HR0105 – Employment Status

HR0105 – Employment Status

Topics:

Employee Groups	Other Employment Issues
Employee Subgroups	Procedures
Employment Percentage	Related Policies
Employment Status

Objective:

To define employee groups, employee subgroups, employment percentage, employment status, and other employment issues, which specify employment conditions and applicability of human resources policies to each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate.

Policy:

Employee Groups

1. Each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate is assigned to one of the following four employee groups:
   1. Regular – Employment for a period expected to be 12 months or more. Includes academic year (9 months) and flex-year appointments paid over a 12-month period to satisfy the 12-month requirement. A Limited Duration Appointment (LDA) is a form of regular employment for a specific project or for a limited period of time. An LDA may be established for up to one year with an option to renew the appointment annually for a maximum of three years. To establish an LDA, approval by the campus human resources office is required before the initial appointment and before any subsequent annual renewal of the appointment beyond the first year. Also required is an appointment letter indicating the maximum length and other conditions of the appointment.
   2. Temporary – Employment for a period expected to be less than 12 consecutive months. This employee group includes casual laborers who are paid for performing a one-time service and other special appointments. Upon initial employment, temporary employees participate in social security (HR0385 SOCIAL SECURITY) and workers’ compensation (HR0397 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION). Temporary employees are not eligible to participate in a retirement plan. After a temporary employee (excluding a state or University of Tennessee retiree) has been in an active pay status and has earned a paycheck for 12 consecutive monthly or 26 consecutive biweekly pay periods, the employee must be considered for reclassification in a regular employee designation. At that time, a decision must be made to terminate the employee, to reclassify the employee, or to retain the employee in the temporary classification. The regular designation may be a Limited Duration Appointment (see definition in item 1.a. above). Reclassification of an employee from a temporary to a regular status must be accomplished according to approved affirmative action procedures. Exception: Employees who have retired from service with the University of Tennessee, the Tennessee Board of Regents institutions, or the State of Tennessee (including all TCRS participating employees) must remain in the temporary employee group regardless of the length of their post-retirement service due to requirements imposed by state retirement statutes. No such employee may work in excess of the time period permitted by TCRS (normally 960 hours per year). See Policy HR0120.
      
      If a decision is made to retain the employee in the temporary classification, the reason must be documented and approved in writing by the campus human resources office. The status of each employee designated as temporary will be monitored to determine if the designation is appropriate.
      
   3. Student – Employment of the following:
      1. Individuals assigned the employee group of “student”
      2. Individuals assigned a job classification (title) of non-UT student assistant
         
         Employees in the employee group “student” are eligible only for workers’ compensation benefits.
         
   4. Friends of the University – Affiliates of the university who are not paid but serve as volunteers, honoraries, and travelers or Board of Trustees members.

Employee Subgroups

1. Each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate is also assigned to an employee subgroup:
   1. Faculty – One who holds faculty rank and whose primary appointment is to engage in academic instruction, research, or service.
      1. 9-month – works 9 months and is paid over 12 months
      2. 12-month – works and is paid for 12 months
   2. Staff
      1. Professional – exempt staff not primarily engaged in academic instruction, research, or service (including post-doctorate associates and certain other non-faculty researchers or instructors) but holding a position that requires recognized professional achievement acquired either by formal training or equivalent experience.
      2. Executive/Administrative – exempt staff not primarily engaged in academic instruction, research, or service but holding a position of executive, administrative, or managerial responsibility, and who meet the FLSA salary basis test.
      3. Hourly Input – non-exempt staff who are neither primarily engaged in academic instruction, research, or service, nor charged with administrative or managerial responsibility and are paid on the biweekly payroll.
      4. Hourly No Input – non-exempt staff who are neither primarily engaged in academic instruction, research, or service, nor charged with administrative or managerial responsibility and are paid on the monthly payroll.

All regular staff employees serve a probationary period of six calendar months in an active pay status beginning with their first day of regular employment with the university (see HR0135 PROBATIONARY PERIOD).

1. Student – One viewed by the university as being at the university primarily to be enrolled in academic courses.
   1. Student Hourly Input – paid hourly on the biweekly payroll
   2. Student Hourly No Input – paid on the monthly payroll
   3. Graduate Students – 9 and 12-month

Employment Percentage

1. Each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate is identified as either full-time or part-time as follows:
   1. Full-Time – Employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours per workweek are assigned a full-time percentage, i.e., 100%
   2. Part-Time – Employees who are scheduled to work less than 40 hours per workweek are assigned the equivalent part-time percentage, e.g., employees scheduled to work 30 hours per workweek are assigned a part-time percentage of 75% (30 hours divided by 40 hours equals 75 percent).

Employment Status

1. Each University of Tennessee employee or affiliate is identified as active or inactive as follows:
   1. Active – Employees are at work or on approved leave with pay. An employee on an academic year or flex-year service base whose pay is paid over 12 months will be considered to be in an active pay status for the entire 12-month period. (Active pay status includes annual leave, sick leave, holidays, administrative closings, court leave, funeral and bereavement leave, military leave, and other leaves of absence with pay.)
   2. Inactive – Employees continue their employment association with the university, but are not receiving pay, such as an approved leave of absence.

Other Employment Issues

1. Faculty are employed for a term of one year or other specified period of time subject to renewal in accordance with the policies and procedures set forth in the applicable faculty handbook. Staff employees who are not employed for a specified period of time, and all employees in a Limited Duration Appointment, serve on an at will basis.
2. No person shall be placed on the university’s payroll when the period of employment parallels employment with a Tennessee Board of Regents institution or with a state agency. University policy regarding the exchange of employees’ services between the university and state agencies or Tennessee Board of Regents institutions is found in FI0445 EMPLOYEE SERVICES BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY, BOARD OF REGENTS INSTITUTIONS, AND STATE AGENCIES.
3. Each campus and institute of the university shall develop appropriate written procedures for employing persons within the university.

Related Policies: HR0375 – Retirement Plans, HR0385 – Social Security Benefits, HR0397 – Worker’s Compensation, FI0445 – Employee Services Between the University Board of Regents Institutions and State Agencies