Hiring Freeze Process (non-academic positions)
To create temporary salary savings and/or permanent savings by delaying the filling of positions or eliminating the need to fill a position.
All career and contract staff positions with or without end dates, excluding 1) positions fully funded by contracts and grants, 2) short term limited appointments intended as backfill for career employees on leave or otherwise limited to less than 6 months, and 3) per diem appointments.
- Requisitions to fill a position must be reviewed and recommended by the appropriate Vice Chancellor (VC) or Dean, and approved by the Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost (EVCP) prior to being posted.
- A list of requisitions currently posted will be sent to each VC or Dean by Human Resources (HR), and the VC or Dean will notify HR as to which positions should remain posted and which should be withdrawn, pending approval of the EVCP if needed.
- New requisitions for recruitments should be sent to Human Resources using the current automated process, once an exception has been approved by the appropriate VC or Dean, and by the EVCP. It is the responsibility of the hiring department to acquire the necessary approvals before submitting the requisition to HR for posting.
- VC or Dean approval to fill a position is based on meeting at least one of the following criteria:
- Impact on the teaching or research mission of the university.
- Eliminating the position or a delay in filling the position would jeopardize the teaching or research mission of the university.
- The criticality of the position for the functionality of the unit.
- There are no other options available through reassignment or reconfiguration.
- The position is legally mandated and a decision not to fill the position would result in penalties to the campus.
- Failure to fill the position would result in a loss of funding from sources other than contracts and grants.
- There would be financial or reputational damage if the search were suspended.
- Impact on the teaching or research mission of the university.
- The justification submitted to the VC or Dean should include an explanation of efforts to:
- restructure or cluster staffing with complementary units, and/or
- change business processes to reduce the number of positions needed.
- Each VC and Dean will inform his or her managers of the process to use for seeking exceptions to the hiring freeze.
- Decisions of the VCs and Deans may be:
- Proceed with hire, pending approval by EVCP (see #8 below).
- Delay hiring until the date indicated, pending approval by EVCP (see #8 below).
- Do not hire.
- Positions recommended for hiring (i.e., exceptions to the freeze) will be forwarded to the EVCP for review and final approval. Deans and Vice Chancellors will be expected to provide compelling justifications for their proposed exceptions via the Request Form for Exception to Hire.
- Monthly reports of recruiting activity will be prepared by Human Resources for the VCs.
1. What is the difference between contract and grant funded positions and employment contract positions?
“Positions funded by contracts and grants” refers to the funding source, not the type of appointment, and those positions that are fully grant or contract funded are not subject to the freeze. Employment contract positions are temporary appointments of various types covered by the freeze. However, contract extensions are not subject to the freeze and do not need to be resubmitted for approval.
2. How do I notify HR if a requisition has been approved for hire?
Departments should put the position into E-Recruit and in the “Comments Box” state that the exception to proceed to hire has been approved by the Dean or VC, and the EVCP; and state the date of the approval.
3. How will the VC or Dean know what positions are posted?
HR will send a monthly list to them of all posted requisitions.
4. What happens to a requisition that is currently posted but is identified for cancellation?
Current postings are cancelled centrally. As soon as Human Resources cancels the posting, all applicants will receive a message communicating that the position has been withdrawn. Units are urged to use care in considering cancellations so that applicants do not receive this message in error.
5. How long will the hiring freeze last?
The hiring freeze will continue until further notice.
6. What positions are excluded in the freeze?
Short term appointments are not intended to be included in the freeze. For example, these include backfilling behind a career employee on leave for a few months, or per diem appointments that typically last a very short time. If the appointments are for less than 6 months, and will not recur, they are excluded from this freeze.
7. How long will it take to get the approval to fill a position?
That will depend on the individual VC or Dean, and the communication between them and the EVCP. However, all parties recognize the importance of meeting business needs, especially those that are urgent. The EVCP has committed to prompt review of all requests.
8. What is the process for submitting a waiver to fill the position without a recruitment?
Requests for a waiver of recruitment should be sent to the appropriate VC or Dean first, with full justification. The Dean or VC will evaluate the justification and decide which requests to submit to the EVCP for approval. The EVCP will notify the department of his final decision. After the request to fill the position has been approved, if the department then wants to request a waiver of recruitment to fill the position, the waiver can be sent forward to the Assistant Vice Chancellor-Human Resources per the current policy. The department should include in its justification confirmation of the EVCP’s approval to fill the position.
9. Can we use student assistants to cover the work?
If the work required the level of expertise of a career employee, it is not work that can or should be reassigned to student assistants. While we highly value the contributions of our student workers they are not a substitute for our permanent workforce.
Any further questions should be forwarded to your manager or control unit administrator.