SAS Procedures for Requests for Staff Reclassifications and Salary Adjustments

The purpose of reclassifications and salary adjustments are to appropriately classify and/or compensate staff who have taken on significantly more responsibility, accountability, and complexity in their roles. A reclassification/salary adjustment may also address internal or external equity issues.

Additional work, quality of work, high performance, new assignments of similar complexity, time in the job, newly completed education, or a newly acquired skill set, are generally not considerations for reclassification of a position or an adjustment to salary.

Please see the University’s policy on Reclassifications and Salary adjustments for more details: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/myhr/resources/policy/compensation/reclassification. Frequently Asked Question and Answers on Position Reclassification and Salary Adjustments SAS Human Resources will evaluate submissions twice a year with deadlines of August 31 and January 31.  Submissions are reviewed collectively for the school.  Final decisions can take 4 to 6 weeks and will be communicated to the submitter.  Any adjustments resulting from the reviews will be effective September 1 and February 1, respectively. Please submit the required information electronically to SAS HR to the attention of Paula Pritchett. Requests for reclassification and/or salary adjustment must be submitted by the direct supervisor and/or Department Chair or Director.  Documentation requesting position reclassifications and salary adjustments must demonstrate significant evidence of increase in responsibility, accountability, complexity and commitment. The duties must have changed significantly before a request for change in the staff member’s job profile/classification and/or salary is considered. It will be the manager’s responsibility to demonstrate in a measurable way the increased responsibility. In these circumstances, the staff member must have performed the new responsibilities for a minimum of six months before a reclassification/adjustment is considered.

All requests must include:

• Memo including the rationale for the request: What are circumstances that led to the additional responsibilities? What impact has this position’s increase in responsibilities had on the department overall? How long have the new responsibilities been in place?
• Last official PIQ for the position.
• New PIQ reflecting the changes in scope and responsibility. This should be as detailed as possible and highlight the specific areas that have changed.
  • Signed by supervisor
  • Signed by department chair/ director
  • Signed by employee (recommended)
• Employee resume

Evaluation Process SAS HR and University Compensation will review the request based on:

• Job content, salary, required skills, education and years of experience to others in similar positions in the School and the University.
• A comparison with the appropriate external market.
• For equity requests, it must be determined that there is a significant equity discrepancy when comparing the incumbent’s current salary to the average salaries of similarly situated staff members in the same job title and classification. A determination includes consideration of the level of education, experience and skills the incumbent brings to the position. Performance will also be considered.
• If necessary, a member of SAS HR will meet with the appropriate manager/supervisor to obtain additional information or clarification.
• SAS HR will consult with the Division of Human Resources/Compensation prior to making a recommendation to the Vice Dean for Finance and Administration for final approval. Any exceptions to these guidelines must be approved by the Vice Dean for Finance and Administration. Approval to submit a request to the Department of Human Resources, Compensation does not guarantee approval.