Wage and salary setting for staff and student positions
Table of Contents
Most job profiles are assigned a pay range comprised of a minimum and maximum value in accordance with the rules of the applicable employment program.
| Employment program | Wage range information |
|---|---|
| Professional staff | Each professional staff job profile has a market or grade range established by Compensation:
For professional staff temporary positions, the pay range is established in comparison to the equivalent regular professional staff position. |
| Classified staff | Pay ranges for classified staff are established in civil service rules for classified non-union positions or in collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for contract classified positions.
Pay ranges for classified positions are published on Compensation’s Job title list and specs webpage. |
| Academic Student Employees (ASEs) | ASEs are graduate students such as teaching assistants or research assistants who are placed into titles and pay classifications based on the nature of job duties and qualifications. Salary schedule information is published on the Graduate School’s TA/RA Salaries webpage. |
| Other represented staff |
|
| Hall Health Physicians and Intercollegiate Athletics contract staff | Pay ranges are established in the applicable personnel program. |
| Student hourly employees | Minimum established by applicable city and state minimum wage law and maximums are established by Compensation. |
When recruiting for a specific position, the pay range to be posted and offered to a hired applicant must fall within the ranges established by the position’s employment program.
If the pay range or grade for a job profile does not have a maximum, one will be identified by Compensation.
Initial wage and salary setting guidance
For all staff and student positions, the initial wage or salary offered to the final candidate must be within the posted pay range.
When determining what wage or salary to offer, you may not:
- Seek the current wage or salary history of an applicant, either from the applicant or their current or former employer.
- Require that an applicants’ prior wage or salary meet certain criteria, e.g., meet a certain level or threshold.
Many factors may be considered when setting a wage or salary for new hires or employees changing jobs within the institution. Generally speaking, wages and salaries should be set based on consideration of the following criteria:
- Position requirements – Consider the posted pay range for the position and ensure the wage or salary you are proposing falls within the range.
- Applicant qualifications – Consider the education, training, and experience of the candidate.
- Market ranges– Consider the market range for the position.
- Internal equity – Consider what other similarly employed employees are being paid. Similarly employed means that the job requires similar skill, effort, and responsibility and is performed under similar working conditions. In addition, just because two people are in the same job profile does not automatically mean they are similarly employed. For more information, review the Department responsibility for pay equity review webpage.
- Other – Seniority system, merit system, bona fide regional differences in compensation levels, measures of quantity or quality, budget constraints, etc.
Classified staff
All classified employees must be paid within the pay range of the job profile assigned when the position is created. The initial step placement is set by considering experience and education, or as outlined in the applicable collective bargaining agreement, or as dictated by the competitive market for that job.
A classified employee receives step increases in accordance with the contract or rules covering the position until the employee reaches the top automatic step of the range, after which there are no more automatic step increases.
Professional staff and other civil service exempt staff
Employees are paid within the range established upon posting. The UWHR recruitment teams review salary offers and typically considers internal salary relationships, external market rates, and individual qualifications. Approval from Compensation is required for offers above the market maximum for professional staff positions in grades 5 through 10. Compensation approval is also required for all professional staff positions in grades 11 and above.
Other civil service exempt staff are paid within the pay ranges established in the applicable personnel program.
Wage and salary setting for internal promotions or demotions applies the same factors that are used for newly hired employees. The focus is on the duties performed in the new position and may not take the current wage or salary into account.