Hiring Summer and Temporary Workers

What is a Casual or Temporary (Summer) Employee?

A casual employee is defined as someone hired:

To work on an on-call basis or for a specific, limited period of time
Generally to meet a short-term staffing need or who works in a position of less than 1,040 hours per year.

These positions carry only those benefits mandated by law.

Casual or temporary employees must not be scheduled to work in excess of 999 hours per individual employment year, all positions combined. Casual wage appointments are not to be used for unlimited-term appointments meant to work regular weekly schedules. These appointments require approval through the regular position request process, even when the positions in question are not full-time. Department budgets may face additional financial obligations should an employee exceed 999 hours of work.

These obligations will be to provide mandatory benefit contributions (retirement and healthcare), as required by law. It is the hiring manager's responsibility to monitor the scheduling of work hours and understand these regulatory obligations by contacting human resources.

Hiring Process

Colgate is committed to the goals and values of equal opportunity and affirmative action and it is extremely important that all applicants seeking employment at Colgate are treated in a manner that is fair and consistent. In addition, we are committed to following all federal and state employment law requirements, as well as the policies of Colgate for fair and equitable treatment

Do I need to post a vacancy?

We are glad to assist in several ways. The following options are available:

Hiring departments may review available applicants through any of the temporary applicant pools that are perpetually posted on the Colgate Careers site. Please complete the casual wage request form for access to a general pool of applicants.
Human Resources can create a posting on the Colgate Careers site for your specific vacancy. Please use the casual wage request form to initiate the process for advertising a position specific posting.

Selection

All those selected for hire must have an up-to-date online application on file on the Colgate Careers site. All hires should be coordinated with the human resources department before any offer of employment is made.

Preference for summer hires should be given in the following order assuming an applicant meets the requirements of the position:

Regular employees of the university who work less than 12 months
Colgate students who are on campus for the summer
Children of Colgate employees

New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) regulates the employment of minors (under age 18). Given these specific requirements, those hired at Colgate, in most cases, must be 18 years or older. On occasion, based on the position (i.e. lifeguards, bookstore clerks), someone 16 years or older may be hired. Working papers must be provided and the limitations, as outlined by the NYSDOL, must be strictly adhered to.

In keeping with our Employment of Relatives policy, the employment of employees’ relatives in the same area/department is permitted; however, an employee cannot supervise a relative or be in a position to make or influence decisions that directly affect a relative's initial appointment, promotion, reappointment, rate of pay, or other actions related to the relative’s employment status.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services regulates work authorizations for those applicants who may be on a visa. Prior authorization should be obtained from human resources to ensure that someone does not work out of status and jeopardize their future employment in the U.S.

Background Screening Process

Colgate requires background checks on all hires and volunteers age 18 and over.

Human Resources will notify the hiring manager when the background check is complete, which may take an average of 5-7 working days.

Camps
Under NYS Public Health Law, for anyone hired (including current employees) to be engaged in the operation of a camp (day and overnight) requires a state sex offender check to be run. Human Resources must ascertain whether the employee or volunteer is listed on the state sex offender registry (this is part of the background check) prior to their engaging in employment.

Fees
Human Resources budgets and pays for regular positions and approved casual wage lines.

Background check fees will be charged to the hiring account for hires made from outside funding, agency funding and volunteers (i.e. grants, camps).

What if the position requires a valid driver's license?
Following Colgate's Motor Vehicle Policy, Human Resources should be notified when a new hire is required or will be driving as part of their duties and a Driver Authorization form will need to be completed. A MVR will be run as part of the background check process and the hiring department will be notified when the employee is cleared as outlined in the policy.

Onboarding Requirements

The following documents must be completed for every new hire:

Casual Wage Hire Form
Background Check (HR will initiate upon notification of hire)
Personal Data Sheet
Employment Application
W-4-Federal, IT 2104-State, IT 2104-E (Certificate of Exemption from Withholding)
NYS Hourly Notice and Acknowledgement of Pay Rate and Payday
Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 Form

All new hires must stop by the Human Resources office to complete the required documents prior to their start date. With advance notice, the staff in Human Resources will gladly try to accommodate flexible schedules for paperwork completion or to accommodate large groups. Some required paperwork may also be printed from the website and completed prior to visiting the Human Resources office.

All hiring managers must complete (or consult with Human Resources) an Casual Wage Employment Request Form for those hired, at least one week prior to the anticipated start date.

Failure to provide this form with the pertinent information in advance will cause delays in payment.

Under the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the employee must bring to Human Resources original unexpired documents that establish both identity and employment eligibility within three (3) days of hire.
If this documentation is not provided within three (3) days of the employee's start date, the employee, according to the regulations, is unable to work. Human Resources will contact the hiring manager should this be the case.

Labor Law Section 195(1) Notice and Acknowledgement of Wage Rate and Designated Payday, Hourly Rate plus Overtime requires the university to provide, at the time of hire, this notification to new employees or when there is a change in rate. Timely communication from departments is required to ensure compliance.

Employees hired in temporary positions are, in most cases, considered non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act and will be paid hourly and must be paid at least the minimum wage (Effective December 31, 2022 $14.20 per hour).

To ensure equitable rates across the university, please consult with Human Resources before establishing hourly rates.

Departments that provide employees with room and/or board must notify the Human Resources department in advance. Under IRS guidelines this is considered payment "in kind" and the fair market value is considered taxable income and is subject to both income tax and social security withholding.

Departments should not under any circumstances, agree to provide any goods or services to any employee in exchange for services rendered.

Employees should not be scheduled in excess of 40 hours per week (all positions combined). Overtime is required for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a week. Employees are required to take at least a 1/2 hour unpaid lunch break if they work more than six (6) hours.

If an employee's work is completed prior to the end of their shift, their shift should be considered over for the day and the employee should be sent home. Departments should not imply or make guarantees of hours or duration of employment.

Most employees are provide with a Colgate network account and email account and will be required to enter their actual hours of work on Web Time Entry, with the exception of areas that use Departmental Web Time Entry (i.e. athletic event staff and camps).

Human Resources will need to be informed of who the approver of time will be to ensure the appropriate set up and timely payments. Approvers should arrange for a proxy. Federally funded grants (those funds that begin with 2 (i.e. 200000) may require the authorized fund manager to be the approver.

Email accounts are turned off on the last day of employment as provided on the ECOS.
Managers are responsible for ensuring that their employees follow the university Acceptable Use Policy.

Hiring Department/Manager Responsibilities

Department and hiring managers are responsible for:

Following the selection and hiring process for casual and summer employees, including camps.
Monitoring hours of work (all hours combined).
Ensuring appropriate funds are available.
Performance standards of employees and to ensure work policies are adhered to.
Informing Human Resources of any change in employment status (i.e. extended or early departures) so that the payroll system can be updated appropriately and network access can be adjusted.
Approving hours of work on Web Time Entry (WTE).
Contacting Human Resources for assistance in dealing with any matters.