Compensation
Compensation Philosophy
The objective of the university's compensation program is to attract, retain, motivate and reward faculty and staff fairly, equitably and competitively. The university is committed to fair and equitable compensation that compliments the responsibilities of the position and the performance of the incumbents.
Compensation rates for Faculty and Executive, Administrative and Professional (EAP) positions are set based on (1) market data for similar positions within local, regional and/or national markets, (2) sensitivity to internal equity, and (3) available fiscal resources. The market data is updated on a regular basis.
Market ranges for EAP positions are set at 80-120% of the market average for each position. The minimum rate will normally apply to new staff possessing qualifications not significantly greater than the minimum required. Salaries above the maximum must be justified in writing by the appointing officer and approved by Human Resources.
Staff members may review current market data for their position from Becky Berrevoets in Human Resources.
Salary & Pay Adjustment Information
The factors used to set salary, in addition to market, include performance, relevant experience, applicable educational credentials and responsibility. Appointing officers set starting salaries based on these factors, with sensitivity to internal equity. Justification for these decisions is documented by the appointing officer. Market data is provided annually to each appointing officer from Human Resources. Starting salaries and their justification are reviewed and approved by Human Resources, Affirmative Action and the appropriate Vice President.
The salary increase program for Faculty and Executive, Administrative and Professional (EAP) staff is based on merit. The merit pay adjustments reflect individual performance. Salary adjustments for equity, market and promotions are in addition to the merit increase.
Merit increases will normally take effect on August 6 each year. Merit increases must be approved by the appropriate Vice President and submitted to Human Resources.
When an incumbent is identified as needing a special pay adjustment due to market, the adjustment is normally made during the salary increase program in addition to the merit increase. However, mid-year adjustments are occasionally made when justified by market and/or internal equity concerns, with the approval of the appropriate appointing officer, Human Resources and Vice President.
Faculty and staff members are welcome to meet with the compensation analyst in Human Resources to review salary and title information. To pursue a resolution to a title and/or salary question/concern, the faculty or staff member will discuss their concerns with their supervisor. If no resolution is reached, the faculty or staff member is welcome to meet with their appointing officer. If no resolution comes from this meeting, the faculty or staff member is welcome to meet with their executive officer. The executive officer's decision shall be final.
Compensation/Wage Schedules
Hourly Wage Schedules - The Union Contract page includes wage schedules for Professional Support Staff (PSS), Public Safety (Officer & Command), and Maintenance, Grounds and Service (MGS) staff. The wage schedules are in the Appendix section toward the back of the contract.
The objective of the university’s compensation program is to attract, retain, motivate and reward faculty and staff fairly, equitably and competitively. The university is committed to fair and equitable compensation that compliments the responsibilities of the position and the performance of the incumbents. Compensation rates for executive, administrative and professional (EAP) positions are set based on market data for similar positions within local, regional and/or national markets with a sensitivity to internal equity. Market ranges are assigned to each position from survey sources. The minimum of the range will normally apply to new staff possessing qualifications not significantly greater than the minimum required. The maximum of the market range will normally apply to staff members exhibiting qualifications and/or responsibilities significantly above those normally needed for the position.
Compensation rates for visiting and affiliate faculty positions are based on market for similar positions within the department as well as the qualifications of the incumbent and are typically lower than the tenure track compensation schedule. The minimum rate will normally apply for persons possessing qualifications not significantly above the minimum. The starting rates will be administratively set by the appointing officer at a level judged to be commensurate with the applicant’s educational credentials, prior experience and special skills.
Compensation Market Review
The process for requesting a compensation market review for a particular position is outlined below.
Please note, not all requests will follow the process same process; the outline below is to provide a general overview of what may occur when a compensation market review is requested. Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and process will vary by request. Next steps will be determined based on the results from the prior step.
- A request is submitted to the departments HR Generalist or Compensation Analyst by the supervisor or employee.
- Employees should notify their supervisor of their submission request, as the supervisor will be looped into the review discussion at the next step.
- HR will request an updated job description from the supervisor (employee and supervisor should partner on this step to ensure the job description accurately reflects the duties of this role).
- Employees and supervisors can ensure the process runs efficiently by preparing job description updates prior to their initial outreach request.
- Job description updates should be based on the needs of the specific role and not an individual employee.
- Once an updated job description has been received, HR will review the job description in further detail with the supervisor to ensure accuracy. After updates have been finalized, a market data review by our compensation team will be conducted, as necessary. This step can take approx. 2-4 weeks to be completed.
- After the market review has been conducted, a compensation team member, supervisor, or both will connect back with the employee to discuss the results.
- If a salary adjustment is recommended per market review findings, the supervisor will move that request through the departmental approval processes to determine viability based on budget/other factors.
- If no resolution is reached, the faculty or staff member is welcome to meet with their appointing officer. If no resolution comes from this meeting, the faculty or staff member is welcome to meet with their executive officer. The executive officer's decision shall be final.
**Market review findings and recommendations will help provide the supervisor and department an outline for compensative compensation for a particular role. This is to be used as an outline and does not serve as a guarantee for compensation increase.
Job Descriptions
View all Professional Support Staff (PSS) and Maintenance, Grounds, and Service (MGS) job descriptions, and the Administrative Professional (AP) job description format. Please contact Becky Berrevoets regarding job descriptions updates or questions.
Salary Book
All Faculty/Staff
All GVSU faculty and staff have access to the salary book online:
Appointing & Executive Officers
Appointing Officers (AO) and Executive Officers (EO) have access to the full salary book online:
Benefits Preview
Calculate a preview of a full GVSU benefits package.