Code of Federal Regulations Title 5. Administrative Personnel § 5.300.501 Definitions

(a) A temporary help service firm is a private sector entity which quickly provides other organizations with specific services performed by its pool of employees, possessing the appropriate work skills, for brief or intermittent periods. The firm is the legally responsible employer and maintains that relationship during the time its employees are assigned to a client. The firm, not the client organization, recruits, tests, hires, trains, assigns, pays, provides benefits and leave to, and as necessary, addresses performance problems, disciplines, and terminates its employees. Among other employer obligations, the firm is responsible for payroll deductions and payment of income taxes, social security (FICA), unemployment insurance, and workers' compensation, and shall provide required liability insurance and bonding.

(b) Private sector temporaries or outside temporaries are those employees of a temporary help service firm who are supervised and paid by that firm and whom that firm assigns to various client organizations who have contracted for the temporary use of their skills when required.

(c) Parental and family responsibilities are defined in OPM issuances and include situations such as absence for pregnancy, childbirth, child care, and care for elderly or infirm parents or other dependents.

(d) A Federal supervisor of Federal employees is defined in 5 U.S.C. 7103(a)(10) as

an individual employed by an agency having authority in the interest of the agency to hire, direct, assign, promote, reward, transfer, furlough, layoff, recall, suspend, discipline, or remove employees, to adjust their grievances, or to effectively recommend such action, if the exercise of the authority is not merely routine or clerical in nature but requires the consistent exercise of independent judgment * * *

(e) A critical need is a sudden or unexpected occurrence;  an emergency;  a pressing necessity;  or an exigency. Such occasions are characterized by additional work or deadlines required by statute, Executive order, court order, regulation, or formal directive from the head of an agency or subordinate official authorized to take final action on behalf of the agency head. A recurring, cyclical peak workload, by itself, is not a critical need.

(f) A local commuting area is defined in part 351 of this chapter.