New or Vacant Positions: When a new position is established or a vacancy occurs, it is an excellent time for a manager to conduct a staffing analysis. The duties and responsibilities of the position should be evaluated to ensure that they reflect the current needs of the department. The duties and responsibilities may be changed by management. The appropriate Position Description (PD) Form needs to be completed and included with the on-line Recruiting Solutions process. All forms can be found at http://www.csun.edu/hr/human-resources-forms. Human Resources will determine the appropriate classification for the position and notify the hiring supervisor.
Position Descriptions: Employees must be given a copy of the PD (OHRS 10-09) for the position that he or she occupies within a specified time after appointment. Employees should generally be given a PD 30 days after their initial appointment. If management changes an employee's duties significantly, a new PD should generally be provided to the employee 7 days in advance of the effective date of the change. (Please refer to appropriate collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for specific provisions.)
The following position description forms should be used:
Request for Classification or Skill Level Review/Reclassification: An employee or management may request a classification or skill level (in-class progression) review of the position. To request a classification review or skill level review, the appropriate PD Form must be completed. The forms can be found on the Human Resources website: http://www.csun.edu/hr/human-resources-forms. The employee should submit the completed form to his/her supervisor for review and signature, who in turn should forward the form to the Department Head or Manager of Academic Resources and Area Head for acknowledgment and signatures.
The signatures of the supervisor and the department head on the PD Form is an acknowledgment of receipt and certification that the duties are accurately stated, but does not necessarily indicate whether the request for change is supported. The form should be forwarded to the OHR in a timely manner. For CSUEU, if not forwarded to OHR within 30 days, the employee may file the request directly with OHR. (Please refer to appropriate CBA for specific provisions.)
An employee may not initiate a request for classification/skill level review until twelve (12) months have passed since the completion of a previous classification review.
After a request for classification review has been received in the OHRS, an acknowledgement letter will be sent. A classification review will be conducted by Human Resources and a written response will be prepared.
Reclassification/In-Class Progression: If the review results in a change, the effective date shall be the beginning of the pay period following receipt of the request in the OHR. An employee shall be given a new probationary period upon reclassification or an in-class progression.
Upon reclassification to a higher-level classification, an employee is generally given a salary increase of five percent, or greater if necessary to bring the salary to the salary range minimum.
If a position is reclassified to a lateral classification, a salary increase is generally not provided.
If a position is reclassified to a lower-level classification, a red circle rate might be applied. The red circle rate may occur when the current salary is above the maximum of the new salary range.(Please refer to the appropriate CBA for specific provisions.)
Classification Appeal: The employee may appeal the classification determination. To appeal, the employee will complete the Classification Appeal Form (OHRS 10-2) and submit it to OHRS within 30 days of the employee’s receipt of the Classification Review Report.
The appeal will be reviewed by an HR Manager other than the one who conducted the initial review. The classification appeal review may include an interview with the employee and discussion with the department manager. The results will be sent to the employee and department manager. The appeal decision results will be final.
Reorganization: Managers should consult with an HR Manager when considering a reorganization of a unit, changes in reporting relationships, and major changes in responsibilities. The Dean or Director should submit appropriate justification, current and proposed organization charts, position descriptions of affected positions, and review the proposal with the appropriate Vice President prior to forwarding the reorganization request to the OHR.
The following is not intended to be inclusive of all compensation programs available. Other compensation programs might be available as a result of negotiations through the collective bargaining process.
General Salary Increase: A General Salary Increase (GSI) is a negotiated increase to the salary ranges within a bargaining unit and is also applied to each employee’s base salary within the bargaining unit. This type of increase is generally effective July 1 and is funded by the state. A GSI may also apply to other non-represented groups of employees.
Merit (Performance Based) Salary Increase: Collective bargaining agreements might include the granting of performance-based salary increases, which may be referred to by various names. The performance evaluation process is generally conducted on an annual basis for all permanent and temporary employees. (Please refer to appropriate CBA for specific provisions.)Salary increases for Management Personnel Plan (MPP) and Confidential employees are based on performance reviews and are generally conducted on an annual basis, when CSU system funding is available to the campuses. The amount of increase is determined by the President and campus funds that are appropriated for merit raises.
In-Range Salary Progression Increase: An in-range salary progression (IRP) increase is a permanent increase to the base pay of an employee. An IRP is may be based on one or a combination of considerations of salary equity, market conditions, or changes in duties that do not warrant reclassification or in-class progression, or exceptional performance. The specific amount of an IRP is determined in accordance with the appropriate bargaining agreement and in consultation between the Office of Human Resources and department management. (Please refer to appropriate CBA for specific provisions.)A request for an in-range increase should be submitted to the OHR on an In-Range Progression Request Form describing the precise request and the rationale. An IRP would result in an unplanned increase in the budget of a department and is not funded from any system-wide compensation allocation. The approval of the appropriate divisional Vice President or designee must also be obtained prior to implementing an in-range salary progression.
Stipend: A stipend is a temporary additional payment to an employee that is allocated on a month-to-month basis for the duration of a temporary assignment of responsibilities. A request for a temporary stipend may be submitted to Human Resources by management through the CSUN Portal (Path: Login to My CSUN Portal > HR > Forms & Policies > Employee Forms > HR Stipend/Request Form). Please review the Stipend/Bonus Processing Guide for steps on how to submit. The request will be reviewed for conformance with the appropriate CBA and campus compensation practices.
Stipends may be initiated by management typically when an employee is required to perform the following:
- Temporary Project Coordination or Lead Work Functions – supplemental work assignment outside of an employee’s normal responsibilities made in writing with specific begin and end dates.
- Additional Work or Special Projects – supplemental work outside of regularly assigned duties for a limited period of time or required to maintain contact with their campus outside of employee’s normal working hours on a regular basis.
- Special Assignment – monthly stipend to perform one or more special assignments paid for the duration of the special assignment.
Assignment of duties that are a primary/regular part of an employee’s duties are not eligible for stipend.
Stipend eligibility is based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Please refer to the appropriate CBA for specific provisions.
Bonus: A bonus is a lump sum payment that does not increase the employee’s base salary. The Management Personnel Plan and certain collective bargaining agreements include provisions for the granting of bonuses for reasons such as exceptional performance, retention, critical skills, and recruitment. Management may request a bonus for an employee who is eligible by submitting through the CSUN Portal (Path: Login to My CSUN Portal > HR > Forms & Policies > Employee Forms > HR Stipend/Request Form). Please view the Stipend/Bonus Processing Guide for steps on how to submit. Human Resources will review the request for compliance with the appropriate CBA or provisions of the Management Personnel Plan and campus compensation practices.
Bonus eligibility is based on the CBA. Please refer to the appropriate CBA for specific provisions.
