3-15 Supplemental Assignments

• Effective date of this revision: March 2017
• Contact for more information:  Faculty Personnel Services,  Human Resources

PURPOSE

This policy is designed to ensure a consistent approach to circumstances whereby a staff or fixed-term faculty employee may be appointed or assigned additional duties outside her/his primary job, while at the same time providing for such opportunities when the needs of the University and the interests of the employee warrant supplemental assignments. 

POLICY

It is the policy of the university to permit supplemental assignments under certain circumstances. Under all circumstances, the requirements and performance standards of the employee’s primary job must be fulfilled. Supplemental assignment pay is used to compensate an employee for work outside her/his primary job responsibilities. No person shall be assigned or appointed to duties for which he/she is not qualified. Guidelines shall be established to implement this policy, which will be reviewed from time to time to ensure the needs of the University are met.

Senior Officers are not eligible for supplemental assignment pay except when teaching classes under the following circumstances:

• The supplemental assignment must be pre-approved by the President.

• The supplemental teaching appointment is assigned for the entire length of the course (e.g. supplemental assignment pay is not applicable to guest lecturing or for assuming the assignment for a portion of the semester, unless the entire course is completed in less than a full semester).

This policy does not apply to Regular Faculty. Supplemental compensation for Regular Faculty is governed by the collective bargaining Agreement between CMU and the CMU Faculty Association.

Supplemental assignment pay for non-exempt employees must take into consideration the employee’s eligibility for overtime pay or compensatory time. Overtime is based on all hours worked for the university, not just hours worked in a specific department. Non-exempt employees are not eligible for supplemental teaching assignments.

Benefit eligibility is determined only through one’s primary job assignment. Undertaking a supplemental assignment will not impact benefit eligibility, with the possible exception of fixed-term faculty who assume additional teaching assignments.

DEFINITIONS

a. Supplemental Assignment: any temporary additional assignment that is outside an employee’s primary job responsibilities.

b. Overload: A supplemental assignment above and beyond a full-time appointment equal to, or the equivalent of, the teaching of (1) one (3) three-credit academic course; or, the equivalent of ten (10) hours a week on an ongoing basis. For purposes of this policy, Learning Packages, Tutorials, Capstone Courses, or ICFs (Independent Courses in the Field) taught through CMU Innovation and Online are not considered an “overload.”

c. Semester: Fall and spring terms of the regular academic year AND each of the two summer sessions (i.e. four semesters per fiscal year) are considered semesters.

Guidelines

Fixed-Term Faculty

1. Full-time fixed-term faculty may receive the equivalent of one overload assignment at any given time, upon the recommendation of the department chair and the approval of the dean.

2. Appointment to any additional overload teaching assignment during a semester requires prior approval of the chairperson and the dean.

3. Fixed-term faculty may be appointed simultaneously to more than one academic department or college/unit, but an overload assignment requires the prior approval of both chairpersons and deans.

4. Part-time fixed-term faculty taking on additional teaching assignments (which increases their FTE) may have their benefit eligibility status changed, as appropriate.

5. Any supplemental assignment not directly associated with classroom instruction requires approval by the immediate chairperson and dean.

6. Off-campus teaching appointments are processed through CMU Innovation and Online. Compensation will be in accord with the procedures of CMU Innovation and Online and require the approval of their immediate supervisor prior to the start of the assignment. No CMU Innovation and Online procedure may conflict with the terms of this policy.

7. Supplemental activity is paid only when the work has been performed. Supplemental compensation stops when a fixed-term faculty is on a leave of absence.

Staff

Teaching Assignments

1. Some employees have instructional responsibilities as part of their primary assignment. In these cases, no additional compensation is involved.

2. Exempt staff employees may be appointed to a fixed-term faculty position to undertake academic assignments outside of their primary duties, including teaching. This arrangement may be approved for supplemental assignment pay if the situation described in (1) does not apply.

3. Full-time employees are eligible to assume teaching responsibilities on an overload basis. The immediate supervisor will not prevent the employee from accepting the supplemental assignment as long as supplemental activities do not exceed the equivalent of two overload courses, the supplemental assignment does not conflict with the employee’s primary assignment and the work requirements and performance standards of the primary assignment are being met.

4. Supplemental teaching assignments that overlap with the normal work schedule of the employee’s primary assignment require the pre-approval of the immediate supervisor. A schedule must be established to determine how the employee will make up the time lost from their primary assignment (i.e. work over the lunch hour, use vacation time, etc.).

5. Rare exceptions may be made with the pre-approval of Human Resources, the immediate supervisor, and the dean of the hiring department, providing the overload does not exceed the equivalent of three (3) three (3)-credit hour courses at any one time. Such supplemental assignments should normally be at a time other than during the regular work schedule of the employee’s primary appointment.

6. Part-time exempt employees may assume additional teaching assignments up to the equivalent of full-time (40 hours/week) plus two (2) overload courses. Staff who take on additional teaching assignments will not have their part-time benefit eligibility status changed.

7. For on-campus teaching assignments, compensation will be based on a credit hour rate of pay in accord with fixed-term faculty pay guidelines.

8. Off-campus teaching assignments are processed through CMU Innovation and Online. An employee’s compensation will be in accord with the procedure of CMU Innovation and Online and require the approval of his/her immediate supervisor prior to the start of the assignment. No CMU Innovation and Online procedure may conflict with the terms of this policy.

Non-Teaching Assignments

1. Requests for additional compensation for non-teaching supplemental assignments can be submitted through the Personnel Transaction system.

2. Supplemental assignment pay for an hourly (non-exempt) employee must ensure compliance with overtime regulations.

3. Full-time staff employees assigned to non-teaching duties that do not conflict with the schedule for their normal assignment must not exceed the equivalent of 20 hours per week.

4. Part-time employees may assume additional assignments up to the equivalent of full-time (40 hours/week) plus an additional 20 hours per week.

5. Supervisors may not approve non-teaching supplemental assignments that will interfere, or in any manner, conflict with the regular work assignment of the employee.

6. When the supplemental assignment does not conflict with the normal work schedule of the employee’s primary assignment, the immediate supervisor will not prevent the employee from accepting the assignment, as long as supplemental activities do not exceed the equivalent of 20 hours per week and the work requirements and performance standards of the primary assignment are being met. 

PROCEDURE

1. Employee verbally informs her/his supervisor of the supplemental assignment prior to the work being performed.

2. For supplemental teaching assignments, the hiring department must complete the appropriate transaction form in the online personnel transaction system.

3. For non-teaching supplemental assignments, the hiring department must complete the appropriate transaction form in the online personnel transaction system.

4. Human Resources processes Supplemental Pay for staff and Faculty Personnel Services processes Supplemental Pay for fixed-term faculty and postdoctoral research associates.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures and directives relative to this subject.