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Salary Administration

The University Pay Plan was developed for all non-faculty positions. Using benchmark jobs, job duties were reviewed in order to determine a competitive salary. Each job is assigned a pay grade which has a minimum, midpoint and maximum. These salary levels will be reviewed on a continuing basis in order to insure that UWG is a competitive employer.

UWG must use the titles furnished by the Board of Regents. However, at times it may be necessary for an employee to have a working title that is more descriptive of his/her functions. Supervisors should be careful when allowing a working title of manager or director when the official title does not have such status.

Salary Increases and Adjustments

Each year the institution receives its funding from the State of Georgia. Therefore, salary increases and/or adjustment moneys are dependent on the University’s allocation from by the Board of Regents through the State of Georgia legislative appropriations.

Policy: (101.01)

A classified employee (classified employees are defined as benefit eligible employees who are not identified as faculty) must complete his/her six month provisional period before being eligible for promotion, demotion or lateral transfer. In order to be entitled to receive a merit increase, classified employees must be employed a minimum of three months prior to the preparation of the fiscal year budget.

There are typically five types of salary increases and salary adjustments:

1. Merit
   A merit increase is a performance-based salary increase.
2. Market Adjustments
   A form of salary increase based on criteria other than merit. This adjustment could be to establish equity within a unit or vice presidential area or an adjustment based on market conditions. The institution does not receive any additional funding for these adjustments and must do internal shifting of moneys whenever these types of salary increases are awarded.
3. Promotions
   A promotion is defined as a shift of an employee from one position to another position on a higher pay grade than his/her current position
   
   

   Policy: (101.02) The amount offered for a promotion cannot be less than the pay plan minimum but any additional moneys are dependent on the departmental budget.
   
   When an employee is promoted due to either applying for an advertised position or via the reclassification process during the budget cycle, the employee may receive up to ( a ) the difference between the two pay plan minimums added to his/her current salary; ( b ) the minimum of the pay plan; or, ( c ) with vice presidential approval, 15 percent above the minimum of the pay plan. The department head must prepare written justification and submit the approved justification to the Director of Human Resources. Criteria for additional money should be based on an employee’s exceptional experience and/or education.

4. Demotions or Lateral Transfers
   Demotion: A demotion is when an employee is selected to fill a vacant position with a lower pay grade. Whenever this occurs, the Director of Human Resources has the option of establishing a new rate of pay at any point from the minimum rate of the new job classification’s pay plan up to the present salary of the employee, provided that the present salary does not exceed the maximum amount authorized for the new job classification. The salary rate may also depend on departmental funds.
   
   Lateral Transfer: A lateral transfer is when an employee moves from one position to another position that is on the same pay grade regardless of the title of the new position.
   
   

   Policy: (101.02A) Whenever an employee is demoted or laterally transferred, the employee cannot receive a salary increase. The employee’s salary cannot exceed the maximum of the pay plan for the new position.
   
   When an employee is promoted due to either applying for an advertised position or via the reclassification process during the budget cycle, the employee may receive up to ( a ) the difference between the two pay plan minimums added to his/her current salary; ( b ) the minimum of the pay plan; or, ( c ) with vice presidential approval, 15 percent above the minimum of the pay plan. The department head must prepare written justification and submit the approved justification to the Director of Human Resources. Criteria for additional money should be based on an employee’s exceptional experience and/or education.

5. Temporary Salary Increases
   The institution authorizes supplemental compensation on a case by case basis.
   
   

   Policy (101.03) There are times an employee is asked to perform duties outside his/her normal scope of responsibility or absorb work previously performed by an employee who has resigned or is on an extended leave of absence. If these duties are on-going it may be necessary to provide a temporary supplement to the employee. This supplement does not become part of the employee’s base compensation, and it ceases when the temporary assignment is over. This supplement is subject to approval by the Board of Regents. (See EXHIBITS 1A & 1B to determine amount of supplement.)

   
   
   The following conditions apply:
   • Whenever an employee is asked to assume additional duties or duties with a higher level of responsibility or complexity, the period of time should not exceed six months.
   • This policy is based on a mutual agreement between employer and employee.
   • The amount of the supplement may be affected by departmental funding availability.
   
   
   Procedure
   The Department Head shall contact the Director of Human Resources and provide the following information:
   • Position which is vacant.
   • Individual to assume extra duties.
   • Duties the employee will assume.
   • Why a temporary employee cannot be hired.
   • Recruitment efforts, if for vacant position.
   • Percentage of salary supplement recommended.

Creating a New Position

Policy: (101.04)
New positions can be created during the course of a fiscal year as well as during the annual budget process for the beginning of the next fiscal year

Procedure
A Position Description Form (PDF) (EXHIBIT 2) must be completed and submitted to the Office of Human Resources by April 1 of each year in order for the position to be included with the following year’s budget. If a position is created after the fiscal year, a budget amendment must be submitted to Office of Budgets prior to review of the PDF. The PDF should be submitted to Human Resources 5 working days prior to advertising. Human Resources will review the PDF and assign the most appropriate title according to the published Regents titles and UWG job specifications, as well as, assign a non-exempt or an exempt FLSA status.At times, due to organizational changes and the evolution of a job, a position’s job title should be reviewed to determine if duties have changed significantly enough to need a different title. The Board of Regents only allows the institution to reevaluate a position that would result in an increase in pay during the normal fiscal year budget cycle.

Policy: (101.05)
Any reclassification of a filled position resulting in a pay increase other than at the beginning of the fiscal year, will require approval from the Board of Regents.

Reclassifications of vacant positions can be requested at any time during the fiscal year.

Procedure
Department head completes a PDF and submits to Human Resources. Human Resources will evaluate to determine the most appropriate job classification. If a classification is chosen which is not on the current pay plan, a pay grade will be assigned based on available market data.

If the department head does not agree with Human Resources decision, the department head may appeal the job classification assignment to the Vice President for Business and Finance.

Starting Salary for Classified Employees

Policy: (101.06)
New employees should be offered the minimum of the pay plan. However, there are times when an applicant’s knowledge, skills and abilities exceed the advertised minimum requirements (must be related to position, See EXHIBITS 3A AND 3B). On these occasions, the hiring official may be allowed to exceed the minimum of the pay plan, up to 15 percent in order to recruit such an individual. The department head must prepare written justification and submit the approved justification to the Director of Human Resources.

Procedure
After a department head has completed all the interviews and decides on the best qualified candidate, a memorandum to the Director of Human Resources shall be submitted requesting to offer candidate over the minimum of the pay plan. The memo needs to address the qualifications this candidate has that justify the higher offer. If an applicant meets only the minimum advertised criteria the applicant cannot be offered more than the minimum of the pay plan. An exception to this may be granted if the department head can show that reasonable recruitment efforts for qualified applicants have failed.

NOTE: When offering a candidate more than the minimum, the department head should review the salaries of similar positions in his/her area of responsibility in order to avoid creating any inequities between similar staff.