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Hiring Temporary Employees

HR representatives are responsible for ensuring that each university employee completes employment forms – including the federal W-4 tax form, direct-deposit form, Conditions of Employment form, and the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification – upon hire.

Departments may post positions in PeopleAdmin and hire temporary personnel directly onto the department’s payroll (Direct Hire Temporary); or may utilize the nextSource/VNDLY platform (includes University Temporary Services (UTS) service and other outside third-party temporary employment agencies) through Purchasing Services.

Instructions for HR Representatives

The campus HR representative must provide each new employee with a welcome letter and a copy of his or her Conditions of Employment form on or before the date of hire by either U.S. mail or email. The temporary-employee welcome letter includes a link to tax, direct-deposit, and Equal Opportunity Employment Data forms.

Links to templates for each of these documents appear below:

After providing the welcome letter and the appropriate Conditions of Employment to the new employee, the HR representative should send the employee an invitation to complete Section 1 of the Form I-9 via LawLogix in advance of the date of hire. Refer to Form I-9 Information for Departments for more information.

The department’s campus I-9 preparer must ensure that the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification is completed as follows:

Every new employee hired after November 6, 1986 completes Section 1 of the Form I-9 on or before the date of hire;

  • Every new employee presents unexpired identity and work authorization document(s) within three business days of the date of hire; and
  • Section 2 of the Form I-9 is completed within three business days of the employee’s date of hire.

In addition, the campus HR representative must submit the following forms to the offices indicated below (note that payroll forms must be submitted to Payroll Services before the payroll lockout for the employee’s first pay period):

Form Name Responsible Office Campus Box
Federal Form W-4 Tax Withholding Payroll Services CB # 1260
North Carolina NC-4 Tax Withholding Payroll Services CB # 1260
Direct Payroll Deposit Authorization Payroll Services CB # 1260
Equal Opportunity Employment Data (optional) Equal Opportunity & Compliance Office CB # 9160
The campus HR representative and/or hiring supervisor or manager must provide information on accounting for time worked via the Time Information Management (TIM) system, parking, the OneCard, department policies, and other relevant information to the new temporary employee.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the HR Service Center at (919) 843-2300.

SHRA Temporary Employee Policies

The federal Jobs for Veterans Act regulations require most temporary positions to be posted publicly before they can be filled. The intent of the Act is to make it easier for veterans to find jobs when they leave military service – an outcome the University fully supports. This amendment to the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act requires government contractors to list job openings using an appropriate public posting method. This includes all positions except:

  • Executive and top management positions,
  • Positions that will be filled from within the University, or
  • Positions lasting three days or less,

For more information on positions exempt from posting, please refer to the Temporary Position Posting FAQs.
To initiate a temporary posting for a direct hire temporary, departments may log into ConnectCarolina to access the PeopleAdmin recruitment system.

If a department wishes to pursue external advertising of a temporary position in addition to the UNC Job Board through the People Admin recruitment system, please contact the Direct Hire Temporary Coordinator in Employment & Staffing.

Applicants are required to complete applications in order to apply for direct hire temporary positions posted in the University’s PeopleAdmin recruitment system. As part of creating a new direct hire temporary-SHRA posting, the Department will decide which application form(s) they are willing to accept from applicants. Departments will have the option to select from the SHRA Application or SHRA Application (Short Form) – Quick Apply.

The standard SHRA Application contains specific sections for Education, Experience, and Additional Information, whereas the SHRA Application (Short Form) does not. If the department selects the SHRA Application (Short Form), OHR strongly recommends that the department require a resume in order to obtain education and experience details consistent with the posting requirements.

Interviews of applicants for temporary appointments are not subject to the guidelines for interviews established for SHRA permanent employment. Although it is not required, OHR encourages departments to interview a minimum of three qualified candidates for a temporary position. OHR and EEO do not routinely monitor how many interviews are conducted when a department makes a temporary hire.

That said, departments need to remain fair, consistent, and non-discriminatory with their selection processes. And, in the event a claim or audit occurs, the hiring manager must be able to explain and justify their selection to appropriate University officials and/or external investigators.

Relatives (as defined below) of current employees (permanent or temporary) may not be employed within the same department without review by and notice to Employment & Staffing. If relatives are considered for employment, it is necessary for the department head to certify that such action will not result in one family member supervising another member of the immediate family. No family member may occupy a position which has influence over another employee’s employment, transfer or promotion, salary administration, or other related management or personnel consideration.

Relatives are as follows: wife, husband, mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, grandmother, grandfather, grandson, granddaughter, and step-, half-, and in-law relations of this same list. 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.

It is the responsibility of the hiring department to verify and ensure that this policy on employment of relatives is followed, complete an Employment of Related Persons Certificate and send the completed form to the Employment & Staffing at the time of hire.

Temporary employees are permitted to work in a teleworking arrangement. See the full Flexible Work Arrangements policy page for additional information.
OHR strongly encourages departments to complete reference checks and credentials verification (if applicable) for all final candidates for temporary appointments.
The satisfactory completion of a criminal conviction check is required for all final candidates for SHRA temporary appointments prior to the employee’s first day of work with the University. See the policy on Pre-employment Background Checking for more information.
Hiring officials are responsible for providing an appropriate department orientation to all temporary employees. Some resources for new temporary employees can be found on the new.unc.edu website.

If an individual is employed by the University for more than 30 calendar days, s/he is required to attend the appropriate New Employee Safety Orientation training provided through the University’s Department of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS). Employees working in a lab and/or clinic must attend the first available orientation. If the employee’s duties are in a health care environment, then the employee must provide the University Employee Occupation al Health Clinic (UEOHC) with a copy of his/her immunization records within his/her first 10 days at work. UEOHC will review the records and indicate if the employee will require further immunizations in order to stay in the position.

If an employee’s duties expose his/her to blood borne pathogens or other potentially infectious material, the employee is required to attend the EHS OSHA Blood borne Pathogen training within his/her first 10 days at work and discuss the necessity of a Hepatitis B vaccination with the UEOHC.

All employees must comply with the University’s policy on HIV-infected or Hepatitis B-infected employees engaged in University health care activities, including disclosure to their department head, dean, division chief, Senior Director of Employee & Management Relations, or chair of the University’s AIDS Task Force if they are or become infected with either virus.

Temporary SHRA employees are eligible to participate in the following benefit programs:

  • Tax-sheltered annuity [403(b)]
  • North Carolina 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan

Information about enrollment may be obtained from Benefits Services in the Office of Human Resources.

Temporary SHRA employees are required to participate in payroll “direct deposit” into a bank or credit un ion account. New temporary employees must submit a pre-printed bank or credit union voided check along with the direct payroll deposit authorization (Form PR -8A or PR-8B) to the University Payroll Department by the end of their first work week. Temporary employees will not receive a paycheck from the University until the appropriate payroll forms have been completed and submitted.

Temporary SHRA employees are not eligible to participate in any paid leave or paid time off programs, nor do they receive paid holidays.

Under very limited conditions, temporary employees may be eligible for Family and Medical Leave. See the Family and Medical Leave Policy for SHRA Employees for more information or contact Benefits Services.

Temporary SHRA employees may participate in training programs provided through the Training & Development Department in the Office of Human Resources on a space-available basis. Supervisor approval is required if the employee will be paid as work time or take time off to attend a training class. Permanent employees receive priority status in enrollment. Contact Organization & Professional Development at training_development@unc.edu or 919-962-2550 for more information.
Temporary SHRA employees may be terminated at any time without prior notice or additional compensation. In addition, they are not eligible for layoff priority employment or severance pay.

Minimum Wage

All non-student temporary SHRA employees of the State of North Carolina must be paid at or above the State minimum wage, which is $10.61 per hour.

Maximum Wage

The annualized salary for temporary SHRA employees of the State of North Carolina must not exceed the maximum of pay range for an equivalent permanent position within the same position branch and role.

Wage-Hour Status

All temporary SHRA employees are subject to the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labors Standards Act (FLSA), which means they are designated as ‘Non-Exempt’. Temporary employees must submit a completed employee time record for each biweekly period in which they work. Temporary employees must enter their bi-weekly time worked into the TIM System or have their TIM administrator enter their time if they are working from a remote location. Temporary employees are paid on the same biweekly schedule as SHRA permanent employees and must adhere to the same payroll deadlines.

Overtime Liability

Non-Exempt employees earn time -and-one half for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a work week. A non-exempt 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 obligation to compensate overtime work at the rate of time-and-one-half. The University does not have a policy that allows equal time off (hour for hour) in another week. The additional pay is to be included in the paycheck for the pay period in which the overtime was worked.

Management should give as much advance notice as possible of the need to work overtime so that employees can make any arrangements necessary to enable them to perform the overtime work.

Note: Some work units may require occasional mandatory overtime as a condition of employment. Such a requirement must be listed in the job posting and explained to job candidates during the interview and selection process.

Holidays & Holiday Pay

Temporary SHRA employees do not receive pay for a University holiday not worked.

A temporary employee who is required by his/her department to work on a University holiday must receive his/her regular pay and must also receive Holiday Premium Pay for all hours worked on the holiday. Holiday Premium Pay is equal to one-half the employee’s regular pay rate (the total compensation for working on the holiday is time and one-half, unless this work results in the employee working more than 40 hours in the week. To receive Holiday Premium Pay, the employee must enter the time on his/her timecard via the Time Information Management (TIM) system.

A temporary employee who works on a University holiday but was not required by the department to do so must be compensated at his/her regular rate for all hours worked on the holiday, unless this work results in the employee working more than 40 hours in the week. This voluntary work is not additionally compensated with Holiday Premium Pay.

Management has the discretion to allow temporary employees to work a flexible schedule during a holiday week to compensate for the absence on the holiday (for example, four 10 -hour days).

Other Special Pay Considerations

Temporary SHRA employees are eligible for on-call and emergency callback pay:

  • On-Call pay is compensation for an employee who must remain available to be called back to work on short notice if the need arises. (If an employee must remain on University property or so near that time cannot be used freely, it is not considered on -call time but is recorded as work time.)
  • Emergency Callback is compensation for an employee who has left the work site and is requested to respond (either by returning to work or by responding by telephone or computer) on short notice to an emergency work situation in order:
    • To avoid significant service disruption; or
    • To avoid placing employees or the public in unsafe situations; or
    • To protect and/or provide emergency services to property; or equipment; or
    • To respond to emergencies with students, clients, inmates, patients, or residents.

Temporary SHRA employees are not eligible for shift premium pay.

new.unc.edu/temps