Office of Compensation
SUMMARY OF MAJOR COMPENSATION FUNCTIONS
Salary studies: This includes collecting salary data from a variety of sources. Internal studies include average salaries of select occupations in the University and annual preparation of placement of staff relative to the minimum – mid-point – maximum of the current salary scale.
Compensation policy: Preparation of policy issues to be evaluated and implemented after consultation with relevant executives.
Compliance: The principal issue is compliance with Federal and DC Wage and Hour Laws, primarily minimum wage compliance and exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Performance Evaluation Program (PEP): The annual cycle starts in April or May with an assessment of the evaluation instrument. Decisions are made whether to maintain the present form or make revisions. The forms are available for managers in June. PEP information sessions are conducted for supervisors in early July. Evaluations are conducted in August with documents being sent to Compensation in mid-August. Compensation evaluates documents for completeness and enters data into an Access database. Compensation prepares the notice of award letters and makes delivery of them to the major offices of the Univeristy.
People Soft: Compensation has been and will continue to be very involved in compensation related work of the People Soft project. This project is labor intensive and has added a considerable workload to the department. The principal focus is on establishment of positions and assigning position numbers. Management of the position table involves creating and modifying all positions in the PeopleSoft system. Currently, we receive personnel recommendations from both Budget and Employment requesting that new positions be made. With the implementation of “Manager Self Service”, the paper process will be eliminated and position requests will come via the workflow tool on Manager Self Service. The new process will involve receiving the request, using an existing position description to create the position, modifying an existing position description, or creating a new position description altogether. Additionally Compensation maintains the job code table on People Soft. Future initiatives on People Soft will involve cleaning up the reports-to data for all positions, making sure each position has a position description pasted into the position table, correcting the grades on each position in the table, correcting FLSA statuses in the position table, working with the job code table, and updating the position table any time a component of a position changes (title, grade, FLSA status, position description).
Position Descriptions: Compensation ensures that principal elements of the position description are completed, e.g. FRS, "Reports to", supervisory authority, "principal accountabilities", "core competencies", and the qualifications of the position and assigns the grade and the FLSA category to each position. The Compensation Department also ensures that position descriptions are prepared in final format for eventual entry into People Soft. “Generic” position descriptions are also avail;able for selected positions.
Salary Comparability Review: The Department of Compensation reviews the salary placement of new employees as well as salary increases for current employees which may result from a reclassification of a position or which may result from a cognizant director attempting to address market or internal inequities. The usual increase is limited to ten percent.
Special Reports: Most reports fall under the category of salary studies as indicated above. However, special studies may include analysis of work of the Department of Compensation and reporting on achievements.
Administration: Tasks in this area include tracking of requests from departments. An Access database tracks requests for position descriptions.
Consultation with Managers: Nearly all of the activities cited above involve consultation with a wide range of management personnel at the University. Advise managers of policies and to clarify organizational and position issues with them.