Questions frequently arise by staff wondering what types of tasks may constitute a temporary pay increase. The salary received by full-time employees who are exempt from Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provisions is considered full compensation during the appointment period. Exempt employees are expected to work without extra pay to complete their assignments (UW-5031 - Rationale/Purpose).
However, there are situations where administration identifies a need and will ask a person to assume additional responsibility. These assignments involve 1) additional work requirements that are added to the existing duties of a full-time employee creating a workload in excess of 100 percent of the employee’s normal duties, or 2) substantially new responsibilities that would not be part of the existing position responsibilities (e.g., taking on a temporary administrative role) and warrant additional compensation based upon the nature of the duties (UW-5031 - I.4.A) . The performance of these additional duties is unusual, short-term, or nonrecurring (UW-5031 - III).
The determination that a compensation adjustment is appropriate must be made before work is perform. A clear ‘scope of work’ is crafted and shared with the employee that outlines the additional activities upon which compensation is based. Overloads and overload payments must be approved by all parties before any work is performed (UW-5031 - I.2).
If you have questions, please reach out to your direct supervisor.
UW-Madison Overload Policy (Policy Library)
