Policy and Procedures

Policy Office

>> The Online Policy System

Printer Friendly

Utah Valley University

Policies and Procedures

I. Purpose

It is the position of the institution to pay compensation that is nondiscriminatory and fair. All compensation policy decisions must take into consideration the institution’s overall financial condition and competitive position.

II. References

Civil Rights Act (Title VII): A federal law that prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender and national origin.
Equal Pay Act: Requires that men and women be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment. The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially equal. It is job content, not job titles, that determines whether jobs are substantially equal.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping, and youth employment standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments.

III. Terms

Benchmark market data: The salary median/midpoint that is typically established through third-party survey companies' research efforts. This benchmark market data is used to establish the institution's pay for jobs. Jobs that do not have benchmarks will need to be slotted in among the benchmark jobs based upon their internal worth to the organization.
Job Slotting Committee: Individual employees who are appointed by division leaders, PACE and Faculty Senate, and approved by the President, to serve on a committee that recommends job placement.

IV. Policy

The institution maintains a non-faculty compensation program consistent with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal, state and institution regulations.

V. Procedures

Job Analysis and Evaluation
1. Individual positions are reviewed by the Department of Human Resources and grouped with other similar positions wherever possible. The Job Slotting Committee works with the divisional vice presidents to align positions within the institution. The groups of positions, known as jobs, are documented, evaluated, and assigned to a salary grade. Job analysis and evaluation takes place at the request of the Department of Human Resources or the department administration and requires review by the appropriate Vice President.
2. Human Resources collects and analyzes market data for common jobs, also known as benchmark jobs, on an ongoing basis. Periodically, a job may be moved to a different pay grade. Human Resources may recommend that market adjustments be given to employees in affected jobs. If the job has a market benchmark, then grade placement will be determined by the benchmark. If the job does not have a market benchmark, then the Job Slotting Committee will determine a recommended grade placement, with approval from the affected division’s Vice President.
3. Information and results from the job evaluation program are used to promote compensation equity and consistency across the institution.
Salary Offers
1. Newly hired non-faculty employees are generally placed within the 1st Quartile of the established grade level based upon qualifications.
2. Salary offers (for new hires) other than at the beginning of the 1st Quartile must be reviewed by the Executive Director of Human Resources, or appointed designee. Any salary offer beyond the 1st Quartile may be made only after an equity review by the Executive Director of Human Resources and with appropriate Vice Presidential approval.
3. Any variance (for new hires) from placing a non-faculty employee within the 1st Quartile must be substantiated by exceptional qualifications. Variance requests must be reviewed by the Executive Director of Human Resources, who will make a recommendation to the appropriate Vice President for his/her approval. Any request for salary placement above the midpoint of the grade must be approved by the President.
4. Salary offers due to promotion, career ladder, or job family advancement are determined by the employee’s qualifications, salaries of employees in comparable graded positions in the unit and any other special market considerations. Increases to salary require the approval of both the hiring official and the Executive Director of Human Resources (or designee) for equity review, and in collaboration with the appropriate Vice President. The appropriate hiring official must verify available budget and the absence of internal equity issues.
5. When determining a promotion increase the employee should anticipate no less than a 3% increase in pay. If the 3% increase does not place the employee at least at the minimum of the new grade, then the employee will be assigned the minimum (starting rate) of the new grade. No employee may be paid below the minimum or above the maximum of the applicable salary grade.
Level Advancements
1. Grade level advancements occur only through career ladder promotion, reclassification, job family promotion or promotion to a different, higher level position at the institution.
2. Career ladder promotions apply to the previously screened non-faculty employee who was hired with the intent that the non-faculty employee would be prepared and/or trained for a higher-level position. Established "career ladders" must be documented in the job announcement and on the hiring Personnel Action Form (PAF). Career ladders must be approved and documented by the Department of Human Resources.
3. Re-classifications are approved only when the non-faculty employee’s responsibilities and duties have changed substantially since the level for his/her position was established. Re-classifications are processed and implemented according to the job analysis and evaluation procedure, which is maintained in the Department of Human Resources.
4. Job family promotions occur when an administrator wishes to consider non-faculty employees in a particular job family at grades lower than the position being filled. Non-faculty employees in these job families must have demonstrated knowledge, skills and abilities required by the position being filled. Non-faculty employees may also be promoted through the regular competitive employment process for a different and higher level position.
Transfers
1. Lateral Transfer
  1. A non-faculty employee granted a lateral transfer remains at his/her current level grade and quartile salary.
2. Lower Level Transfer
  1. Institution’s Request: Unless the transfer is a demotion based on disciplinary proceedings, a non-faculty employee being transferred to a lower level than his/her current position may be placed on the new level at a salary that is the same as his/her current base salary.
  2. Employee's Request: The salary for a non-faculty employee who requests to transfer to a position at a lower level than his/her current position and is accepted for transfer will be determined by the employee’s qualifications, salaries of employees in comparable graded positions in the unit and any other special market considerations. When determining a lower level transfer the employee should anticipate no less than a 3% decrease in pay. Base pay will not exceed the maximum of the salary grade. If the decrease places the employee below the minimum of the new grade, then the employee will be assigned the minimum (starting rate) of the new grade. No employee may be paid below the minimum or above the maximum of the applicable salary grade. Any variance in salary placement due to a request from a non-faculty employee to transfer to a lower level position must be reviewed by the Executive Director of Human Resources, who will make a recommendation to the appropriate Vice President for his/her approval.
Base Pay/Salary Scale Adjustments
1. Based on cost-of-living, market salary survey data, legislative action, the availability of funds, and approval of the institution’s Board of Trustees, non-faculty employees may receive pay scale base pay increases. These increases may be applied to the entire staff salary schedule and generally increase all base salary dollar amounts. Base increases generally become effective on July 1. Fund availability and market pressures may necessitate adjustments to the established system of determining base pay increases for non-faculty employees. The necessity for an adjustment to the established merit increase procedure will be determined by the Human Resources Department in cooperation with administration generally on an annual basis and with input from PACE.
Pay Increases
1. The institution has established a system for non-faculty employees whereby their quartile placement, longevity and job performance may be evaluated and merit pay increases granted. Merit pay increases and the distribution of merit pay increases are determined annually by the Board of Trustees based on available funding.
2. Minimum requirements for longevity (established annually by the Board of Trustees) and job performance rating must be met for employees to qualify for a merit pay increase. These increases generally become effective on July 1 each year.
3. If a non-faculty employee’s promotion or reclassification to a higher level position and his/her merit pay increase become effective on the same date, the reclassification/promotion salary placement procedure is implemented first and the merit pay increase is applied at the new level.
Hourly Non-Student, Non-Faculty Employees
1. Upon initial hire, an hourly non-student, non-faculty employee shall be placed on the appropriate grade level as determined through job analysis and evaluation. The following procedure will apply when an hourly non-student, non-faculty employee is subsequently hired for a salaried position or moves to another hourly position. If the new position is at the same grade level, the same salary rate will apply. If the new position is at a higher grade level, the salary placement will be determined by applying the institution’s standard reclassification/promotion salary placement procedure. Any additional increase must be substantiated by exceptional qualifications and requires the approval of both the department hiring official and the Executive Director of Human Resources in collaboration with the appropriate Vice President. The department hiring official must verify available budget and the absence of internal equity problems. The salary for an hourly non-student, non-faculty employee who is hired for or requests a transfer to a position at a lower grade than his/her current position will be determined by applying the institution’s standard lower level transfer salary placement procedure.
2. If a merit pay increase and a move to a higher-level position are to become effective on the same date and the merit increase was earned by virtue of performance of duties and responsibilities at the same general level and scale as those required for the new position, the merit increase may be applied at the new level.
3. An hourly non-student, non-faculty employee may be granted increases only through the institution’s official performance evaluation and development program. To qualify, an hourly non-student, non-faculty employee must have been employed at least one year and have worked at least 1,500 hours since their last merit pay increase. Merit pay increases and the distribution of merit pay increases are determined annually by the Board of Trustees based on available funding. When merit pay money is not available for non-faculty employees, then hourly non-student, non-faculty employees will also be ineligible for merit pay increases.
4. All hourly employment at the institution is considered temporary, and an hourly non-student, non-faculty employee has no assurance of continued employment. The official longevity date and probationary period begin with salaried employment.
5. The decision as to which hourly non-student, non-faculty employees will be evaluated and the responsibility for completing the evaluations rests with individual supervisors.
Red Circled Positions
1. A non-faculty or hourly non-student, non-faculty employee whose salary is above the maximum of the grade will only be eligible for a cost of living salary adjustment (if mandated by the State Legislature), since their salary is above the maximum of the market for base pay. A merit pay increase, if warranted, can only occur if a non-faculty or hourly non-student, non-faculty employee’s salary is within the range (minimum to maximum) for the grade.

Cara O'Sullivan, Policy Officer | mailto:cara.osullivan@uvu.edu | (801) 836-7355

Last Updated 9/14/09