Guidelines for Hiring Temporary Employees (June 2006)

Introduction
 
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Throughout the year, many managers hire temporary employees. These guidelines are intended to provide hiring managers with important information about employment processes, policies, timelines and forms to hire and to pay temporary employees correctly.

Limitations

Most information contained in these guidelines pertains to temporary employees who are hired directly onto Princeton’s payroll, and generally does not apply to:

a.       Temporary employees hired through a temporary staffing agency

b.      Princeton undergraduate students

c.       Princeton graduate students

d.      Independent contractors

e.       REU participants[1]

 

Contact Information for Human Resources
 
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For any questions about hiring procedures, policies, or regulations, please contact Human Resources.

HR e-mail:        hr@princeton.edu

Telephone:        8-3300

Walk-in:           1 New South, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (regular hours)

                        8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (summer hours)

HR website:      www.princeton.edu/hr

 

 

Topics covered in this memo

The following topics are covered in this memo:

Categories of Temporary Employees

□         Non-Exempt Casual Hourly

□         Exempt Short-Term Professional

□         Princeton University Undergraduate Students

□         Princeton University Graduate Students

□         Temporary Staffing Agency Employees

Supervision of Temporary Employees

Posting Requirements

Length of Employment Permitted

Employment of Minors

Determining Salary Rates

□         Casual Hourly Pay Rates

□         Short-Term professional Pay Rates

Payroll Schedules

Background Checks

Pre-Employment Physicals

Forms Required

□         I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

□         W-4

□         Personal Data and Self-Identification Form

□         Casual Hourly Form

□         Short-Term Professional Form

□         Working Papers (ages 16 and 17)

Contact Information

Additional Information

 

Categories of Temporary Employees
 
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Department managers may hire temporary employees to fill short-term jobs or to manage periods of heavy workload, provided they have adequate funding in their budgets. Several categories of temporary employees exist, and supervisors should hire employees into the appropriate one to reflect the type of work performed. If you need information about which category is appropriate, please contact Human Resources at 8-3300 or hr@princeton.edu.

The categories of Temporary Employees are as follows:

Non-exempt casual hourly workers

    Paid hourly through the Time Collection System on the bi-weekly payroll. Under NJ statute, they must be paid on the bi-weekly payroll following the payroll period in which they work. These employees are eligible for overtime pay. They may be students from other universities.

Exempt short-term professionals

    Paid on a salaried basis on the monthly payroll. These employees are not eligible for overtime pay because they perform administrative or professional level work. They may be students from other universities.

Princeton University undergraduate student employees

    Princeton undergraduate students must be paid at rates determined by the Student Employment Office, following the established guidelines. Please refer to www.princeton.edu/se.

Princeton University graduate student employees

         Princeton graduate students (except for ET-DCC status) must be paid through the Graduate School, following the established guidelines. Please refer to http://www.gradschool.princeton.edu/admission/new/employment/

Employees hired through a temporary staffing agency

For a current listing of approved agencies, please refer to www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/223-b.htm. Managers should contact temporary staffing agencies to hire employees directly.

 


 
Supervision of Temporary Employees
 
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All temporary positions filled by casual hourly or short-term professional employees must be supervised by a regular Princeton University employee.

If a former employee was terminated for cause, the employee should not be rehired to work at the University.

If an employee is on the University’s Long Term Disability program, the employee should not be rehired as a temporary employee. If a current or former employee on the University’s Long Term Disability program has been terminated from this benefit program for any reason, supervisors should contact Human Resources to determine whether or not to request medical certification that the employee is capable of performing the work before hiring that employee as a temporary worker. In these situations, you should send the name and Princeton University Employee Identification number, if available, to Alison Nelson, manager of benefits, via e-mail, alisonn@princeton.edu, for verification.

Supervisors may not have sufficient information about a temporary employee’s prior work history at Princeton or disability status, and therefore, should contact Human Resources to verify the employee’s eligibility to work at the University.

 

Posting Requirements
 
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As a federal contractor, Princeton University is required to list all vacancies available for three days or more with the New Jersey Department of Employment Services. Therefore, hiring managers should post all temporary positions filled for three or more days by casual hourly or short-term professional employees (except those filled by Princeton University students or temporary agencies) with the NJ Department of Employment Services at http://www.wnjpin.State.NJ.US/employer/index.htm.

Please complete the “Temporary Employment Opportunity – Job Order” form, available at www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/223-a.htm.

 

Length of Employment Permitted for Temporary
Employees
 
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Casual hourly or short-term professional employees normally work less than five months, or on an intermittent basis, and normally work less than 1,000 hours during their anniversary year. Please note, if you hire or re-hire a former Princeton University employee, such as a retiree or an employee who was vested in the Princeton University Retirement Plan, the employee will be eligible for retirement plan contributions starting with the first hour worked.

Written approval from the appropriate dean or vice president, and the Office of Human Resources is required in those rare instances when a temporary employee is needed to work beyond 999 hours in an anniversary year. For more information, please refer to policy 2.11, Casual Employees, at http://www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/211.htm. 

 

Employment of Minors
 
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The employment of individuals who are under 18 years of age is regulated by federal and state laws. Minors employed by Princeton University as temporary employees (only) must be 16 years of age or older and their employment must comply with federal and New Jersey regulations which require working papers.

For more information, please refer to policy 2.14, Employment of Minors, at http://www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/214.htm.  

 

Determining Salary Rates
 
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Casual Hourly Employees are paid an hourly rate based on the job duties on the bi-weekly payroll through the Time Collection System (TCS). For assistance in setting up a time card or project grant, please call the OIT HelpDesk.

At the end of each pay period that a casual hourly employee works, supervisors should approve time worked in the TCS, entered by either the employee or the supervisor. To determine the hourly rate

□         Log in to the TCS

□         Click on “Casual Tasks”

□         Go to “Job Codes” and scroll down to select the corresponding job title and locate the correct pay range for the position.

Short-Term Professional Employees (STP) are paid a salary rate determined on a weekly or monthly basis for work performed on the monthly payroll.

By the payroll deadline during each month that an STP employee works, supervisors should complete and submit the Short-Term Professional form to HR for processing. Please refer to http://www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/stpinstruc.htm.

Note: For assistance in determining the appropriate salary rate, please contact Bill Faris, Compensation Manager, at 8-8382.

 

Payroll Schedules

Please refer to the link below for the Payroll schedule:

http://web.princeton.edu/sites/TreasurersOffice/CapitalFinance/Payroll/payrollschedulesFY2007.html
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Background Checks
 
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Certain positions, such as camp counselors, require background checks which are coordinated by the hiring department and Human Resources. For additional information, please contact the HR at 8-3300 or hr@princeton.edu.

 

Pre-Employment Physicals
 
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Certain physically demanding positions within Facilities require post-offer, pre-employment physical examinations to determine if the individual will be able to meet the essential requirements of the position. For additional information, please contact Human Resources at 8-3300 or hr@princeton.edu.

 

Forms Required to Hire and Process Temporary Employees
 
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I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form

All new temporary employees must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9) in accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 to establish eligibility for employment in the United States covering their entire Princeton University appointment period. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that this has been completed within 3 days of employment. NOTE: Princeton University cannot pay employees or allow employees to work until this verification process has been completed. Temporary employees hired through temporary staffing agencies complete all required forms at the agency.

□         U.S. and Non-U.S. citizens complete the form in Human Resources, 1 New South.

□         Library employees (U. S. citizens) complete the form in the Library Human Resource Office, Firestone Library

For specific information about acceptable documents to verify employment eligibility, refer to http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.

To discuss questions related to visas, please contact Mary Idzior, Director of Visa Services, 8-1450, or idzior@princeton.edu.

W-4 (available in HR and at Library HR)

Must be completed by all temporary employees on Princeton’s payroll.

Personal Data and Self-Identification Form

Must be completed by all short-term professional employees.

http://www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/PersonalDataForm.pdf

Casual Hourly Form – for all non-exempt temporary employees

Must be completed by the hiring supervisor and the temporary employee.

http://www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/CasualHourlyForm.pdf

Short-Term Professional Form – for exempt temporary employees.

Must be completed by the hiring supervisor, initially upon hire and may be resubmitted whenever the pay rate changes.

http://www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/stpinstruc.htm

Working Papers – for minors (ages 16 and 17)

An employment certificate (working papers) must be completed by an official in the school district where the minor lives and be presented to the hiring department manager and the Office of Human Resources for review and completion prior to employment of the minor.

 

Additional Information
 
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Additional information on policies and forms is provided below.

Casual Employment Policy

http://www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/211.htm

www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/211.htm

Casual Hourly Form instructions

www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/cashrlyinstruc.htm

Short-Term Professional Form instructions

www.princeton.edu/~hr2/forms/hires/stpinstruc.htm

Employment of Students

www.princeton.edu/hr/policies/employment/212.htm

I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

[1] REU participants are not considered employees and, as such, should not be hired through the University’s payroll system. Rather, REU participants receive a stipend, typically paid by a grant, which should be processed on a white invoice through the Treasurer’s Office, utilizing expense code 279. For more information, please contact your ORPA or SPA representative.

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