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NT staff study to reorganize job classifications, could increase salaries
Some staff members uncertain about results
Bryan Shettig
Issue date: 9/3/08 Section: NEWS
The staff compensation study will not lower anyone's pay on campus. In fact, it may raise some staff members' salaries.
Management Advisory Group Inc., the consulting firm conducting the study, is attempting to reorganize job classifications and judge whether the university is paying their staff enough.
It will most likely propose many pay raises rather than pay cuts and will suggest slimming down the almost 800 different job classifications on the Denton and Dallas campuses.
The report will be done in late December or early January, said Donna Keener, assistant vice president of human resources.
The study will cost about $149,900 from the NT budget.
Keener said the current pay system has been in place since the '70s and had not been revised since then.
"It will be very different than what we're accustomed to," Keener said.
NT has about 3,700 staff members and includes campus jobs that are not faculty.
All those different job titles have caused extra time and work for the human resources department and could even be causing NT to lose staff to its competitors, said Keener.
She said many job titles would be simplified and made broader. Certain jobs will be rolled into other job titles and could have subcategories.
People can still be hired while the study is being conducted and current staff are still eligible for merit increases but cannot apply for reclassification until the study is done.
Keener said the money that would have been used for reclassification would be used for salary increases after the study is done.
Staff had to fill out a survey for the study and give their feedback as well.
Many staff members are anxious about the study and unsure about what will happen when it's over, said Donna Asher, assistant vice president of academic affairs and member of the study's advisory committee.
"We have never undergone anything of this nature before," Asher said.
She said the study is looking at the university's competitors, including the private businesses and other universities such as Texas Tech University, Texas Woman's University and local community colleges including Dallas, Tarrant and Collin County colleges.
"We're looking out for the staff's best interests," said Bonita Hairston, the chief of staff in the office of the president. "We want to be sure we're doing it right."
Management Advisory Group Inc., the consulting firm conducting the study, is attempting to reorganize job classifications and judge whether the university is paying their staff enough.
It will most likely propose many pay raises rather than pay cuts and will suggest slimming down the almost 800 different job classifications on the Denton and Dallas campuses.
The report will be done in late December or early January, said Donna Keener, assistant vice president of human resources.
The study will cost about $149,900 from the NT budget.
Keener said the current pay system has been in place since the '70s and had not been revised since then.
"It will be very different than what we're accustomed to," Keener said.
NT has about 3,700 staff members and includes campus jobs that are not faculty.
All those different job titles have caused extra time and work for the human resources department and could even be causing NT to lose staff to its competitors, said Keener.
She said many job titles would be simplified and made broader. Certain jobs will be rolled into other job titles and could have subcategories.
People can still be hired while the study is being conducted and current staff are still eligible for merit increases but cannot apply for reclassification until the study is done.
Keener said the money that would have been used for reclassification would be used for salary increases after the study is done.
Staff had to fill out a survey for the study and give their feedback as well.
Many staff members are anxious about the study and unsure about what will happen when it's over, said Donna Asher, assistant vice president of academic affairs and member of the study's advisory committee.
"We have never undergone anything of this nature before," Asher said.
She said the study is looking at the university's competitors, including the private businesses and other universities such as Texas Tech University, Texas Woman's University and local community colleges including Dallas, Tarrant and Collin County colleges.
"We're looking out for the staff's best interests," said Bonita Hairston, the chief of staff in the office of the president. "We want to be sure we're doing it right."
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