3440 - Compensation of Classified Employees

CONTENTS:

A. General Policy
B. Authority for Establishing Compensation Policy for UI Classified Employees
C. Administration of UI Compensation Plan
D. In-Grade Salary Increases
E. Salary Increases
F. Compensation for Night Work
G. Additional Compensation for Classified Staff for Secondary Work Assignments
H. Questions About Salary Equity

A. GENERAL POLICY. 

A-1. The University of Idaho seeks to provide a high level of responsive service in meeting the needs of students, faculty and staff and the general public. To accomplish this mission, it is the policy of the University of Idaho to provide a total compensation system that attracts and retains employees. Recognizing and rewarding employees for performance in the achievement of service delivery goals and objectives is a foundation of this system.

A-2. Compensation practices should be consistent throughout the university, yet flexible to adapt to specific needs. To this end, employees are compensated from a salary schedule that provides pay grades with open ranges.

A-3. The University of Idaho seeks to pay competitive job market average salaries and intends that classified employees with at least satisfactory performance should expect to advance within the salary range for the pay grade assigned to a classification.

A-4. Advancement within the salary range shall be based on performance criteria, as recorded in the performance evaluation and the ability to achieve the goals and objectives of the particular position.

B. AUTHORITY FOR ESTABLISHING COMPENSATION POLICY FOR UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES. Salary and wage increases for University of Idaho classified employees are made in conformity with state legislation. An annual plan is established by the president in accordance with guidelines issued by the Regents. Initial appointments, promotions, classifications and pay grades, and other matters related to classified employees, are the responsibility of the president or designee. Oversight of the University of Idaho staff personnel system is within the administrative area of the Division of Finance which reports to the financial vice president.

C. ADMINISTRATION OF UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO COMPENSATION PLAN. The assistant vice president for human resources is responsible for maintaining the compensation plan for UI classified employees in conformity with Regents’ policy. No classified employee is to be paid at a rate that is not within the salary range for the class, except as noted in C-5 below. The current salary schedule is available from the office of Human Resources website.

C-1. The classification and pay grade of classified positions are established by Employment Services in consultation with the department administrator and with approval of the dean, director, or vice president.

C-2. The entrance salary for new appointees in any class is ordinarily set between minimum rate and market for that class. In unusual circumstances and when supported by acceptable reasons, appointment at a higher rate may be authorized by the director of employment services and the dean or director. All new appointments are made within the salary range.

C-3. When an employee is reinstated in a previously-held position or transferred to another position in the same classification, he or she is generally paid at the same salary. Salary adjustments may be agreed upon by the employee, the department administrator, and the director of employment services.

C-4. The pay grade of a classified position may be changed by any of the following actions:

a. "Reallocation." A change of an entire class of positions from the current pay grade in the compensation schedule to another pay grade of either higher or lower entrance salary.

b. "Reclassification." A change of a single position from the current class to another class to properly reflect the duties and responsibilities assigned to that position.

c. "Refactoring." A change in the number of Hay Points assigned to a class or position.

C-5. When a particular class or position is reallocated or reclassified to a lower pay grade, the salaries of incumbent employees who are being paid at a rate higher than the maximum provided in the new grade will not be reduced as a result of the reallocation or reclassification. However, the salaries of such employees will generally be held constant and not be increased thereafter so long as they exceed that maximum rate. At the discretion of the dean or director and in consultation with the assistant vice president for human resources, exemplary performance by such employees may be recognized through a bonus adjustment to salary, effective for one fiscal year only. An employee whose position has been reallocated or reclassified is not required to complete a new six-month probationary period.

C-6. When a particular class or position is reallocated to a higher pay grade, the employee will receive a salary equivalent to or higher than his or her current hourly rate. An employee whose position has been reallocated is not required to complete a new six-month probationary period.

C-7. When the position of an employee is reclassified to a higher pay grade, the employee will be assigned a salary in the range of the higher grade that provides a salary increase of not less than five percent. Salary increases must have dean or vice president level approval. The reclassified employee is not required to complete a new six-month probationary period. The employee’s department is responsible for providing the funding necessary for the required salary increase.

C-8. When an employee applies and is selected for a position in a higher pay grade, he or she may negotiate the starting pay within the pay grade for the new position (see C-2 above). Each promoted employee must successfully complete a six-month probationary period in his or her new position unless the employee was previously certified in that class. (For the effect of demotion on salary see 3360 C-4; for the effect on salary of a recommendation for a merit increase in the previously held position, see B-3.)

D. IN-GRADE SALARY INCREASES.

D-1. In-grade advancement is not a vested right. While employees should expect to advance within their assigned pay range based upon acceptable performance, advancement is within the discretion of the university. Such advancements are considered as a part of the overall UI budget-setting process and are effective at the beginning of the fiscal year. An employee may advance within the salary range only if certified as meeting the satisfactory service requirements on a written performance evaluation approved for the purpose by the president or the president's designee. Normally, an employee receives only one salary increase per year for satisfactory service. (See also 3380 E.)

D-2. Employees who are in probationary status may be recommended for merit increases at the discretion of the department administrator and with the approval of the dean or director; however, merit increases which have been authorized for employees in probationary status are not effective or awarded until the probationary period has been satisfactorily completed.

E. SALARY INCREASES. Changes in employee compensation are considered annually by the legislature. Salary adjustments reflecting some or all of the following factors may be approved and implemented in accordance with guidelines for UI classified salary adjustments issued annually by the president:

E-1. Changes in the cost of living;

E-2. Fluctuations in the market cost of different types of labor, which are reflected in payline adjustments reallocating some classifications to different pay grades;

E-3. Merit increases based on individual employee performance as documented by written performance evaluation.

F. COMPENSATION FOR NIGHT WORK. A full-time classified employee whose work schedule requires at least 50 percent of his or her working hours during a given pay period to be performed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. is paid an additional shift differential of 5 percent of the employee's hourly rate. The department administrator or designee submits an Electronic "Personnel Action Form" to effect the additional payment.

G. ADDITIONAL PAY FOR CLASSIFIED STAFF FOR SECONDARY WORK ASSIGNMENTS. A member of the classified staff must be paid overtime for any work that results in the employee working over 40 hours per week, including a secondary work assignment that is not within his/her current job description and outside the scope of his/her primary appointment and classification. The secondary work assignment must be performed on a temporary basis beyond the regularly scheduled workweek, and limited in scope (for example, if a senior programmer teaches a special course on a one-time basis; or if an administrative support staff provides assistance one weekend with a special research project in another unit or college). Per federal law, the classified employee must be paid at least 1.5 times his or her regular hourly rate for each hour that is worked over 40 hours per week. The secondary hiring authority may not offer compensatory time in lieu of cash payment of overtime. The secondary hiring authority is responsible for tracking the hours the employee has worked and coordinating with the primary hiring authority for processing the employee’s pay via a timesheet in PHAHOUR. If the employee’s wage for the secondary work assignment is set at more than time and a half, the employee should be paid via a Temporary Help – PERSI eligible (IP) appointment. If the employee is less than full-time, call Employment Services at 208-885-3638 for additional information.

H. QUESTIONS ABOUT SALARY EQUITY. An employee who believes that his or her compensation is not equitable first should consult with his or her supervisor, and then with the department administrator and/or the director of employment services. In certain situations, the employee also has recourse to the Director of the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations, the ombuds' office or to the grievance procedure for staff employees. (See 3210 A and 3860 A.)

Version History

Amended July 2021. Editorial changes.

Amended July 2009. Editorial changes to C and H.

Amended July 2008. The policy was revised to remove reference to classified exempt no longer used at the university.

Amended January 2005. Section G was rewritten to create sections G & H, and H became section I.

Amended July 2003. Revised A-3, A-4, B, C, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-7, C-8, and H. Editorial changes to F.

Amended July 2002. Revised C, C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-5. Editorial changes to C-7, D-2, F and H.

Amended July 1994.

Adopted 1979.