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Compensation Glossary

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Across the Board Increase
When uniform salary increases are granted within prescribed guidelines, usually by legislative enactment, without regard to individual merit of employees.
Adjustment/Equity Adjustment
Reasons for salary adjustments may include external pressure in high demand areas, internal salary compression, gender, or ethnic equity adjustments (if any), and other forces that may be beyond the control of departments. Equity increases are typically approved during the budget cycle for an effective date of September 1. Any request for an out-of-cycle salary adjustment should be supported by strong evidence of need and a compelling argument as to why the adjustment cannot be accomplished during the next regular budget cycle.
Annual Work Period
In Workday, indicates the period of time when a worker is employed.
Assign Costing Allocations
Process designed to change or adjust source funding accounts for an employee or a vacant position in Workday. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Availability Date
This is the date listed on the Create Position and Edit Position Restrictions business processes in Workday, until this date arrives, the position will be locked with no ability to post. This date should match the Earliest Hire Date.
Budgeted Staff Employee
A regular employee is defined as working in a budgeted position at 50 percent effort (20 hours a week) or more for at least four and one-half months, excluding students employed in positions that require student status as a condition for employment. Specific eligibility requirements for various programs appear in the appropriate policies and regulations.
Business Title
Working title or informal title that is often used on employee's business card and is displayed on the employee's timesheet in Workday.
Cancel (business process)
Process designed to stops the workflow in progress and reverses changes made to data in Workday. You can't cancel a completed business process; you must rescind it. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Career Ladder
A series of defined levels within a job family where the nature of work is similar and the levels represent requirements for increased skill, knowledge and responsibility as an employee moves through a career.
Change Job
Process to change the employment relationship of an employee; for example, a change of location, annual work period, promotion, reclassification, job classification, transfer to a new position or to another supervisory organization; the process is only available for a filled position in Workday. For more information on this business process, visit the Change Job page. For a job aid that includes images and a reference guide, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Classification
A job title within the System-wide Pay Plan that has a specific title code, salary, pay grade, Fair Labor Standards Act exemption status, standard job description, job family, and other job attributes. For positions excluded from the System-wide Pay Plan, they will not list a salary and pay grade.
Close Position
Departments can close vacant positions when they are no longer needed in their unit through the Close Position business process in Workday. Departments cannot close positions that are currently filled. This action cannot be undone. Written approval must be obtained prior to closing the position from Vice President for Enrollment and Academic Services for vacant staff positions in academic units and from Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer for vacant staff positions in non-academic units. This written approval must be maintained internally in the department and does not need to be submitted to Classification and Compensation. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Comp Time Banked
Employees can have their compensatory time banked instead of immediately being paid out. Since Texas A&M University is a public institution, we can give federal comp time in lieu of overtime payment. Overtime compensatory time has a maximum accrual, which is normally 240 hours except for employees who work in public safety, emergency response, or seasonal activities. These employees can accrue 480 hours. Any overtime worked beyond those limits must be paid until the compensatory time bank can be reduced.
Correct (business process)
This business process corrects an already completed business process in Workday. All corrections must be made within the current pay period the action was initiated. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Costing Allocation
Indicates the cost center to which an employee's payroll expenses are charged; can be used to override default cost centers assigned to a position.
Counter Offer
Texas A&M employees may be offered employment with substantial salary increases at peer institutions, government agencies, or in industry at times outside the budget cycle. Counter offers are not allowed within other departments and Texas A&M University or Texas A&M Health Science Center. In some instances, counter offers might be considered to keep the employee at Texas A&M. Counter offers should be used only when the employee possesses special talents that cannot easily be replaced.
Decrease
In Workday, this reason code is used to decrease a salary. Most often used when ending a temporary salary increase that was not processed as an allowance.
Demotion
When an individual moves from one classification to another classification having a lower pay range and/or title of lower status, and perhaps requiring less education, experience, or responsibility.
Demotion New Position
In Workday, this reason code is used when an employee is moving from one position to another position with a lower pay range, a title of lower status, and perhaps requiring less education, experience, or responsibility in Workday. Any action considered a demotion must be discussed with Employee Relations before proceeding. This reason code is selected when the demotion is through the Internal Promotion and Transfer (IPT) process.
Demotion Reclassification
In Workday, this reason code is used when the job duties or responsibilities of an employee's current position are re-evaluated and the same position is assigned to a different job profile with a lower pay range a title of lower status, and perhaps requiring less education, experience or responsibility. Any action considered a demotion must be discussed with Employee Relations before proceeding.
Deny (business process)
This business process terminates the business process and restores all Workday data to its state before the business process started.
Dual Employment
An employee is considered dual employed when holding two or more State of Texas jobs. The appropriate Human Resources office or applicable department reviews the dual employment requests to ascertain whether the hours worked in multiple positions may be combined under the Fair Labor Standards Act. For more information visit Adding a Job to an Employee (Dual Employment) section in the Job Changes page.
Earliest Hire Date
Requested on the New or Edit Position Restrictions actions in Workday. The position is locked with no ability to fill until this date arrives. This date should match the Availability Date.
Edit Position Restrictions
This process is used to make changes to the Hiring Restrictions and Qualifications of a position using the Edit Position Restrictions business process in Workday. This process can be completed on both filled and vacant positions. For more information on this business process, visit the Edit Position Restrictions page. For a job aid that includes images, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Employee Type
In Workday, it is a sub-category of the Worker Type that is assigned to a position and the employee at the point of employment; includes Faculty, Staff, Graduate Assistant, Student Worker and Temporary / Casual.
Employee Visibility Date
Set date that the employee can see this change on their worker profile/history in Workday.
End Additional Job
The process for an HR Contact, HR Partner, Manager or Management Chain to end an additional job assigned to an employee in Workday.
Exempt Employee
An employee who is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act is not eligible for overtime and does not receive comp time. The only exception being that they have a salary for a specific job and that amount cannot be reduced, and this amount is paid out monthly to the employee. To determine if the employee's position is exempt, the position must meet all 3 tests: the job duties test, the salary basis test, and the salary minimum threshold. The categories of exemptions are Executive, Administrative and Professional.
Expected End Date
Used as a reference when you are not sure if the compensation is actually going to end in Workday. It will give you an opportunity to review all expected end dates and put an actual end date if needed.
External Salary Market
The comparison of a position's worth relative to the going market rates of its competitors in the prevailing market outside the university.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
The Fair Labor Standards Act is the law, first passed in 1938, that establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time workers in the private sector and in federal, state, and local governments. Covered non-exempt workers are entitled to a minimum wage of not less than $7.25 an hour. Overtime pay at a rate of one and one-half times the regular rate of pay is required for non-exempt employees after 40 hours of work in a workweek (Sunday through Saturday for TAMU). For more information visit the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) page.
Federal Overtime
Federal overtime is calculated at 1 ½ time the standard or regular rate of pay Non-exempt employees earn FLSA overtime whenever the hours they actually work in a workweek exceed 40. FLSA can only be earned for hours worked. Paid leave—such as vacation and paid sick leave—and holidays do not count when determining FLSA overtime hours. This is not a pro-ratable number of hours; part-time non-exempt employees must work over 40 hours in a workweek before they are paid overtime or accrue overtime compensatory time (comp time).
Federal Compensatory Time
Federal Compensatory Time can be given in lieu of federal overtime payment, but only for public employees. We can use this at Texas A&M University because we work for a public institution. Federal Compensatory Time accrues at 1 ½ times the number of overtime hours worked. This cannot exceed 240 hours for most employees (480 hours for some seasonal workers, police, fire, EMS or other emergency personnel). Once an employee reaches the 240 (or 480) hour limit in their comp bank, any further overtime worked must be paid until such time that the comp bank has been reduced. Federal Compensatory Time never expires.
Grade
For TAMU employees, this will always be either "System Level Structure" or "System Level Structure (Hourly)" depending on how the employee needs to be paid in Workday.
Grade Profile System Level Structure
For TAMU employees, use System Level Structure for salary paid employees in Workday.
Grade Profile System Level Structure (Hourly)
For TAMU employees, use System Level Structure (Hourly) for bi-weekly, hourly paid employees in Workday.
Hazard Duty Pay
A commissioned peace officer of an institution of higher education is considered to be in a hazardous duty position and entitled to hazardous duty pay of $10 per month for each 12-month period of accrued lifetime service credit in a hazardous duty position. State employees are eligible for hazardous duty and longevity pay in accordance with System Regulation 31.01.04, Longevity and Hazardous Duty Pay.
Longevity Pay
Longevity Pay is calculated as $20.00 per month for each two years of lifetime service credit as an employee of the State of Texas, up to and including 42 years of service. State employees are eligible for hazardous duty and longevity pay in accordance with System Regulation 31.01.04, Longevity and Hazardous Duty Pay.
Hiring Manager
An employee that makes hiring decisions for employees.
Hiring Salary Adjustment
These increases can be given to newly hired or promoted employees who have specific skills and experience above the minimum qualifications for the position. The adjustment can only be given within three months immediately following six months of service. For more information visit the Hiring Salary Adjustment page.
Hours Worked
Hours worked can be defined as time spent by an employee primarily for the benefit of the employer and work controlled or required by the employer. Working hours can be performed at a regular "base", at secondary or remote locations, while traveling or while working remotely/from home. A non-exempt employee may not volunteer to do their job and they must report their time. All hours worked must be tracked in Workday through the Time worklet or in Kronos.
HR Liaison/HR Liaison Coordinator
This is a Texas A&M University employee administering or managing human resource related critical functions for employees within a division or department of Texas A&M.
Increase
In Workday, this reason code is used to give an increase in salary. Please check with Classification and Compensation before using this reason. Increases in salary must match accepted System and University regulations.
Internal Salary Market
The comparison of a position's worth relative to its value within the organization.
Internal Promotion and Transfer
The internal promotion and transfer of an employee is the process by which qualified internal candidates may be promoted or transferred to fill a vacancy without an advertisement or posting. This process may also be used for demotion of an employee. For more information visit the Internal Promotion and Transfer page.
Job Analysis
The formal study of the duties and responsibilities that comprise a job, taking into consideration the nature and level of work performed and the specifications required for an incumbent to perform the job competently.
Job Classification
In Workday, it is the reporting categories or job profile attributes defined system-wide in the job catalog, such as FLSA exemption reasons, EEO job categories, etc.
Job Description
Data that will go on a requisition/posting, including duties, qualifications, required knowledge, skills, certifications, etc.
Job Profile
In Workday, it defines generic features and characteristics (e.g. pay rate type, competencies, and proficiencies; etc.) of a job and of a position that uses the profile.
Job Related Skill Enhancement
Job-Related Skill Enhancement Pay may be awarded to employees who take the initiative, through their own efforts, to increase their job worth by completing a prescribed program of study to achieve a higher level of skill in their job field. A Job-Related Skill Enhancement Pay increase may be awarded to employees who master a body of knowledge directly related to their job by completing academic degrees, achieving professional certifications or licenses. This monetary award is added to the employee's base pay. For more information visit the Job Related Skill Enhancement Pay page.
Job Title
In Workday, it is the title of the worker in their assigned job; defaults from the Job Posting or Job Profile name unless changed.
Lactation Breaks

Nursing mothers must be allowed to take periodic breaks as necessary during a 1-year period following the birth of their child. If rest breaks are allowed by the department, lactation breaks are compensable to the extent that other employees are given breaks. If required lactation breaks exceed the number/time allowed for rest breaks, these extra breaks are not compensable, but must be allowed. Flex schedules should be considered to accommodate non-compensable lactation breaks (Ex: arriving 15 minutes early, staying 15 minutes late, shortened lunch break, etc.).

A specific area need not be permanently set aside, but it must be secure and private, screened from view and not subject to interruptions. There must not be a toilet in the lactation room.

Location
The employee's work site city that includes a County Code in the reference ID of the Location in Workday.
Market Adjustment
A salary increase granted to establish equity/competitiveness with salaries paid in the relevant labor market, as documented by approved survey data.
Meal Breaks
Meal breaks are not mandatory, but if given, must meet all three conditions or it is compensable time:
  • Minimum of 30 minutes, and
  • Relieved of all duties, and
  • Free to leave work location
Merit Increase, Outside Budget Cycle
Used when requesting a merit raise outside of the regular cycle in Workday.
Merit Increase, Regular Budget Cycle
Only used in situations when a worker is incorrectly missed during Workday's built in budget and merit process.
Merit Payment
An employee may be granted a lump-sum, merit salary payment that is not added to the employee's base salary. Merit salary payments are subject to the standard payroll deductions. For more information visit the Merit page.
Merit Salary Increase
An increase granted to an individual in recognition of meritorious job performance, as recorded in a formal and documented performance appraisal process (See System Regulation 33.99.03, Performance Evaluations for Nonfaculty Employees). The annual performance evaluation is required and should be a factor along with other criteria established by each member for any decision concerning the award of a merit increase. Merit increases are governed by System Regulation 31.01.08, Merit Salary Increases. For more information visit the Merit page.
Minimum Wage
The Texas A&M University System will establish wage rates in compliance with federal and state minimum wage regulations. See System Regulation 31.01.02, Fair Labor Standards. Federal and State of Texas minimum wage is $7.25 per hour.
Move Worker (Supervisory)
The process for an HR Partner or HR Contact to move positions and workers from one supervisory organization to another without a change in their position details in Workday. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Non-Exempt Employee
Employees who are non-exempt from the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act are paid on an hourly basis, on a bi-weekly pay schedule at Texas A&M University and are eligible for overtime pay or compensatory time for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
One-Time Payment
One-time payments can be used to issue payments to an employee for additional work, awards programs, or lump sum vacation payouts.
Other Salary Action
Please check with Classification and Compensation before using this reason code in the Request Compensation Change business process in Workday to see if the salary change qualifies.
Overtime Exemption Designations
Positions designated under the Fair Labor Standards Act as either exempt or non-exempt from the overtime provisions of the law. See definitions for exempt employee and non-exempt employee.
Pay Band
Texas A&M University has broken down each pay grade into three bands - Lower, Middle, and Upper, with each requiring a different authority to use. The Lower Band requires Department Head approval, the Middle Band requires VP/Dean or designee approval, and the Upper Band requires both VP and the VP of HR to approve.
Pay Grade
In the System-Wide Pay Plan, a salary range featuring a minimum and maximum salary that has been broken into Pay Bands, each requiring different authority to use.
Pay Calculation Results for a Period
This report is used in Workday to check employee's pay information before payroll calculates, including employee's position, gross/net amount, and costing allocation. Also use the report to audit zero gross pay or zero net pay.
Position ID
Formally known as PIN (Position Identification Number) is an automatically assigned number that uniquely identifies a position in Workday.
Position
A job that must be performed to meet the business needs of the organization and includes the job attributes such as worker type, time type, pay rate type, location, job profile, compensation, job classifications and availability start date in Workday A position can be filled or unfilled and must first exist in order to employ an individual to perform the job.
Position Description
This is used to record the duties, responsibilities, qualifications sought, and fiscal impact of staff positions that serves as the basis for determining title, salary, and exemption status.
Position Reclassification
This reason code is used when changing the job profile of the same position as a result of reevaluating the job duties of an employee's position, or making any combination of other data changes that do not result in the employee being assigned to a lower or higher salary range and/or title that would be considered a promotion or demotion.
Position Restrictions
The duties, education, experience and other attributes of an unfilled position in a supervisory organization and the job description of duties for a filled position in Workday.
Promotion
When an individual moves from one position to another position requiring higher qualifications, a higher rate of pay and a title change.
Promotion New Position
In Workday, this reason code is used when an employee is moving from one position to another position requiring higher qualifications, higher rate of pay and a title change. This reason code is selected when the promotion is through the Internal Promotion and Transfer (IPT) process.
Promotion Reclassification
In Workday, this reason code is used when the job duties or responsibilities of an employee's current position are reevaluated and the same position is assigned to a different job profile requiring higher qualifications, a higher rate of pay and a title change.
Reclassification
When the job duties of a position are re-evaluated and the position is assigned to a new classification. For more information visit Reclassifying an Existing Position section in the Job Changes page.
Request Compensation Change
This business process is used in Workday to initiate a change in compensation which includes monthly/hourly rate, allowance and compensation grade. For more information on this business process, visit the Request Compensation Change page.
Rescind (business process)
This business process is used to reverses all changes made to Workday data for the specific event on completed business processes. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Rest Breaks
Rest breaks are not mandatory, but if given they should be between 5–20 minutes. This is compensable time and they should not be combined or added to meal or other breaks. If added to meal or other breaks, the time may become non-compensable time.
State Compensatory Time

Earned when combination of hours worked and paid leave exceeds 40 hours in a work week. Accrues on an hour-per-hour basis (straight time). There is no maximum accrual for state comp time. State Compensatory Time must be used within 12 months from the pay period in which it is earned or it is lost (cannot carry forward). State Compensatory Time can be paid only on an exception basis. The Employer must allow employee to take state comp time when requested, unless it would cause serious disruption to teaching, research, or other critical functions. This is actual disruption to operational activities, not backroom functions such as accounting and cannot be due to inconvenience. State Compensatory Time may not be paid upon termination, but the employee can remain on payroll to expend comp time.

Exempt employees required to work on a scheduled holiday will accrue equivalent State Comp Time to be taken within 12 months following the pay period in which it is accrued (this is the only situation in which an exempt employee can accrue comp time). Exempt employees can accrue a maximum of 8 hours a day, and Saturday and Sunday do not count. The holiday must be a scheduled and approved System holiday and an employee's supervisor has requested that the employee work.

Supervisory Organization
The core foundational structure that groups workers into a management hierarchy; documents the reporting structure in Workday. All workers must be hired into a supervisory organization.
Switch Primary Job
Process to for an HR Contact, HR Partner, Manager, or someone in the management chain to switch an employee's additional job to be their primary job in Workday. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
System-Wide Pay Plan
The Texas A&M System implemented a standardized collection of titles and salaries designed to be used for staff across the System. This collection of titles is the Texas A&M System-Wide Pay Plan, and it enables all System Member institutions and agencies to have access to consistent and timely information for new and existing employees. Under the System-Wide Pay Plan, every title included in the plan has a range associated with it. These ranges are much wider than Texas A&M has used in the past, so they have been broken down into bands, with each band requiring a different level of authority to use. The assignment of ranges and management of the System-Wide Pay Plan is owned by the Texas A&M System. Changes and updates happen via an established pay plan committee featuring Human Resources staff from all relevant System Members, and a full-time Pay Plan Administrator who works in the System Office. All new positions and reclassifications of vacant positions will be approved at the full lower band salary range for any title in the System-Wide Pay Plan.
Task
In Workday, it is a step, either standalone or in business process, that you must complete. For example, task alert notifications are triggered by steps in a business process.
Temporary/Casual Position
Temporary/Casual positions (formerly known as wage positions) are defined under System Regulation 33.99.01: Employment Practices: a temporary position funded from a lump-sum budget category. Such a position will fit within one of two categories: (1) a student position which requires student status as a condition of employment; or (2) a temporary position created to accommodate short-term labor needs, such as work of an intermittent nature or having a brief, fixed duration. For more information visit the Temporary/Casual Position Guidelines page.
Temporary Salary Increase

Occasionally, positions vital to an organization must be filled immediately on a temporary basis. In such instances, another employee may be temporarily assigned to the vacant position or asked to assume some or all of the responsibilities of the position for lengthy periods of time. An employee placed in an acting or interim status or who is required to assume significant additional responsibilities for an extended period of time may be considered for a temporary salary increase. The temporary salary increase must be renewed annually if the increase is continuous.

To be eligible for a temporary salary increase the following criteria must be met; the new duties to be performed are clearly differentiated from the duties normally performed by the employee. performed by the employee, and the new duties are not to be performed on a permanent basis, and the new duties are to be performed for more than thirty (30) days, but typically not more than one year.

Note: The Temporary Salary Increase may be set up as a monthly allowance for monthly paid positions. To set up a monthly allowance, go to the Allowance section and select Temporary/Interim Increase for the Compensation Plan and enter the monthly increase in the Amount field. Do not use allowance to set up a temporary increase for hourly paid positions. The temporary increase should be applied to the current hourly rate for hourly paid positions.

Transfer
Is used when an employee is moving from one position to another position, both of which may be assigned the same salary range, title, or organizational level within the same or different system member part or Company.
U.S. Patriot Act
A federal law passed in 2001 that makes it illegal for restricted individuals to work with certain biological agents, toxins, or delivery systems.
View Position Restrictions
Process for an Employee, Manager, and other Workday security roles to view an employee's position restrictions. Position Restrictions comprise the job summary, job description, responsibilities and required qualifications of a specific position. For a job aid on this process, visit Workday Help in your Single Sign On (SSO) menu.
Wage and Salary Surveys
Salary information collected to compare internal salaries to those in the same geographical, industry or other specific area in which an organization competes for labor.
Wellness Release Time
Wellness Release Time is a 30-minute break, three times a week for employees to participate in wellness activities. This time is paid time and it cannot be made up if missed. Wellness Release Time cannot be accrued, banked, or carried over. Wellness Release Time should be taken at the start or end of the work day, or in conjunction with a lunch break. Wellness Release Time should not be in conjunction with rest breaks. Wellness Release Time cannot be used to reduce paid vacation or sick leave. For more information visit the Wellness Release Time page.
Workday
The human resources and payroll system used by the Texas A&M System, accessible through Single Sign On.
Worker Type
Distinguishes between Employee or Contingent Worker; compensation, benefits and staffing events are tied to the worker type; assigned to each position and worker in a filled position in Workday.
Workweek
The typical workweek at Texas A&M University is Sunday through Saturday.