CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYMENT
FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME STATUS
Full-time employees are those who are scheduled to work 2080 hours per
year (52 x 40 hours per week for most employees) with an allowance for
vacation and holidays.
Part-time employees are those whose work schedule calls for anything less than 2080 hours.
Employees must be regularly scheduled to work at least half-time (1040
hours) to be eligible for benefits such as medical, dental, disability
and life insurance, PLU retirement contributions, and tuition
remission. Some benefits are prorated for those working less than
full-time.
INTRODUCTORY STATUS
All newly employed employees are entered into an introductory period of
employment. Introductory periods are generally set for an initial
period of three calendar months. The supervisor may direct that the
introductory period be terminated, curtailed, or extended depending
upon the progress being made by the new employee.
The introductory period provides employees an opportunity to determine
their interest in, and suitability for, the position. It also gives the
supervisor an opportunity to assess the employee's progress.
During the introductory period, new employees typically receive the
necessary advice and training from their supervisors to help them learn
their assignments and perform satisfactorily.
A performance appraisal is normally conducted at the end of the
three-month introductory period for both staff and administrative
employees. Successful completion of the introductory period does not
alter the employment at will status or confer any greater right to
employment than previously existed.
The introductory period is generally waived for employees with
satisfactory performance who transfer from one department to another.
Supervisors remain responsible for coordinating appropriate coaching
and training.
NON-EXEMPT AND EXEMPT STATUS
Positions that do not meet the exemption provisions of the Fair Labor
Standards Act and the Washington Minimum Wage Act are defined as
non-exempt positions. Employees in non-exempt positions are eligible
for pay for time worked over and above that regularly scheduled (refer
to the Overtime Policy for specific details). At PLU, non-exempt
employees are called staff.
Exempt positions are those which meet the exemption provisions of the
Fair Labor Standards Act and the Washington Minimum Wage Act. Full-time
employees in exempt positions are not eligible for pay for additional
time worked. At PLU, exempt employees are called administrators.
REGULAR AND TEMPORARY STATUS
A regular employee is one who has completed the introductory period.
A temporary employee is one who is employed short term to complete a
special project, to assist during a department's peak load period, etc.
Temporary employees may be paid on an hourly or salaried basis,
depending on whether the position is classified as exempt or
non-exempt. Generally temporary employees are not eligible for
benefits. University parking passes and identification cards will be
issued only to temporary employees hired to work assignments expected
to last three months or more, unless they are required to successfully
complete the assignment (i.e. adjunct faculty need temporary ID cards
to access the Library).
Long-term temporary employees may be eligible for benefits, provided
their temporary assignments are expected to last six months or more,
and during which time 1,040 or more work hours will be completed.
Normal benefit waiting periods will apply. Vacation, sick leave and
holiday pay are subject to the same requirements. A temporary
appointment is not to exceed one year in length without prior approval
of the appropriate officer and the Director of Human Resources.
For a temporary employee who is subsequently appointed to regular
status, the hire date will be determined from the date the employee was
hired in the temporary assignment. However, if there has been a break
in service, the date of hire will be determined from the date hired in
the regular position. Service awards are based on the hire date. For
temporary employees appointed to regular status, benefits eligibility
will be based on the date that the employee moves to the regular
“benefits eligible” position.
COMPENSATION PHILOSOPHY
Pacific Lutheran University is committed to providing a comprehensive
program of higher education. The university recognizes that the people
who comprise its faculty and staff are central to achieving this
objective. In order to assure that employees are recognized and
rewarded within the constraints of its financial resources, the
university supports a pay system that:
DEMOTIONS
A demotion is a movement to a position in a lower pay grade. Demotions
may occur as a result of organizational realignments or performance
difficulties. If an employee is demoted, the circumstances of each case
will be reviewed to ascertain the appropriate pay rate for the new job.
It is the general practice that the wage rate of the employee will not
be cut if the demotion is not a result of poor performance. However, if
a reduction in force was ever to become a necessity, the university
reserves the right to decrease individual wage rates to an appropriate
pay level for the newly assigned lower level responsibilities.
PAY
All university positions, with the exception of faculty and senior
managers, are assigned to a pay level. Each pay level has a minimum or
starting wage and a maximum earning limit. The pay range of these
levels normally moves annually in concert with any pay increases
granted by the university. The midpoint of each pay level is identified
as the target rate for positions in that pay level. New employees
normally start at, or close to, the minimum of the pay level.
Exceptions to this practice are infrequent and are based on the
demonstration that the new employee possesses significantly greater
experience than is required, or has superior qualifications to perform
in the new position. Above standard starting rate will be authorized
only if such action will not create an internal equity problem with
current employees in the same classification or pay level.
POSITION CLASSIFICATION
The university uses numerous techniques to classify staff and administrator positions, including:
Supervisors may request a position be re-evaluated to determine whether
the position is appropriately classified by submitting a new Position
Questionnaire and a memo documenting the reasons why a re-evaluation is
warranted (significant change in job duties due to department
reorganization, etc).
If a position is reclassified to a new salary grade, and/or status, the
position level will typically be revised at the time of the
university's regular salary changes (generally June 1 of each year).
PROMOTIONS
A promotion is a movement to a job at a higher pay grade. When
possible, vacant positions will be filled by promoting current
employees. Salaries of employees who are promoted will be established
using the range of the new pay level, the wage rate of similarly
situated employees and the promoted employee's qualifications.
SUPPLEMENTAL PAY POLICY
Approved by President's Council October 2003
Supplemental work above one's basic contract and any resulting,
associated pay requires the prior recommendation of one’s supervisor
and the prior approval of the vice president and must be made in
accordance with university personnel policies.
For one-time payments to faculty and administrators, recommendations
may be made using the Extra Pay Form, which can be downloaded from the
Human Resources web site at http://www.plu.edu/%7Ehumr/form.html. For
payments spanning more than one pay period, follow the most current
version of the Procedures for Production of Part-time Service and
Teaching Agreements. All deans and their administrative assistants have
these procedures; they are also available in Human Resources. Please
note: any extra pay for faculty and staff must be approved in advance -
before the work is performed - by the appropriate vice president. The
deans may not authorize such payments.
TRANSFERS
A transfer is a movement to a different job in the same department or a
job in a different department that does not involve a promotion.
Transfers within the same pay grade are made without an adjustment in
pay.