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WHAT IS AN INTERIM ASSIGNMENT?

An interim assignment is a temporary assignment a current employee takes on which is a different role.  An employee is asked to temporarily assume the duties of a higher graded position that has fallen vacant or whose incumbent is on leave. A temporary increase to a staff member’s pay may be provided for taking on an interim assignment; however, it is not required.

Interim assignments are adjustments to an employee's base salary and are not considered additional compensation.

Interim assignments and the amount of the temporary salary adjustment must be approved in advance of any discussions or written communication with the employee.

HOW LONG CAN AN INTERIM ASSIGNMENT LAST?

Interim assignments may not exceed 6 months.  If the position is above grade 114, the interim assignment may be extended for a one-time extension not to exceed 6 additional months.

If the period of the assignment will cross fiscal years, the assignment must end on August 31 and a new ePAR, effective September 1, will need to be submitted to continue the assignment to the already approved end-date (not to exceed the initially approved 6 months).

INTERIM ASSIGNMENT

 

VS.

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION

 

An employee is asked to temporarily assume the duties of a higher graded position that has fallen vacant or whose incumbent is on leave.

  • The minimum interim term is one month.
  • The maximum interim term is six months unless the job is above grade 114 or designated "hard to fill" by Human Resources.
  • Vacant position must be posted within two weeks of the incumbent's separation from the university unless the job has been submitted to Human Resources for review and revision.
  • Exempt positions only.
Duties must be outlined in an offer letter to the employee.

 

An employee is asked to temporarily take on additional duties in addition to the normal scope of work and is considered additional compensation.

See Additional Compensation Guidelines for more information.

 INTERIM PAY INCREASE AMOUNT

Vacant Title of: Standard Percent of Salary Suggested Range Classification
Director 8% $750-$1000 UHE
Manager 7% $500-$750 UHE
Assistant Manager 6% $250-$500 UHE
Team Lead/Professional 5% $150-$250 UHE

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERIM INCREASES

  • An employee being considered for interim assignment must meet Minimum Qualifications of interim role in order to be considered for assignment.
  • Compensation will utilize the UH average salary to assist in determining appropriate/equitable interim salary.  Alternatively, if the interim assignment is for a single-incumbent role, the external market value of a job can be identified by a compensation analyst.
  • The employee no longer performs the primary assignment and serves solely in the new capacity.
  • An interim increase should be no more than 10% of interim employee's current salary.
  • All interim increases above 10% of interim employee's current salary require prior approval from Human Resources, and the Provost or appropriate VP.
  • In all cases, interim payments will be capped at 20% of interim employee's current base salary.
  • Employee's interim pay should not be greater than the pay rate of the previous incumbent except under exceptional circumstances. This requires prior approval from Human Resources.

COMPLETING THE INTERIM ASSIGNMENT REQUEST FORM

All interim assignment requests must be approved on the appropriate form in advance of any written communication with the employee and before any work is performed.
The Interim Assignment Request Form is a request form for approval, not an agreement to provide services.

SECTION I - EMPLOYEE AND UNIT INFORMATION

1. Identify the employee by filling in the requested fields.
2. Provide the department and college/division the employee is assigned to.
3. Enter the employee's current comp rate, salary, and FTE. The comp rate = monthly compensation. e.g. A salary of $45,000 comp rate is $3750.00

SECTION II - DESCRIPTION OF INTERIM ASSIGNMENT

4. This section includes calculated fields for the percent increase and the Interim Comp Rate.
5. If the interim is to cover a vacancy, provide the specifics about the vacant position.
6. Provide a detailed description of the activities to be performed, and specify when the additional activities are to be performed.
7. Space is available if additional justification is needed.

SECTION III - APPROVALS

8. Interim salary is determined by Compensation in consultation with the hiring unit prior to obtaining signatures of the leaders in the employee's department, including the supervisor, department head, and the college or division administrator.
9. The division Vice President, the Vice President's designee, or the AVP for Academic Budgets signs on behalf of the Vice President.
10. The VP or designee forwards the form back to Compensation for Human Resources final review and approval.
11. HR returns the fully approved form to the email address at the top of the form. This is approval for the Interim Assignment.
12. The department communicates approval to the employee by formal interim offer letter and authorizes services to begin.
13. The department uploads the approved form into a Job Change ePAR to adjust the base Comp Rate to the Interim Rate; the ePAR must include the assignment start and end date.