Temporary Personnel and Contractors

There may be times when you need to hire personnel for a temporary period or for a particular short-term project. This could include:

• Additional/temporary help needed during peak departmental periods
• Special projects with clearly defined beginning and end dates
• Temporarily filling in for an “open” staff position
• Temporarily filling in for an employee who is on a short-term leave (less than nine months)
• Hiring temporary staff on an event-only basis

There are three types of temporary personnel:

Temporary Employees (formerly referred to as “casual employees”) are individuals hired directly by you in the department and paid through Boston University payroll. A Temporary Employee cannot be employed at the University for more than nine months. The department determines the Temporary Employee’s pay rate and duration of employment.

Temporary Agency Personnel are individuals hired through an outside employment agency and are considered employees of that agency. TerrierTemps, BU’s Contingent Workforce Management (CWM) program, provides a single source for finding, screening, selecting, and paying for these employees. Temporary Agency Personnel are not paid through the Boston University payroll system; they are paid through their employment agency.

Independent Contractors are individuals, sole proprietors (including single-member LLCs), partnerships, corporations, etc., that render services to the general public. Independent Contractors are responsible for the means and methods of completing a task based on the specifications of a University contract. Contractors generally have multiple clients, maintain a separate workplace, and are not supervised or controlled by University employees. For more information on engaging Independent Contractors, please visit the Sourcing & Procurement website.