Institutional pay practices are one aspect of the university's compensation program for University Staff employees. They are designed to attract, retain and motivate a highly talented and committed workforce.
Our institutional pay practices aim to accomplish the goals of:
- Maintaining a data-driven, competitive compensation structure
- Establishing a consistent and fair approach to pay practices
- Complying with all relevant federal and state laws
To initiate any pay increase:
- Contact your Human Resources generalist team to discuss pay increases and which pay increase type(s) may be most appropriate.
- Review HR's recommendation* with college/division for budgetary approval.
- Confirm college’s/division’s final decision with HR generalist team.
Remember:
- Consult with your HR generalist team before extending a verbal or written salary offer or increase.
- It is the responsibility of the college/division to ensure funding is available for the requested pay increase.
*HR's recommendations include a review of compliance with the Equal Pay Act and internal fair pay practices in addition to a check of the employee's salary history, including increases in the previous 12 months.
Definitions of Pay Increases
For various reasons, an employee's scope of work may evolve in complexity and accountability, which leads to additional responsibilities. An Additional Duties increase might be considered if the responsibilities of the employee have become more complex, not just increased in volume or duties.
Important note: Typically, if 30% or more of a position's responsibilities has transformed, it indicates a new position may need to be defined.
Merit increases typically occur as part of the institution's Salary Increase Program. However, there may be times in which merit is warranted outside of this cycle. When this happens, this is called an Off-Cycle Merit increase.
A Promotion occurs when a current university employee is moved to a position in a higher pay grade. In some cases, the job may be posted to allow other eligible candidates to apply.
Important note: Only employees who meet the minimum qualifications for the position can be considered for the promotion.
New - Nov. 18, 2024
Critical Talent Retention is used when there is a credible risk that an employee will leave the college or division, and the loss of critical skills or knowledge would be detrimental to the college's or division's key efforts, as determined by a senior vice president. Typically, these positions are difficult to fill due to limited applicant pools, limited market competitors, or limited succession availability.
Important note: A memo of approval from your senior vice president is required for a Critical Talent Retention increase.
In situations when an employee has been presented with an offer for a comparable position from an external or internal entity, a Counteroffer may be considered to retain that employee.
Important note: The employee’s offer will be needed to document the counteroffer.
On occasion, it may be necessary for employees to assume additional or different responsibilities for a specific period of time. A Temporary Changes to Job Duties increase with a specified beginning and end date may be appropriate.
Strategic Pay Reviews
A Comprehensive Pay Review is an ad-hoc equity or market review that explores the pay practices of a unit, department, college or division. These reviews are relatively infrequent as equity review is already integrated into HR pay recommendations, and the university's salary structure (including job family pay grades) are reviewed annually through External Market Data Review.
Due to the comprehensive nature of these reviews, an initial intake conversation is needed with HR to assess scope, establish goals and set a timeframe for the review.
New - Feb. 17, 2025
In-Grade Pay Review is a review of an individual's current pay, expertise, skills, knowledge and years of experience.
For this review, HR will review an employee's resume currently on file and provide a recommendation regarding the employee's placement within their current pay grade. Before the review begins, the employee will have an opportunity to update their resume to ensure current certifications, education and experience is included in the review.