General information

These guidelines include information regarding the four types of salary adjustments that occur outside of the annual merit process: 

• Temporary Additional Duties

• Permanent Additional Duties

• Reclassification

• Counteroffer (permanent)

• Equity (permanent)

IMPORTANT:

• Do not process HR transactions in Workday related to the Salary Adjustment Request or Reclassification until all approvals have been obtained.

  • For Temporary Additional Duties obtain approvals by submitting the COE Temporary Additional Duties Request form.

  • For Permanent Additional Duties obtain approvals by submitting the Permanent Additional Duties request form.

  • For Reclassifications obtain approvals by submitting the Reclassification request form.

  • For Equity Increases and Counteroffers, email COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu.

• Do not notify employees that they will receive additional compensation until all approvals have been obtained.

• Consult with the COE HR Director as needed.

Resources

Salary Adjustments | Human Resources

Temporary Additional Duties

Temporary Additional Duties:  Used to accommodate a change in work content that is limited in timeframe. This type of increase is often used in cases of turnover that result in a staffing shortage and short-term projects or surges. Additional duties may fall within or outside the current scope of the employee’s job description.

Important considerations for Temporary Additional Duty Pay

Before deciding to give additional duty pay, the manager should consider the following:

1. Ask yourself, is my employee working exceptionally long hours during the week and/or more intensely during the workday?  Is my employee performing job duties at the same or higher skill level than their current job duties?  If you answered yes to any question, then additional compensation could be warranted. 

2. Staff positions are either non-exempt (earn overtime) or are exempt (earn compensatory time).  [Ask your HR Partner for a list of employee types.]

• For non-exempt staff, you have the option to allow the employee to accrue and pay-out overtime for additional work that exceeds the employees’ scheduled weekly hours when the employee is performing work at the same or lower skill level of their current job duties. 

  • Workday automatically banks OT for employees so that it may either be used as leave or be paid out.  Your HR Partner will have to initiate OT pay-out.

• For exempt staff, you have the option to allow the employee to accrue and use comp time for the additional work that exceeds the employees’ scheduled weekly hours.

  • The employee should have the ability to use the accrued comp time once the workload returns to normal.  If they are unable to use accrued comp time in a reasonable time frame, then additional compensation could be warranted.

3. If the job duties and workload continue to increase and/or shift dramatically beyond a reasonable time frame, the manager should consider permanent additional duties or a reclassification to more appropriately reflect the workload. 

4. For instances of turnover, consider cost savings to the unit by not filing the vacant position and instead redistributing job duties among remaining staff and re-prioritizing service levels, which may or may not include temporary or permanent additional duty pay.  Also, when turnover occurs within a unit, prior to issuing temporary duty pay to a manager/leader of a unit, one should consider that the job duties inherent in the manager/leader position include temporarily absorbing some work during times of organizational change.

5. Instead of issuing temporary additional duty pay, take a comprehensive look at all staff salaries within your unit and adjust salaries permanently, either during merit season or via an equity compensation change (see Equity section below).

6. Ask yourself, will issuing additional compensation set an expectation among your staff?

• For example, a staff member goes on FML for three months and you give additional duty pay.  Six months later, another staff member goes on FML for 3 months and you give additional duty pay again.  Will staff expect additional duty pay every time someone in their unit goes on FML?

COE requirements for Temporary Additional Duty Pay

• For temporary compensation, the time frame should be no less than one month and no more than six months, with the possibility to extend for a maximum additional 90 days.

• Retroactive increases for temporary and permanent additional duty pay are not allowed - see Budget Office Review of Certain Salary Changes.  Retroactive means the effective date of the additional duty pay can be no earlier than the first day of the month in which the FINAL approver in the CSU approves the action - the final approval happens when the Dean's Office signature is obtained.  If the SAR form is received after the month in which the pay is to be effective, the Dean's Office will work with the unit to either adjust the amount of pay or revise the start and end dates.  

  • Example A:  SAR form effective date is 11/1/2020 - received and approved at the Dean's Office level on 11/13/2020 → okay to process

  • Example B:  SAR form effective date is 10/1/2020 - received on 11/13/2020 → will need adjustments

  • All additional duty pay routes to central HR for final approval.  Please keep processing times in mind when submitting requests.

• If the employee has other recent compensation changes via other SARs, reclassifications or merit, then provide additional justification as to the reason for multiple compensation changes that have occurred in a short time frame.

• If the duties are at the same skill level or lower skill level of the employee’s current job duties, the range should be 3% - 6%.

• If the duties are at a higher level than an employee’s current job duties, the range should be 8% - 12%.

Calculating Temporary Additional Duty Pay amount

The amount of temporary additional duty pay should calculate as a percent of an employee’s base salary.

• Full-time 12-month employee:  $50,000 base salary; same or lower skill set at 3-6%; temporary duties assumed for three months:

  • Example:  50,000 x 5% = 2,500 / 12 months = 208.33 per month x  3 = 624.99 total

• For partial month amounts, use the following formula:
  Total amount of pay for the month / total workdays in the month x  total workdays in service date range = amount of partial month pay

  • Example - partial pay for 3/15/20 - 3/31/20:  $208.33 per month / 22 total workdays for March x 12 workdays for date range = 113.63 for the partial month

• Before beginning, review the following:

  • HR: Salary Adjustments for university requirements

  • For college requirements, review the General Information and Guidelines tabs in this section for the type of salary adjustment you are requesting.

Important: Do not process anything in Workday or inform employees of additional compensation until all approvals have been obtained.

Process

1. Follow the instructions at COE Temporary Additional Duties Request form to submit the request.

2. The COE Temporary Additional Duties Request form will route according to cost center:

• For Dean's office and Academic departments (i.e. paid from core funds): All TAD requests will be routed to and reviewed by the department head, chair (for Academic department), HR director (Ayesha Shaikh), and CBO (Angie Hoffman). 

• For Centers (not paid from core funds): All TAD requests will be routed to and reviewed by the center head, and HR director (Ayesha Shaikh).

• If you are a center reporting through an academic department, also obtain the Chair’s signature of the academic department through which you report.

3. Once the form is complete, send to your HR Partner to process in Workday. HR Partners should:

• Ensure the compensation matches the information on the approved request.

• Upload the TAD form and any relevant supporting documentation to the Request Compensation BP in Workday.  Include comment: “See attached TAD request form/supporting documentation”.

Permanent Additional Duties

Permanent salary increases may be justifiable when the work has permanently changed for a position, but the change does not require a change in job profile (reclassification). This often happens because of a redistribution of work or an organizational change that increases the accountability of a specific position.

Permanent Additional Duties Requests

1. Gather all the following information before proceeding with the permanent additional duty request:

   1. Current job responsibilities (max of 8), with percentages (minimum of 5% per job responsibility).

   2. Proposed job responsibilities (max of 8), with percentages (minimum of 5% per job responsibility). Highlight the changes in job responsibilities. Changes must be significant enough to justify the permanent additional duties pay.

   3. Employee’s hire date and length of time they have been in their current position.

   4. Current and proposed annual salary. Please state the date and percentage of employees’ last salary increase.

   5. Please confirm with your unit financial contact that funding is available to support the salary increase.

2. Submit the Permanent Additional Duties request form.

   1. Fill out the form

   2. Get the appropriate approvals:

• Academic departments require approval from the Chair, HR Director, CBO.

• Dean’s Office requires approval from the department head, Dr. Beth Maloch - Senior Associate Dean, HR Director, and CBO.

• Centers require approvals from the Center’s Executive Director, Dr. Alex Loukas –Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and HR Director.

• Schools – UT High School, Charter and Elementary School require approval from the Executive Director, Dr. Victor Saenz, Associate Dean for Student Success, Community Engagement, and Administration, and HR Director

3. Permanent Additional Duties pay requests must be submitted for review and approval in the Box Folder. Send a follow up email to COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu to let them know you have uploaded to the folder. Submission period is from February 1 – April 30. The deadline for submission is April 30^th each year. All approved permanent additional duty pay requests are effective September 1. Submitting a request does not guarantee approval.

4. Do not communicate any changes with your employee unless the salary increase is final approved by the Dean.

5. Once approved, the unit will then process the salary adjustment in Workday. 

HR Partners should:

• Ensure the compensation matches the information on the approved request.

• Upload the Permanent Additional Duties request and any relevant supporting documentation to the Request Compensation BP in Workday.  Include comment: “See attached SAR request form/supporting documentation”.

• If you plan to permanently change an employee’s job duties via the Edit Position Restrictions BP, please note – the update will overwrite current job duties, thus you will lose the historical job duty information.  It is highly recommended to save a copy of prior job duties in the employee's personnel file for future reference.

✏️ This is the 'Permanent Additional Duties' tab. Start typing to add content, or click 'Publish'/'Update' to view the final result.

Reclassification

Reclassification of a job generally refers to the process of reviewing and changing the classification or job profile of a position. This often occurs when the responsibilities, tasks, or qualifications for a job have evolved to the point where the current classification no longer accurately represents the position. The process can affect aspects such as job title, pay grade, responsibilities, etc. Reclassification can result from such things as organizational changes, job growth, or to better align with university standards.

Reclassification can have several implications for both the employee and the organization.

Impact on the Employee

• Change in Salary: Reclassification often leads to a salary increase if the new classification reflects higher responsibilities. However, in some cases there could be no change in salary if the reclassification is purely to align the job profile with the job duties.

• Job Title: The employee’s job title may change to reflect their new set of duties more accurately.

• Job Expectations: A change in classification can come with new job expectations, which may involve additional responsibilities or tasks.

• Career Advancement: Reclassification can sometimes open doors for career advancement, signaling that the role has grown in scope and value. However, it must always be rooted in business needs.

Impact on the Organization/College

• Budget Considerations: Salary adjustments due to reclassification may affect the organization’s budget. Before a reclassification request is made, the supervisor must check with their unit’s financial contact to ensure they have sufficient funding to support a reclassification.

• Workforce Planning: Reclassification helps ensure that job roles align with the current needs of the organization, allowing for better planning and resource allocation.

• Equity and Consistency: When job profiles are aligned with the job duties it maintains equity and consistency among departments.

Considerations and Challenges

• To Reclassify or Not: Consider the following questions when deciding whether to reclassify or not

a)      How has the position changed?

b)      Is it more complex than before?

c)      Are the changes in job responsibilities temporary or permanent?

d)      Are the changes significant enough that they would justify reclassification?

e)      Is this a new function or position?

f)        Is there a business need for the new position?

g)       Is this career progression for the employee? Has the employee acquired the required experience, certification? In such cases consult with COE-HR

• Employee Concerns: if there are multiple-qualified employees within a team and only one team member’s position is reclassified with an increase in salary, it can create morale issues among other team members. In such cases to avoid any perceived bias and to maintain transparency, the position should be posted for competitive recruitment and/or a very clear justification must be documented for reclassification.

• Documentation: Accurate and thorough documentation is the key to ensure transparency and avoid potential disputes and audit risks.

• Review Period: Per COE Policy, reclassification requests are submitted once a year within the review period (February 1 to April 30), and if approved, are effective September 1^st. 

Reclassification Policy

The employee must be in their current position for at least 12 months*. The employee cannot be on any corrective action in the last 12 months. They must have received, ‘exceeds expectations’ in their last performance evaluation. Their last salary increase (including merit) was at least 6 months prior. All reclassifications will be effective September 1^st.

Process for Reclassification

When a supervisor believes that a position needs to be reclassified, they must follow the process below:

1. Gather all the following information before proceeding with the reclassification request:

   1. Current job responsibilities (max of 8), with percentages (minimum of 5% per job responsibility).

   2. Proposed job responsibilities (max of 8), with percentages (minimum of 5% per job responsibility). Highlight the changes in job responsibilities. Changes must be significant enough to justify the reclassification.

   3. Employee’s hire date and length of time they have been in their current position. If the employee’s position has been previously reclassified, please note the date(s) of that reclassification(s).

   4. Current and proposed job profile and business title. For job profile, please contact your HR partner or COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu HR partners or COE HR can ensure the salary fits within the job pay plan and within COE’s salary range, and they can check if the employee meets the required qualification for the proposed job profile.

   5. Current and proposed annual salary. Please state the date and percentage of employees’ last salary increase.

   6. Please confirm with your unit financial contact if funding is available to support the reclassification

   7. Employee qualifications will be required as justification for the reclassification request

   8. Review the team structure to make sure there are no other qualified team members who can also successfully do this job. If there are then either post the position for competitive recruitment or provide a clear justification for the reclassification and for not posting the position.

2. Submit the reclassification request form.

   1. Fill out the form

   2. Get the appropriate approvals:

• Academic departments require approval from the Chair, HR Director, CBO.

• Dean’s Office requires approval from the department head, Dr. Beth Maloch - Senior Associate Dean, HR Director, and CBO.

• Centers require approvals from the Center’s Executive Director, Dr. Alex Loukas –Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and HR Director.

• Schools – UT High School, Charter and Elementary School require approval from the Executive Director, Dr. Victor Saenz, Associate Dean for Student Success, Community Engagement, and Administration, and HR Director

2. Reclassification request must be submitted for review and approval in the Box Folder. Send a follow up email to COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu to let them know you have uploaded to the folder. Submission period is from February 1 – April 30. The deadline for submission is April 30^th each year. All approved reclassification requests will be effective September 1. Submitting a request does not guarantee approval.

3. Do not communicate any changes with your employee unless the reclassification is final approved by the Dean.

*In rare circumstances the dean may approve an exception to the 12 months rule based on HR’s recommendation.

Counteroffers

• Counteroffers may be used to retain employee talent.

• Preemptive counter offers should be carefully considered in terms of equity within the unit.

• Offers should be comparable, utilizing compensation analysis tools to determine amount.

• Offers must be documented:  A written offer letter (external) or by confirmation with a department (internal).  Email correspondence is accepted.

Process

Email COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu and include a copy of the offer letter.

For pre-emptive counteroffers, forward relevant documentation.

Equity increases

Equity increases may be justified due to volatile swings in the internal or external markets for specific skills and competencies. These forces, which can be quantified and substantiated by survey data, often require expeditious action to ensure fairness and equity. These are often used as a retention strategy.

Process

• For equity increases that are comparing internal compensation, email COE-HR@austin.utexas.edu to obtain compensation statistics for the college and/or university.  Justification must include this type of compensation analysis.

• For equity increases that are comparing external compensation, consult with HR-SWS to obtain compensation statistics for external market data.  Justification must include this type of compensation analysis.