Guidelines

Effective with vacancies and posted positions that exist as of April 14, 2020, deans, directors, or their designees will have the flexibility to request to fill only those positions they deem essential to operations. Essential personnel are those faculty or staff critical to the key operations and services that ensure business continuity of the department. These requests will be reviewed by the Dean’s Office and require approval by the Provost‘s Office.

• While the guidelines are intended to focus on recurring budget flexibility, for those positions that are approved to be filled, deans, directors, or designees are asked to consider a postponement in filling those positions or asked to utilize other strategies to the extent possible in order to realize budget savings which might provide short‐term flexibility if needed this fiscal year.
  • Delaying or not filling positions may result in increased workloads for employees. Units are urged to review the workloads of employees affected by delaying or not filling positions and discontinue lower priority tasks or services in order to avoid accruing overtime or additional compensation liability. Where overtime is unavoidable, use of the appropriate equivalent time off rather than paying out the overtime should be considered.

Pre‐approval does not apply to the following positions:

• Tenured, tenure‐track, and non‐tenure‐track faculty in alignment with an approved faculty hiring plan (guidelines on faculty hiring plans, including non‐tenure track, are forthcoming);
• Teaching assistants and assistant instructors;
  • Positions funded fully by sponsored projects (i.e. “26 contract and grant accounts, 14‐97xx Advanced Technology and Advanced Research Programs, or 30 research giftaccounts”);
  • Student titles (Academic and Non‐Academic) that are essential to core functions. Supervisors shall work with student employees to determine their working location and expectations, whether working in person, remote or hybrid. When appropriate, remote work is encouraged.

Pre‐approval process

Access online request form here: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_87gUFsYao0j3bDL

Current/Vacant Positions

• Deemed essential ‐ You will need to justify the need for the position. This should be a position that, if not replaced, would significantly disrupt business. Make every effort to save recurring salary dollars by reallocating job duties and downgrading current positions wherever possible. Requests will be reviewed by the Executive Vice President delegate, taking into account need, urgency, and budgetary concerns.
  • Non‐Essential ‐ Non‐essential positions will not be available to fill at this time. Make every effort to save recurring salary dollars by reallocating job duties to current staff and downgrading current positions wherever possible.

New Positions

• Deemed Essential ‐ You will need to justify the need for the position. This should be a position that, if not created and filled at this time, would significantly disrupt business. Make every effort to save recurring salary dollars by allocating new job duties to current staff and recruiting new positions at entry‐level wherever possible. Requests will be reviewed by the Executive Vice President and Provost delegate taking into account need, urgency, and budgetaryconcerns.
  • Non‐Essential ‐ Non‐essential new positions should not be created at this time. Make every effort to save recurring salary dollars by reallocating job duties to currentstaff.

Guidance on Essential Positions

• Positions associated with the health, security, and protection of the campus. Includes positions related to law enforcement, child protection, medical (including practitioners and those interfacing with or assisting with patient care), criminal justice, the military, and environmental health and safety.
• Positions that spend more than 50% time of their time assisting with the primary business functions of the unit including:
  • Essential Management, such as administrative directors and academic department chairs
  • Facilities Operations
    • Positions of Instruction or Research that ensure continuity of research and or instruction
    • Researchers involved in animal care or working with material that require refrigeration
    • Admitting, enrolling, and scheduling classes for students
    • Facilitating student retention, degree progress, and graduation outcomes
    • Administering and determining financial aid
    • Positions necessary for the delivery of student instruction, including online delivery
      • Supporting, maintaining, and/or developing software and hardware necessary to support faculty, staff, and students in their core functions
      • Budget, accounting, and/or procurement and purchasing
      • Human Resources and Payroll
        • Other, as documented by the respective unit and approved by the Dean’s Office and Provost’s Office.

Approval

Requests to fill existing positions that meet the essential functions outlined above (excluding Other) will be authorized. Requests for new positions or those with Other designated as the primary function will require a more detailed review. Approved requests will generate a PDF that should be attached in the Workday business process.