Salary Determination
Applies To: All Regular Non-faculty Employee Hires/Transfers
Background:
RIT salary bands are displayed with the following major headings: Entry, Market, and Maximum. The market or control point is considered the market competitive position for an individual who is fully proficient in all of the essential functions of the job. Paying above market may be appropriate if the incumbent consistently performs at a sustained level of performance that exceeds expectations and the manager has funding available. The expectation is that over time, all employees should attain the market or competitive pay position of their band with continued skill and personal professional development.
Newly Hired Staff
The hiring manager and the Manager of Staff Recruiting agree on the salary offer to be extended to new hires. This decision is reached after a review of salaries paid to current staff in similar positions and with similar responsibilities.
Guidelines used to determining hiring salaries:
- The entry rate to the market band is generally considered an appropriate level of compensation.
- In some cases, salary survey data or the educational and experiential credentials of the selected candidate support the necessity to pay a higher rate of salary within the range in order for the Institute to remain competitive.
- The market rate for each market band is its control point. Salary offers to new hires are generally not made at a rate exceeding the market rate. However, situations may arise where a candidate is clearly at a senior level and highly experienced. The hiring manager has the discretion to extend an offer beyond the market rate with the approval of the Associate Director of Human Resources. The department/college/division must be able to fund the rate within its existing budget.
- Generally employees are not hired at a salary level lower than the entry rate. However, if the employee requires substantial training before he/she can adequately perform all aspects of the positions, the hiring rate can be set lower than the entry. In such cases the salary should be reviewed and elevated when the employee is fully functioning in the position. In consultation with the Human Resources Services Manager, an adjustment to minimum should be made; the adjustment must be funded by the college/division/department.
Definitions
Promotion
A promotion occurs whenever an employee moves from one position to another in a higher market band. Promotions may be obtained through the posting process, movement within a career ladder, or from a departmental reorganization. The promotional offer may be made by the Manager of Staff Recruiting or the department manager responsible for hiring and must be funded within existing budgets.
Demotion
A demotion occurs when a staff member is place in a position in a lower market band either voluntarily or involuntarily. Generally the employee's salary is reduced to a point where it does not exceed the maximum of the new market band. Actions of this nature require the involvement of the Human Resources Services Manager and the management of the college or division, and other applicable HR staff.
Lateral Transfers
A lateral transfer occurs when an employee seeks and obtains a different position in the same market band either in his/her department or another department.
Title Changes
Since title changes frequently suggest a revision of job duties, they carry potential implications for compensation. Such a change should be discussed with the Human Resources Services Manager to determine if a job evaluation is needed to support reclassification.
Reorganization
Reorganizations should be reviewed with the Human Resources Services Manager before they take effect. The manager and the Human Resource Services Manager should agree on any position and/or salary changes consistent with policy. The Re-organization/Organization Name Change Template (Excel) can be used to submit your re-organization changes to your HR Services Manager.
Annual Salary Increases
Salary increases for faculty and staff occur annually with the first pay in October and are based upon an individual’s prior year performance. The distribution of merit increases depends upon the successful results of university performance metrics tied to retention and enrollment goals.
Salary Increases Due to Position Reclassification
If a position is reclassified to a different market band, a market adjustment to the salary may be appropriate.
Denial of Salary Increases
An employee may receive a 0% annual increase if his/her performance has been documented as clearly substandard (i.e. overall rating of Needs Improvement or Unsatisfactory). A salary increase may also be deferred for six months, pending significant improvement in performance. It should be noted that a lack of salary increase is one option in the performance improvement process. Any disciplinary actions should be reviewed with the Human Resources Services Manager.
