Compensation

Procedure 30: Salary

This UCI Personnel Procedure is being revised.
Please contact your Human Resources Business Partner for guidance and
REFER TO POLICIES FOUND AT UCNET PERSONNEL POLICIES FOR STAFF MEMBERS.

Responsible Office: Human Resources
Revised: November 2008

A. References

Personnel Policies for Staff Members

UCI Administrative Policies & Procedures

UCI Delegations of Authority

EquityAdvisor
UCI Student Worker Guidelines
Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees

B. Authority and Responsibility

  1. Departments have responsibility and authority for establishing a process to ensure that the total annual increase (including merit, promotional and equity increases) for an employee does not exceed 25 percent of base salary in a fiscal year. Salary increases beyond this limit, and other salary actions outside the parameters of the following guidelines, require exceptional approval.
  2. Human Resources is responsible for consulting with Vice Chancellors, Deans, the Director - UCI Medical Center, and department managers to assist them in administering applicable staff policies and procedures and for providing technical support; distributing merit guidelines, employee eligibility listings, and merit payroll deadlines; and advising on salary actions.

C. Administrative Guidelines for Salary Determination

  1. Salaries for employees with career, limited, casual restricted, and contract appointments must be within the approved salary range.
  2. Departments should consider the following to establish an employee's salary:
    1. identification of appropriate funding support;
    2. employee's current salary;
    3. appropriate placement in the range;
    4. internal equity within the department, the coordinating point, and the campus;
    5. external market, reflected by recruitment and retention experience.
  3. Approvals (see UCI Delegation of Authority IDA 513 [superseded by IDA581 and then by IDA611])
    1. Administrative Stipend

      In consultation with Human Resources, authorized individuals may approve an administrative stipend of up to 15 percent for an employee temporarily assuming responsibilities of a position assigned a higher grade for a minimum period of one month to a maximum period normally not to exceed one year. Normally, an administrative stipend shall be within the parameters of the promotional guidelines established in (c) below. Administrative stipends exceeding 15 percent, or more than one year in duration, require exceptional approval.

      If the duties and responsibilities of a position undergo temporary changes that include critical or sensitive functions, the position should be designated as a critical position for which a background check may be required. Prior to assigning a current employee new or expanded functions, level and scope of duties and/or responsibility that might result in the designation of the position as critical, a request for a background check should be initiated. For complete information and procedures on background checks, see Section 300-10: Background Check Procedures.

    2. Appointment

      The following should be considered before approving a salary above the minimum of the range:

      • 1) candidate's current salary,
        2) recruitment difficulties,
        3) internal equity, and
        4) candidate's qualifications.

      Professional and Support Staff (PSS): In consultation with Human Resources, authorized individuals may appoint an external candidate within the assigned salary range. An external appointee's salary will normally be between the minimum and the midpoint of the range and supported with appropriate funding. The resultant salary increase normally will not exceed the amount that would be approved for an internal candidate's promotional increase. Above midpoint appointments will normally be limited to positions that require higher appointment salaries based on recruitment and retention difficulties and/or exceptional market conditions (see Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees).

      Managers and Senior Professionals (MSP): In consultation with Human Resources, authorized individuals may approve an appointment rate up to the midpoint of the assigned MSP salary range for an external candidate for an approved MSP position. An external appointee’s resultant salary increase normally will not exceed the amount that would be approved for an internal candidate’s promotional increase. An appointment salary above the midpoint will normally be limited to positions that require higher appointment salaries based on recruitment and retention difficulties and/or exceptional market conditions and requires approval of the appropriate delegated authority (see Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees).

    3. Promotion and Upward Reclassification

      Professional and Support Staff (PSS): Authorized individuals may approve a salary increase up to 15 percent upon promotion or reclassification. Salary increases upon promotion/reclassification normally will be between 5 percent and 8 percent. Total salary increase upon promotion shall not exceed 15 percent. A salary increase exceeding 15 percent requires exceptional approval (see Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees).

      Managers and Senior Professionals (MSP): Authorized individuals may approve a salary increase of up to 15 percent upon promotion or reclassification within MSP. Salary increases upon promotion normally will be between 5 percent and 8 percent. Total salary increase upon promotion shall not exceed 15 percent. A salary increase exceeding 15 percent requires exceptional approval (see Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees).

    4. Lateral Transfer

      Upon a lateral transfer, an employee's salary normally will remain unchanged.

      Professional and Support Staff (PSS): In consultation with Human Resources, the authorized individual may approve a salary change in special circumstances (see Funding Policies for Sub 1 - Career Employees).

      Managers and Senior Professionals (MSP): Salary increases upon lateral transfer require exceptional approval.

    5. Demotion

      An employee’s salary upon demotion normally will be decreased 10 percent below the current salary for each grade demoted, but no less than the minimum of the newly assigned range. Salary actions upon demotion will be initiated after consultation with Human Resources and with appropriate approvals.

    6. Downward Reclassification

      Professional and Support Staff (PSS): An employee’s salary upon downward reclassification normally will remain unchanged. If the employee’s salary is above the maximum of the new classification’s range, the employee will not be eligible for a salary increase until the new range maximum exceeds the employee’s salary.

    7. Equity Increases

      An employee may be granted an increase to correct an individual equity problem.

      The original copy of the approved equity request should be forwarded to the Human Resources office.

      Professional and Support Staff Positions (PSS): An authorized individual may approve an equity increase to correct an individual equity problem.

      Managers and Senior Professionals (MSP): Exceptional approval is required for any equity increase to correct an individual equity problem.

    8. UCI Student Employees (non-academic) with Casual/Restricted Appointments - Within-Range Salary Increase

      Casual/Restricted student employees are covered by the Within-Range Salary Increase provision outlined in the Student Worker Guidelines.

  4. Exceptional Approvals

    Salary actions outside the parameters of the preceding guidelines, including exceptions to the 15 percent salary increase upon promotion limitation and 25 percent annual salary increase limitation, require exceptional approval (see IDA 513 [superseded by IDA581 and then by IDA611]). Requests for exception should be in writing and include the rationale for the salary action, the employee's current salary, the amount of recommended action, the proposed effective date, equity considerations, and external market factors, as appropriate. Final decisions will be made in consultation with Human Resources.

    The original copy of the approved exception should be forwarded to Human Resources.

  5. Communications

    Upon approval, the employee shall be notified in writing of the salary decision.

D. Merit Increases

Vice Chancellors and the Dean-College of Medicine establish procedures for merit recommendations for their coordinating points. These procedures should include processes for:

  1. Communication regarding merit guidelines, funds available for increases, employee eligibility listings, and due dates for merit recommendations.
  2. Review of merit recommendations at the next higher level of authority up to the level of Vice Chancellor or the Dean-College of Medicine.
  3. Ensuring compliance with staff policy, campus guidelines, and the merit control figure.

E. Equity Adjustments

Within-range salary advancement occurs primarily through the merit process. The need for an equity adjustment may come from the external pressure of high demand fields, internal salary compression, and/or retention considerations. An equity adjustment provides the mechanism for addressing such inequities by granting salary increases to non-probationary employees outside of the normal merit cycle.

  1. Employees being considered for an equity adjustment must have completed their probationary period and must not have been hired, promoted, or reclassified within the previous six months. Equity adjustments cannot be used to reward performance.
  2. Equity adjustments are funded 100% by the department's budget and require approval by an authorized individual (see IDA 513 [superseded by IDA581 and then by IDA611]). They can be broken out over several budget years if funding is limited or other budget constraints exist.
  3. Equity adjustments take effect the first of the month following receipt by the approval authority. For most employees represented by unions, 30 days' advance notice to the union is required before the salary increase can be implemented.
  4. Requests for an equity adjustment must be submitted by an employee's supervisor through EquityAdvisor, a program designed to determine if an equity adjustment is warranted (see Examples of Situations Requiring an Equity Adjustment). After reviewing available funds and conducting an analysis of departmental and campuswide salaries, EquityAdvisor will recommend an appropriate salary amount. The program will provide the documentation needed to complete the equity review process (union notice, decision-maker routing, and employee notification letter). Additional consultation with Human Resources may be recommended.

F. Applicability

All staff members, except Senior Managers and employees who are in a bargaining unit that has an exclusive representative (union) and are covered by the applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.