing agency to provide a description of duties, qualifications and anticipated pay rate based on the position. The staffing agency will attempt to provide temporary employee(s) meeting those specifications. Let them know if you would like to interview candidates before they begin working.
3. Staff hired through a temporary staffing agency are the employee of the temporary agency. The on-site UNI supervisor will need to sign weekly timecards verifying hours worked and keep in touch with the staffing agency as to the length of the temporary assignment. The temporary agency will bill you the gross wages along with a % mark-up to cover their administrative costs. Inquire with the temporary agency for more information about this.
4. If staff hired through a temporary agency need access to any of UNI's administrative systems, they will need to be set up as an External in e-Business Suite. In order to do this, they will first need to establish an University ID (UID), if they don't already have one, by going to https://www.uni.edu/newhire and following the instructions provided. Once the UID has been established, a PAF needs to be submitted. In many cases, a new position title will need to be created before it will be available in the PAF system. You may contact paf-support@uni.edu to determine if a new position title needs to be created. After the PAF is completed through workflow, access the Security Request System to request user access to the various systems on campus.

The length of temporary hire time limits also apply to staff hired through a temporary agency.