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Purdue University Policies
 

Human Resources

Hiring Rates and End of Provisional Period Rates (VPBS 167 addendum)

PURDUE UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF THE BUSINESS MANAGER AND ASSISTANT TREASURER
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907

September 18, 1989

To: Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, Heads of Schools, Divisions, Departments, and Offices, and Regional Campus Chancellors

Re: EXPLANATION OF BUSINESS OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 167

Hiring Rates and End of Provisional Period Rates

Personnel Services has completed an audit of the administrative practices established in Business Manager and Assistant Treasurer's Memorandum No. 167 dated 1 July 1980 (Period of Provisional Employment in Regular Clerical/Service Staff Positions). The policy deals with fairness among regular biweekly paid staff at the time staff new to the University are hired or when those new staff members receive an increase at the end of the provisional period.

The results of the audit were generally favorable except for some minor practices that need to be changed to conform more closely to policy intent.

The practices that need to be changed are related to the policy statement found on page 4, paragraph 4 of the policy document which states in part: "This merit increase may not raise the employee's wage rate above the current rate of the lowest paid non-provisional employee at the same pay level, within the job class, who has been employed within the department at least one year and whose work is currently rated as satisfactory; except upon the agreement by the department head and the Department of Personnel Services".

The practice for establishing the hiring rate for employees new to the University has been administered on the same basis as the end of provisional period increase. The hiring rate cannot exceed the current rate paid to a non-provisional employee at the same pay level, within the job class, who has been employed within the department at least one year and whose work is rated as satisfactory.

Two changes will be made in the administrative practice:

  1. "Department" will be defined as the function number for that area unless the intent of the policy is better served by including, for comparison, those employees who work in the same physical work areas which may include several function numbers.
  2. Exceptions must be requested in writing, with the concurrence of the department head, and approved by Personnel Services prior to an offer of employment being made or toward the end of the provisional period when decisions are made to provide an increase. The primary reasons for exceptions will be either:
    1. the exceptional and demonstratively better qualifications (prior education or related work experience) of the new hire over the non-provisional employees who have been in the job for 1 year or longer, or;
    2. the documented poor performance of the lowest paid non-provisional period employee. The performance difficulties must have been communicated to the employee along with performance expectations. The need for thorough performance evaluations for all staff members is important to assure sound and defensible personnel practices within departments.

The intent of the policy is to assure a sense of internal fairness to employees who have similar job duties and responsibilities and who ave worked within the department for a year or longer. These administrative changes will correct those problems in administering the policy and still provide departments the flexibility to request appropriate exceptions.

Questions on the policy, practices or changes may be addressed to your Business Administrator, R.C. Goldsberry (47407) or Mike Tyrrell (47408).

Stanley J. McKnight
Director, Personnel Services