Comp project pay guidelines unveiled, job slottings still in process
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—After four days of campuswide meetings to gain input from directors and executive officials on job slottings, a new pay structure developed for Western Michigan University with the help of national consultants Aon Hewitt is now available to the campus at large.
The new pay structure, which will become effective July 1, is available on the WMU Compensation Project website at wmich.edu/hr/compensationproject. The market-based structure was shared widely during the recent campus meetings and used as the guiding framework during discussions about job slottings.
"The pay structure was developed using best practices in the human resources profession and is based on the study of markets for comparable positions in higher education as well as the private sector," says Warren Hills, WMU associate vice president for human resources.
About the new pay structure
The overall structure uses categories and compensation levels drawn from some 30 different market studies Aon Hewitt identified to provide market comparisons for the various WMU roles. Those market surveys range from national higher education surveys to discipline specific surveys for such professional areas as information technology, health care, office and business support, and logistics and supplies.
The new pay structure has 10 broad categories and replaces the old pay schedule built on 13 categories. Numerical categories in the old system have been replaced by categories identified by letters, and the newly drawn categories cover broader salary ranges and job responsibilities. Each letter grade in the new structure includes minimum, midpoint and maximum salary figures expressed as both annual salaries and as hourly pay rates.
Also posted to the Compensation Project website are two matrices that lay out new job titles and responsibilities for two WMU job categories--administrative/clerical support and marketing positions. Job titles for many positions will change to be consistent with the posted matrices as well as to reflect the range of duties and managerial responsibilities that are now part of the landscape at WMU. The need for those changes was reflected in the job content tools submitted at the end of 2014 by some 83 percent of the 1,270 employees whose jobs are part of the staff compensation system.
Next steps
The next steps in the process include:
- Final job slottings for about 150 positions in academic affairs that still need to be placed in the structure, as these positions were not addressed during the past two weeks' activity.
- Final assignment of job titles that are consistent across the University.
- Development of administrative pay guidelines to follow after the new system is deployed.
- Analysis of the budget impact of the new structure.
- Notification of individual employees and supervisors by mid-May of the job title, pay grade and salary for each position that will to be effective July 1.
- Development of training materials for supervisors and for employees assisting in the future maintenance of the system.
- Development of a system to maintain and update the structure moving forward.
- Implementation in July for 2015-16 fiscal year paychecks.
A project website has been available throughout the effort. It outlines the project's goals and timelines and includes frequent project updates as well as such information as the list of market surveys that were used, and details on all aspects of the project. That site is at wmich.edu/hr/compensationproject. The site will also soon include a set of dedicated Frequently Asked Questions about the project that are now being assembled to address employee and supervisor questions about the transition from the old to new structure. That material will be continually updated throughout the rollout.
For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.
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