Compensation
UD offers an outstanding total compensation package that includes an annual salary, a generous annual and sick leave program, paid holidays, health and life insurance, retirement, 403(b) and more.
Our services include: evaluation and classification of new and existing positions; line and position management.
Taken together, this package is consistently ranked at or near the top among peer institutions.
Employee Merit System instructions are available in the HR Knowledge Hub (HR ATLAS). Login to access instructions for merit.
These are a few of the resources available to assist employees who are involved in HR processing activities.
Salary structures will be reviewed periodically to align with the external market and institutional needs.
Compensation Overview
The University of Delaware is dedicated to offering competitive salaries to both faculty and staff as well as opportunities for growth and advancement. Guidelines for faculty appointment and promotion are outlined in the AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information about wage and promotion for AFSME Locals 439 and 3472 as well as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is outlined in their respective Collective Bargaining Agreements.
Salaries for classified exempt and nonexempt staff positions fall under the University of Delaware Compensation Guidelines and Salary Structures. The classification process involves:
- an assessment of the job duties
- skill level of work performed
- the overall knowledge requirements of the position.
A pay grade is established for each classification and positions that are substantially similar in nature are allocated to the same job classification.
Total compensation includes annual salary, a generous annual and sick leave program, paid holidays, health and life insurance, retirement, 403(b) and more.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law first established in the 1930s. The purpose was to establish a minimum wage and a limit on the number of hours which may be worked in a standard workweek. It also provides standards for equal pay, overtime pay, record keeping, and child labor.
- What is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)? The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping, and child labor standards affecting full-time and part-time employees. It requires overtime compensation (at time and one-half) for all hours worked over 40 hours in a week for non-exempt employees.
- The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) minimum salary for an employee to be designated as exempt (not eligible for overtime pay) is $35,568 per year ($684 per week).
- What is different about tracking hours for a non-exempt employee? Under the federal FLSA law, all time worked must be reported. If you’re a non-exempt employee, it is your responsibility to account for and record time worked accurately each day. If you manage a non-exempt employee, it is your responsibility to verify and sign-off on the hours worked via a timesheet.
Compensation manages existing and establishes new position classifications that allow the University to be internally equitable and externally competitive.
The Compensation team’s goal is to establish pay and classification best practices that allow the University to attract and retain quality employees in support of the organizational goals while ensuring compliance with local, State, and federal regulations.
New Position Establishment Process:
- HR Partner/Admin Support reviews proposed job description to ensure consistency and completeness.
- HR Partner/Admin Support submits completed draft to hr-class@udel.edu for Compensation review.
- Once Compensation provides approval of finalized draft, HR Partner/Admin Support submits a HR Position Webform to establish the new position.
Reclassification Cycle Process
Approximately half of all University benefits-eligible positions (grades 25 through 36) are part of our job classification system. From time to time, shifting goals and initiatives may result in significant change to one or more positions within the unit. When this occurs with a position in the classification system, a review of the classification level of the job may be requested.
Performing additional responsibilities of higher complexity satisfactorily for a minimum of six months is expected before a request for reclassification is submitted.
Requests for position reclassification will be evaluated on a cyclical schedule that follows the academic semester (see below). This change does not affect the classification/reclassified and recruitment for new or currently vacant positions.
As you evaluate staffing needs, we ask that you also review how tasks and responsibilities are distributed within the unit and how workflow and staffing configuration meet unit demands now and in the future. If the unit feels that a classification review may be warranted, requests should be submitted through the supervisor to the Chairperson or Department Head.
Approved reclassifications will be effective November 1 (Fall Semester) or April 1 (Spring Semester).
Appeals
Initial Appeal Process:
A written appeal may be submitted to the Compensation Manager, by the scheduled appeal deadline if the supervisor is not satisfied with the determination.
- The appeal should cite job related reasons why the determination is not correct, and include an updated position description with track changes, if applicable.
- The appeal should be submitted to Kate Hoekstra by the scheduled appeal deadline.
- A decision to the appeal will be communicated by the Compensation Manager to the HR Partner/Admin Support.
Second Level Appeal Process:
- The appeal should cite job related reasons why the determination is not correct, and include an updated position description with track changes, if applicable.
- The appeal should be submitted to the Assistant VP, HR Operations, by the appropriate senior administrator, within 3 business days of initial appeal decision.
- Within 5 business days of second level appeal decision, Assistant VP, HR Operations will communicate the second level decision to the senior administrator.
| Fall Semester | Spring Semester | Action |
|---|---|---|
| August 15 | January 15 | Deadline for submission of reclassification documentation to Classification & Compensation |
| October 1 | March 1 | HR Partner and Supervisor notified of the determination by Classification & Compensation |
| October 15 | March 15 | Deadline for HR Partner/Admin Support to appeal classification determination to the Compensation Manager |
| November 1 | April 1 | Compensation Manager notifies HR Partner and Supervisor of appeal decision |
| Within 3 business days of appeal decision |
Within 3 business days of appeal decision |
Second level of appeal submitted to Assistant VP by the appropriate senior administrator |
| Within 5 business days of second level appeal decision | Within 5 business days of second level appeal decision | Appeal decision complete and appropriate senior administrator notified of decision |
| November 1 | April 1 | Effective date for any reclassification |
Student Employment Mass Update (SEMU)
The Student Employment Mass Update system was designed to help Departments manage changes to their Graduate Students and Resident Assistant employment records between semesters. This system facilitates the process of putting them on/off contract, update their funding information or terminating their records without the need for individual JEDs. The system will be available to make these changes during two periods:
- Summer: system will be available late spring for changes with an effective date of June 1
- Fall: system will be available in late summer for changes with an effective date of September 1
Requesting access
Requests for system access must be submitted using the Access Request: HR Web System webform.
If you are requesting the HR Manager role, please indicate this in the comments of the form.
Student Employment Mass Update (SEMU) Training Modules
Below are the available training snippets for SEMU. Visit the link to view the training for the following actions which may be completed in the system.
- SEMU – General Page Layout
- SEMU – Data/Title Change
- SEMU – Extend Funding
- SEMU – Student Termination
- SEMU – No Change
If you have any question about the system please contact HRIS at hr-it@udel.edu
1. What is the effective date for the changes in the system?
All of the changes being done on the SEMU system will have an effective date of 6/1 for the Spring session and for the beginning of Fall it will be 9/1 (8/16 for Resident Life). Any changes which require a different effective date should be done on a JED.
2. Why don’t I have to put in a funding end date?
Contract End date is needed for Extending Funding and New Job Title. The funding end date will be defaulted to the same date.
3. What if my grad has a change to their funding and a title change?
Please choose the action of Data/Title change. This will allow you to change the jobcode/title as well as the funding information. If you chose the wrong action you may go back and correct, however the new information will revert back to the default(for extend funding it will default to the current and for Data/Title change it will only default once you have chosen the new job code)
4. When can I update the LAM?
The SEMU changes will be loaded into HRPRD by 5/30 for spring and 8/30 for fall (8/13 for Resident Life), so any needed LAM entries can be done on after the load.
5. What if my Grad on contract has more than one line of funding? How do I indicate that?
Split funding as well as multiple earnings codes can be indicated in the system.
To indicate split funding, please show the full comp rate for the earning code and then show the distribution split by funding source (speedtype). The total of the distribution percent for each ern code must be 100
Example
Ern code STU Comp Rate 1100.00
Speedtype ABCD112123 Acct 122600 Class 300 Dist pct 50
Speedtype ABCD112134 Acct 122600 Class 300 Dist pct 20
Speedtype CDEF132145 Acct122600 Class 300 Dist pct 30
Total 100
6. What if my grad student is graduating but will be doing other work after graduation?
If the student has graduated, his/her job classification will no longer be Grad Student. A JED needs to be done to change him/her to a new job title.
7. If a grad student was a GSL and will remain GSL, what do I put? Will the end date be updated somehow?
There is an option to indicate no change to a student. Please only do so if the current funding end date covers the period needed for the employee. If not choose Extend Funding – JED and indicate a new contract end date.
8. Do we use this system for new grads on contract?
No, new grads on contract will still be handled through onboarding.
9. Does this take care of all I need to do for changing grad student labor (GSL) to grad on contract?
This takes care of the JED only. You will still need to do the other grad forms (GSCRF and SFAF)
10. If I have an employee going from grad student labor (GSL) to grad on contract and that employee has an additional assignment, will the additional assignment be impacted?
No, as long as it is an active assignment.
11. I have a grad on contract whose contract will be ending, however they still have an active additional assignment. What should I indicate in SEMU?
If this grad will no longer be in your department as their primary assignment, you should contact the department the additional assignments is with and transfer the employee to that department (through a JED). Then the additional assignment(s) should be ended (through additional assignment form). On SEMU you can indicate no change since it will be taken care of outside the system.
12. Will I still need to do separation checklists for those who I am terminating in the SEMU system?
No, you will not need to do a separation checklist for those terminating in the SEMU system.
13. I have a grad student labor employee who was hired after the SEMU system session opened. How can I update him/her to grad on contract?
Please complete a JED to make this change.
14. What should I use for the comp rate?
For Grads on contract please provide the semimonthly rate they will be paid, NOT the full contract amount. For GSL, please provide the hourly rate (must be at least minimum wage).
15. Can I download the SEMU data when it is released to work off a spreadsheet?
Yes, on the SEMU screen there is button labeled Download Current Data on the screen so you can download the 'before' picture.
16. Can I download the SEMU data after I make changes?
Yes, before you submit to your HR Manager, you can take a download of the new information you added to SEMU by clicking the button labeled Download New Data. It will NOT be available to you after the due date.
17. What do the letters after the action description mean on the SEMU page Action drop down menu?
The drop down menu for Action shows the action you want to perform followed by the code that our HR system uses for that action. This will be the 3 digit code that shows in the action column next to the employees name and employee ID.
Example
Termination – TER
Data/Title Change – DTA
Extend Funding - JED
Connect
550 S. College Ave., Suite 201, Newark, DE 19713 hrhelp@udel.edu Phone 302-831-2171