Special Edition Management Update - April 2, 2013

Volume 10 | Issue 10

Reduction in Student Employee Work Hour Limit Effective May 12, 2013

In preparation for regulations of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, Kent State University is implementing several revisions to our employment structure and policies. As a part of these revisions, the total number of hours student employees are permitted to work each week will be limited to 28 hours, including summer and academic year break periods. In addition, for students holding more than one position, the 28-hour work week limit applies to the total hours worked for ALL jobs combined (both hourly and non-hourly).  The new work hour limit becomes effective with the summer appointment period beginning May 12, 2013.

To ensure compliance, departments will also be expected to begin transitioning non-hourly jobs to hourly positions with an hourly pay rate in accordance with the Student Employment Pay Plan. If you need assistance with this process, please contact the Career Services Center at 330-672-2360. Beginning with summer and fall hiring, special approval, along with established work hour expectations, will be required for non-hourly position consideration.

International student employees must continue to comply with work-hour limits set by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Supervisors should keep in mind the new 28-hour work week limit as they prepare summer and fall job postings and assess the number of student employees needed to maintain workforce levels.

While the Career Services Center will be monitoring student work hours for compliance, supervisors are expected to share the responsibility for communicating and enforcing the new work-hour limit with their student employees. Violation of the work-hour limit will result in a one-time warning and continued violation of the policy will result in termination of the student’s employment.

The university will monitor ongoing developments pertaining to the Affordable Care Act based on the guidelines set forth by the federal government. In addition, the university continues to study the effect of the Affordable Care Act on both student and non-student employee work hours.

For information regarding this new policy, see the Student Employment Handbook at www.kent.edu/career/jobs/handbook_policies.cfm#maxhours or contact Ami Hollis, associate director of the Career Services Center, at ahollis@kent.edu or 330-672-8380; or Ann Motayar, director of the Career Services Center, at amotayar@kent.edu or 330-672-8372.

For more information regarding the Affordable Care Act, which includes expanding access to health coverage for full-time employees, visit www.healthcare.gov/law/index.html. Any additional changes to policy will be made based on final guidelines from the federal government, which are expected to be released in June 2013.