Employee position types

Faculty

As per Policy 76, faculty appointments are normally made in four ranks: lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor and professor. For more information on faculty, please visit the faculty section of the Human Resources (HR) website.

Staff

As per Policy 54, the term “staff” applies to those persons on the University of Waterloo payroll whose principal appointments are apart from faculty. Except for those titles as defined, or as may be included in Policy 76, and the titles research assistant and teaching assistant, which are assigned to registered graduates and undergraduates only, all other titles are regarded as applying to staff appointments.

For information and resources, please visit the staff section of the HR website. 

Staff type Duration Description
Regular full-time staff Indefinite appointments (including staff members on "contingent upon funding" appointments)

Regular full-time staff are staff members with indefinite appointments (including staff members on 'contingent upon funding' appointments) where there is an expectation of two years or more in duration of the appointment, and where staff members have a workweek of at least 35 hours. This category includes staff members on approved reduced work load appointments, as well as those holding full-time definite-term appointments of two years or more.

Regular part-time staff Indefinite appointments 

Regular part-time staff are staff members with indefinite appointments where there is an expectation of two years or more in duration of the appointment and who work regularly scheduled hours but who on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis work fewer hours than those worked by regular full-time staff in a similar classification or salary grade. This category includes staff members holding part-time definite-term appointments of two years or more.

Temporary appointment staff  Appointments for periods exceeding three months but less than two years

Temporary appointment staff are staff members with definite-term appointments for periods exceeding three months but less than two years.

Please note: This includes part-time temporary staff with an appointment of more than three months but less than two years, and regular weekly work hours (for example 21 hours worked each week), even if the days those hours are worked can vary each week.

Casual earnings staff Appointments less than three months or on intermittent bases or who do not have regularly scheduled hours of work

Casual earnings staff are staff members employed for less than three months or on intermittent bases or who do not have regularly scheduled hours of work, or who are employed under an arrangement where they may elect to work or not when requested to do so.

Please note: An individual can work on a one-time basis and be considered a casual employee. There does not have to be any expectation of continued employment.

Union staff Varies (can be part-time or full time)

Union staff are those staff members who are represented by a certified bargaining unit. 

As per the Collective agreement between the University of Waterloo and CUPE Local 793 (PDF), unionized staff members in the Food Services and Plant Operations departments are represented by the CUPE Local 793. For more information on CUPE, please visit the CUPE section of the HR website.