The following are commonly asked questions regarding the University of Puget Sound (the “university”) Categories of Employment Policy.

Please click on the question to be directed to the relevant policy section.

I. Policy

The university designates a staff member’s employment in terms of employment classification (exempt or non-exempt) and employment definition (regular full-time, regular part-time, temporary).

II. Eligibility and Scope

A. Employment Classification
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classifies employment positions as either exempt or non-exempt. Employment classifications determine how a staff member may be paid for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week and whether or not a staff member is subject to the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the FLSA.

1. Exempt Staff Members
An exempt staff member is a staff member paid a fixed salary and meets the criteria for exclusion under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). An exempt staff member is not eligible to receive overtime pay for additional time worked.

2. Non-Exempt Staff Members
A non-exempt staff member is a staff member paid on an hourly basis and is subject to the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable state wage and hour laws. A non-exempt staff member reports his or her time worked and is entitled to overtime pay at one-half times his or her regular pay rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. In compliance with FLSA and other applicable wage and hour laws, the university considers only hours worked in counting toward the 40-hour threshold for overtime eligibility.

B. Employment Definitions

1. Regular Full-Time Staff Member
A regular full-time staff member is a staff member who is scheduled to work 40 hours per week, 12 months per year (2,080 scheduled hours of work per year).

2. Regular Part-Time Staff Member
A regular part-time staff member is a staff member scheduled to work fewer than 2,080 scheduled work hours per year.

3. Temporary Staff Member
A temporary staff member is a staff member who is hired with the expectation that he or she will be needed for a limited period of time, generally not more than six months unless otherwise approved by the appropriate cabinet member in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Human Resources or his or her designee.

A temporary staff member is not eligible for benefits or holiday pay except when stipulated in a written agreement for a long-term temporary assignment that has been authorized by the area vice president in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Human Resources or his or her designee.

A staff member in a temporary position appointed to the same position regularly with no break in service will be granted continuous service credits from the date hired in the temporary position.

Origination Date: 9/1958.

Revised: 1996, 3/16/2011.