COP 05-0401: Salary Administration

Purpose Statement

In support of the District Board of Trustees established Compensation Philosophy, the Salary Administration procedure establishes guidelines for managing College employee compensation.

Guidelines

The College promotes compensation practices that are nondiscriminatory and consistent with the District Board of Trustees Compensation Philosophy adopted on April 22, 2008, and amended on June 27, 2023.

All policy decisions regarding compensation will take into consideration the College’s overall economic condition, competitive position, budgetary authorization and funding limitations among other factors. The College will pay employees on a regular basis and in a manner that the amount, method, and timing of such payments comply with applicable laws or regulations. The President or designee may waive any provisions within this procedure.

Compensation Principles

Florida SouthWestern State College’s primary compensation goal is to foster an environment which encourages individual and group performance to achieve College objectives. The College’s pay practices are designed to be externally competitive, internally equitable, and fiscally responsible.

It is the College’s practice to:

1. Compensate executives, administrators, staff and faculty at a level that is competitive and equitable in relation to the work performed;
2. Provide fair and consistent administration of wages and salaries;
3. Determine and maintain rates of pay that are competitive with the market;
4. Evaluate and determine levels for positions relative to comparable internal positions and external market information; and
5. Establish guidelines for budget planning.

Executive positions are compensated commensurate with responsibilities of the position and qualifications of the incumbent in relation to market compensation levels for similar positions.

Administrative and staff positions must be paid at least the published minimum salary for job classification and/or the pay grade. Faculty compensation is determined by the provisions of the Collective Negotiations Agreement.

Salary for hiring, promotion, or demotion will be established consistent with the following factors.

1. Individual credentials and experience will be compared to those in similar positions in the College and relevant competitive market.
2. The individual’s expected level of performance.
3. The available budget of the employing department.

Compensation Schedule

The compensation schedule will be reviewed annually. The Chief Human Resources & Organizational Development Officer will recommend adjustments to the salary schedule to the President’s Cabinet, if required.

As part of the annual budget approval process, the College President will recommend the compensation schedule for all employees to the District Board of Trustees. The schedule, as approved by the Board, will be used in determining the annual, monthly, weekly, daily, or hourly compensation of College employees. The schedule also includes the College’s compensation philosophy set forth and approved by the Board.

Additional full-time and part-time job classifications and pay rates not listed on the annual schedule may be developed as needed upon recommendation of the Office of Human Resources and the approval of the President or designee.

Compensation Guidelines

New Employees – Generally, new employees are hired at the minimum salary established for the position’s pay grade. If an applicant possesses training and/or experience substantially above that required for the position, or where unusual employment conditions make it extremely difficult to hire for a position, an applicant may be offered a salary above the pay grade. The hiring official must:

1. Request that the Office of Human Resources confirm internal equity is maintained.
2. Verify funding is available with the Budget office.
3. Seek approval from their department leadership for an appointment above the minimum salary of the pay grade.

Qualification Exception: In cases where no qualified candidates have been identified, a position may be:

1. Filled on a temporary basis with an individual who does not meet the minimum qualifications while a search continues.
2. Filled with a candidate that does not meet the minimum qualifications. In this case,a waiver of minimum qualifications must be requested by the hiring manager to the Cabinet level member overseeing the area. The Cabinet level member must then request to the President or designee to approve the waiver of minimum qualifications.

The date on which such an employee is approved as qualified at the minimum level for this position, and is hired as a regular employee, becomes the date the six-month initial introductory period begins.

General Increases – General salary increases for personnel are determined by the President and are dependent upon availability of funding. Employees will be granted a salary increase in accordance with the following unless additional guidelines are established at the time the increase is declared:

1. Faculty salary increases are governed by the Collective Negotiations Agreement and are subject to District Board of Trustee approval.
2. Generally, all full and part-time regular status non-instructional staff on regular funding would be eligible for an increase, with the exceptions noted within this procedure.
3. An employee in a grant or special funded position may not receive an increase if the funding is not available through the grant, special funding source or regular funding.
4. Temporary employees such as Peak Partners, student assistants, employees hired on an as needed basis, other non-regular status appointments and employees hired into a regular position after the effective date are not eligible for the salary increase. Exceptions to this must be made in the guidelines approved by the President for an entire classification of employee.
5. Salary increases are applied to base salary only unless otherwise defined in the approved guidelines.
6. The current salary of an employee on the effective date of the increase is the basis for the salary increase.
7. An employee’s base salary is used to calculate the pay increase this includes instances where a pay increase may be retroactive.
8. An employee who is on a Performance Improvement plan or has a rating in an introductory evaluation of “Falls Below FSW Standards” will be ineligible for the increase until the employee receives a satisfactory evaluation or successfully completes the Performance Improvement Plan. The effective date of the increase will be the first pay period following receipt of the acceptable evaluation in the Office of Human Resources.

Promotions – Promotional salary increases are awarded as the result of a bona fide job promotion. A promotion is recognized as movement from a position at a lower pay grade to a higher grade where the level of duties and responsibilities has increased in scope. An employee will be placed on six-month introductory period upon being promoted.

Promoted professional and career service employees will receive the new position’s pay grade minimum or a 5% pay increase above their current salary, whichever in higher. A higher promotional increase may be authorized to maintain internal equity; this increase would be determined by the Office of Human Resources with confirmation of budget availability through the Budget Office and approval of the cabinet level supervisor. The promotional salary increase for professional or career service staff moving to an administrator classification, or administrators and executives who are promoted within those classifications will have their salary increase based on a variety of factors including the approved pay grade for the new position, experience, level and scope of responsibility, length of service and other relevant factors as determined by the Office of Human Resources, President or designee.

When a promotion occurs on the same date as a general increase (typically July 1), the salary shall be adjusted in accordance with the procedure for promotion first and then the general increase will be applied unless otherwise instructed by the President or designee. If the promotion occurs after the effective date of the increase, the salary increase is applied first and then the promotion is applied. The salary increase will not be applied to the promotion amount if it occurs after the effective date of the increase.

Demotions – A demotion is an assignment from one job classification to another whose pay grade minimum is lower. A demotion, either voluntary or involuntary, may result in a reduction in salary. An employee who is demoted will be placed on six-month probation.

If a demotion takes place less than 90 days after a promotion, the employee's salary level will be reduced by the percentage granted for the promotion. In addition, if the employee is returned to his/her previous lower-level position in which he/she successfully completed the probationary period, he or she will not be required to complete another probationary period.

Lateral Transfers – An employee is considered laterally transferred when he/she is placed, either voluntarily or involuntarily, in another position within the same pay grade. An employee will not receive a salary increase in the case of a lateral transfer. An employee (not on contract) will be placed on a six-month introductory period upon transfer.

Diagonal Advancement – An employee is considered diagonally advanced when they move to a different role, often in a different department, that requires similar skills but offers a different learning experience or career progression path compared to a traditional vertical promotion. This type of position change offers the ability to acquire new skills and experiences. When a diagonal change occurs, the employee will be paid at or above the minimum salary for the new position. The position change, even if it is to a higher pay grade position, does not constitute a promotion and there is no guarantee of salary increase. Each situation will be assessed by the Office of Human Resources on a case-by-case basis. A diagonal change could result in a salary reduction, no change in salary or a salary increase.

Temporary Assignments – If an employee is temporarily assigned (including interim and acting assignments) and performing all the duties of a position with a higher minimum salary, the employee will be paid at the minimum salary of the higher classification or in accordance with the procedure outlined for promotions. In cases where an employee assumes an interim position, but is not expected to perform all the functions and responsibilities of the position, the employee may be compensated at a rate less than the pay grade minimum. A temporary assignment agreement outlining the expectations and related pay for the interim position will be completed and presented to the employee in advance of the start of the assignment.

Internal Alignments and Market Study Adjustments – Periodic salary studies may be completed by the Office of Human Resources and compensation increase recommendations made to the President’s Cabinet relative to the positioning of roles in relation to the internal or external market. If it is determined that a position or class of positions is out of line internally or with the existing market, impacted employee salaries may be adjusted.

Reclassifications – It is the department administrator’s responsibility to properly plan for growth and development of their staff. Reclassifications may be initiated due to, but not limited to, changes in the scope of work, the nature or complexity of the work, required knowledge, increased responsibilities or restructuring within the department. They ensure that pay and benefits align with the actual work being performed. They also provide recognition for increased responsibilities and skill development. The reclassification process involves a collaboration of the requesting department leadership, the Office of Human Resources and the Budget office. Reclassifications require executive level approval.

When an employee's position is reclassified to a position with a higher or lower pay grade, the promotion or demotion procedure for determining pay will be followed.

Procedures