3370 - Promotion or Reassignment of Exempt Employees

CONTENTS:

A. General
B. Promotion
C. Reassignment

A. GENERAL: The classification “exempt” includes employees with academic rank and employees without academic rank. Exempt employees with academic rank are classified in two ways: 1) as faculty members with academic rank and 2) as exempt with administrative responsibilities. This policy applies only to the exempt classification and does not affect promotions in academic rank.

B. PROMOTION.

B-1. A promotion is a career opportunity for an employee that involves greater responsibilities, and may also involve an increase in salary, and a change in title. Promotions are intended to be non-interim. Promotions may occur only within the employee's unit (i.e. college or division); an employee may not be promoted to a position outside his or her unit.

B-2. A promotion may occur in a unit that has a vacancy or is undergoing reorganization. A supervisor may wish to promote an employee into a vacant position in the unit if the employee has demonstrated exceptional competency and skill for that position. In other circumstances, a supervisor may wish to assign additional, higher-level responsibilities to an employee as a result of an internal reorganization or change in workflow in the unit.  In either case, the employee may be considered for the promotion on the basis of his or her past record, length of service, performance in the present position, and qualification to perform the duties of the higher position.

B-3. To ensure compliance with the University of Idaho’s equal opportunity policy, a UI-only search may be required (see FSH 3065 B-1).

B-4. HR works with the approving authority for all exempt promotions for positions without academic rank. The Provost is the approving authority for all exempt positions with academic rank and works with the Employment Equity & Compliance Director and Employment Services to coordinate the process for exempt employees with academic rank.

B-5. Salary recommendations for a promotion made by the hiring authority must be reviewed by Employment Services. Employment Services will compare the market value of the position and the salaries of similar positions at the University, and where appropriate, comparisons of salaries of similar positions at peer institutions, prior to a final salary recommendation.

B-6. To promote an employee, the hiring authority or designee must take the following steps:

a. If the promotion is a result of the assignment of additional higher-level responsibilities, send a memo of justification to the director of Employment Services stating the name of the employee considered for promotion, the proposed increase, an explanation of the office or unit changes, and the reasons why the employee is qualified for the promotion. Include the employee’s current job description, the new job description, and the employee’s resume with the documentation.

b. If the promotion involves a vacant position, the position authorization form and justification must be sent to the Employment Equity & Compliance Director for review and approval before it is sent to Employment Services.

c. Employment Services will review the promotional job description for the responsibilities, job title and salary range, and review the individual’s minimum qualifications with the minimum qualifications stated in the job description.

d. Employment Services will communicate to the hiring authority the results of the review.

B-7. When there is more than one internal candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for the position within the unit, the hiring authority must, at a minimum, conduct a UI-only search.

C. REASSIGNMENT.

C-1. Reassignment of an exempt employee may occur when required for administrative reasons such as the combining of positions, or the elimination of positions. (Refer to FSH 3065). Reassignments must be coordinated through Employment Services in HR and reviewed by the Employment Equity & Compliance Director. Employees who are reassigned due to unit restructuring are not entitled to use the grievance procedures outlined in FSH 3890.

C-2. Effect of Reassignment on Salary. When an employee is reassigned, his or her salary is not reduced at the time of reassignment, unless agreed upon by the hiring administrator and the employee; however, salary may be affected based on the analysis of the reassigned duties at the beginning of the next annual contract cycle. Recommendations for a salary increase or decrease due to reassignment must be reviewed by Employment Services. Employment Services will compare the market value of the position and the salaries of similar positions at the University, and where appropriate, comparisons of salaries of similar positions at peer institutions, prior to making a final salary recommendation. A revised signed position description noting the change in assignment should be placed in the official personnel file of the employee.

C-3. The reassignment of an employee does not affect his or her prior earned credited state service. However, the reassignment may affect the employee’s leave accrual rate, which is based on years of service and hours worked if the employee is moving from a classified position to an exempt position or if there is a reduction or increase in percentage of appointment.

Version History

Amended July 2021. Editorial changes.

Amended July 2012. Editorial changes to C-1.

Amended July 2009. Editorial changes to B-4, B-6 b, and C-1.

Amended January 2008. Revised B-1, B-6 a, c, and d, B-7, C-1, and C-2. Editorial changes to A, B-2, B-3, B-4, and C-3. Added B-6 b.

Adopted July 2003.