Human Resources Policies

HR103 Employment Conditions for Part-Time Employees

Policy Status

Active

Subject Matter Expert

Jennifer Pritts, 814-863-7899, jlb408@psu.edu

Policy Steward

Vice President for Human Resources

POLICY'S INITIAL DATE: January 1, 2015
THIS VERSION EFFECTIVE: June 10, 2024

Content:

Purpose
Part-Time Employee Definition
Part-Time Academic
Part-Time Non-Academic
Full-Time Employees Taking on Additional Part-Time Appointments
Full-Time Penn State Students Working Part-Time Appointments
Part-Time Employee Benefits

PURPOSE:

To outline appointment types and benefits applicable to part-time employees.

PART-TIME EMPLOYEE DEFINITION:

Part-time employees are classified as either part-time academic or part-time non-academic. Part-time employees must obtain the approval of their manager(s) before accepting multiple appointments within the University during the same time-period.

All part-time positions must comply with the University’s collective bargaining agreements which may have reporting requirements and/or additional restrictions. Unless otherwise indicated in applicable University policy, all part-time appointments are considered to be at will.

PART-TIME ACADEMIC:

Employees classified as part-time academic are categorized as either teaching (adjunct) or non-teaching.

Teaching (adjunct) appointments are classified as exempt or non-exempt under FLSA (the Fair Labor Standards Act), as required by applicable legislation, and employees may teach a maximum of nine (9) credits per academic semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer) for each Affordable Care Act (ACA) standard measurement period (October through September). Employees that teach the maximum nine (9) credits per semester shall not have any other part-time appointments at Penn State.

Non-teaching part-time academic employees may be either exempt or non-exempt under FLSA, as required by applicable legislation. Exempt non-teaching part-time academic employees may work up to 60% full-time equivalency (FTE). Non-exempt part-time academic employees may work up to twenty-four (24) hours per week, year-round, and they may also work forty (40) hours per week for sixteen (16) consecutive weeks in each Affordable Care Act (ACA) standard measurement period (October through September).

PART-TIME NON-ACADEMIC:

Employees in the part-time non-academic employee type are classified as exempt or non-exempt under FLSA (the Fair Labor Standards Act), as required by applicable legislation, and should be classified in the appropriate non-academic job profile.

For a position to be classified as a exempt part-time non-academic position, it must be approved by Compensation and Classification and may work up to 60% full-time equivalency (FTE) across all appointments.

Non-exempt part-time non-academic employees may work up to twenty-four (24) hours per week in all Penn State appointments combined during each Affordable Care Act (ACA) standard measurement period (October through September). One period of full-time equivalent employment (40 hours per week) is permissible for up to sixteen (16) consecutive weeks during each Affordable Care Act (ACA) standard measurement period.

If ongoing staffing needs cannot be met while complying with the provisions for part-time schedules and FTE, the work should be evaluated in order to determine whether a full-time position is needed.

Part-time employees performing work covered under a collective bargaining agreement, such as technical service work, must comply with the requirements under the collective bargaining agreements.

FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES TAKING ON ADDITIONAL PART-TIME APPOINTMENTS:

Full-time Exempt employees may only work a maximum of fifteen (15) hours per week total in separate part-time Non-Exempt appointments.

Full-time Exempt employees may take on additional exempt appointments in accordance with HR90 – Extra Compensation for Exempt Staff Employees.

Full-time Exempt employees must obtain the approval of their manager(s) prior to taking on additional part-time appointments.

Full-time Non-Exempt employees can take on additional Non-Exempt part-time appointments, though they must be paid overtime for all hours worked over forty (40), across all appointments. Full-Time Non-Exempt employees must obtain the approval of their manager(s) prior to taking on additional part-time appointments.

Full-time Non-Exempt employees are not permitted to take on part-time Exempt appointments.

Employees that are covered under a collective bargaining agreement are not eligible for additional appointments.

FULL-TIME PENN STATE STUDENTS WORKING PART-TIME APPOINTMENTS:

Full-Time Penn State students may work up to 40 hours/week in Part-Time Penn State employment, although some work units or programs may have restrictions on the total number of hours that may be worked per week. A full-time student is defined in Academic Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual, N-5: Enrollment Status.

PART-TIME EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:

The following is a list of benefits for which part-time employees may be eligible, and/or are required by federal, state, and local law. Please check individual programs and policies for eligibility information.

NOTE: Part-time employees who obtained healthcare, earned time, and holiday time benefits under former policy HR05 prior to December 31, 2014 may continue to be eligible for those benefits provided they continue to meet the established criteria.