Pay Guidelines

For various reasons, an employee's scope of work may change to include a significant increase in responsibility. The amount of the increase, if warranted, would depend on the degree of change in the job.

Guidelines

• Increases with increase in job responsibility are typically up to 5%.
• An increase would occur with major changes in responsibilities or a measurably higher degree of complexity within the current role.
• An increase in the volume of activity or transactions will not typically warrant additional pay.
• Similarly, an increase in the number of staff will not always lead to a pay increase for supervisory employees (if responsibilities remain similar).

Key considerations

• How has the ultimate accountability for the job increased? For example, does the role directly supervise significantly more staff; have significantly higher budgetary responsibilities; and/or have increased input in determining strategic direction?
• Provide an example of how the level of decision making has broader impact to the unit, department, and/or Institute.
• Does the position now require more complex and independent problem-solving skills? If so, provide an example.
• What types of communications does the job require, and have they become more complex over time?
• To what extent are higher-level communication skills required, e.g., to influence, facilitate, and/or negotiate?
• Compare the employee’s current salary to salaries of those in their new peer group to determine if an increase would create an equity issue.

The process

• Provide the new and previous position description for comparison -- HR will determine the level of change and ensure that the position’s description accurately reflects the increased responsibilities.
• Where required, obtain approval ;from the designated senior administrator to ensure that established procedures within a School/Area or DLC are followed.
• Consult with Compensation and/or your HRO to make an informed decision before discussing any salary change with an employee.
• Review the Guidelines and Key Considerations above to determine if a salary increase is appropriate.

Job reclassification is the assignment of a new job title that may be recommended if job duties changed over time. Reclassifications can also occur as a result of changes to the Institute Job Structure.

Guidelines

Reclassification resulting in an upward movement to a higher pay grade job title will be considered a promotion. Promotional guidelines will apply.

• Example: Employee’s duties changed over time and it’s recommended that their job title should change from IT Generalist 2 to a Network & Systems Admin 2. Because it entails a change in pay grade from 8 to 9, this job title change would be considered a promotion.

When reclassification is to a new job title at the same or lower pay grade in the same or different job family or job track, no salary increase will be warranted.

• Example: Employee's duties changed over time and their position is reclassified from IT Generalist 2 to an Applications Support Analyst 2. Both jobs are pay grade 8.

The effective date of reclassification will be recommended by Compensation and can be processed retroactively or coincide with the completion of reclassification review.

As part of the reclassification review, Compensation Office will review employee’s salary for internal and market equity.

The process

• Coordinate all job reclassifications with the Compensation Office
• Provide an accurate and up-to-date position description.
• When appropriate, obtain approval from the designated senior administrator within a School/Area or DLC.
• Consult with Compensation and/or your HRO before discussing any job title change with an employee.

A lateral transfer is movement from one job to another job within the same range. This can occur within or across a job or subfamily.

Guidelines

• Not all lateral movements warrant a salary adjustment.
• When the new position is clearly at the same level of responsibility as the position the employee is leaving, no increase would be warranted.
• When the volume of the work in the new position increases, but responsibilities of the position essentially remain the same, no increase would be warranted.
• When it is determined that the position the employee is transferring to requires new and/or additional skills and is more complex than the position the employee is transferring from, an increase may be appropriate. The hiring manager/department administrative officer should be able to describe those new skills and/or how the job differs in complexity.
• In this case, a pay increase, typically up to 5%, may be considered.

Key considerations

• Describe how the complexity of the new job is more significant than the employee’s previous job.
• How will the employee be expected to negotiate, set their own standards and goals, and/or manage or coach (either formally or informally) at a higher level than in their previous job?
• Explain what type of decision making will be required in the new job and whether the consequences will be greater.
• How will the job require higher levels of independent action and autonomy?
• If an increase is appropriate, consider internal equity when factoring the amount of the increase.

The process

• When appropriate, obtain approval from the designated senior administrator within a School/Area or DLC.
• Consult with Compensation and/or your HRO before discussing any salary change with an employee.
• Lateral transfers typically do not warrant a salary increase; however, review the Guidelines and Key Considerations above to determine whether a salary increase is appropriate.

Merit increases typically occur during ASR but for various reasons may occur outside of the typical merit cycle. It is recommended that no employee wait more than 12 months for a merit increase and performance review.

When to consider an off-cycle merit request

An off-cycle merit increase can only be used for the following two reasons:

• For new employees hired after review eligibility date
• For employees who transfer payroll categories after review date

When a new employee is hired after the review eligibility date for his/her payroll category, they may be considered for an off-cycle merit increase approximately six months from date of hire (typically after the new employee review period).

Similarly, if an employee transfers payroll categories and misses the review date, then they may be considered for an off-cycle merit increase approximately six months from date of transfer.

Guidelines

To determine the off-cycle merit increase amount, a manager should consider the following criteria:

• Performance
• Length of service in the job
• Employee's salary*
• Internal equity
• Budget (departments are responsible for funding off-cycle merit increases for employees hired after their review eligibility date)
• ASR Pay Program parameters for that fiscal year

The off-cycle merit increase amount should be some portion of the annual merit allocation, not to exceed the department’s pay program parameters set for that fiscal year. (e.g., pro-rate the amount for the number of months the employee has been in the job)

* In certain cases, a manager will make a salary offer somewhat higher than typically would be offered, knowing that the newly hired/transferred employee will have to wait more than 12 months before they receive a merit increase. In this case, the manager should inform the newly hired/transferred employee that s/he may not receive another increase until the next review cycle, that an off-cycle increase will not occur, but their performance will be assessed approximately six months from date of hire.

The process

• Where required, obtain approval from the designated senior administrator within a department or school.
• Consult with Compensation and/or your HRO before discussing any salary change with an employee.
• Review the guidelines above in determining whether a salary increase is appropriate.

Promotions occur because of upward movement with greater responsibility at a higher job level. Significant changes in responsibilities must have occurred for a promotion to be considered.

Guidelines

• Promotional increases are typically between 5%-15%, depending on the increased level of responsibility and other Key Considerations.
• A promotional increase must bring the employee to at least the minimum of their new salary range.
• The effective date of a promotion should coincide with the employee taking on increased responsibilities.
• Employees with a performance issue are ineligible for promotion until the problem is resolved.

SRS Technical Promotions:

With no grade levels or salary structures within the Sponsored Research Staff payroll category, an SRS employee who moves to a new position, with greater responsibility in the same department within that payroll category, is considered an "In Level Promotion."

The position title may change, but the job title remains the same.

Key considerations

• How skilled is the employee in meeting the requirements of the new job?
• Where is the employee's current pay in relation to the targeted salary range?
• How does the employee's recommended salary compare with that of others in the same or similar job?
• How does the employee's recommended salary compare with that of their manager and/or direct reports?
• In the context of internal equity, compare the employee's current salary to salaries of those in their new peer group.

If an employee has increased their responsibilities within their current job but not enough to warrant a promotion, consider another option. Refer to the Increased Responsibility guidelines below.

When an employee is changing jobs within the same grade, refer to the Lateral Transfer guideline below.

The process

• Provide an accurate and up-to-date position description.
• When appropriate, obtain approval from the designated senior administrator within a School/Area or DLC.
• Consult with Compensation and/or your HRO before discussing any salary change with an employee.
• Review the Guidelines and Key Considerations above to determine if an increase is appropriate.

A temporary base pay increase is additional compensation for an employee who has been temporarily assigned a significant increase in work and has taken on the responsibilities of another job(s) with critical impact to business operations. To qualify for a temporary base pay increase, the additional work must be sustained for a period of time of at least four consecutive weeks resulting from vacancy(ies) or an extended leave of absence.

The assumed responsibility is in addition to the employee's primary job responsibilities and reflects additional responsibilities and/or critical functions, as determined by the employee's manager. HR Administrators should work with the Compensation Office and/or your HRO to determine the appropriateness and amount of the temporary base pay increase.

Guidelines

• The amount of a temporary pay increase is up to 15% of base pay, depending on the degree of complexity and the level of the additional responsibilities, as well as the length of time the employee is expected to assume the additional responsibilities.
• Generally, a temporary base pay increase will be added to the employee’s base pay for the length of time the employee is assuming additional responsibilities.
• Temporary base pay increases must have a specified beginning and end date and are not intended to cover periods of less than four weeks. Temporary base pay increases are not intended to last beyond six months. If a temporary base pay increase request is longer than six months or is extended beyond six months, a justification must be sent to either the Provost or EVPT for approval.

Key considerations

• When considering a temporary base pay increase for an employee, begin the process before the employee actually takes on the additional temporary responsibilities.  
• ASR implications: If a merit increase occurs while an employee is receiving a temporary base pay increase, the temporary base pay increase will be automatically adjusted by the same percentage amount. When the temporary base pay increase ends, the regular base pay will reflect the merit percentage applied.

The process

• Review the Guidelines and Key Considerations above when determining whether a temporary base pay increase should be considered.
• HR Administrators should review the proposal with Compensation and the HRO to determine if a temporary base pay increase is appropriate and the amount of the increase. If agreed, the DLC should obtain approval from the designated senior administrator (Dean, VP, or equivalent) within a School/Area or DLC.
• Ensure that appropriate approvals have been obtained before discussing any salary change with an employee.