Starting pay is the starting salary for an individual not currently employed by the university or other state agency.

The hiring department has the flexibility to offer a starting salary from the minimum of the assigned pay band or hiring range up to the amount budgeted for the position. Starting salaries must not exceed the advertised salary range. A starting salary must be reviewed by HR and must be approved by the appropriate vice president (or designee) BEFORE an offer is made.

Departments who hire current JMU wage employees for full-time classified positions will follow the same starting pay guidelines described above.

The hiring supervisor must work with HR to determine the appropriate starting pay in accordance with the university’s SAP. Once a starting salary has been determined, the hiring supervisor must obtain the appropriate approvals BEFORE making an offer or communicating potential salary figures to the job candidate.

Promotion is the movement of an employee to a different position in a higher pay band. This movement is the result of the employee applying for and being awarded the position through a competitive recruitment and selection process.

When an employee receives a promotion, the salary increase is negotiable from the pay band minimum up to the pay band maximum or between the advertised hiring range minimum and maximum. Any salary increase must be supported by the pay factors listed above.

The hiring supervisor must work with HR to determine the appropriate promotional increase (if any) in accordance with the university’s SAP before the offer is made or potential pay is discussed with the candidate. Once an increase has been determined, the hiring supervisor must obtain the appropriate approvals.

A voluntary transfer is employee-initiated lateral movement to another position in the same or different role and in the same pay band. The employee may seek the transfer through the recruitment and selection process or through a non-competitive process.

If a voluntary transfer is in the same or equivalent role (same pay band) the employee will usually receive no increase in base pay. However, since positions vary in terms of complexity, accountability, and responsibility a change in compensation may be justified. Any increase in salary must be supported by the 13 Pay Factors.

The negotiated salary may be less than the employee’s current salary for both competitive and non-competitive transfers. Salary reductions can be made with prior approval of the assigned HR Consultant.

Voluntary Lateral Transfer (Competitive Process)

An employee’s salary is negotiable from the minimum of the assigned pay band, must fall within the amount budgeted for the position, shall not exceed the advertised salary range, and shall not exceed the pay band maximum.

Voluntary Lateral Transfer (Non-competitive Process)

On rare occurrences, employees may be transferred to a similar or different position in the same pay band through a non-competitive process. When an employee is transferred to a different position in the same or different role in the same pay band, the employee’s salary is negotiable between the minimum of the assigned pay band up to the budgeted amount for the position. In some situations, the negotiated salary may be less than the employee’s current salary.

Hiring departments will work with HR to determine the appropriate salary in accordance with the SAP. Once a salary has been determined, the hiring supervisor must obtain the appropriate approval.

It is the role of HR to determine if the differences in complexity, accountability and responsibility between the previous position and the new position are significant enough to justify a change in the employee’s salary. Salary changes, if any, are dependent upon HR findings and evaluations in accordance with the appropriate JMU and state compensation policies and procedures that include the pay factors listed above.

The hiring supervisor must submit the appropriate Personnel Action Request (PAR), Pay Action Worksheet (PAW) if applicable, an updated position description through the PeopleSoft PD application and any other relevant information for HR to evaluate and determine position or pay practices.

A voluntary demotion occurs when an employee voluntarily moves to a different role in a lower pay band through the recruitment and selection process or through non-competitive means.

The employee’s salary is negotiable from the minimum of the lower pay band up to the employee’s current salary, not to exceed the maximum of the assigned salary range. If the employee’s current salary exceeds the maximum of the advertised salary range, JMU has the option of freezing the salary for up to six months. After six months the salary must be reduced to the maximum of the assigned salary range. Pay increases are not permitted with demotions. However, in rare instances the employee’s current salary may be less than the advertised hiring range. In such case, the employee’s salary may be increased to the minimum of the advertised range.

In cases where an employee accepts a voluntary demotion and a pay decrease and subsequently returns to the position held immediately prior to the demotion within 6 months, the employee will receive a salary of not more than that which they would have earned had they remained in the previous position or the minimum of the posted pay range, whichever is greater.

Temporary pay can be provided to an employee who experiences a substantive change in job duties and responsibilities for a specified period (i.e., assignment to a special project, reassignment during organizational changes, supervisory responsibilities, etc.) Substantive duties are normally those that are assumed from a higher-level position in the same or different role or from a higher pay band. Temporary pay is not intended to cover brief recruitment periods. Temporary pay must be approved by the HR Consultant and then the appropriate vice president in advance.

For questions regarding other additional duties and responsibilities, contact HR for appropriate pay strategies. Supervisors will work with HR to determine the appropriate amount of temporary pay in accordance with the SAP. Temporary pay is initiated by submitting a Supplemental Pay ePAR. Once the amount has been determined, the supervisor is responsible for obtaining appropriate approvals. After approvals have been received, the supervisor may then discuss pay with the employee.

Temporary pay may continue for up to six months. For periods beyond six months, the appropriate vice president may approve an additional six-month extension. The supervisor must submit a Supplemental Pay ePAR to extend temporary pay for an additional six-months.

A role change occurs when an employee remains in his/her current position but the scope, duties and responsibilities have changed enough to warrant a role change. The change can be upward, downward or lateral.

Upward Role Change: A position changes to a different role in a higher pay band.

• The salary must be increased to at least the minimum of the higher pay band and may not exceed the maximum of the new pay band.
• Any change to salary must take into consideration the pay factors listed above.

Downward Role Change: A position changes to a different role in a lower pay band.

• The employee’s salary remains unchanged unless it exceeds the maximum of the lower assigned salary range.
• If the employee’s salary exceeds the lower salary range maximum, the salary is maintained for a six-month period, and then must be reduced to the maximum of the assigned salary range.

Lateral Role Change: A position changes to a different role in the same pay band.

• This pertains to lateral role changes that are not part of a competitive recruitment process.
• The salary increase may not exceed the maximum of the assigned salary range or pay band.
• A lateral role change will not result in a salary increase if the new role is in a position where fundamental duties and responsibilities are essentially equivalent to the previous role.
• Any change to salary must take into consideration the pay factors listed above.

HR is responsible for ensuring that positions are classified appropriately according to the commonwealth’s guidelines and will conduct studies and make recommendations regarding individual role changes and university-wide position studies when the need arises. When an upward role change is approved, any funds for providing an accompanying pay increase will come from the university’s Central Funding Pool and will typically be considered during In-band Adjustment periods if funding is made available. In making decisions regarding the allocation of funding, the following priority structure will be used:

1. Employees who would be paid below the minimum of their pay band without salary relief
2. Role changes
3. In-band Adjustments

Supervisors may submit requests for role changes to HR at any time.

An IBA is an adjustment to an employee’s base salary due to:

• A change in job duties and responsibilities.
• Professional/skill development from job-related training, education, certification and/or licensure.
• Retention (i.e., responding to salary market changes, labor market fluctuations, etc.)
• Internal alignment, salary compression and other internal inequities.

IBAs are for full-time, classified employees and non-student wage employees and will be conducted in accordance with a schedule to be determined by the Vice President of Administration and Finance contingent on available centralized funding. HR will evaluate each request based on the 13 pay factors and make final recommendations to each vice president. The final decision for implementation of recommended changes is the responsibility of the vice president. A paper PAR form and a PAW will be required for each IBA request.

HR will work closely with each vice president when determining IBAs. Increases provided as the result of an IBA will be determined based on available funding through the annual budget process.

IBAs occurring during the fiscal year are contingent upon the availability of funding. IBAs are typically not granted unless the university allocates a Central Funding Pool from which all E&G and Auxiliary funded IBAs must be awarded. (See exceptions below)

Although supervisors may apply for IBAs throughout the year, funding for approved IBA requests will typically follow a schedule set forth by the Vice President of Administration and Finance.

In making decisions regarding the allocation of funding, the following priority structure will be used:

1. Employees who would be paid below the minimum of their pay band without salary relief
2. Unfunded IBA requests carried over from the previous cycle(s)
3. Role Changes
4. Other IBA requests

Supervisors must NOT communicate to the employee that an IBA request has been submitted to HR until that request has been approved and funded by the appropriate vice president.

Supervisors who have submitted IBA requests may appeal decisions through their respective vice president.

Exceptions to the policy that all IBAs must be awarded only from the university’s Central Funding Pool:

Non-student Wage Employees: IBAs for non-student wage employees must be funded by the department’s own budget (not from the Central Funding Pool) and must be approved by HR. To qualify for an IBA, a non-student wage employee must have at least 6 months of continuous employment at the university. Non-student wage employee IBAs are submitted and approved on a monthly schedule. Non-student wage IBA’s submitted the 1st-30th/31st of one month are reviewed and, if approved, become effective the 1st of the following month. As an example, an approved IBA for a non-student wage employee received on September 14 would become effective November 1.

Grant-Funded Positions: Employees whose salary is grant-funded are eligible for IBAs following the same schedule as all other classified and non-student wage positions. However, IBAs for grant-funded positions must be funded by the grant’s budget and not from the Central Funding Pool.

Special Salary Studies: When special department-wide salary studies are conducted by HR and, as a result, multiple salary adjustments are applied, the resulting IBAs may be funded at the discretion of the vice presidents, through the department or through the Central Funding Pool. The effective dates of the IBA may fall outside of the university’s normal IBA process.

Abolished Positions: When a department has a position vacated, and that department abolishes that position and subsequently transfers some or all of the duties from that position to another employee or other employees, the department may use the funds made available from the abolished position to request an IBA or Role Change for the employee(s) to whom new duties have been added. This exception may be used at any time during the year without regard to the normal IBA process.

The procedure to access this exception is as follows:

1. Notify the appropriate vice president of the intent to abolish the position and to request an IBA or Role Change for the employee(s) who are being assigned additional duties. This notification should be copied to HR and the Office of Budget Management.
2. Confer with HR to determine whether an IBA or Role Change is the most appropriate pay action to consider and whether or not a salary increase for the employee(s) is recommended.
3. Write (a) new position description(s) in PeopleSoft to include the duties that will be added to the employee(s).
4. Submit the new or updated position description, along with the completed paper PAR and PAW forms, to HR with the requested percentage increase.
5. HR will review the request(s) and submit a proposal to the appropriate vice president.
6. Once the vice president reviews the proposal, he or she will make a final determination and, if approving, will sign the PAR form(s) to execute the action(s).

Stipulations:

• It is important that the supervisor not communicate specifics about pay increases to the employee(s) until this process is complete.
• When using this exception, departments may not transfer duties from the recently abolished position to a second previously vacated position and then fill that second vacated position. All duties from the position being abolished either must be eliminated from the department's tasks or be transferred to existing employees.
• This policy applies only to classified employees.
• The department may only expend the funds that have been made available by the abolition of the position and should be careful not to go over that amount in awarding related IBAs or Role Changes.

Under JMU Policy 1317- Classified Employees, Standards of Conduct and Performance, an employee’s job duties and responsibilities may be reduced because of inappropriate conduct and/or poor performance. This reduction in job duties may result in the employee moving within the same pay band, to a lower pay band or to the same or different position. In any case, the employee’s job duties must be redefined to reflect a decrease in complexity of responsibilities and his or her salary must be reduced a minimum of 5%. If transition is within the same pay band, the employee’s salary cannot be reduced below the band minimum. If transition is to a lower pay band, the employee’s reduced salary cannot exceed the maximum of the lower band. Supervisors must work with HR to determine the appropriate salary reduction in accordance with the SAP.

Salary reductions greater than 5% are permitted and require prior approval of the appropriate vice president and the director of HR.

Competitive salary offers MUST be in writing. If received electronically, forward the email to HR. This pay practice may not be used when a JMU classified employee is made an offer to accept another position at JMU or at another state agency.

To retain mission-critical employees, JMU may choose to make a competitive salary offer. Whether or not an employee is critical to the unit’s mission is based on management’s evaluation of the following: (a) the specific knowledge, skills and abilities the employee brings to the job; (b) specialized training and/or licensure which the employee has obtained and is critical to the work tasks and duties; (c) the unavailability of specialized skills in the current labor market; (d) excessive turnover in the position; or, (e) other factors as identified by the department.

Supervisors must work with HR to determine the appropriate salary in accordance with the SAP. Once a salary has been determined, the supervisor must obtain the appropriate approvals, including that of the appropriate vice president, before the offer is extended. A Pay Action Worksheet (PAW) and PAR must be submitted to HR to process the action.

Supervisors should not discuss terms or possibilities of competitive salary offer with the affected employee until after speaking with HR.

Offer from Non-state Agency

The employee’s salary may be increased to match the outside offer not to exceed the maximum of the pay band. The appropriate vice president must approve competitive salary offers before the offer is extended.

If the university accepts an employee’s request to rescind his or her resignation within 30 calendar days of separation, the employee’s salary may be reinstated at an amount held at the time of separation or at the salary offered in the competitive offer process.

At the discretion of JMU, employees may return to their former position within thirty days at their former annual salary or a salary offered through the competitive offer process

Administrative & Professional Faculty may receive base salary increases at any time for reasons of equity, promotion, change in duties, merit, or retention/competitive salary offers. Supervisors are required to collaborate with their HR Consultant early in the process and prior to submitting the form. To request an increase for an A&P Faculty member, the supervisor must fill out the A&P Faculty Salary Adjustment Request Form and submit the form and a paper PAR through the supervisory chain. The form must be received in Human Resources where the request will be evaluated by the appropriate HR Consultant. After evaluation, the HR Consultant will send the request to the Vice President of Administration and Finance for final review. Increases 10% and above are reported to the Board of Visitors.

Retention Bonus

Within a fiscal year, a Retention Bonus of up to $10,000 may be offered to current, full-time classified employees in positions, roles and/or career groups where applicants are extremely difficult to recruit and employee’s functions are deemed critical to the university’s operation and mission. These employees must agree to work for the university for one year beyond the date of the bonus payment. The Retention Bonus may be paid as a lump sum or in scheduled payments and must be funded from the department’s budget. A formal written agreement, which includes requirements for satisfactory performance and duration of employment, must be executed outlining pay back terms if the agreement is not met. Supervisors wishing to pay a Retention Bonus must contact HR.

Retention Bonus – Student Loan Repayment

A one-time bonus, not to exceed $10,000, may be made available to current employees in specific, critical positions. This bonus may be used in conjunction with other exceptional retention bonuses. Current employees who have previously received a student loan repayment bonus are ineligible for additional student loan retention bonuses. Only one student loan repayment bonus may be granted to an employee during the employee’s tenure with state government.

Payment of a retention bonus must have the prior contacts and approvals BEFORE the bonus is offered to the employee:

• Consultation with HR
• Approval by appropriate vice president

Agreements are reviewed by senior leaders and are reviewed and approved by the Office of the Attorney General.

Sign-on Bonus

A Sign-on Bonus of up to $10,000 may be offered to new (non-JMU) employees hired into positions deemed as critical. These employees must agree to work for the university for one year beyond the date of the bonus payment. The Sign-on Bonus may be paid as a lump sum or in scheduled payments and must be paid out of the department’s budget. A formal written agreement, which includes requirements for satisfactory performance and duration of employment, must be executed outlining pay back terms if the agreement is not met. Supervisors wishing to pay a Sign-on Bonus must contact HR.

Sign-on Bonus – Student Loan Repayment

A one-time bonus may be made available to new hires/re-hires to encourage individuals to accept employment in specific, critical positions, Roles, or Career Groups. The bonus may be used in conjunction with other exceptional recruitment incentives. Only one student loan repayment bonus may be granted to an employee during the employee’s tenure with state government.

Newly hired employees provide proof of qualifying debt and payments are made directly to the creditor.

Payment of a retention bonus must have the prior contacts and approvals BEFORE the bonus is offered to the employee:

• Consultation with HR
• Approval by appropriate vice president

Annual Leave

The university may grant or advance up to 30 days (240 hours) of annual leave during a leave year (January 10 – January 9) to new and existing full-time classified employees as an incentive to accept employment or continue employment in a position. This policy also allows the university to pay out annual leave hours. Working with HR, the supervisor should negotiate the exact amount of annual leave that will be provided to the new employee at the start of employment. This amount will be tracked in the university’s leave system.

• Granting Leave: This may be used for employees in roles or career groups that are extremely difficult to recruit and retain and are deemed critical to the university’s operation and mission. The employee must agree to work for the university for one year beyond the date the additional leave is granted.
• Advancing Leave: The university may advance up to 30 days (240 hours) of annual leave, rather than granting an additional amount of annual leave. For example, working with HR, a hiring supervisor may advance a new employee two weeks (10 days) of annual leave at time of hire and the restitution of this leave would be outlined in the pre-employment agreement.

Criteria and Process

The use of incentive options will normally be planned in advance and incorporated in an overall staffing strategy coordinated between HR and the managers of the affected organizational units.

The incentive options will not be applied to all employees in a specific role or career group, although multiple positions may be identified within or across work units, if the position(s) are determined to be critical to JMU’s mission and key operations. The size of the incentive, whether provided as a bonus or leave, will be determined by the significance and critical nature of the position(s); strong consideration will also be given to internal equity and the relative value of the incentive compared to the base compensation of similarly situated employees. HR consultants will guide managers in the equitable and effective use of incentive options.

A formal agreement must be executed, which includes requirements for satisfactory performance, duration of employment and pay back if terms are not met. Agreements will be reviewed and approved by the director of HR.