Employment Status

The University of North Georgia (UNG) categorizes employees as follows:

• By duration of employment

  • Regular employees are hired for a continuous period of time that is expected to exceed six months (non-faculty) or one academic year (faculty).
  • Temporary faculty employees are hired for a period of time not to exceed one academic year.
  • Temporary non-faculty employees are hired for a period of time not to exceed six months.

• By length of work week

  • Full-time faculty employees teach and accomplish other assignments that constitute a full-time workload as determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
  • Full-time non-faculty employees. Employees in this category are those employed on a half-time or better basis and have all institutional benefits extended to them. (FTE of .49 or greater).  Employees in this status typically work forty hours per week.
  • Part-time employees are employed on a less than half-time basis and are not entitled to benefits of the institution. (FTE of less than .49)

• By status

  • Exempt employees are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), are not eligible for payment or compensatory time for overtime work, and are usually paid monthly.
  • Non-exempt employees are covered by the provisions of the FLSA, are eligible for payments or compensatory time for overtime work, and are usually paid bi-weekly. 

• By function

  • Faculty include 9-month and 12 month faculty members.
  • Professional and Administrative employees are exempt non-student employees.
  • Staff are non-exempt non-student employees.
  • Student employees are UNG employees who are also full-time students. 
    • Student Assistants - The maximum hours students are allowed to work are 20 hours per week cumulative (in all jobs) for Fall and Spring Semester. Student Assistants are exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. If at any time their work hours exceed the 20hrs/week, they will be terminated as a STUDENT ASSISTANT and reclassified as a Temporary employee.
    • Work Study Student Assistants - Federal Work-Study is available through the Financial Aid Department; and this employment program is based on established financial need. Work Study Students work a maximum of 20 hours per week cumulative (in all jobs) for Fall and Spring Semester.

Provisional Employment

All non-faculty employees are required to serve the first six months of employment in the University System of Georgia on a provisional basis to provide UNG an opportunity to evaluate the employee’s performance. If the work of the employee is satisfactory, employment will be continued. Should the work not be satisfactory, the employee will be notified in writing prior to the completion of the six months provisional period and the employee may be terminated at that time without the right of appeal or any of the procedural protections provided in the Personnel Policies of the University System of Georgia. 

Employment Beyond Retirement

(from BOR Policy Manual section 8.2.8.3)

An individual, who has retired from the USG and is receiving benefits from the Teachers Retirement System, the Employees Retirement System, or the Regent’s Retirement Plan, may be eligible for reemployment on a part-time basis by the USG. Reemployment of USG retirees by the USG must fall under the following conditions:

• The reemployment of a USG retiree must be approved by the hiring institution’s president. Institutions must submit a copy of their hiring and approval procedures to rehire USG retirees to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
• A rehired retiree must have a minimum break of at least one (1) month between the effective date of his/her retirement and the effective date of his/her reemployment.
• The work commitment of a rehired retiree must be less than half-time; i.e., less than 49%.
• The salary that is paid to a rehired retiree must be either:
  • No more than 49% of the annual benefit-base compensation amount that he/she was earning at the time of his/her retirement, with consideration for the average merit increase percentages that have been applied since the employee retired; or,
  • No more than 49% of the average compensation for the position into which the retiree is being hired based on the institution’s existing compensation plan, or, if not applicable, the average compensation of existing or previous incumbents; or,
  • No more than 49% of a reasonable market competitive rate for the position into which the retiree is being rehired as determined by the institutional chief human resources officer.
  • The salary that is paid to a rehired retiree must be consistent with his/her work commitment.