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Emergency Hire

Emergency hire employees are intended only for temporary or seasonal employment, and are exempt from normal recruiting requirements. Reasons for hiring an emergency hire may include:

  • Completing critical work that is not expected to last more than 130 days.
  • Providing temporary support while a vacant position is being advertised.

Typically, an emergency hire is employed for 130 calendar days or less. 

If you have questions at any stage of the process, your college or department HR representative is available to help. 

NOTE: It is recommended to allow five (5) working days prior to the employee's start date, which is the first day they are expected to work, to ensure completion of all required new hire paperwork and other onboarding steps. 


Hiring Procedures

NOTE: The following steps are completed by the hiring department.

Departments may recruit for emergency hire positions independently; use one of the university's approved temporary employment services agencies; or use the HR temporary pools for administrative, fiscal, information technology, trades, and labs, which are collected through the PageUp applicant tracking system. The temporary pool includes applications submitted by individuals specifically interested in short-term employment or who are willing to accept temporary employment until a more permanent position is available. Departments should work with their HR representative to determine the appopriate recruitment path. 

The department locates a candidate to perform the emergency hire work and completes negotiations and arrangements.

NOTE: Some foreign nationals cannot be hired at Virginia Tech. Review the information on employee foreign nationals on the Controller's Office. For more information on visa requirements contact Cranwell International Center.

The department and employee must complete and sign the following paperwork for a emergency hire:

NOTE: All new Virginia Tech employees will need to complete the federal Form I-9. When completing the Form I-9, employees must provide original documentation to their employers to show their identity and authorization to work. Failure to complete the Form I-9 within the required timeframe may lead to termination or delay of employment.

Each department should have at least one person who has access and training to enter actions in the HR Banner system. The designated HR Banner enterer will:

  1. Update or enter the employee biographic information using the Banner form PWAEBIO.
  2. Generate the employee's PID.
  3. Enter the emergency hire appointment using the PAF process.

Each department should have at least one person who has access to approve actions in the HR Banner system. The designated HR Banner approver will approve the appointment using Banner form NOAAPSM.

HR Banner automatically generates an end date for emergency hires. Departments are responsible for monitoring the number of days the emergency hire works. HR Banner will not allow hours worked beyond the end date to be entered until an extension request is made and approved.


Additional Emergency Hire Actions

Requesting an emergency hire extension: Approximately two weeks before the emergency hire reaches the 130 day limit, the department should consider whether or not an extension is needed. If an extension is needed, complete an Emergency Hire Extension form (P108). Before completing the form, it is recommended that the department contact their HR repesentative or guidance on how to proceed with the request. An explanation of the need for the extension is required. Short extensions may be granted for the following reasons:

  • To complete a project.
  • To provide additional time to advertise and interview.
  • To continue to fill in for someone on leave.

Terminating an emergency hire: The designated banner enterer will enter the emergency hire termination using the HR Banner PAF process. The designated HR Banner approver will approve the termination using the Banner form NOAAPSM.


Frequent Questions

My department does not have enough funding for a salary position. Can we hire an emergency hire and have the person just keep staying on after 130 days until we can get enough funding? 

No, departments cannot use emergency hires for this type of situation. An option would be to advertise and fill the position as a wage position for the time being, then advertise a salary position later once funding is received.

Can I transition an emergency hire into a wage position or salary position? 

No, wage and salary positions must go through the competitive search process. However, the emergency hire may apply for the job and, if selected, continue as a candidate through the competitive search process.