Processing Personnel Actions: Promotions, Reclassifications, Demotions, Transfers

Who to Contact: Position Management & Compensation

Completing Personnel Actions

  1. Please contact your HR PMC Consultant as soon as you know you want to promote, reallocate, or transfer an employee, or would like to update an existing position.
  2. Your HR Consultant will initiate a strategy meeting or call to discuss the position, your organization, and department business needs.  Your consultant will advise on job structure and provide guidance on completing or updating the job description.
  3. When you are ready to draft or update a position description, use your CU IdentiKey to login to the Position Management Portal.
  4. Your HR Consultant will provide feedback and may ask additional questions and assign the position to the appropriate pay range. 
  5. The Boulder HR team will prepare any required internal posting information and collect employee qualification materials for the new level or vacant position.
  6. Once the internal posting process is complete, the Boulder HR team will initiate the offer letter review and approval process through the online portal.

When a change is made to an employee’s existing university staff appointment, an addendum to the original offer letter is used to make corrections, document changes or add information to the original offer letter.

  • An addendum should be used when a correction is needed to a finalized, already accepted offer letter.
  • An addendum can also be used to document the terms of a change to an employee’s existing appointment, such as a change in salary, change in percent time, extension of appointment, etc. If an employee is transferring or promoting into a different position number or changing job codes, a new offer letter is required.

Addenda do not need to be used when someone is resigning a position. A resignation is an action taken by the individual, not the employer. The employee’s letter of resignation will suffice for notification of the end of their appointment. The HR Office of Employee Relations has templates available for acknowledgement or acceptance of resignations. Please note that involuntary terminations, such as reductions in force or terminations for cause, require chancellor approval.

Additional Compensation Processes

Who to Contact: Position Management & Compensation

University Staff

Regular (not temporary) university staff employees may be eligible for a base pay increase (across-the-board, merit, cost of living, minimum wage, and/or range progression, etc.) each year if approved by the CU Board of Regents, contingent upon a completed performance evaluation with a rating of meeting expectations or higher. The university staff performance management cycle is July 1 through June 30. 

When annual increases are funded, they are typically effective January 1 with eligibility based on the performance evaluation score received from the most recently completed performance evaluation cycle.

Annual pay increases are applied to base salary only, not to any additional temporary, non-base building pay. Pay increases for purposes other than merit (e.g.compression, promotion, retention) should be addressed outside of the January 1 merit increase process throughout the year as they arise. 

For additional information about this process, please visit the employee compensation FAQs FY23-24, the university staff standardization pay increase allocation process, and the Compensation Cycle Shift FAQ pages to learn more. 

Classified Staff

Regular (not temporary) classified staff employees may be eligible for a cost of living, across-the-board, and/or merit-based increase each year if approved by the Colorado General Assembly and the CU Board of Regents, contingent upon a completed performance evaluation with a rating of meeting expectations or higher. The merit process begins April 1st with increases becoming effective July 1st of that year. Employees must have an active regular classified staff appointment as of June 30th to be eligible, contingent upon guidelines provided each year by the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA).

Classified Annual Pay Increase Process

The Colorado General Assembly reviews the state’s budget each year which includes any increases to state classified employee salaries. If increases are approved, the decision is typically made at the end of the legislative session in May. 

Guidelines for implementing a cost of living, across-the-board, and/or merit-based pay increase for regular classified staff employees are provided each year by the Colorado Department of Personnel & Administration (DPA) and may vary from year to year. Each CU campus implements classified staff annual increases per CU Board of Regents approval and in consideration of DPA guidance and campus-based processes.

Classified staff cost of living, across-the-board, and/or merit-based increases are typically applied to base salary only (with some exceptions) and are limited to the employee’s pay grade range set by DPA. Pay increases for other purposes (e.g.compression, promotion) should be addressed outside of the July 1 increase process throughout the year as they arise.

Who to Contact: Position Management & Compensation

Human Resources provides position review and compensation services for all staff and many research positions. We strive to help campus departments achieve their business goals while maintaining quality standards of equitable pay for equitable work.

Discretionary Pay Differentials

Discretionary pay differentials (DPDs) are compensation tools available to appointing authorities to help address critical business needs. They are intended to be a part of the University’s commitment to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. These options include base building and non-base building forms of compensation. About DPDs:

  • Classified employees are not guaranteed discretionary pay.
  • An appointing authority is not obligated to use or award any type of discretionary pay, even when an employee may be eligible.
  • Non-base building (temporary) discretionary pay may be discontinued at any time with the approval of the appointing authority.
  • Given the discretionary nature of these compensation tools, there are no Colorado Department of Personnel grievance or appeal rights, except for discrimination. The only exception is discontinuance of a base-building salary increase.
  • All DPD requests must be reviewed and approved by Boulder Campus HR prior to payment. Use the Position Management Portal to initiate an addendum letter for a Discretionary Pay Differential (DPD) request (e.g. compression, counteroffer, new hire, delayed transfer/promotional increase, long-term project, or critical skills).

Premium Pay

Shift Differential Pay:

  • Is additional pay beyond base pay for working shifts in eligible job classes as published in the state’s annual compensation plan (or as designated by Human Resources)
  • Does not apply to any periods of paid leave. Positions must be non-exempt under the FLSA overtime provisions to receive shift differential pay. Second shift rate applies when half or more of the scheduled work hours fall between 4:00 pm and 11:00 pm. Third shift rate applies when half or more of the scheduled work hours fall between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am. If the hours are evenly split between shifts, the higher shift differential rate applies to all hours worked during the shift.

Call Back Pay

According to State Personnel Board Rules and Administrative Procedures call back applies when an eligible employee is required to report to work before the start or after the end of a scheduled shift. If there is no release from work between the call back hours and regular shift, it is considered a continuation of the shift and call back does not apply. When call back applies, a minimum of two hours pay is guaranteed. Eligible employees are those who are eligible for overtime, and any call back time is counted as work time. Employees exempt from overtime are also eligible when approved by a department head.

On-Call Pay

  • On-call is additional pay beyond base pay for eligible employees specifically assigned, in advance, to be accessible outside of normal work hours and where freedom of movement and use of personal time is significantly restricted
  • Eligible classes and the on-call pay rate are published in the state’s annual compensation plan (or designated by Human Resources)
  • Only time while actually on call shall be paid at the special rate
  • In call back situations, employees eligible for both on-call and call back pay shall receive call back pay only

To request shift differential or on-call pay for a non-designated position a   Shift Differential Pay Designation Request Form or an  On-Call Pay Designation Request Form should be completed by the supervisor, signed by the appointing authority, and submitted to Human Resources for consideration.

Contact Your Compensation Consultant

Additional pay is a non-base building increase to salary and is not a part of the employee’s regular appointment base salary.

  • Examples include awards, bonuses, moving expenses, incentive pay, etc.
  • To receive additional pay, the employee must have an active appointment for the time period in which the services were performed.
  • For one-time additional pay (e.g. awards, bonuses, moving expenses) the Additional Pay Form must be completed and routed for campus signature approval before any payments can be processed.
  • For recurring additional pay (e.g. temporary assignments, changes in percent of time, interim appointments), use the Position Management Portal to initiate an addendum letter for the temporary pay change.

Contact Your Compensation Consultant

Retention offers, often referred to as counteroffers or stay bonuses, are a financial tool utilized to retain key personnel with critical, strategic skills necessary to maintain campus operations or business continuity. Retention offers can be either one-time bonuses or base-building salary increases.

Definitions

  • A retention offer is a pay increase retention strategy used in response to a verifiable external offer of employment (outside of the CU system). A base-building retention offer is typically processed through an addendum letter as it results in an amendment to the terms of the original offer letter for the position. If a change in job duties is part of the retention offer, an updated position description must be completed and approved in advance.
  • A preemptive retention increase is a proactive strategy used for an individual or group of employees to incentivize current employees to stay in their positions when there is a critical staffing shortage risk. A preemptive retention increase for a group of employees shall be consistently applied across similar groups of positions and is implemented as part of a documented department retention plan or recognition program approved by campus HR and the appropriate campus officer.
  • Providing a retention offer is not required and should be limited to positions that are critical to business needs and difficult to fill (as further defined below). If provided, the same employee shall not receive more than one retention payment in a 12-month period.

For the purpose of this guidance, the term ‘retention offer’ is used generically and may refer to either of the definitions above.

When are Retention Offers Recommended?

  • When the labor market is hot for certain critical skills impacting the campus’s ability to deliver its mission due to the inability to recruit and retain key personnel.
  • When a high number of vacancies exist in key roles such that losing additional current employees puts the operation at risk of shutting down or severely impairs its ability to function properly.
  • When an employee has a highly specialized skillset that is critically needed to meet the campus’s mission and is not easily replaced without significant development time and cost.

To Whom May Retention Offers be Provided?

  • Individuals in mission critical employment groups that are difficult to recruit and retain as demonstrated by a high number of open positions and multiple unsuccessful searches, OR
  • An employee, typically at a highly specialized or mid-level management level and above, whose talent or knowledge is necessary to maintain business continuity, OR
  • Key employees with highly marketable skills who may be recruited by other organizations and where the campus is unlikely to successfully re-fill the role in a reasonable period of time, OR
  • Employees whose loss would significantly impact a work unit’s ability to operate leading to a staffing crisis for the area and an inability to provide services, OR
  • Employees expected to be furloughed or laid off but who are needed to maintain services until the effective date of the reduction in force, OR
  • Other similar situations with campus HR approval.
  • All scenarios must be approved in advance by campus HR.

What are Some Limitations for the Use of Retention Offers?

  • Employees must be meeting or exceeding performance expectations for the most recent final overall performance evaluation or as verified by the employee’s supervisor to be eligible for a retention offer.
  • Retention offers are uncommon and should be limited to unusual and critical circumstances.
  • Retention offers are rare when unemployment is high and the recruitment market is stable.
  • There is no central funding pool for retention offers; units must ensure they have adequate resources available.
  • Providing a retention offer is not required even if the circumstances appear to support it.

What Process Must Mangers Follow Prior to Making a Retention Offer?

  • A retention offer must be reviewed in advance by the campus HR position management/compensation consultant assigned to the department. Managers may not proceed with a retention offer until this review has been conducted.
  • The hiring manager should ensure the reason for the retention offer is verified through verbal or written confirmation of a counteroffer or through data available documenting a high number of open positions or unsuccessful searches.
  • Under Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a retention offer shall not create a pay inequity with employees performing substantially similar work except as may permissibly result from variability in education, training, and experience; seniority systems; merit raise systems; geographic location; travel requirements; and the quantity and quality of production.
  • A base-building retention offer must be made within the pay grade assigned to the position and follow campus pay setting guidelines.
  • If considering a retention program affecting multiple employees, the hiring department will develop a retention program document for review and approval by campus HR and the appropriate campus officer.
  • Base-building retention increases are processed through an addendum letter requested in the Position Management Portal.
  • One-time bonus retention offers may be processed through the One-Time Payment form or through an addendum letter requested in the Position Management Portal.  Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) may be used to document the terms and conditions of accepting the bonus payment. Any language provided in an addendum letter or MOU must not be in conflict with a university staff employee’s at-will status.