Career ladder Worksheet printable PDF

Our hard-working and under-paid staff members may enquire about various kinds of pay increases allowed under BOR policy. This Help Sheet focuses on In-range Progression Pay which increases the employee’s pay by 4% where there is evidence that the employee is performing, or is preparing to perform, higher level duties within the same job title that are not reflected on the current Role Description, and Career Ladder Promotion which increases pay by as much as 9% (or more, depending on the pay range for the new Job Title) when the employee trains to perform higher level duties resulting in a change in Job Title.

Reality #1

Most of our staff employees are classified as Administrative Associates, and most will already hold the title of Admin Assoc III. Because it is extremely difficult for most staff members to qualify for the requirements of Admin Assoc IV (a career ladder advancement), most will be best served by pursuing an In-Range Pay Increase.

Reality #2

Colleges have no budget line for funding these increases and the budget pool maintained by the Planning and Budget Office is depressingly small. This means that proposals are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis after the beginning of the fiscal year and funds are typically expended by October. Further, this pool covers only ½ of the pay increase up to a maximum of $1,000; the other half must come from the Department or the College, making it that much harder to succeed.

Tip: Complete all paperwork and obtain all signatures prior to July 1.

Suggested Procedures:

1. The Supervisor sets up a meeting with Hannah Singleton in the HRS Office. Together they discuss the changes to the position and whether an in-range progression or a career ladder promotion is the most appropriate given the circumstances.
2. In an in-range progression is agreed upon, the Supervisor rewrites the current Role Description to either document how the job already requires higher-level duties than described in the Role Description or to identify new, higher-level duties for which the employee will be trained. The revised Role Description is then submitted electronically to Hannah in HRS.
3. If Hannah finds the Role Description acceptable, the Supervisor obtains the necessary signatures on the In-Range Progression Plan and submits it to HRS. This is where it gets difficult. The Dean will not sign the form unless he has funding available and/or has reason to believe the central pool still has sufficient funds. (Hannah can call Main Hall to check on the pool.)
4. If Hannah and the Supervisor agree that a career ladder promotion is appropriate, the Supervisor fills out the Career Ladder Justification form and obtains the necessary signatures, and submits it to HRS. Here again, the Dean will be reluctant to sign unless funds are available.
5. Assuming all goes well, when the required preparation and training has been completed for the promotion, then the Supervisor submits the Career Ladder Completion form to HRS.

Two implications:

1. Speak to the Dean early about possible sources of funding;
2. Be careful not to raise the hopes of the staff employee until funding and signatures have been secured.

Reality #3

With no significant central fund to support these salary increase programs, and no budget for it in the College, application for these funds does NOT guarantee that they will be received. The College receives more requests in a given year than could possibly be met, and so we hold otherwise worthy requests for reconsideration in the future. The College can likely afford one or two of these per year, and so attempts to spread available funds as fairly as possible across departments. Availability of departmental funds could lead to funding additional requests.