Extra Help Hiring Guide
A step-by-step resource for units hiring Extra Help employees.
- Overview of Extra Help Appointments
- Overview of SURS Annuitant Limitations
- Overview of Minor Employment Limitations
- Overview of Undergraduate Student Employees, Graduate Hourlies, and Academic Hourlies as They Relate to Extra Help Services
- Overview of Eligible Benefits
- Hiring Process for Extra Help Appointments
- Next Steps for Non-Clerical Extra Help Appointments
- Questions
Overview of Extra Help Appointments
- Extra Help Services, part of Illinois Human Resources, supports campus units by providing temporary staffing to fill vacancies, address workload surges, cover leaves of absence, and support special projects. Civil Service Rule 250.70(f) states that Extra Help appointments must be of limited duration and of a casual or emergent nature.
- Extra Help employees may work no more than 900 hours of actual work in an appointment within any consecutive 12-month period. Before or at reaching the 900-hour limitation, the employee must take a 30-day break from all Extra Help appointments before performing additional Extra Help work.
- If an Extra Help appointment reaches 900 hours in less than 12 months, it is subject to review and may not be eligible for reappointment for up to six months (180 days) from the date the appointment ended.
- If an employee exceeds 900 consecutive hours without the required 30-day break, the appointment will be immediately terminated, and the employee will be separated from the University for a minimum of 60 days.
- Extra Help Services reviews each Extra Help appointment at least every three months to ensure proper use and compliance with Civil Service rules.
Overview of SURS Annuitant Limitations
- SURS annuitants working in Extra Help appointments are subject to Return-to-Work Employer Restrictions. They may work earn up to 40% of their highest annual earnings prior to retirement per academic year (September 1 – August 31).
- It is the responsibility of both the department and the employee to monitor these earnings. Extra Help Services will monitor earnings for individuals on our payroll. Employees who exceed the 40% threshold are permanently terminated from the University.
Overview of Minor Employment Limitations
- Individuals under age 18 may be employed on campus in accordance with Illinois Child Labor Law, provided the duties are appropriate for their age and comply with Campus Environmental Health and Safety and Protection of Minors regulations. Departments must ensure minors in Extra Help roles remain within all legally mandated work-hour limits and are not assigned prohibited tasks.
Overview of Undergraduate Student Employees, Graduate Hourlies, and Academic Hourlies as They Relate to Extra Help Services
- Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in 6 or more credit hours are not eligible to work in Extra Help appointments. Student employment policies and eligibility requirements are outlined by the Office of Student Financial Aid.
- Extra Help employees and Academic Hourly employees may hold both appointment types concurrently. All dual appointments are subject to review by Extra Help Services and Illinois Human Resources to ensure proper use, compliance with Civil Service rules, and adherence to hour limitations and break-in-service requirements.
Overview of Eligible Benefits
- Extra Help appointments are Nonstatus Appointments, and employees working in these appointments are not eligible for any of the benefits listed in the Benefits Chart.
- The only benefit Extra Help employees are eligible to receive is paid leave under the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (PLFAW). For every 40 hours worked, 1 hour of paid leave is accrued. 40 hours of paid leave may be used during an academic year, and only 40 hours of paid leave will roll over to the next academic year.
Hiring Process for Extra Help Appointments
Step 1: Submit a Temporary Vacancy Workflow
- Units must initiate a Temporary Vacancy workflow in JDXpert. This workflow collects essential details about the assignment and allows Extra Help Services to determine whether the appointment is clerical or non-clerical.
- For details about salary ranges associated with each classification, please refer to the Civil Service Salary Plan.
- Information about whether a classification follows a 7.5-hour day / 37.5-hour work week or an 8-hour day / 40-hour work week is available in the Civil Service Salary Plan as well.
- For additional information about specific classifications, visit the Class Specifications page on the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) website.
Step 2: Determine Whether the Appointment Is Clerical or Non-Clerical
Clerical Extra Help Appointments
- Clerical appointments include office support classifications, graphic design classifications, accounting classifications, information technology classifications, and any classification deemed clerical under the occupational area on the Class Specifications page on the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) website.
- Clerical Extra Help appointments are managed by Extra Help Services and will incur a 20% departmental fee.
- These appointments cannot be posted to our job board.
- Candidates will be selected from our Extra Help candidate pool, unless the unit has a proposed appointee.
- For Extra Help appointments deemed clerical, the units will not need to take further action after the submitted temporary vacancy workflow has been approved. Extra Help Services will contact them with next steps.
Non-Clerical Extra Help Appointments
- Non-clerical appointments fall outside the State Universities Civil Service System (SUCSS) clerical classifications and will not incur a departmental fee.
- These appointments are managed by the hiring unit. If the JDX workflow is determined to be non-clerical, Extra Help Services will send an approval email with a link for the applicant to apply directly to our requisition.
- Units may also request to post the appointment on the job board. Contact your Matrix Team representative for guidance on this process.
Next Steps for Non-Clerical Extra Help Appointments
Step 3: Onboarding
- Once the JDX workflow has been approved, units can begin onboarding their selected employee(s). More information regarding that process can be found here.
Step 4: Initiate an HR Front End (HRFE) Transaction
Once the JDX workflow has been approved, units will initiate one of the following HRFE transactions:
- Add a Job (Current Extra Help employees starting a new assignment)
- New Hire (Extra Help employees being hired/rehired)
- Employee Group/Class Change (Current university employees switching their employee group to Extra Help Services)
Non-clerical Extra Help hires require:
- Background Check (Instructions are on p. 24) (Add a Job, New Hire, Employee Group/Class Change)
- Signed Extra Help Appointment Form (New Hire, Employee Group/Class Change)
- Signed Offer Letter (New Hire, Employee Group/Class Change)
If the Extra Help employee is a minor, the following are required:
- Work Permit (Required for employees 14 or 15 years old; High School will provide this documentation)
- High School Permission-to-Work Form (High School will provide this documentation)
- Protection of Minors Event Form
If the Extra Help employee is a SURS annuitant, the following are required:
If the employee is a relative of someone in the unit, the following is required:
Step 5: Job End Dates, Reappointments, and Separations
Once a non-clerical Extra Help assignment has concluded or if a unit wishes to reappoint an Extra Help employee, units are responsible for initiating one of the following HRFE transactions:
- Job End Date (Ending an existing Extra Help appointment)
- Reappointment (Reestablishing a previous Extra Help appointment)
- Separation (Terminating a former Extra Help employee)
Questions
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to send us an email at ihr-extrahelp@illinois.edu, or give us a call at (217) 333-4752.