Initial Placement on Salary Scale, Supplemental Pay and Award of Related Support Packages
1. Background
The University is committed to recruiting and retaining top class staff in order to deliver the key institutional objectives. The salary scales that have been agreed with each of the recognised trade unions are considered to be competitive when compared against other universities and the Northern Ireland market. The University will continue to monitor closely the salaries paid by other civic universities, particularly to academic staff.
The University recognises there is a need to ensure consistency of approach in determining starting salaries of all staff, within a school or directorate or, on occasions, across schools, to fulfil the legal requirements of existing Equal Pay legislation. It also recognises that to attract staff on national and international quality, it needs to provide an attractive remuneration and support package, including an appropriate starting salary.
2. Initial Placement on Salary Point
All posts should be advertised with the salary scale appropriate to the grade.
Once the successful candidate has been identified, a decision should be made about a starting salary. Starting salaries will be assessed according to the relevance of qualifications, experience, level of knowledge and ability in relation to that of comparable staff within the school/administrative unit. The Personnel Officer will provide a summary of existing staff at the same level to the Head of School/Director and Chair of Panel.
Where the successful candidate is currently earning a salary less than the first point on the advertised salary or is unemployed, they would normally be placed on the first point of the scale unless an assessment of their qualifications, experience, knowledge and ability supports the award of a higher starting salary. Cognisance should also be taken of long periods of unemployment as there may be the need to put in place additional support arrangements.
Where a candidate is earning a salary within or above the salary scale, the following factors should be considered when determining the salary point within the salary scale which should be offered.
(i) Relevant Qualifications
The weight given to qualifications will depend on the level and the duties of the post.
(ii) Relevant Experience
The weight given to the following will depend on the level and the duties of the post. There are two dimensions – quantity and quality.
(iii) Quantity: Academic Staff
- Previous lecturing appointments, either full-time or part-time;
- Previous teaching experience, ranging from tutoring, demonstrating and practicals to lecturing;
- Previous research experience – academic research projects, industrial and/or commercial research;
- Current research standing nationally and internationally.
(iv) Quality: Academic Staff
- The level, breadth, depth and complexity of the relevant experience is important;
- Teaching experience may include development and design of new courses, course co-ordination, development of teaching methods, examining and other assessment procedures;
- Research experience could include, for example, supervision of post-graduate students, management of research grants, collaborative research, commercial or industrial research experience, liaison with external organisations, consultancy. Skills and competencies may be judged by, for example, high quality publications, evidence of scholarship (prizes and awards) or independent research;
- Research aptitude to include the ability to develop new research opportunities, where appropriate, involving multi-professional/discipline working within Queen’s and with other institutions.
(v) Quality: Non Academic Staff
- The level, breadth, depth and complexity of the relevant experience is important.
3. Determining the Salary and Support Package
In order to effectively manage and monitor the award of salary and support packages, the following arrangements are proposed to deal with the appointment of new staff and the retention of existing staff.
Appointment of Academic Staff
Having had regard to the information set out in Section 2, the salary and support package will be determined as follows:
(a) Standard Package – Academic Staff up to and including Professorial Range 2
In this category, the salary and support package will be determined within the expected/planned range. The Group to determine the salary and support package shall be:
- The Chair of the Appointments Panel;
- Head of School;
- Director of Human Resources/nominee.
(b) Standard Package - Appointments to Professorial Range 3 and 4
Where the salary to be offered relates to an appointment to Professorial Range 3 or 4, the offer will be determined by the Group identified in 3(a) above. In advance of such an offer being made, the Vice-Chancellor/Pro-Vice-Chancellor will obtain an assessment of the individual’s professorial standing from an appropriate member of the International Panel.
(c) Non-Standard Package - Academic Staff
Where the salary to be offered may necessitate the payment of a salary supplement and/or the enhancement of the standard support package, the offer will be determined by the following Group, within the approved policy framework:
- (*) Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning, Staffing and External Relations (Chair of the Group);
- (*) The Chair of the Appointments Panel;
- Head of School;
- Dean of relevant Faculty;
- Registrar and Chief Operating Officer (or nominee);
- Director of Human Resources/Personnel Manager.
(*) Where the Vice-Chancellor is the key point of contact with the successful applicant, and is not the Chair of the Appointments Panel, he will act as Chair of this Group.
- Where appointment to Professorial Range 3 or Range 4 is being considered as part of the Non-Standard Package, an assessment of the individual’s professorial standing will be obtained from an appropriate member of the International Panel.
Appointment of Support Staff
Where appointment is within the salary scale, the starting salary shall be determined by:
- The Chair of the Appointments Panel;
- The Personnel Manager or nominee;
Where the appointment is not within the approved salary scale for the post, the starting salary and associated package shall be determined by the following group within the approved policy framework:
- The Chair of the Appointments Panel;
- The Head of School/Director;
- The Registrar and Chief Operating Officer or nominee (Chair of the Group);
- The Director of Human Resources/Personnel Manager.
Communication of Agreed Offer
The Chair of the Appointments Panel will normally be responsible for making personal contact with the successful applicant providing details of the salary and any support package agreed by the relevant Group. The formal letter of appointment will be issued by the Human Resources Directorate within three working days of this date.
4. Terms of Supplement Pay
In circumstances where it is considered that a supplement should be paid for a group of staff to match that market, an analysis will be undertaken by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning, Staffing and External Relations or the appropriate Director, the Dean of the Faculty and the Personnel Manager for consideration by the Operating Board.
Any supplement approved, as set out in Section 3, will increase with the annual cost of living award and is pensionable. The supplement will be regularly reviewed and it is expected that this will reduce over time.
Where a member of staff obtains promotion, or is appointed to a higher grade, the supplement will cease or be reduced. The level of supplement previously paid will, however, be taken into account when determining the new substantive salary to be paid within the new grade. In relation to the professoriate, movement between the salary ranges constitutes a promotion in applying these guidelines.
5. Retention of Staff
It is recognised that the University is competing with other institutions to secure staff of the highest calibre. In certain circumstances, the Groups, detailed in Sections 5.1 and 5.2 below, will review individual cases for retention and will determine the appropriate action to be taken, within the approved policy framework. These circumstances will include the following:
(i) Where an existing employee applies for an externally advertised position and is successful;
(ii) Where an existing employee receives an alternative offer of employment;
(iii) Where an existing employee is actively applying for positions in other institutions, and where the loss of that employee would impact negatively on the University’s REF submission, or the delivery of its strategic priorities.
Academic Staff
The Group shall be
- The Head of School;
- The Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning, Staffing and External Relations (Chair);
- The Dean of relevant Faculty;
- The Director of Finance;
- The Director of Human Resources/Personnel Manager.
The Group may be supplemented to include other Officers as required.
In addition, where advancement into Range 3 or 4 is being considered, an assessment will be obtained from an external assessor on the International Panel.
N.B. Where the ‘retention package’ involves matters other than adjusting salary, the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer or nominee shall be a member of the Group.
Details of any offer received by the individual member of staff, together with an updated Curriculum Vitae, will be made available by the Head of School.
Where it is considered that the retention of the individual is in the strategic interests of the University, an assessment will be made as to whether the individual fulfils the requirements of a higher graded position; if so, an offer of promotion will be made. In circumstances where the salary of the promoted grade is less than the salary offered, a retention supplement may be awarded. This supplement will increase with the annual cost of living award and will be pensionable1.
Where the individual does not meet the requirements of the higher graded position, but it is in the strategic interests of the University to retain her/him, pay may be increased within grade and/or a supplement awarded. This supplement will increase with the cost-of-living award and will be pensionable. It will be reviewed annually.
Where a member of academic staff obtains promotion or is appointed to a higher grade, the supplement will cease or reduce. The level of supplement previously paid will, however, be taken into account when determining the new substantive salary to be paid within the new grade.
Support Staff
The Group shall be:
- The Head of School/Director;
- The Registrar and Chief Operating Officer or nominee (Chair);
- The Director of Human Resources/Personnel Manager.
A similar approach will be applied in relation to support staff. Details of the alternative offer of employment and updated curriculum vitae will be provided by the Head of School/Director to the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer.
Where it is considered that the retention of the individual is in the strategic interests of the University, promotion to a higher grade should not be offered. The award of a retention supplement can be made which will increase with the annual cost of living and be pensionable1.
Where a member of support staff obtains appointment to a higher grade, the supplement will cease or reduce. The level of supplement previously paid will, however, be taken into account when determining the new substantive salary to be paid within the new grade.
6. Review
As previously indicated, the normal expectation is that the vast majority of staff will be appointed within salary scales without the use of supplement pay, but there will be exceptional cases where such supplements are approved in accordance with this policy.
There is a need to regularly review the use of ‘supplemental pay’. Accordingly, a Review Group comprising the Vice-Chancellor (Chair), Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning, Staffing and External Relations, the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Human Resources, the Personnel Manager and Director of Finance, will review the use of such awards on an annual basis and report, as appropriate, to the University Management Board.
7. Benchmarking Salaries
The University will continue to review the salary scales covered by the National Framework Agreement, to ensure that salaries remain competitive with other similar universities and employers.
Additionally, the University will also annually review the salaries of the professoriate to ensure that they are in line with comparator institutions. The University will also have regard to the sectoral analysis undertaken by UCEA, and will participate in the annual review of senior salaries undertaken by the Russell Group.
1 Where it is considered that a supplement should be paid for a group of staff to match that market, the award may be applied as a % of salary, to ensure it continues to be consistently applied over time as individuals move incrementally through the payscale.
