By SUSAN JONES
At a May Staff Council Spotlight session, Human Resources’ officials said the new job catalog created as part of the compensation modernization project would be available for all employees to view some time in July, but that seems unlikely to happen now.
In a statement, HR said, “Based on administrator and partner feedback for additional time to complete departmental job mapping assessments, the Compensation Modernization project team has provided a two-week extension to complete the internal mapping review phase. An update on opening the job catalog and associated pay ranges to staff will be announced following this period.”
This review period should be completed at the end of July, a Pitt spokesperson said.
The long-generating project is supposed to create a job-based structure that provides consistent roles, pathways for advancement and equitable compensation across the University and aligns compensation with the overall labor market.
The new job catalog is mostly aimed at new hires or people who are changing jobs within the University. HR’s Shahfar Shaari, a leader on the project, said at the May meeting that, “until you change your job ... you are still working under the job description you were hired under.” The compensation modernization project will not change anyone's pay rate, current title, duties or performance expectations. It will instead “establish the new system for all staffing movements and pay decisions” and make Pitt jobs more competitive with jobs elsewhere in the market.
The new job classifications are now being reviewed by department administrators. Making the job catalog more public will allow everyone to see what job family their position is in and what the pay range is for the job. It also will give a larger group of people a chance to spot errors or irregularities.
Staff have been waiting for a compensation update for several years. A survey about job responsibilities was first sent to staff in 2017.
Questions regarding the project and next steps can be submitted through Human Resources’ online contact form or find information on HR’s Compensation Modernization SharePoint site (Pitt ID required).
Penn State’s compensation project
Penn State is in the midst of its own compensation modernization project, and so far it’s not getting very good reviews.
According to public radio station WPSU, some Penn State faculty members said at a Faculty Senate meeting last week that so far the changes are hurting, not helping, employee morale.
Reading from an email message sent to him by a friend who is a staff member, Penn State Faculty Senate member Ed Fuller said, “We are tired. We are beat down. The wind is out of our sails. Any promotion for me has been axed. I need to look for another job."
Fuller said he hoped university leaders were listening, “because I don’t think this is a unique response."
Earlier this summer, staff received notification of their updated job profiles and levels. Jennifer Wilkes, vice president for Human Resources, told the Senate that HR is working with departments if employees feel like they've been categorized incorrectly.
Salary structure, including new salary bands, are expected to be released to staff in late July or early August, but may be delayed because of the state budget impasse.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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