FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME STATUS
Revised January 2011
Full-time employees are those who are scheduled to work 2,080 hours per year (52 x 40 hours per week for most employees) with an allowance for vacation and holidays.
Part-time employees are those whose work schedule calls for anything less than 2,080 hours.
Employees must be regularly scheduled to work at least half-time (1,040 hours) to be eligible for benefits such as medical, dental, disability and life insurance, and tuition remission. Employees must work a minimum of 1,000 hours to be eligible for PLU retirement contributions, as required by law. Some benefits are prorated for those working less than full-time.
All new employees enter into an introductory period of employment. Introductory periods are generally set for an initial period of 90 days. With Human Resources approval, the supervisor may direct that the introductory period be terminated, curtailed, or extended depending upon the progress being made by the new employee.
The introductory period provides employees an opportunity to determine their interest in, and suitability for, the position. It also gives the supervisor an opportunity to assess the employee's progress.
During the introductory period, new employees typically receive the necessary advice and training from their supervisors to help them learn their assignments and perform satisfactorily.
A performance appraisal is normally conducted at the end of the introductory period for both staff and administrative employees. Successful completion of the introductory period does not alter the employment at will status or confer any greater right to employment than previously existed.
The introductory period is generally waived for employees with satisfactory performance who transfer from one department to another. Supervisors remain responsible for coordinating appropriate coaching and training.
Positions that do not meet the exemption provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Washington Minimum Wage Act are defined as nonexempt positions. Employees in nonexempt positions are eligible for pay for time worked over and above that regularly scheduled (refer to the Overtime Policy for specific details). At PLU, nonexempt employees are called staff. All newly employed employees are entered into an introductory period of employment. Introductory periods are generally set for an initial period of three calendar months. The supervisor may direct that the introductory period be terminated, curtailed, or extended depending upon the progress being made by the new employee.
Exempt positions are those which meet the exemption provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Washington Minimum Wage Act. Full-time employees in exempt positions are not eligible for pay for additional time worked. At PLU, exempt employees are called administrators.
REGULAR AND TEMPORARY STATUS
Revised October 2009
A regular employee is one in a benefits eligible position who has completed the introductory period.
A temporary employee is one who is employed short term to complete a special project, to assist during a department's peak load period, etc. Temporary employees may be paid on an hourly or salaried basis, depending on whether the position is classified as exempt or nonexempt. Generally temporary employees are not eligible for benefits. University parking passes and identification cards will be issued only to temporary employees hired to work assignments expected to last three months or more, unless they are required to successfully complete the assignment (i.e. adjunct faculty need temporary ID cards to access the Library).
Long-term temporary employees may be eligible for benefits, provided their temporary assignments are expected to last six months or more, and during which time 1,040 or more work hours will be completed. Normal benefit waiting periods will apply. Vacation, sick leave and holiday pay are subject to the same requirements. A temporary appointment is not to exceed one year in length without prior approval of the appropriate officer and the Director of Human Resources.
The hire date will be determined from the date the employee was hired in a regular benefits eligible position. If there has been a break in service of less than one year, the employee will be given credit for prior service in benefits eligible positions. If the break is service is greater than one year, the date of hire will be determined from the date hired in the current regular benefits eligible position. Service awards are based on the hire date.
For temporary employees appointed to regular status, benefits eligibility will be based on the date that the employee moves to the regular benefits eligible position.
Pacific Lutheran University is committed to providing a comprehensive program of higher education. The university recognizes that the people who comprise its faculty and staff are central to achieving this objective. In order to assure that employees are recognized and rewarded within the constraints of its financial resources, the university supports a pay system that:
A demotion is a movement to a position in a lower pay grade. Demotions may occur as a result of organizational realignments or performance difficulties among other possible reasons. If an employee is demoted, the circumstances of each case will be reviewed to ascertain the appropriate pay rate for the new job. It is the general practice that the wage rate of the employee will not be cut if the demotion is not a result of poor performance. However, if a reduction in force was ever to become a necessity, the university reserves the right to decrease individual wage rates to an appropriate pay level for the newly assigned lower level responsibilities.
Most university positions are assigned to a salary grade. Each salary grade has a minimum wage and a maximum wage. The midpoint of each range is driven by the market rate for positions in that salary grade. The pay range of the salary grades are reviewed annually. New employees in nonexempt positions normally start in the first quartile of the assigned range, while new employees in exempt positions normally start in a unique range identified for the specific position. Exceptions to this practice are infrequent. Above standard starting wage will be authorized only if such action will not create an internal equity problem with current employees in the same classification or pay level.
The university uses numerous techniques to classify staff and administrator positions, including:
If a position is reclassified to a new salary grade, and/or status, the position level will typically be revised at the time of the university's regular salary changes (generally June 1 of each year).
A promotion is a movement to a job at a higher pay grade or a job with significantly higher duties. Vacant positions may be filled by promoting current employees. Salaries of employees who are promoted will be established using the range of the new pay level, the wage rate of similarly situated employees and the promoted employee's qualifications.
SUPPLEMENTAL PAY POLICY
Approved by President's Council October 2003
Supplemental work above one's basic contract and any resulting, associated pay requires the prior recommendation of one's supervisor and the prior approval of the vice president and must be made in accordance with university personnel policies.
For one-time payments to faculty and administrators, recommendations may be made using the Extra Pay Form, which can be downloaded from the Payroll office website.
For payments spanning more than one pay period, follow the most current version of the Procedures for Production of Part-time Service and Teaching Agreements. All deans and their administrative assistants have these procedures; they are also available in Human Resources.
Any extra pay for faculty and staff must be approved in advance by the appropriate vice president before the work is performed. The deans may not authorize such payments.
A transfer is a movement to a different job in the same department or a job in a different department that does not involve a promotion or demotion. Transfers within the same pay grade are normally made without an adjustment in pay.