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NOAA Workforce Management Office
Serving NOAA's Most Valuable Asset - People
NOAA Supervisory Resource Guide
How Do I Hire a Temporary or Term Employee?
Typical Scenarios:
a. You have a short-term workload that exceeds the capacity of your current staffing level.
b. You have a special project, face uncertain future funding, anticipate contracting out a function, or have other time-limited work.
Where do I start?
Determine that you have a non-permanent staffing need. Contact your servicing Workforce Management Office Advisor.
Principle:
Meeting organizational goals requires making sound staffing decisions that utilize the best employment options for an organization. Workload changes and special project priorities may require additional staffing for a limited time. Recruiting temporary or term employees allows you the flexibility to meet your organization's goals.
Basic Steps:
Determine whether you have a short-term or other non-permanent staffing need. Once you have made the decision to hire someone on a temporary or term appointment, follow the instructions provided in “How Do I Fill a Vacancy?”
Rules and Flexibilities:
Temporary and term appointments can be made either competitively or, in certain circumstances, non-competitively as long as an individual is qualified and eligible for the position. Temporary and term employees are not eligible for noncompetitive conversion to career-conditional or career appointments.
a. Temporary appointments:
A temporary appointment is a non-status appointment to a competitive service position for a specific period of one year or less. The appointment may be extended for up to one additional year. A temporary appointment may be terminated at any time without use of adverse action or reduction-in-force procedures.
The following conditions of employment, though limiting for the employee, may provide cost savings to the organization. A temporary employee:
- Works on a part-time, intermittent or full-time basis;
- Earns annual and sick leave;
- Receives Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage only after completing one year of current, continuous employment;
- Serves a trial period and may be terminated at any time during the trial period upon written notification from the agency; and
- Is not entitled to Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverage.
b. Term appointments
A term appointment is a non-status appointment to a position in the competitive service for a specific period of more than one year but not more than four years. Term employees do not obtain competitive status on the basis of their term appointment. During the appointment, an employee may be promoted, demoted, or reassigned only to other positions appropriate for term employment.
An employee serving on a term appointment is eligible for the following benefits:
- Coverage under Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Programs, and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS);
- Annual and sick leave;
- Within-grade increases;
- Full-time or part-time work; and
- Protection under 5 U.S.C. 7511 in adverse actions (except during their trial period).
Checklist:
- Determine non-permanent staffing need.
- Establish funds availability.
- Follow “How Do I Fill a Vacancy?” (Basic Steps Procedures).
Page last edited: January 23, 2008
