Ohio Administrative Code
Title 3341 - Bowling Green State University
Chapter 3341-5 - Administrative Staff Policies
Section 3341-5-05 - Administrative staff performance-based merit system
Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 3341-5-05
Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) Policy statement and purpose
To set out the rules for the merit based compensation review of administrative staff.
(B) Policy
A number of important principles must form the foundation for an effective performance appraisal process and for the equitable distribution of salary increment awards. A performance-based merit system for awarding employee salary increases provided such a system is fair, equitable, and firmly grounded on these principles. Merit means a salary increment that is allotted for performance of duties that meets or exceeds unit expectations. The following principles underlie an effective performance-based merit system:
(1)
An effective merit system should promote employee
recruitment and retention, adequately reward conscientious performance of
normal duties and responsibilities, and provide incentives that encourage
distinguished, innovative and creative achievements to meet unusual challenges
and opportunities when they arise.
(2)
A salary system
should be designed to promote internal salary equity (based upon the
administrative staff compensation plan) as well as external salary equity
(based upon salary comparisons among individuals in similar positions from
similar universities, colleges or departments). The institution should monitor
and ensure that employee salaries continue to be commensurate with individual
employee's skills, abilities, and experience.
(3)
A
performance-based merit system may include a component of peer-review when
appropriate. Appropriateness will be determined by and subject to review and
approval of the president or area vice president.
(4)
A
performance-based merit system should engender the type, quantity, and quality
of performance that contributes to the achievement of institutional and unit
missions and goals. The reward system also needs to account for a variety of
ways that an employee may support these missions and goals.
(5)
A
performance-based merit system needs to establish a clear connection between
employee performance and reward. Meritorious performance should be rewarded in
tangible ways. A department or unit must clearly identify the normal
expectations and performance standards that are expected of all staff. Through
this process, indicators must be identified for performances that fall below
standard expectations for merit as well for those types of achievements that
surpass the unit's standard expectations.
(6)
The performance
appraisal process should provide employees with constructive comments that
enable them to develop professionally and make improvements in
performance.
(7)
A performance-based merit system must avoid
trivializing the system by spreading merit too thinly and thus minimizing the
impact of any incentive awards given.
(8)
Even the best
annual review systems may produce salary inequities or may fail to
appropriately reward contributions or performances spread over longer periods
of time. Thus, an annual merit review system needs to be supplemented by
periodic five-year comprehensive reviews on a rotating
schedule.
(9)
A performance-based merit or salary reward system
should foster cooperation among staff, should reward individuals for
collaborative efforts and should generate wide support and general satisfaction
on the university campus.
(10)
Both the
performance-based merit system and the performance appraisal process will be
reviewed annually by administrative Staff (counsel, which will make
recommendations for modification as appropriate.
(C) Bowling Green state university will adopt a performance-based merit reward system based on these principles.
(1)
Principles
(a)
Each year, the university should identify, review and
address employee salaries which may be inequitable. Funds should be made
available on a regular, on-going basis to correct salary inequities, make
market adjustments and salary adjustments deemed appropriate following
comprehensive reviews of employee performance and salary, and to support raises
for promotions. These funds should not be considered part of the annual merit
pool
.
(b)
To establish a
clear connection between employee performance and reward, meritorious
performance should be rewarded in tangible ways. Each employee will have a
performance appraisal form plan with specified performance indicators to be
rewarded.
(c)
A performance-based merit system must be administered
openly and reliably. Thus, changes in evaluation and merit pay criteria must be
completed before the new contract year, i.e., before June thirtieth of the
prior contract year. To ensure that employees can contest unfair merit
assessments, timely disclosures of merit performance evaluations are necessary.
Continual dialogue between the supervisor and the employee about progress
towards goals is essential.
Time deadlines
(i)
Performance
appraisal forms must be completed by May thirty-first of the prior contract
year.
(ii)
Evaluations must be completed and results shared with
staff member by May thirty-first.
(iii)
Merit criteria
must be known prior to start of next contract year.
(iv)
A supervisor
will meet with employees between November fifteenth and January fifteenth for a
dialogue on progress toward their annual goals. The supervisor will document at
that time an employee's performance appraisal form which is falling below the
satisfactory level. The supervisor will be expected to continue to engage in
on-going dialogue with the employee to improve employee
performance.
(d)
A supervisor's merit evaluation will include an
assessment of the completion of performance evaluations and merit pay
recommendations for their staff on time. Failure to do so will be deemed
performance below expectations.
(e)
The office of
human resources will review all annual performance evaluations and merit pay
recommendations to ensure consistency and integrity. Issues concerning the
process will be communicated to ASC-PWC on an annual basis.
(f)
The annual merit
allocations should be based upon the meritorious accomplishments over the past
three-year period on a rolling basis, i.e., each year new information is added
to the file for the most recent year and information for the oldest year is
eliminated from the file. This will help to reduce inequities that can result
from differences in the merit funds available each year and from fluctuations
in performance that may occur from year to year.
(g)
All employees
will be evaluated in their annual performance reviews to determine their
eligibility for merit. Merit eligibility is determined by the job performance
of an employee, as assessed by the administrative staff performance appraisal
form. Performing one's job at a satisfactory level and in a competent manner is
the basis for merit pay. Given that an employee will qualify for a merit
increase by meeting, as well as exceeding, unit standards, it is expected that
very few employees will fail to qualify for merit.
(h)
Any employee who
does not qualify for merit in their annual performance review should not
receive a salary increase. A professional development fund equal to the uniform
per centage raise that would have been allocated to the individual, should be
made available to the department or academic unit for employee development,
with priority given to assisting employees who have failed to qualify for a
merit increment.
(i)
If the total merit pool for salary increments in a
given year is three per cent or less, all employees who qualify for merit in
their annual performance reviews will receive the same per centage increase in
salary.
(j)
If the total merit pool for salary increments in a
given year is more than three per cent but less than five per cent, it will be
allocated according to the following guidelines:
(i)
Three per cent of
the total salaries of employees shall be allocated as a three per cent increase
in salary to all employees who qualify for merit based on their annual
performance reviews.
(ii)
The remaining difference between the total merit pool
and the three per cent of the total salaries of the administrative staff shall
be allocated to departments and units for recognition of those employees whose
level of performance exceeds department or unit expectations as defined by the
merit policy of the department or unit.
(k)
If the total
merit pool is five per cent or more, it will be allocated according to the
following guidelines:
(i)
Sixty per cent shall be allocated to departments/units
to be used as an equal per centage increase in salary to all employees who meet
or exceed department/unit expectations and thereby qualify for merit in their
annual performance reviews.
(ii)
Forty per cent
shall be allocated to departments/units for recognition and reward of those
employees whose level of performance exceeds department/unit expectations as
defined by the merit policy of the department/unit.
Date: January 1, 2014
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