The University of Wisconsin (UW) is embarking on a complete redesign of its current classification and compensation structure. The goal of the Title & Total Compensation Project is to develop new systems that will enable institutions to continue to attract and retain the best talent.
Please click here for a new UW-System explainer video titled “What is a Standard Job Description”.
UW-System is holding Virtual Town Hall Meetings on October 24th, and November 15th. Please see this blog post for more information about the town hall meetings. A recording of the September 27th Town Hall Meeting can be found here.
In August, the Office of Human Resources and Workforce Diversity held open forums for employees and managers. To view the open forum presentation, please click here.
Recent UW System Updates:
Titles and Job Descriptions
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Review of the draft titles and standard job descriptions is complete! The job titles and standard job descriptions will remain in draft form until after employee-manager conversations December 1, 2019 through February 15, 2020.
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Job mapping is taking place at the institutional level, where institution Human Resources offices will match each employee’s current job title to a new job title, using the job mapping workbook and consulting with division leaders. Work on job mapping will wrap up during October.
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Employees will discuss their updated job title and job description with their manager or HR representative between December 1, 2019 and February 15, 2020. Employees will receive their updated job title information prior to their meeting with their manager, and the full title library will also be posted publicly at this time. Employee feedback and questions are appropriate, valid, and expected during the Employee-Manager conversations.
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While job titles and job descriptions may change, employees will not lose their jobs, employees will not need to reapply for their jobs, and the work done by employees will not change.
Benefits
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A summary of the benefits analysis findings is available here.
- Based on the Mercer benefits analysis and stakeholder input, the project team will recommend a long-term benefits strategy to enhance UW benefits offerings and help keep UW competitive within the market.
Compensation
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This project creates the foundation for a market informed UW System compensation structure. Employee pay will not be cut. Employee pay will also not be increased as a part of this project. Any increases in pay are out of scope of this project and would need to be funded and planned over time by leadership.
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Market in its simplest form is the places in which we are competing for talent. For some jobs, that means we are looking nationally to secure talent to fill a particular role, and in other jobs it is regionally or locally,
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The goal is to retain talent within the UW System and provide employees the ability to grow within the new Job Framework and compensation structure. Once a market-informed structure is created, the next question is how project data is used to address issues for current employees as well as in recruitment. The TTC Project allows us to gather the necessary title and compensation data so that we can look at solutions.
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After the title structure is finalized in March 2020. the compensation structure can be finalized, which means that all job titles will have an updated salary range. More details will be forthcoming in March 2020 about updated salary ranges. Introducing compensation before or during the title discussion may introduce unintentional bias for higher or lower titles. Right now, it is best to focus on the work being performed and the job alignment, rather than to look at compensation. Managers will have no more info than employees on compensation. Managers will look at titles and job descriptions based on same amount of information as the employee.
- Work is still being done to determine and document all of the methods for pay adjustments and career development that will be available in the future
In the Queue:
- October 24 and November 15: UW System will host virtual town hall meetings.
- Late November, 2019: Job titles and standard job descriptions will be posted online in conjunction with employee-manager conversations.
- December 1, 2019 – February 15, 2019: Employee-manager meetings will be held. Managers will meet with employees to explain and verify the new job titles and job descriptions capture the work being performed.
- March 1, 2020: Job titles and job descriptions will go-live.
For up-to-date information about the Title & Total Compensation Project, please see the UW System Title & Total Compensation Project website. Answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the UW System FAQ page.
UW-Green Bay Updates:
- UW-Green Bay Human Resources has been collaborating with divisional leaders to confirm position mapping within the new title structure.
- UW-Green Bay has an institutional T&TC project team, whose goal is to engage with subject matter experts and stakeholders. Feedback and information about T&TC flows to and from the project team. A listing of members of the UW-Green Bay institutional T&TC project team can be found here.