Conflict of Commitment: Dual Appointment

This program applies to nonacademic staff.

Exempt Staff 

Appointment to a full-time exempt position at the university is considered to be a staff member's primary employment. 

Where there is a clear understanding between the staff member and the staff member's primary department that additional employment in a second university department will not interfere with the performance of all the duties and responsibilities of the primary appointment, additional employment may be accepted with prior approval of the local HR representative or designee, appropriate department head, dean, executive officer or designee. These appointments are commonly known as dual appointments. 

For some positions at the university, it may not be possible to engage in additional employment at the university or elsewhere without interfering with the primary appointment. Staff hired into these positions should be informed at the time of hire that they may not accept additional employment while employed in that department at the university. This condition should also be incorporated into the written offer of employment. 

Note: Salaries earned through a secondary appointment (dual appointment) are not used in the calculation of staff benefits.

Guidelines

In evaluating requests for the approval of additional employment, the following factors will be considered by the local HR representative or designee and department head, dean, executive officer or designee. If the additional employment is a teaching appointment, it will be limited to a single course each semester.

Special arrangements should have been made to assure that the primary appointment is satisfactorily accomplished. There is a written agreement between the staff member and the staff member's immediate supervisor regarding noninterference with the primary appointment. When the additional employment is with Cornell University, the duties and responsibilities may not be those which the staff member may normally be assigned from their primary appointment. Approval of additional employment does not constitute approval to use university facilities, equipment, or personnel for nondepartmental purposes. 

Approvals

The rate of pay for these appointments must receive the prior approval of the staff member's local HR representative or designee, department head, dean, executive officer, or designee.

Nonexempt Staff

The following information is for the appointment of a current full-time or part-time university staff member who is normally eligible for overtime pay (nonexempt), to a secondary appointment elsewhere in the university. It is commonly known as a dual appointment.

Nonexempt staff are to be paid overtime pay at a rate of not less than one and one-half times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked in addition to a 40-hour workweek. Therefore, nonexempt staff providing services in a second university capacity must be paid overtime if the total hours of service to the university exceed 40 hours during their workweek. 

Note: Wages earned through these secondary appointments (dual appointments) are not used in the calculation of staff benefits.

Determination of Rate of Pay

When a staff member is performing work which is similar to the primary appointment, the rate of pay should be the same as the rate paid for the staff member's primary appointment. If the work is identifiably different, the pay rate guide for temporary/casual employment will apply (Refer to Temporary & Casual Appointments, section: Pay Rates).

Calculation of Overtime

When a staff member provides services at two different hourly rates of pay and is eligible for overtime, the rate of pay (for purposes of calculation of overtime) is the weighted average of the two hourly rates for the work period for which the calculation is made.

Approvals

All additional appointments must be approved by the local hr representative or designee, department head, dean /executive officers or designee.