BSU Compensation and Classification Services

Professional Staff Salary Administration Program (PSSAP)

FAQs

Q:  How does this market-based approach differ from the classified system?
A:  The PSSAP system was developed especially for professional staff jobs at Boise State University based on unique Higher Education requirements while the classified system was developed by the state Division of Human Resources and covers all classified positions at all state agencies.

Q:  Are faculty pay ranges and titles limited in any way?
A:  While there are no pay grades for faculty, compensation is aligned based on discipline and faculty rank.  Titles for faculty are dictated by definitions tied to faculty rank/promotion/tenure.

Q:  Will this system save the university money?
A:  The intent of PSSAP is to create a system based on the market and thus a more exact ability to compensate correctly. This could lead to identifying employees who are paid below market which would need to be addressed when funding is available.

Q:  Where did the Job Code Standards come from?  Are they commonly used at other universities? 
A: The Job Code standards are tied to the University structure which is typical for any organization with a compensation system.  They reflect Boise State’s organizational hierarchy, and are common at other higher education institutions.

Q:  I know that the JDQ on file isn’t current and doesn’t include changes to my job since it was completed in 2007.  How do I ensure that my position was evaluated correctly? 
A:  Submit an updated JDQ through your manager.  We will actively review updated job descriptions, and this will continue to be an on-going process beyond implementation of the PSSAP project.

Q:  How detailed does my JDQ need to be?  For example, question #7 - Decision Making, the information in my JDQ is very brief.  Do I need to expand on this?
A:  Decision Making is a key section in evaluating a job.  You should capture the most critical and/or difficult types of decisions that are made, routinely, by the position/incumbent, and the impact if things go right/wrong.   Please provide 2-4 examples.

Q:  My position is unique and I know there aren’t any comparisons to match to it.  How will my position be evaluated?
A:  Many positions in higher education are unique and in many programs, no two jobs are alike.  The key is to identify the most important features of your job so that they can be compared to other jobs with similar responsibilities.  We can then use available market data from those positions to determine how your position should stack up.

Q: Can I appeal my placement in PSSAP?
A: There will be an appeals process regarding PSSAP placement of position. This would initially include requiring an employee to work with their direct supervisor and eventually with the director of the department.  It should be noted that Boise State Policy #7310, Professional Staff Employees—Grievances and Appeals, section II.A.1., states that “compensation” is not covered by the Problem Solving Process, except as it applies to alleged inequities within a particular department.  Accordingly, the appeal process for the PSSAP program will pertain specifically to how a job description was evaluated, not the placement of a job within a pay grade nor of the salary being received by an individual.

Q:  How do I progress through the salary schedule?
 A:  As CEC funding is approved in the future by the Idaho Legislature, it is anticipated that BSU administration will be able to formulate compensation plans based on the PSSAP program to move employees closer to the market for their job.

Q:  Once I reach the top pay level, am I eligible for merit increases or a title change?
A:  This will be a policy decision.

Q:  If I am at the high end of my pay grade, I understand that I won’t get a pay cut, but does it mean I will never get another pay increase, even if the legislature approves one?
A:  We will be running external market surveys every year to determine if we need to adjust the pay ranges.  As market conditions change, it is expected that pay grades will be adjusted, and they are normally adjusted upward.

Q:  Our program is 100% grant funded.  If we have employees who are below the minimum for their pay grade, and we have funds available, can we increase their salary?
A:  Only if appropriated and local funded positions have the same opportunity.  If your federal funds are regulated by OMB Circulars A-21 and A-110, then you can only administer salaries with those funds, by law, in the same manner that appropriated funded positions are administered.

Q:  I understand that longevity is not a factor in determining salaries under the PSSAP program.  How will long-term staff be considered when being placed in pay ranges especially when considering new hires in the same type of job and pay grade?
A:  This is a market-based pay system.  Longevity is not considered in such systems.  What can/should be taken into consideration is how many years of experience...and the caliber of that experience...a person brings to a job regardless of whether they gained it at Boise State or elsewhere.

Q:  Where do I find professional staff compensation policies related to the PSSAP program?
A:  These policies are under development and will be reviewed through the established University Policy Review Process before being implemented.

Q:  How does supervision of temporary and student employees relate to a position being designated “management”?
A:  The basic premise for determining if a position is “managerial” is established in the federal Dept of Labor's Fair Labor Standard Act:

• The position customarily and regularly directs the work of two or more other full-time employees, or equivalent; and,
• The position has authority to hire or fire other employees or make suggestions and recommendations as to hiring, firing, advancing, promotion or other change of status of other employees and those suggestions are given particular weight.

The two full-time employees, or equivalent, must work a total of 80 hours/week minimum each and every week of the calendar year.

Boise State has established additional criteria to recognize that many of our positions are staffed by student employees for cost efficiencies and to provide opportunities to our students to help offset the costs of their education.  A position can be categorized as Management when the position supervises so many part-time students and/or temporary staff members that a considerable amount of time is spent in the hiring, scheduling, motivating and managing functions and challenges presented by the sheer size of the staff.

An example of this is a department where 2 or 3 Professional Staff members have up to 20+ students assigned to each of them each semester for lots of hours each.  Those 2/3 employees spend virtually ALL their time hiring, scheduling, monitoring, counseling, firing, disciplining, the students.  They don't do anything except manage the students. 

Q:  If a professional staff position reports to a faculty member that is not in the PSSAP program, does this change how the professional staff position is categorized?
A:  It has no effect whatsoever. 

Q:  When and how will I know how my job was evaluated?
A:  The specific notifications are anticipated to occur simultaneously across the campus in June 2010.  This notification process will take place between each professional staff employee and their supervisor.  The supervisor will receive a written document from Human Resources that identifies the evaluation of the individual’s job, their pay grade and their position within their pay grade.

Last reviewed February 2010