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In-grade salary adjustment and position reviews

A professional staff position may be reviewed for:

  • In-grade salary adjustment – review for an increase in salary with no change to grade
  • Position job profile review – review for job profile change with no change in pay or compensation grade
  • Position review – a comprehensive review for eligibility for professional staff exemption from civil service and for professional staff title, salary amount, and compensation grade assignment

In-grade salary adjustments (in-grades) and position reviews are available to professional staff. If you are interested in doing either of these for classified staff, please follow the links below:

In-grade salary adjustment

Definition

 

An in-grade is a salary increase without a change in payroll title or grade. This can be due to:

  • Change in responsibilities/level of work being performed.
  • Internal Equity
 

An in-grade is not appropriate when:

  • An employee has applied to or has been offered another position at the University of Washington.
  • An employee has been tasked with a project outside of their scope of work (please see information on Temporary Pay Increases).

Process

In-grades are entered directly into Workday using the Request Compensation Change – Staff – Campus business process. Please contact your HR Partner so they can process in Workday. You will need to provide them with:

  • Justification – describe in detail the reason you are pursuing an in-grade.
  • Effective Date
  • In-grade Percentage
  • A copy of the employee’s most recent performance evaluation (must be within the last 12 months).

For the Dean’s Office, if you would like to request an in-grade for your employee, send the following via email to CoE HR:

  • Justification: describe in detail the reason you are pursuing an in-grade.
  • Effective Date
  • In-grade Percentage

Things to consider

  • Employees cannot receive an in-grade if they have had an in-grade or position review within the previous 12 months.
  • If you are considering an in-grade for an employee that has been in their position for less than 12 months, a very strong justification will be needed.
  • Internal equity and other salary-related considerations within your own unit. In addition, the CoE Dean’s Office will also be taking the same considerations. Do not be surprised if there are questions or negotiations on what a salary can/should be.
  • Be sure you do not notify an employee of an in-grade until the process is complete (including approval centrally). Your HR Partner should notify you when it is appropriate to notify the employee.

Learn more

Position job profile review

Definition

A job profile change may be requested when the salary and grade remain appropriate. This process allows for the job profile to better align the nature of the work and/or when Compensation determines that the job profile should change to match the appropriate professional staff exemption.

Process

  • The supervisor of the employee in the position completes a Professional Staff Position Description (PSPD), describing the employee’s position, duties, and requirements as they currently are.
  • The supervisor also completes the Compensation Change Request Form.
  • The supervisor sends the PSPD and Compensation Change Request Form to their unit Administrator.*
    • *If you are in the Dean’s Office, these should be sent to Rachel Sok (rms727@uw.edu) and Alex Grothe (afinlon@uw.edu), with a copy to your appropriate Associate Dean so they can approve.
    • If you are in a CoE unit, your Administrator will send these forms to Rachel Sok and Alex Grothe after they have reviewed and approved.
  • CoE HR will review all forms. During CoE HR’s review, it is normal for CoE HR to have follow-up questions and discussion. CoE HR is dedicated to reviewing materials in a timely manner and usually within two weeks after submission.
  • After CoE HR approves, CoE HR sends the materials to UW Compensation. CoE HR will notify the unit when the materials have been sent.
  • UW Compensation usually takes about a month to review. They will then notify CoE HR and the unit.
  • At this point, the employee can be notified that their job profile change has been approved. The ISC will make the necessary changes in Workday.

Position review

Definition

When a professional staff position’s duties and responsibilities expand or substantially change, the position may be reviewed to determine whether the position’s salary amount, job profile and/or grade assignment should change.

 

A position review may be requested when a position’s responsibility level has significantly changed in one or more of the following:

  • Staff supervision
  • Financial and/or budgetary matters
  • Policy development
 

Or where there has been a significant increase in:

  • Level of independent judgment required
  • Level of knowledge or skill required
  • Complexity of duties and responsibilities
 

A position review is not appropriate when:

  • An employee has another job offer and/or states their intention to leave.
  • An employee has been in their position for a long period of time, but there have not been any of the changes described above.
  • An employee is tasked with a short-term project outside of their normal scope of work (please see information on Temporary Pay Increases).

Process

  • The supervisor of the employee in the position completes a Professional Staff Position Description (PSPD), describing the employee’s position, duties, and requirements as they currently are.
  • The supervisor also completes the Compensation Change Request Form.
  • The supervisor sends the PSPD and Compensation Change Request Form (and Research Activities Form if necessary) to their unit Administrator.*
    • *If you are in the Dean’s Office, these should be sent to Rachel Sok (rms727@uw.edu) and Alex Grothe (afinlon@uw.edu), with a copy to your appropriate Associate Dean so they can approve.
    • If you are in a CoE unit, your Administrator will send these forms to Rachel Sok (rms727@uw.edu) and Alex Grothe (afinlon@uw.edu) after they have reviewed and approved.
  • CoE HR will review all forms. During CoE HR’s review, it is normal for follow up questions and discussion. CoE HR is dedicated to reviewing materials in a timely manner and usually within two weeks after submission.
  • After CoE HR approves, CoE HR sends the materials to UW Compensation. CoE HR will notify the unit when the materials have been sent.
  • UW Compensation may take up to three months to review and either approve or deny the position review. They will then notify CoE HR and the unit.
  • At this point, the employee can be notified that their position review has been approved. The ISC will make the necessary changes in Workday.
  • Note for Research Scientist/Engineer positions: The process is the same, but instead of a Professional Staff Position Description, the supervisor will instead complete the Professional Staff Research Scientist-Engineer Questionnaire. The Compensation Change Request Form is still needed, and the process is otherwise the same.

Things to consider

  • Employees are not eligible for a position review if they have had an in-grade or position review within the previous 12 months.
  • If you are considering a position review for an employee that has been in their position for less than 12 months, a very strong justification will be needed.
  • Your HR Partner should be looking at internal equity and other salary related considerations when they receive a request for a position review. In addition, the CoE Dean’s Office will also be taking the same considerations. Do not be surprised if there are questions or negotiations on what a salary can/should be.
  • Be sure you do not notify an employee of a position review until the process is complete (including approval centrally). Your HR Partner should notify you when it is appropriate to notify the employee.

Learn more