Classification & Compensation Review
Appeals Process Committee
Purpose of the Protocol
The Classification and Compensation Appeals protocol provides a structured process by which supervisors may address and seek to resolve disagreements regarding position classification within the university’s structure, as well as an opportunity to appeal certain compensation decisions that are directly related to classification. A committee will review the appeal provided the request meets certain job-related criteria.
The University retains the right to establish, change, or eliminate job titles or salary levels to ensure consistency, fairness, equity, and transparency across the university. Salary levels are based on validated compensation studies and the appropriate local, regional, or national labor markets in comparison to our selected peer institutions and local organizations.
Appeal Factors
Classifications are based upon the job content of positions—duties, tasks, and responsibilities—in relation to the university’s classification factors of scope, complexity, responsibility, autonomy, and impact. Therefore, appeals may not be considered if based on individual people — seniority, job performance, extra effort, retention factors, anticipated future job assignments, loyalty, or commitment, etc.
Labor market considerations may have an effect on classification, however, establishing market rates requires the use of reputable published surveys and market studies. The University completes national market studies periodically and acquires a set of national published surveys each year that are used to established market rates for the university. Additionally, these sources are supplemented by published surveys by different professional associations. On rare occasions, University Human Resources can conduct mini-benchmarking studies to compare individual positions that are unique, or for which published salary data is not sufficient.
Further, market rates are expressed in ranges and are designed to account for all professionals working in said classification, whether new, junior, mid-level, senior, or high performers in a particular position. Given the purpose of salary ranges, appeals are not considered based upon the following:-
An individual’s salary is close to the maximum of a salary range
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The relative position of the salary within the assigned salary range relative to the employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities
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The volume of work rather than the level of responsibilities and complexity of the work.
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Salaries paid by one or two organizations selected by the requestor
Appeals Process
All supervisors who wish to appeal a classification/compensation decision will adhere to the following process:
The supervisor must complete the Classification/Compensation Appeals Process Form indicating the reason for the appeal and providing an evidential basis for the request. The supervisor may provide new evidence (e.g., data, published market data, benchmarks, etc.), add comments, as appropriate, sign the form and forward it to the next level of management, typically a director/dean level or Cabinet member in the organization.
The second level of management should review the request, add any comments, sign the form, and have their Cabinet Member’s endorsement before forwarding to University Human Resources to the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) or their designee.
The expectation is the appeals committee will meet quarterly to review requests and render a recommendation to the CHRO within one week of the meeting. The committee will reach a quorum (5 votes for a full committee) before making a recommendation to the CHRO. The committee may meet more often if needed and agreed to by committee members.
Appeals Committee
Each major division will submit the name of one (1) individual to serve on the committee. The individual appointed must hold a leadership position (the committee can include teaching faculty with administrative responsibilities). Committee members will serve two-year, renewable, but staggered terms to allow for consistency in the application of policies and procedures. The university’s senior classification professional will serve as ex-officio, as will a designee from one of the university’s financial or budget operations divisions. Outside attendees are prohibited unless they are directly involved with the position under appeal. The divisions include:
- Athletics
- School of Arts & Sciences
- School of Business
- School of Education
- School of Law
- Strategy & Innovation
- Student Affairs
- University Advancement
- Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences
The committee will review all supporting documentation including the original submission and documentation, additional information submitted to Human Resources in appeal, responses from University Human Resources (UHR), and any other applicable information. The committee will review comparable positions within the university, will request external benchmarks from UHR, as needed, will receive and review salary data, as appropriate, and will consider all available information before making recommendations. All committee members will participate in the process but will not be allowed to vote on classifications in their division.
The Classification Appeals Committee will notify the CHRO of its recommendation in writing. The CHRO will review the recommendation and make the final determinations. The CHRO reserves the right to approve or deny the recommendation of the committee. All appeal responses will be provided in writing indicating the reasons the determination was made with supporting justification. The effective date for any change will be stated in the final response letter provided by the CHRO.
