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Updates to Staff Compensation Actions

September 1, 2021:  Updates to Staff Hiring & Compensation Actions
The Staff Hiring Authorization Process and Staff Compensation Action Freeze for Texas A&M University, which were enacted through August 31, 2021, have now expired. If you have not received a notification of approval for a hiring authorization request submitted prior to September 1, that request has now been approved and you may proceed accordingly.

As a result of the value realized in administering a review process to help ensure that a position’s function is essential to meet critical demand and supports the mission of Texas A&M, our recruiting and Classification & Compensation teams will be implementing adjustments to Workday processes to help us be more effective in our approach to fill vacancies and create new positions. Additional information about these adjustments will be forthcoming this week and we will hold Q&A sessions and training opportunities as needed.

We appreciate your patience as we make adjustments to how we do business in a manner that reduces administrative burden and leverages the use of Workday.

 

Staff Compensation Action Freeze

Updated July 19, 2021

On July 13, 2021 a limited exception process was announced for the Staff Compensation Action Freeze.

As announced in the HR Liaison Q&A on the Hiring & Compensation Action Freeze, there will be a limited exception process for compensation actions impacted by the Staff Compensation Action Freeze. Units may seek consideration for an exception using the Staff Compensation Action Request Form. Submission of this form does not guarantee that the request will be approved. The justification statement on each form will be carefully evaluated by the Chief Operating Officer to determine if Presidential approval is warranted.

The request form requires specific information on funding types and sources, as well as a strong justification outlining how the request fits under one or more of the listed criteria and why the request should be approved with an effective date before 9/1/21.

  1. The requested position is necessary for health, safety, or security reasons, or
  2. The requested position has a direct impact to revenue or grant funding, or
  3. Not filling the requested position would create a significant inability to meet student needs without other viable options, or
  4. A special exemption has been authorized by the President or Chief Operating Officer.

This freeze will be lifted effective 9/1/2021.

Previous Announcements
 Updated June 28, 2021

All staff compensation actions will be frozen for at least the next 90 days or until further notice. This freeze applies to reclassifications, promotions, hiring salary adjustments, job-related skill enhancement pay requests, equity increases, temporary salary increases, counteroffers, and other salary adjustments, excluding merit.

FY22 staff equity increases for September 1 are not being approved at this time. Departments should not plan to include staff equity increases in Phase 2 of the budget process. In addition, staff equity increases outside of the budget cycle will not be considered for approval. The hold on staff equity increases will be revisited in the future once the current review is complete. Faculty and research staff equity increases for FY22 are not impacted by this decision and may proceed as planned.

Resources

Questions may be emailed:

Instructions for Exception Process

  1. Complete the Staff Compensation Action Request Form to facilitate routing.
    • Click the document link above and download the form from the website.
    • Open the form with Adobe Acrobat Pro 2017 or Adobe Acrobat DC and complete the form online.
    • If you haven't done so already, create a digital signature in Adobe Acrobat and digitally sign the form.
  2. Once completed, the form must be routed to the final approver (Academic: Provost, Non-Academic Units: Vice President) for your organization.
    • Final level of approval should be the highest executive level within the organization under the President.
    • Departments may seek additional approvals based on internal protocols prior to submitting to executive approver.
  3. After final approval, the form should be emailed to Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness (HROE) at hrcomp@tamu.edu for TAMU (including Qatar and Galveston) or hschr@tamu.edu for Texas A&M Health with subject "Staff Compensation Action Request" to obtain final approval by President.
    • Final decisions will be emailed to the original requester.

Frequently Asked Questions

The freeze was announced on 6/28/2021 and affects actions with an effective date of 7/1/2021-8/31/2021 as well as compensation actions that have not yet been approved in Workday as of 6/28/2021.
All staff positions (budgeted, full-time or part-time) and research positions not funded through external grants are included in the freeze. Research positions that are partially funded at 50% or greater from external grants are excluded from the compensation action freeze.
This freeze will be lifted effective 9/1/2021.
Yes.
This freeze applies to reclassifications, internal promotions and transfers (IPTs), hiring salary adjustments, job-related skill enhancement pay, equity increases, temporary salary increases, counter offers, and all other salary adjustments, excluding merit.
It depends on the approval date and the effective date. If the reclassification (Edit Position Restrictions business process in Workday) was approved by Class & Comp by 6/28/21 and it had an effective date prior to 7/1/21, you may move forward with the Change Job action.
It depends on the effective date. If between 7/1/21-8/31/21, it would not be allowed, pending the outcome of the University's comprehensive review. If effective date is 9/1/21 or after, you can submit an Edit Position Restrictions action in Workday.
It depends on the effective date. If between 7/1/21-8/31/21, it would not be allowed, pending the outcome of the University's comprehensive review. If 9/1/21 or after, you could submit a Change Job action in Workday.
No, departments can still reclassify vacant positions, but they would be subject to the updated hiring authorization process.
Yes, but it will be subject to the updated hiring authorization process.
No. Only research positions funded from external grants are excluded from the compensation action freeze and eligible for FY22 equity increases.
Research positions that are partially funded at 50% or greater from external grants are excluded from the compensation action freeze. Changing funding sources to meet this criteria is not permissible.
No. Requests to change effective dates will not be approved.
Research positions that are partially funded at 50% or greater from external grants are excluded from the compensation action freeze. This exclusion applies to research positions that do not have the word "research" in the title as long as they are 50% or greater funded from an external grant.

Yes, there is a limited exception process for very unique circumstances. Please complete and submit the Staff Compensation Action Request Form to hrcomp@tamu.edu for TAMU or hschr@tamu.edu for TAMU Health departments. In the justification, please include a concise explanation of how your request fits under one or more of the listed criteria and why the request should be approved with an effective date before 9/1/2021. As a reminder, this freeze will be lifted effective 9/1/2021.

Yes, the freeze will be lifted on 9/1/2021, so departments can submit Request Compensation Change actions in Workday. Class & Comp or HSC HR for Texas A&M Health departments are only reviewing and approving Request Compensation Change actions that are effective on or after 9/1/2021. If a department wants a Request Compensation Change action to be effective before 9/1/2021, the Staff Compensation Action Request Form needs to be completed so an exception can be considered. Please include comments in the Request Compensation Change action stating the new pay rate effective 9/1/2021 includes both the pay increase and merit salary increase.
Yes,departments can submit Hiring Salary Adjustments or Job-Related Skill Enhancement Pay with a 9/1/2021 or later effective date, if it falls within the eligibility window. The department will need to update the effective date listed on the Hiring Salary Adjustment or Job-Related Skill Enhancement Pay memo and attach this to the action in Workday. If the effective date is 9/1/2021 and the employee is receiving a merit salary increase, please include comments in the Request Compensation Change action stating the new pay rate effective 9/1/2021 includes both the pay increase and merit salary increase. If the Hiring Salary Adjustment or Job-Related Skill Enhancement Pay could not be entered due to the freeze and the employee has missed the eligibility criteria, the department can ask for an exception by contacting Class & Comp at hrcomp@tamu.edu or hschr@tamu.edu for Texas A&M Health departments

It depends on the approval date and the effective date. If the reclassification (Edit Position Restrictions business process in Workday) was approved by Class & Comp team or HSC HR for Texas A&M Health departments by 6/28/2021 and it had an effective date prior to 7/1/21, you may move forward with the Change Job action.

If the effective date on the Change Job is 7/1/2021-8/31/2021, a member of the Class & Comp team or HSC HR for Texas AM Heath departments will contact you regarding the action and next steps. The Change Job action will need to be rescinded (unless an exception is requested and granted) but can be resubmitted with an effective date of 9/1/2021 or later. If you are using an effective date of 9/1/2021 and the employee is receiving a merit salary increase on 9/1/2021, it is recommended that you use the Change Job action to change the Job Profile but not change the pay. You will enter both the merit and reclassified salary during the Merit Process in Workday. Please include comments in the Edit Position Restrictions and Change Job actions stating the new pay rate effective 9/1/2021 includes both the pay increase and merit salary increase.

Reclassifications effective 9/1/2021 (Edit Position Restrictions approved by Class & Comp or HSC HR for Texas AM Health departments and completed in Workday) and are also receiving a merit salary increase effective 9/1/2021, it is recommended that you use the Change Job action to change the Job Profile but not change the pay. You will enter both the merit and reclassified salary during the Merit Process in Workday. Please include comments in the Edit Position Restrictions and Change Job actions stating the new pay rate effective 9/1/2021 includes both the pay increase and merit salary increase.
If the reclassification is effective on 9/1/2021 (Edit Position Restrictions approved by Class & Comp or HSC HR for Texas A&M Health departments and completed in Workday) and the employee is also receiving a merit salary increase on the same effective date, we recommend using the Change Job action to change the Job Profile but not to change the pay. You will enter both the pay increase and merit salary increase during the Merit Process in Workday. Please include comments in the Edit Position Restrictions and Change Job actions stating the new pay rate effective 9/1/2021 includes both the pay increase and merit salary increase.
For questions, please contact Classification and Compensation at 979-845-4170 or by email at hrcomp@tamu.edu, or hschr@tamu.edu for Texas A&M Health departments.