SALARY ADMINISTRATION
Date
February 1990
Revision Date
January 1, 2006
Number
AD 9.06
Revision No.
I
Note: This policy is out of date and is in the process of being repealed. If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at compensation@sfu.ca.
Policy Authority: Human Resources
Associated Procedure(s):
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT
2.0 DEFINITIONS
3.0 RESPONSIBILITY
4.0 ENTITLEMENT
5.0 PROCEDURE
1.0 GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT
1.1 Simon Fraser University's salary administration program is based on a recognition of three fundamental determinants of salary: the duties to be performed; salaries paid for comparable positions in the outside job market; and satisfactory performance on the job. Subject to the legal and fiscal constraints placed upon it, it is the objective of the University to pay its employees salaries which are sufficiently competitive in the job market to attract and retain a high calibre of personnel and recognize the progression of employees as they assume the full scope and responsibility of their positions.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
2.1 Job Description -- a summary of the major duties and responsibilities of a job and the minimum qualifications and abilities required to perform the work.
2.2 Job Evaluation and Classification -- the formal process for determining the relative values of jobs in an organization and is conducted within the framework of an established job evaluation system. When a new position is created, it is evaluated and assigned a classification. A position's classification identifies a salary range and places a position in a level in an occupational group and/or job family of characteristically similar positions.
2.3 Job Re-evaluation and Reclassification -- occurs when an existing position which has been evaluated is evaluated again. If the re- evaluation indicates that the revisions made to a position alter the original classification, the position is reclassified.
2.4 Anomaly -- an incorrectly classified position that is occupied. An anomaly occurs when the duties and responsibilities of a position are revised and the revisions result in the assignment of the position to a lower classification.
2.5 Salary Range -- an incremental spread of dollar values expressed as a range. Each salary range consists of a number of successive steps between minimum and maximum points in the range.
2.6 Salary Scale -- a table of dollar values expressed as salary ranges. Each salary range represents a grade on the salary scale.
2.7 Step Progression -- the movement of employees' actual salaries through the salary range assigned to a continuing position. Step progression will occur annually unless performance has been demonstrated to be unsatisfactory.
2.8 General Increase -- incremental adjustments applied to the salary ranges. General increases normally occur annually and are applied to the salary ranges before step progression occurs.
2.9 Promotion -- the permanent reassignment of an employee into a position which has a higher salary range than her/his previous position.
2.10 Temporary Promotion -- the movement of an employee from a lower classified position to a higher classified position for a temporary period of time after which the employee returns to her/his original position or the temporary assignment of work that in combination with the existing job, exceeds the scope of the classification assigned to a position.
2.11 Temporary Assignment -- when an employee is requested and has agreed to assist in another department in addition to performing the normal duties of her/his own job, the additional work will be known as a "temporary assignment" for which the employee may be paid.
2.12 Acting Supervisor Increase -- the remuneration provided to an employee for assuming the workload of her/his supervisor in her/his absence.
2.13 Supervisory Differential -- the difference between the maximum of the salary range assigned to a supervisory position and the maximum of the salary range assigned to the most senior position supervised.
3.0 RESPONSIBILITY
3.1 Job Descriptions -- Supervisors or their designates are responsible for maintaining job descriptions that accurately reflect the work authorized to be done, and for providing copies of job descriptions to the employee and to Human Resources.
3.2 Job Evaluation and Re-evaluation -- Supervisors are responsible for initiating the evaluation of new positions during the initial position approval procedure (Ref: AD 9-2, Establishment of Positions). When a department plans significant revisions to an existing position the supervisor should initiate a re-evaluation request with Human Resources prior to the implementation of the new duties. However, employees as well as supervisors may initiate requests for re-evaluation.
3.2.1 Human Resources is responsible for evaluating and re-evaluating all administrative professional positions.
3.3 Temporary Promotions, Temporary Assignments and Acting Supervisor Increases -- When an employee is recommended for one of the above compensation adjustments, a request for remuneration must be initiated by the supervisor to Human Resources in advance of the assignment.
3.4 Starting Salaries for New Employees -- All starting salaries set above the minimum of the salary range will be determined through consultation with the Executive Director, Human Resources.
4.0 ENTITLEMENT
4.1 Job Re-evaluation -- A position qualifies for re-evaluation when the duties and responsibilities of the position change significantly.
4.2 Reclassification -- When an occupied position is reclassified to a higher salary range, the employee's actual salary will be adjusted to the closest step in the higher salary range which provides a minimum increase of 5%. The effective date of the salary change will be the date of the request for re-evaluation or the date the employee assumed the increased responsibilities, whichever is later.
4.3 Anomaly -- When an occupied position is reclassified to a lower salary range, the employee continues to receive all salary changes for which she/he is eligible in the higher classified position. When the employee vacates the position, and the duties and responsibilities are not revised, the position is reclassified.
4.4 Step Progression -- Continuing employees are eligible for step progression dependent on their position in the salary range and performance in a continuing position. Step progression normally occurs annually.
4.4.1 Continuing employees on a temporary promotion will receive step progression in their continuing position with adjustments, as appropriate, to satisfy 5.07.
4.4.2 Temporary employees will be eligible for step progression if they have been continuously employed in the same temporary position for six months prior to the date that step progression is implemented.
4.5 General Increase -- All continuing and temporary employees are eligible for general salary increases.
4.6 Promotion -- Employees promoted to positions in a higher salary range will have their salaries adjusted to the closest step in the new salary range which provides a minimum increase of 5%. Placement at a higher step in the salary range requires consultation with the Director of Human Resources.
4.7 Temporary Promotion -- The duration of the temporary promotion must be a minimum of one week (36 consecutive hours). For periods less than four weeks, the employee will receive a 5% lump sum payment calculated on their actual salary or the minimum of the relieving or evaluated salary range, whichever is greater. For periods of four weeks or longer, the employee's salary will be adjusted to the closest step of the relieving or evaluated salary range that provides a minimum increase of 5%.
4.8 Temporary Assignment -- The duration of the temporary assignment must be for a minimum of one week (36 consecutive hours). The amount of the honorarium to be paid should be discussed in advance with the Executive Director, Human Resources.
4.9 Acting Supervisor Increase -- The duration of the acting supervisor appointment must be for a minimum of four consecutive weeks. The amount of the increase to be paid should be discussed in advance with the Executive Director, Human Resources.
4.10 Supervisory differential -- The maximum of the salary range assigned to a supervisory position will be higher than the maximum of the salary range assigned to the highest graded position supervised and the actual salary of the supervisor will be a minimum of 5% greater than the salary of the highest paid employee supervised. Exceptions to this policy will only be made after prior consultation with APSA.
5.0 PROCEDURE
5.1 Evaluation of New Positions -- The procedure for the evaluation of new positions is integrated with the initial approval procedure for new positions (Ref: AD 9-2).
5.2 Job Re-evaluation
5.2.1 Requests for re-evaluation should include a revised position description and supporting rationale identifying the significant differences between the former and present position.
5.2.2 Requests for re-evaluation that are initiated by the University should be submitted to the appropriate Dean/Director and Vice-President for approval in principle. The Vice-President will forward the request to Human Resources.
5.2.3 Requests for re-evaluation that are initiated by the employee should be submitted to the supervisor to ensure that any changes in responsibilities have the approval of the line organization. The supervisor should forward the request to Human Resources within 10 working days.
5.2.4 A re-evaluation of the expanded/revised position will be carried out by Human Resources and if a reclassification is not recommended or the reclassification does not result in a change to the salary range originally assigned to the position, a report will be sent to the supervisor. If a reclassification is recommended which results in the assignment of a higher salary range, a report will be sent to the supervisor, Dean/Director and Vice-President for approval.
5.2.5 If a reclassification is approved, the Vice-President will inform Human Resources and the results will be communicated to the supervisor by Human Resources. If the Vice-President does not approve the proposal, the Executive Director, Human Resources in consultation with the supervisor will ensure that the expanded/revised services are most effectively deleted from the position description.