Compensation Plan Refresher - 2023

2023 Compensation Plan Refresher

Video Available

A video of this presentation is also available on YouTube at the following address:

https://youtu.be/35UWHRAf6Vg

• Suffolk continues to be the only area municipal government to utilize step plans for non-sworn employees!

Hooray for Step Plans!

• Step plans provide for regularly planned/scheduled salary increases in addition to COLA increases!

• Designed to account for the life cycle of a job!

o Early career: Increases are accelerated to meet the job rate expected of a fully functioning employee in the position.

o Mid-career: Increases slow in frequency, but largest percentage increases

o Later-career: Steps are slightly more accelerated with more modest increases

Grade – A grouping of jobs of the same or similar value. All jobs in a grade have the same pay range.

Commonly Used Terms

Range - A set boundary for compensation which identifies the minimum and maximum amounts of a specific pay grade

Step - The increment of the range under which an employee is paid

• Non-sworn employee pay ranges have 16 steps between minimum and maximum

• Sworn Police, Fire, and Sheriff positions have 15 steps between minimum and maximum

Decoding a Step Plan Pay Schedule

• Only full-time positions are eligible for the step plan.

Step Plan Basics

• Part-time employees will still be paid a rate within their position’s grade & range, but will not be placed on a step.

• Directors, Constitutional Officers, Elected Officials, Appointed Officials, and grantfunded titles are not eligible for the step plan.

• Step movements and associated increases are independent of cost of living adjustments, but are contingent upon annual City Council approval.

• Step movements will be reviewed monthly to identify employees that are eligible to move to new steps.

• Step Placement Date is the date used to determine time in step for the purposes of step movement for a full-time employee.

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• For full-time employees hired into their current position prior to May 2022, their Step Placement date will be April 2022.

Step Placement Dates

• For full-time employees hired into their current position since May 2022, their Step Placement date will be equivalent to the hire date or effective date of their position.

• The following employee actions will reset the employee’s Step Placement Date, as well as re-start time in step:

o Promotions

o Career progressions

o Reclassifications

o Demotions

• Compensation & Classification Policy (p. 1-19)

• Job Classifications with FLSA, Grade, Min, Max

• General Employee Step Plan Schedule (p. 51)

• Fire Sworn Step Plan Schedule (p. 52)

• Police Sworn Step Plan Schedule (p. 53)

• Sheriff Sworn Step Plan Schedule (p. 54)

• Non-Sworn Public Safety Step Plan Schedule (p. 55) Available at the following locations:

• Human Resources Page on City website

• P:\Human Resources\2022-2023 Comp Plan

• Hard copy (if you can find it!)

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 1

What is the minimum and maximum of range PD302?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 1Solution

What is the minimum and maximum of range PD302?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 2

What is the annual salary of an employee in PD301 Step 7?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 2Solution

What is the annual salary of an employee in PD301 Step 7?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 3

If an employee is moving from PD304 Step 5 to PD304 Step 6, what is the percentage increase?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 3Solution

If an employee is moving from PD304 Step 5 to PD304 Step 6, what is the percentage increase?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 4

How long would employee have to sit in PD303 Step 10 before they can move to Step 11?

Step Plan Pay Schedule Exercise 4Solution

How long would employee have to sit in PD303 Step 10 before they can move to Step 11?

A non-sworn employee who is promoted to a position which is one pay grade above the employee’s current position is eligible for a pay increase of 5%.

A Library Assistant at Grade 201, Step 6 is being promoted to Library Associate (Grade 202). What is the employee’s promotion rate?

Calculating

Non-Sworn Promotional Rates

Methodology

(1 grade increase)

Find the step in the new grade (202) that is equal to, or the next highest value

Grade 202 does not have an equal step.

The next highest step in 202 is Step 3, $32,780

The employee’s promotional rate is 202, Step 3, $32,780

The new rate is a 5.1% increase

A non-sworn employee who is promoted to a position which is two or more pay grades above the employee’s current position is eligible for a pay increase of 10%.

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A Planner I/II at Grade 213, Step 8 is being promoted to Senior Planner (Grade 218). What is the employee’s promotion rate?

Calculating

Methodology

(2+ grade increase)

Find the step in the new grade (218) that is equal to, or the next highest value

Grade 218 does not have an equal step.

The next highest step in 218 is Step 4, $73,471

The employee’s promotional rate is 218, Step 4, $73,471

The new rate is a 11.2% increase

Sounds great! When will I actually see my increase?

Regardless of your step placement date, the new step rate will appear on your first check of the following month.

Employees moving steps in April 2023 will see their new rates on the May 15 payroll.

When City Council approved the step plan, they mandated that employees were given credit for 60% for their service from date of hire to March 31, 2022.

Ex: 10 years of total service = 6 years of credit for step placement

I feel like my step placement is incorrect…

KEY TAKEAWAYS!

• First step movements will begin in April 2023 for employees eligible for step movement.

• New rates for April 2023 changes will be on May 15, 2023 payroll.

• COLA increases are independent from step movements.

o If COLA is approved by City Council, all step chart values will be increased accordingly.

o COLA increases will not impact time in step or step movements.