Staff Compensation Equity Review Wraps Up

TCC’s human resources department recently completed a staff compensation review for all professional and classified staff. This is an exhaustive process and over the next few weeks, some staff employees may find they are receiving a salary adjustment.

“Compensation equity is important because it ensures employees with similar jobs are being paid fairly for doing the same work,” said Sandy Cooper, chief human resources officer. “Multiple factors weigh into this process such as education, experience, performance, and tenure at TCC.”

Human resources started this review process last year because, with all the changes at the College, they wanted to ensure employees were being paid fairly for their work.

“TCC has such a large mix of longtime employees as well as new hires or people in new positions and with this much change, it’s a good time to revisit all roles to ensure compensation is equitable,” said Cooper.

This is an extensive review process and took months to complete. Faculty positions underwent the same process last year and the feedback was generally positive, Cooper said.

Employees who are receiving a salary adjustment will be contacted by their supervisor or cabinet member in mid-July and the adjustment will be seen on their July 31 (monthly) or July 27 (biweekly) paycheck.

“We compared every job description in every pay grade to all employees in those positions. If abnormalities stood out, those positions received a deeper review,” said Cooper. “We also reviewed past performance reviews and resumes to see previous work experience, performance and education.”

This is the first step in an employee compensation review. Next year, TCC will begin work on analyzing market salaries to ensure employees are being paid based on the going rate in the relative job market.

The ongoing work may require staff to submit information about degrees earned. The creation of a process for submitting transcripts and other relevant information is in progress and will be implemented in late Fall 2018. Employees will be notified if and when their participation is required.

Ensuring TCC’s workforce is equitably compensated is one way TCC maintains an infrastructure sufficient to support its operations wherever and however programs are delivered. (HLC Subcomponent 5.A.1)

Compensation Equity Review Frequently Asked Questions

What does compensation equity review mean?

• Compensation equity review is a process that ensures wages are fair among employees who perform the same job. For example, three employees with similar job duties, education, experience and tenure at TCC will all be paid comparably the same. This review practice ensures wages are fair and on par with experience, performance and skills.

Why did we do this review?

• With TCC having such a large mix of long-tenured employees, as well as new hires or people in new positions, it was time to revisit all roles and ensure employees are being paid appropriately within their range. HR did a similar review with faculty last year. This is an extensive review process and took months to complete.

What was the process?

• HR analyzed every job description in every pay grade and compared that to employees in those positions. If abnormalities stood out, those positions received a deeper review. Factors in the process included previous work experience, education, TCC experience and past performance reviews. Job descriptions were used for each position and salaries were adjusted within each pay grade based on education and experience.

How will I know if I got a salary adjustment?

• Some employees will receive a pay increase as a result of this process. If you are one of these employees, your supervisor or cabinet member will discuss it with you and you will receive a notification from HR.

How does this affect my 1% “exceeds expectation” increase scheduled for July 1?

• Employees who received an “exceeds expectation” rating for 2017 will receive an increase of 1% of their January 31, 2018 salary in addition to any adjustment they may receive as a part of this process.

Did anyone get a pay decrease?

• No one will receive a pay decrease, but some employees may see an adjustment to their pay grade. This does not mean the employee is being demoted. It simply means the position duties align better with duties or responsibilities from a different pay grade. This process will occur over the next year as part of a market review. The impacted employees will be notified but again, will not receive a pay decrease.

What should I do if my job description is outdated?

• During the review process, job descriptions were reviewed and many were identified as needing to be updated or revised. Those updates will occur as part of the market review process in FY19.

What should I do if my education is outdated?

• HR has been working on a process to capture staff education and skills in Banner. Later this year there will be an announcement of the steps you can take to update your information with HR.

Can my position be reevaluated again?

• Positions can be reevaluated, but the likelihood of adjustments is low as this was a thorough process. If you have concerns about your position, please contact your supervisor.

When will my new salary take effect?

• Adjustments will go into effect July 1 and communication will happen with affected employees mid-July. Employees will see the salary adjustment on their July 31 (monthly) or July 27 (biweekly) paycheck.