Compensation Philosophy
Vision for the Staff Compensation Program
The program is intended to provide competitive, fair, and equitable salaries in order to attract, retain, and engage highly qualified administrators and staff without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. The principles of this program are intended to cover all regular staff and non-faculty positions.
- Provide pay opportunities/ranges that:
- Are based on job responsibilities (not individuals)
- Are competitive within the markets in which the University competes for talent
- Promote internal equity across the Schools
- Consider the institution’s financial resources
- Recognize and compensate expertise, sustained contributions, and performance
- Manage salaries for all divisions and schools using the same program and guiding principles
Base salary will be the primary method of compensating individuals at GC. It will reflect the value of the job in the market, the role in the University, and the capabilities and contributions of the individual. Any other additional pay, when permitted, may be granted in accordance with established guidelines. Other benefits such as tuition remission, health and retirement plans, and work environment will continue to be essential components of the compensation strategy at GC, as a complement to competitive salaries. For more information regarding benefits, visit http://www.gcsu.edu/humanresources/benefits.htm.
GC will consider both the external competitiveness and internal valuation of jobs. The program will use market data as a reference for creating the salary structure and salary ranges. Pay will be competitive in aggregate. Benchmarking to comparison markets will inform salary ranges, and will be used as a reference for determining salaries for individuals. The school will strive to maintain internal equity across the institution. This is defined as providing similar compensation opportunities for similarly situated administrators and staff (i.e., jobs with similar market values in the same job family will be assigned to the same salary grade; administrators and staff with similar expertise, experience, and performance will be paid similarly.)
|
Job Category |
Type of Employer(s) |
Other Criteria Used |
Location |
|
Senior Administrators (Directors and above) |
For higher education specific jobs: Public and private, 4-year Master’s (Large) & Doctoral/Research institutions |
Range around operating budget, faculty FTE, and student FTE |
National |
|
Professionals (Independent Contributors and Managers) |
For higher education specific jobs: Public and private, 4-year Masters (Small, Medium, Large), Doctoral, and Research-Intensive institutions |
Range around operating budget |
Southeast region; Georgia |
|
Entry Level Exempt |
|||
|
Non-exempt (office support, technical, trades, etc.) |
Blend of general industry and not-for-profit organizations; functionally relevant markets for jobs/job families will be used |
All organizations |
Central Georgia; Baldwin County |
- The structure will help support and facilitate a linkage between compensation, career development, and performance management
- The University intends to support a culture of performance and reward individuals accordingly
- Individual base salaries will be managed within the salary range for the job and will consider the skills, knowledge, experience, and performance of the incumbent
- Salary increases should be determined by the degree to which each individual contributes to GC, department, or area goals depending on the job, and demonstrates excellence in handling their job responsibilities, as documented in the performance evaluation process
- Salary increases and opportunities for advancement will not be an entitlement and will be subject to the institution’s fiscal conditions
- Position and job descriptions will be reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure clear, mutual understanding of responsibilities and performance standards
GC will ensure understanding of the compensation program through open, clear, and accessible communication to staff. The link between job performance, goal achievement, and salary increases will be clearly communicated to all employees. Managers will be trained and held accountable for effectively planning, managing, coaching, and evaluating the performance of their staff, as well as creating a positive work environment that supports growth and staff development
To maintain an environment of fairness and to ensure that the program is administered in a consistent, responsible manner, the roles and responsibilities for the parties involved in compensation decisions and/or administration are defined in the table below:
|
Employee |
• Understands and fulfills job's essential functions, as defined by the job description |
|
Manager/ |
• Understands job responsibilities and requirements of jobs in their area of responsibility and gives clear indication of the career path for direct reports |
|
Human Resources |
• Collaborates with managers and supervisors to set appropriate salaries |
|
Payroll |
• Issues paychecks per institution guidelines |
|
Cabinet Members |
• Communicates openly, regularly, and clearly with the University community on all compensation related matters |
