Scheduling Expectations
Hourly staff are expected to work a weekly schedule approved by their supervisor, in line with business needs. This schedule may vary from week to week.

Requesting Schedule Changes
Any changes to the work schedule must be reviewed and approved by the supervisor.

Who Qualifies
All hourly employees are eligible for overtime pay based on university policies. They must submit all hours worked into Workday.

When Overtime Applies
Overtime pay applies for hours worked beyond 40 in a work week. They are paid 1.5 times their hourly rate for qualified overtime hours.

What to Do Before Working Overtime
Employees must:

• Discuss the need with their supervisor
• Receive approval from their supervisor
• Create departmental documentation of approval (an email will suffice)

Multiple Positions
Overtime pay is calculated based on cumulative hours worked across all positions. If overtime is triggered by a specific position, that position will be paid at the overtime rate.

Student hourly staff are required to stay within work hour limits the University has set. The following information covers the current policy.

During the academic quarter: Max 19.5 hours/week across all UW jobs.

Exceeding 19.5 hours is only allowed:

• During finals week
• During academic breaks
• When the student has approved “on leave” status. (Review the Student Eligibility & Enrollment Requirements section of Student Hiring & Recruiting page.)

Important Reminders:

• All hours must be paid, even if limits are exceeded
• Work-hour overages may result in policy noncompliance
• Shifts over 5 hours must include a 30-minute unpaid break

Required Meal Breaks
State law requires a minimum of a 30-minute unpaid break for any employee working a 5+ hour shift. This break must begin before the 5th hour of work.

Example: If you start work at 8:30 a.m. and work until 5:00 p.m., your break must begin no later than 1:29 p.m.

General Policy
Hourly staff typically do not receive paid vacation or sick leave. However, eligibility can vary based on the specific job.

Where to Check
Refer to your Hiring Confirmation Letter.

Requesting Time Off Around Holidays
Employees must follow department-specific guidelines. Talk to your supervisor to find out what those are.

Holiday Pay Eligibility
Hourly staff typically do not receive holiday time off, but eligibility may vary.

Refer to your Hire Confirmation Letter to determine if your position includes paid time off.

Eligibility and Process
Remote work is available to some employees based on department and job needs. Requests must be approved by a supervisor and follow unit guidelines.

Standard Hybrid Schedule

• 3 days onsite
• 2 days remote

Requirements for Remote Work

• Employee must complete a telework schedule
• The schedule must be reviewed and approved by the supervisor
• If the schedule includes more than 2 remote days per week, leadership approval is required

Standard Schedule Requirements
Salaried employees must maintain a consistent weekly schedule approved by their supervisor and aligned with the number of hours they were hired to work, as detailed in their Hiring Confirmation Letter, unless an approved, documented change has occurred.

Making Schedule Changes
If a change to the work schedule is needed, the supervisor must submit a request using the Work Schedule Change form. Once approved, the employee’s work expectations will follow the updated schedule.

Who Is Exempt
Overtime-exempt (often called “exempt”) salaried staff are not eligible for overtime pay based on university policies. They do not track their hours worked in Workday.

Work Expectations
It is expected that exempt staff work the number of hours corresponding to the FTE listed in their Hiring Confirmation Letter, or another approved document, and meet department needs. Additional hours worked are not paid.

Who Is Eligible
Some salaried employees are eligible for overtime pay. They must submit all hours worked into Workday.

When Overtime Applies
Overtime pay applies for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Their hourly rate for qualified hours may vary. Contact EOHR via the general consult form to confirm rates.

Comp Time Option
Overtime-eligible salaried employees may elect to accrue compensatory time off instead of receiving overtime pay. This option is selected when submitting time entries.

Before Working Overtime
Employees must:

• Discuss the need with their supervisor
• Receive supervisor approval
• Document approval within the department (an email will suffice)

Multiple Positions
Overtime is calculated based on cumulative hours across all positions. The position that triggers overtime will be paid at the overtime rate.

Required Meal Breaks
State law requires a 30-minute unpaid break for any employee working more than 5 hours. This break must begin before the 5th hour of work.

Example: If your shift starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m., your break must begin by 1:29 p.m.

General Policy
Full-time salaried staff accrue vacation and sick leave based on length of service. All other salaried employees’ vacation and sick leave may vary based on position, years of service, and other factors.

Requesting Time Off
Follow department-specific practices, including providing adequate lead time and arranging backup coverage.

Where to Check
Refer to your Hire Confirmation Letter to determine if your position includes paid time off. Review the UWHR time off webpage for accrual details to determine your accrual rate.

Department-specific Time Off
Salaried employees must follow their department’s process for requesting holiday time off. Ask your supervisor for guidance.

Eligibility
Salaried employees typically receive holiday time off. It appears in Workday as “Holiday Taken Time Off,” but eligibility and the number of hours per holiday may vary based on position.

University Holidays
Refer to the UW holiday calendar. Eligible employees may also receive up to one personal holiday per year. Personal holiday does not roll over.

Refer to your Hire Confirmation Letter to determine if your position includes paid time off.

Submitting Holiday Taken Time Off
Employees in the Executive Office organization that are eligible do not need to submit Holiday Taken Time Off (HTTO).

EOHR will submit HTTO for all eligible employees at the end of the calendar year for the upcoming calendar year. If an eligible employee is hired mid-year, EOHR will submit HTTO for the remainder of the calendar year.

Departments must email eohr@uw.edu if they have an employee that ends up working on a holiday, for time-off and hours worked to be accrued properly.

Eligibility and Process
Remote work is available to some employees based on department and job needs. Requests must be approved by a supervisor and follow unit guidelines.

Standard Hybrid Schedule

• 3 days onsite
• 2 days remote

Requirements for Remote Work

• Employee must complete a telework schedule
• The schedule must be reviewed and approved by the supervisor
• If the schedule includes more than 2 remote days per week, leadership approval is required

Before beginning recruitment, meet with your Executive Office HR contact to discuss your staffing needs. During this meeting, HR will guide you on selecting appropriate employment classifications and job codes.

Be prepared to discuss:

• An outline of job duties.
• A list of minimum requirements.
• Budget and resources available.
• Expected number of hours worked a week. Refer to Work Hour Limits for Student Hourly Staff.
• Any changes to current team structures or roles.
• Pre-approval status from the department Executive Head.
• Recruitment style (department handled or facilitated by EOHR).

After meeting with EOHR, you will then need to develop a draft position description. While working on its creation, consider revising an existing position description for a similar role. Contact Executive Office HR for sample descriptions, if needed.

A position description for a student position should describe the following:

• Key responsibilities.
• Essential duties.
• Reporting structure.
• Expected number of hours worked a week. Refer to Work Hour Limits for Student Hourly Staff.
• Required qualifications.
• Expected hiring type (ASE, student assistant, work study).
• Expected compensation.
• Any other relevant details.

Before proceeding with submitting a new student hire request, consider the following:

Paying over the standard student hire wage (minimum) must have that the planned pay rate pre-approved by:

• Your VP-level unit approver (Use the HR Hiring Approval Flow Chart to identify required approver)
• Kim Dinh, Senior Director for Finance, HR, and Administration

Consider additional resource needs:

• Office space and equipment
• Software, supplies, and IT needs

Once position development is complete:

1. Review the New Student Hire request form instructions for guidelines on document and information requirements, as well as best practices.
2. Submit a New Student Hire form with all required documents.
3. Await as request flows through the EOHR Approval Flow for routing and approval process.

There is no University requirement for how long non-ASE student positions must be posted. For roles posted through Handshake, a common best practice is to post for two weeks, then reassess whether the posting should remain open or if the current applicant pool meets hiring needs.

Application materials are reviewed by the department hiring manager or the position’s supervisor, this is to be decided departmentally. Depending on search committee’s preferences, materials may be shared via email.

Ensure any applicants that move forward in the process are eligible for student employment.

Student Employment Eligibility

• Be enrolled at UW (not including correspondence credits)
• Meet these minimum registered credits per quarter:
  • Undergraduate: 6 credits
  • Graduate/Professional: 5 credits
  • Ph.D. candidates (dissertation stage): 2 credits

Student Employment Eligibility After Graduation
Once graduated, UW students are no longer eligible to work as student assistants and must be terminated no later than the date of their last final exam.

Student assistants who graduate at the end of spring quarter are not permitted to work during summer quarter, unless the student has already enrolled into a graduate or Ph.D. level program for the following autumn quarter.

Students ”On leave” Eligibility
Undergraduate: One quarter after a 6-credit enrollment (including summer), unless graduated
Graduate: If officially granted on-leave status by the Graduate School

Veteran Candidates
Qualified veterans must be strongly considered. If two candidates are equally qualified, the veteran candidate receives preference.

Fair Hiring Practices

• All screening must align with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines. For help on determining if the inquiry meets the guidelines, please reach out via the general consultation.
• Follow the best practice of maintaining equity, consistency, and confidentiality.

Diversity in Hiring
Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and part of our commitment to inclusive excellence. Hiring managers should review the Career and Internship Center Diversity in Hiring Toolkit and Central HR’s DEI-Related Trainings for Hiring Managers, especially the Implicit Bias Training, when preparing for recruitment. Use these resources to support fair and inclusive hiring. These resources offer:

• Checklists for inclusive hiring practices
• Tips for reducing bias in candidate evaluation
• Strategies for attracting a diverse applicant pool
• Tools for equitable decision-making

Document Retention
You must retain all screening and interview materials and submit them to EOHR for filing. This includes all interview notes, rubrics, and rankings, whether paper or digital.

Interview Guidelines
Use a consistent and informed process for every candidate to support fairness, transparency, and compliance.

Interview panels should:

• Ask the same set of questions.
• Be familiar with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines.
• Communicate expectations clearly, including:
  • Work schedule (including telework schedule).
  • Responsibilities.
  • Physical requirements (if applicable).
• Share benefits eligibility (based on position):
  • Undergraduate students are not eligible for employment benefits.
  • Graduate students filling a non-ASE position are not eligible for benefits. (For more information on who qualifies as an ASE, please skip to the Academic Student Employee section (link) of this webpage.)
  • Graduate Appointee / Academic Student Employee (ASE) insurance program summary of benefits.
• Provide time for candidates to ask questions.
• Be transparent about the recruitment timeline.
• Not inquire about salary history (per WA Equal Pay & Opportunities Act).
• Review Total Talent Management’s information on how to accommodate candidates with disabilities.

Extend the offer to the candidate. You must let them know the offer is conditional on passing a background check.

Graduate student employee hires only must also complete the sexual misconduct declaration (step 3) as a condition of employment.

Notify EOHR whether the offer was accepted or declined.

Should the candidate decline the offer, consult with EOHR before proceeding.

Should the candidate accept the offer, send an email to eohr@uw.edu that includes the following information about the selected candidate:

• Full name
• UW NetID
• Student status (undergraduate, graduate, or PhD)
• Attach any screening and interview documents to file.

EOHR will review the information, follow up with any questions, and manage the next steps in the final approval process.

This step is required before hire.
Once notified by EOHR, Total Talent Management (TTM) will send the Sexual Misconduct Declaration and other verification forms to the candidate via email. Please instruct the candidate to be on the lookout.

Once the offer is accepted and EOHR has been informed, EOHR will initiate the background check. When you are notified that the check clears, you must confirm the start date with EOHR.

Important Background Check:

• Must be completed before the start date.
• Processing time can range from a few days to several weeks, especially for international candidates.
• Finalists already employed at UW may not require a new background check; confirm with EOHR.

EOHR will send the letter to the candidate, beginning the onboarding process.

Once onboarding begins:

• Notify final candidates who were not selected (best practice).
• Review the EOHR onboarding process.
• Submit all recruitment notes and documentation to EOHR for record keeping.

Before beginning recruitment, meet with your Executive Office HR contact to discuss your staffing needs. During this meeting, HR will guide you on selecting appropriate employment classifications and job codes.

Be prepared to discuss:

• Your overall staffing plan
• The type of position and duties involved
• Budget and resources available
• Any changes to current team structures or roles

Develop a draft position description

• Use the appropriate template:
  • Classified Staff Template (PDF) (Executive Office owned)
  • Professional Staff Template (PDF) (Central HR owned)
• Consider revising an existing position description for a similar role. (Contact Executive Office HR for sample descriptions if needed.)
• Describe the position’s key responsibilities, reporting structure, required qualifications, and other relevant details.

Confirm the planned salary range has been pre-approved by the following:

• Your VP-level unit approver (Use the HR Hiring Approval Flow Chart to identify required approvers)
• Kim Dinh, Senior Director for Finance, HR, and Administration

Consider all resource needs

• Salary and benefits
• Office space and equipment
• Software, supplies, and IT needs
• Training and professional development
• Travel expenses

Determine potential impacts

• Changes to existing positions’ duties
• Modifications to team structures or reporting lines

Once position development is complete:

1. Review the New Staff Hire Request Instructions for documentation guidelines.
2. Submit a Hiring New Staff Form with all required documents.
3. Await as request flows through the EOHR Approval Flow for routing and approval process.

Classified positions: Must post for a minimum of 7 days before referrals are made.
Referrals: Sent in batches of up to 50 applicants.

• For contract-classified positions: Priority is given to bargaining unit employees.
• For all positions: Veterans and current UW employees receive early consideration.
• Open until filled: Referrals occur weekly. Additional referrals are paused until prior referrals are dispositioned.

Tip: For roles expecting high applicant volume, consider setting a firm closing date instead of using “open until filled.”

Application materials are first reviewed by Executive Office HR. Depending on search committee preferences, materials may be shared via email.

Veterans

Qualified veterans must be strongly considered. If two candidates are equally qualified, the veteran candidate receives preference.

Fair Hiring Practices

• All screening must align with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines. For help on determining if the inquiry meets the guidelines, please reach out via the general consultation.
• Follow the best practice of maintaining equity, consistency, and confidentiality.

Diversity in Hiring
Diversity is a core value at the University of Washington and part of our commitment to inclusive excellence. Hiring managers should review the Career and Internship Center Diversity in Hiring Toolkit and Central HR’s DEI-Related Trainings for Hiring Managers, especially the Implicit Bias Training, when preparing for recruitment. Use these resources to support fair and inclusive hiring. These resources offer:

• Checklists for inclusive hiring practices
• Tips for reducing bias in candidate evaluation
• Strategies for attracting a diverse applicant pool
• Tools for equitable decision-making

Document Retention
You must retain all screening and interview materials for 3 years (10 years for Director-level and above). This includes all interview notes, rubrics, and rankings, whether paper or digital.

Interview Guidelines
Use a consistent and informed process for every candidate to support fairness, transparency, and compliance.

Interview panels should:

• Ask the same set of questions
• Be familiar with the Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines
• Communicate expectations clearly, including:
  • Work schedule (including telework schedule)
  • Responsibilities
  • Physical requirements (if applicable)
• Share benefits eligibility (based on position):
  • Summary of Benefits for Classified Staff Greater than Half Time
  • Summary of Benefits for Classified Staff less than 50 percent FTE
  • Professional Staff Benefits Summary
• Provide time for candidates to ask questions
• Be transparent about the recruitment timeline
• Not inquire about salary history (per WA Equal Pay & Opportunities Act)
• Review Total Talent Management’s information on how to accommodate candidates with disabilities.

After selecting individuals based on interviews to move forward with, the next step is to conduct reference checks.

• Conduct at least three professional reference checks. One must be a current or recent supervisor per Executive Office best practice.
• Use the UWHR General Reference Check Template (DOCX) to document conversations.
• Ask the same additional questions (if any) across all checks.
• Ensure compliance with Fair Pre-Employment Inquiry Guidelines.

For Current/former UW employees
Executive Office HR will request a review of the candidate’s official personnel file from central HR. This step must be completed before an offer can be made.

EOHR will review the information, follow up with any questions, and manage the next steps in the final approval process. Send an email to eohr@uw.edu that includes:

• Full name of the selected candidate
• Copies of completed reference checks
• Proposed salary amount
• Justification for the proposed salary

This step is required before hire.
Once notified by EOHR, Total Talent Management (TTM) will send the Sexual Misconduct Declaration and other verification forms to the candidate via email. Please instruct the candidate to be on the lookout.

Wait for EOHR to confirm that final approvals are complete. Once you receive an email confirming, you may proceed:

• Extend the offer to the candidate.
• Let the candidate know the offer is conditional on passing a background check.

During this stage:

• Notify EOHR whether the offer was accepted or declined.
• If the candidate declines the offer, consult with EOHR before proceeding.
• Keep EOHR informed of any updates related to the offer process.

Once the offer is accepted and EOHR has been informed:

• EOHR will initiate the background check.
• When you are notified the check clears, you must confirm the start date with EOHR.

Important Background Check Notes:

• Must be completed before the start date.
• Processing time can range from a few days to several weeks, especially for international candidates.
• Finalists already employed at UW may not require a new background check; confirm with EOHR.

• EOHR will prepare and route a hiring confirmation letter to the department head for signature.
• Once signed, EOHR will send the letter to the candidate, beginning the employee onboarding process.

Once Onboarding Begins

• Notify final candidates who were not selected (best practice).
• Review the EOHR onboarding process.
• Submit all recruitment notes and documentation to EOHR for record keeping.