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July 18, 2005
Salary structure changes are in store for 2006

Katherine Hinson is director of hr communications

 

Emory is dedicated to attracting and retaining the best staff. With this in mind, the University’s compensation department has worked the past year with key managers from various divisions, Emory Healthcare and consultants from Watson Wyatt to realign its salary structures.

A salary structure is a tool that serves as a framework to make structured, fair and consistent pay decisions, while responding to changes in the labor market. The structures are developed in conjunction with market data and are the bases for a number of decisions regarding employees’ pay, such as calculating starting salaries and changes in salary associated with job changes, as well as indicating how Emory pays relative to the market.

Since neither salary structure data nor the design of the structure had been altered for several years, the University’s goal was to update the salary structures and compensation policies, programs and practices to ensure that Emory is positioned to fulfill its mission as a destination university.

As a result, all employees in classified jobs (jobs assigned to the salary structure and a pay grade) will have new grades and salary ranges effective Sept. 1, 2005. Key points about the salary structure changes include:
• For many jobs, the control point (formerly the midpoint) for the new grades is more market competitive. Where pay ranges were already competitive, the control points and pay ranges are similar to the old ranges.
• The salary range spread for each pay grade varies based on the level of the grade.
• Based on market data, jobs previously in the same grade may now be in different grades; conversely, jobs previously in different grades may now be in the same grade.

In accordance with Emory’s salary administration policies, employees must be paid within their salary ranges. If an employee’s annualized salary (a rate based on a full year’s work), including any FY06 annual merit increase, is less than the new range minimum, it will automatically be adjusted to the new minimum for Sept. 1, 2005. (This will affect fewer than 400 employees.)

Answers to frequently asked questions about salary structures can be found on the Human Resources website at http://emory.hr.emory.edu/compensa.nsf. Anyone with specific questions regarding these changes should discuss them with their divisional Human Resources leadership.

 

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