Types of Temporary Hourly Employees

The university may hire temporary hourly employees to meet short-term needs such as:

  • For a project, event, or contingency basis
  • To substitute for employees on extended and approved leave of absence
  • When workload prevents regular staff from accomplishing tasks in a timely manner
Temporary Hourly Employee Information Sheet

Employment Terms and Guidelines

Temporary hourly employees are employed at-will and may be terminated at any time without cause or notice for lawful reasons pursuant to the Nevada System of Higher Education, Procedures and Guidelines Manual (Chapter 17, Section 3).

Temporary hourly employees are limited to a maximum of 1,000 hours per fiscal year and must be terminated upon reaching the maximum hours, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  • The hiring unit is responsible for monitoring the total hours worked to remain in compliance with both the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) and the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) laws and regulations.
  • If a temporary hourly employee works more than 1,039 hours in a fiscal year, the hiring unit is responsible for all retroactive retirement contributions to PERS.
  • The hiring unit must stop scheduling a temporary hourly employee once they reach 1,000 hours.
    • This prohibition includes the subsequent assignment of any such employee to the university through a staffing or placement agency or other third party.
  • A hiring unit should not repeatedly hire temporary hourly employees in lieu of filling a vacant position.

The Nevada System of Higher Education Code provisions regarding nepotism apply to all temporary hourly employees. More information is available on Human Resources’ nepotism policy webpage.

Temporary hourly employees may work a defined schedule or intermittently as needed. They are paid on an hourly basis and must record all time worked each day. 

Temporary hourly employees are not eligible for university benefits such as paid leave, holiday pay, or additional holiday pay except as described below. Time worked in a temporary hourly position does not count toward seniority, leave accruals, evaluations or status.

Temporary hourly employees must contribute to the FICA Alternative Retirement Plan. They may participate in the voluntary supplemental 403(b) and deferred compensation (457) plans.

  • NSHE adheres to the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Temporary hourly employees are considered part-time variable hour employees under the ACA.
  • Hiring units must accurately record the number of hours the employee is expected to work and are not permitted to alter a full-time equivalency (FTE) to impact eligibility for medical insurance.
  • Temporary hourly employees hired to work less than 80 hours per month (49.9% FTE or less), will have their hours worked measured during the first 10 months of employment to determine eligibility for medical benefits for the following 10 months, known as the stability period. Employees will be eligible for medical benefits during the stability period if they work at least 1,300 hours over the 10-month measurement period.
  • Temporary hourly employees hired to work 80 or more hours a month (50% FTE or greater) are eligible for medical benefits through the Public Employees Benefits Program (PEBP) on the first of the month concurrent with or following their hire date 

Temporary hourly employees must acknowledge the Temporary Hourly Employee Information Sheet upon hire.

When the hiring unit decides a temporary hourly employee is the optimal solution to achieve its short-term goals, they should follow these onboarding procedures:

Step 1

Obtain approval from the employing department head, Dean or appropriate Vice President to fill a temporary hourly position.

Step 2

Review candidates and select best qualified.

Step 3

Review Workday to determine if selected candidate has prior employment with the University within the fiscal year and the number of hours worked to date within the fiscal year.

Step 4

Conduct any necessary reference and/or background checks prior to an offer being made.

Step 5

Candidates approved for temporary hourly employment must not be under any of the following:

  • Special separation agreement prohibiting employment with the University under that agreement.
  • Involuntarily terminated for cause from regular employment at the University.
  • Previously worked at the University and is not eligible for rehire.
Step 6

Ask the candidate to complete the following forms which will be used to complete the hire in Workday.

Step 7

No later than the first day of work, candidate must complete the following in Workday:

  • Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9
  • Federal tax withholding form
Step 8

Complete onboarding in Workday, including verifying the candidate's identity and eligibility documents for Form I-9.

Step 9
Orientation
  • The hiring manager is responsible for providing appropriate University and/or department orientation. 
  • Departments must ensure that the employee is aware of all University procedures.
  • All temporary hourly employees must be provided with a copy of the Temporary Hourly Employee Information Sheet on or before the start of employment.

Employing Unit Responsibilities
  • Regularly monitor the total hours each temporary hourly employee has worked or will be working during the fiscal year.
  • Once the temporary hourly employee has worked 1,000 hours during the fiscal year, no more hours may be scheduled.
  • Approximately one week prior to the temporary hourly employment end date, prepare an exit checklist to retrieve all university property.
  • Initiate termination of the temporary hourly employee, including notifying the employee of termination because the hours limit was reached.
  • Upon termination remove access to university systems.
Human Resources Responsibilities 
  • Process the appropriate transaction and coding to terminate the temporary hourly employee.

Temporary Hourly: Pay

  • Hourly employees are paid on a positive pay basis, meaning they are paid for each hour worked.
  • Hourly employees semi‐monthly pay amounts represent the number of hours worked in the pay period.
  • Weekly overtime is based upon hours worked during UNLV’s standard workweek which begins at 12:00 a.m. each Sunday and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the following Saturday.*
  • While authorization is required for overtime, pay cannot be withheld if overtime work occurs. When either “suffered or permitted” overtime pay may be made.
  • Overtime: Overtime is earned at a rate 1.5 times the hourly wage for time worked over 40 hours per work week. Overtime must be requested and approved in advance and should be incurred sparingly.
  • Annual Leave, Sick Leave and Holidays are not available to hourly employees.
  • Holidays: Ineligible for paid holidays or additional pay for time worked on holidays.

*Select departments on campus may have a different standard workweek, please consult with department business manager.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact your unit’s Temp Hire & HCM Support analyst.

Title IX

UNLV does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities, including admissions, on the basis of sex/gender pursuant to Title IX, or on the basis of age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, color or religion pursuant to Title 4, Chapter 8, Section 13 of the NSHE Handbook.

Reports of discriminatory misconduct, questions regarding Title IX, and/or concerns about noncompliance with Title IX or any other anti-discrimination laws or policies should be directed to UNLV’s Title IX Coordinator Michelle Sposito. The Title IX Coordinator can be reached through the online reporting form, by email at titleixcoordinator@unlv.edu, by phone at 702-895-4055, by mail at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 451062, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-1062, or in person at Frank and Estella Beam Hall (BEH), Room 555.