Staff Career Progression Guidelines

The complete Staff Career Progression Policy can be found in the Employee Handbook.

Staff Career Progression Cycle

Career progression opportunities take place twice a year. Approved changes go into effect January 1 and July 1. A Request for Staff Career Progression Form, a resume for employees hired prior to 2018, an updated position description, and an organizational chart are required to be submitted by the below deadlines to be considered during the career progression cycle.

* Compensation will perform a comprehensive review of all requests after the initial meeting occurs. Compensation will follow-up with any requests for additional information if needed.  

Criteria

• Employment changes, as described below, must meet or address an ongoing proven need within the College/Division/Department.
• Prior to submission, departments submitting multiple requests prioritize those requests deemed most critical, in case not all submissions are approved.
• A sufficient budget must be available to cover the cost of the proposed change. If funds are not available, requests may need to be resubmitted during the next cycle when funds are available. 

Employee Eligibility

• Employees need to be employed in their role for a minimum of twelve months before they can be eligible for career progression.
• The employee must meet at least the minimum education and experience requirements for the new position for which they are being considered.
• Employees need to be in good standing. Employees who, within the last 12 months of employment in the employee’s current role, have been formally counseled or disciplined including being placed on a performance improvement plan are not eligible.

Promotion

A promotion may occur when an employee has attained a significantly higher level of experience, technical expertise, leadership, or accountability due to the position’s expansion, or has completed additional education that is relevant to the position and that enhances the employee’s ability to perform in the position. Promotions are made on the basis of the employee’s suitability for higher-level work and the job requirements, not based on seniority.

The following are examples of situations that may warrant a promotion:

• Permanent and significant change in position responsibilities (at least 20%)
• The responsibility that is added, deleted or changed is substantially different in complexity
• A significant change in how the employee approaches their work, such as taking an active approach to solving problems, mentoring colleagues, reimagining how work is completed, or taking the initiative to lead major projects or changes within the department. 

Reclassification

A reclassification indicates that an employee has experienced a significant change in the position responsibilities that they perform. It includes additional responsibilities or a change in responsibilities (at least 20%), but does not increase the complexity, scope, or level of the position.

The following are examples of situations that may warrant a job reclassification:

• Job restructuring or reorganization
• Change in exemption status
• Voluntary or involuntary change to position responsibilities

Title Change

A title change may occur if an employee did not experience a significant change in the scope or complexity of responsibilities performed, but a different title more clearly and accurately describes the work being performed.

If an employee experiences a significant change in the scope or complexity of responsibilities performed, but for various reasons, is already highly compensated, a title change may occur without any change to compensation. 

Compensation Adjustment

A compensation adjustment indicates an employee has experienced a change in their work that warrants an increase in compensation, but the scope, complexity, or additional responsibilities are not significant enough to warrant a promotion or reclassification. 

Compensation Adjustment Review

A compensation adjustment review may occur in instances where an employee makes a request with supporting documentation establishing a significant change in the scope or complexity of responsibilities formed.

Process Flow to Submit Request

The employee initiates a Request for Staff Career Progression

The direct supervisor is in support of the request

• The direct supervisor completes the Request for Staff Career Progression form, provides an updated position description, resume and organizational chart for review and discussion with the subsequent supervisor within the reporting line, up to the President’s Staff level.  If the aforementioned individuals are in agreement, the direct supervisor submits the materials to Human Resources for final approval using the  Career Progression Submission Form

• If at any point in this process a denial is provided, the direct supervisor should then reach out to the Human Resources Compensation and Employee Relations teams to discuss the denial. After this discussion, the request and denial are documented on the Request for Staff Career Progression form and submitted to Human Resources using the Career Progression Submission Form. The direct supervisor will then discuss the reasons for the denial with the employee, along with specific feedback on actions needed (ie, additional training, not performing their current role at the expected level, etc.).  

The direct supervisor is not in support of the employee initiated request

• The direct supervisor shares the request with their direct supervisor, along with their denial, for discussion and review. The supervisors should then reach out to the Human Resources Compensation and Employee Relations teams to discuss the denial. After this discussion, the request and denial are documented on the Request for Staff Career Progression form and submitted to Human Resources using the Career Progression Submission Form The direct supervisor then discusses with the requesting employee the reason for the denial, along with specific feedback on actions needed (ie, additional training, not performing current role at expected level, etc.).  

The direct supervisor initiates a Request for Staff Career Progression

The direct supervisor discusses and reviews the request with their subsequent direct supervisor within the reporting line, up to the President’s Staff level.  If the aforementioned individuals are in agreement, the direct supervisor of the employee completes the Request for Staff Career Progression form, along with an updated position description, resume and organizational chart and submits the materials to Human Resources for final approval using the Career Progression Submission Form.  

If, at any point in this process, a denial is provided and the employee is aware of the proposed promotion, the direct supervisor should then reach out to Human Resources Compensation and Employee Relations teams to discuss the denial. After this discussion, the request and denial are documented on the Request for Staff Promotion form and submitted to Human Resources using the Career Promotion Submission Form. The direct supervisor should discuss the reasons for the denial with the employee, along with specific feedback on actions needed (ie, additional training, not performing a current role at the expected level, etc.).  

After successful submission of all documentation, please reference the above chart for specific dates and next steps.