Frequently Asked Questions

•  I think my job should be re-classified upward. How should I proceed?
• How long does the process take?
• What factors are positions evaluated on in this process?
• If my position is upgraded, do I get a raise and when will it be effective?
• My department needs to add a new position. What is the process for classifying the position and obtaining budget approval?
• What are the regulations regarding Comp Time?
• What are my options for a more flexible schedule that doesn't require my supervisor to pay me overtime?
• Can I require my staff employees to work overtime, then give them time off another day?
• If I am an administrator who has to work late for a university event this week can I take some time off next week to make up for it?
• What is the 1000 hour rule for temporary/part time employees?
• What is the "Introductory Period"?
• What are the employee's and supervisor's responsibilities during the introductory period?
• What is the "New Hire Six-Month Evaluation"?
• What happens to an employee's status after completion of the introductory period?
• Can the Introductory Period be extended?
• Is there a difference between being discarged during the introductory period or after?
• My employee's six month introductory period ends about the same time as the annual performance evaluation process begins. Do I need to complete both forms?
• If I transfer to another position on campus, do I begin another six month introductory period?
• Am I required to do a self-evaluation as part of the performance evaluation process?
• My supervisor rated me mostly the middle rating "Meets Expectations". Should I be concerned because I didn't get rated "Exceeds Expectations"?
• I received a "Needs Improvement" rating. Am I going to get fired?
• This is my first year and I don't have any performance goals to be evaluated on - what should I do with the Goals section of the evaluation?
• My supervisor plays favorites - what protection do I have against an unfair evaluation?
• What do I do if I disagree with my performance evaluation?
• Can an employee refuse to sign his/her performance evaluation?
• What happens if an employee is out on a leave of absence when performance evaluations, either the six-month or the annual, are due?
  

Job Classification

 

I think my job should be re-classified upward.  How should I proceed?

 First, discuss it with your supervisor.  If your supervisor agrees that there have been substantial changes in the job that would warrant a review, you and your supervisor should work together to revise/update your job description to ensure that it accurately reflects your current job responsibilities and requirements.  Then, your supervisor would submit the updated JD to Human Resources with a request for review for reclassification. 

 

How long does the process take?

 Usually not more than a few weeks.  The committees that conduct the position reviews meet as needed, up to two times per month, and results are usually available within a few days after the meeting. 

 

What factors are positions evaluated on in this process?

Both staff and administrative positions are evaluated on a variety of factors, including education and experience required, types of responsibilities, reporting structure, financial responsibility, supervisory responsibility, as well as internal and external market data comparisons.

 

If my position is upgraded, do I get a raise and when will it be effective?

Generally, when positions that are reclassified to a higher grade, the incumbent’s pay rate is increased to at least the minimum of the new pay grade.  Additional rate increases are considered based on funding availability and the incumbent’s current pay rate.  The department budget must support the rate increase.  The department determines when the new rate will be effective, which is generally no sooner than the beginning of the next pay period following the re-classification.

 

My department needs to add a new position.  What is the process for classifying the position and obtaining budget approval?

n the past, departments have obtained budget approval for new positions first, then submitted the job description to Human Resources for classification.  The new process is to classify the position first, then submit it for budget approval.  Hiring supervisors are encouraged to use Human Resources as a tool to assist them with developing the job description and determining the appropriate salary and title for new position.  This way, when the new position is submitted for budget approval, the hiring supervisor can be confident that the requested salary will be adequate and equitable.  Because budgets are developed so far in advance, this requires planning on the part of hiring departments, who should be contacting Human Resources early in the process as they are developing new positions.

  

Compensation

 

What are the regulations regarding Comp Time?

Comp time does not exist in California!  A California private employer subject to the FSLA (the federal Fair Labor Standards Act), such as the University of San Diego, is not permitted to offer compensatory time off (comp time) to a non-exempt employee in lieu of paying overtime. 

 

What are my options for a more flexible schedule that doesn’t require my supervisor to pay me overtime?

A non-exempt employee who works more than 8 hours in a work day or 40 hours in a work week must be paid one and one-half times his/her regular rate of pay for all overtime hours worked.  Employees should accurately record actual hours worked, including overtime hours.   Because most supervisors require prior approval to work overtime, employees should always check with their supervisor before working overtime hours.

 

One option is Make-Up Time:  This is a provision in CA regulations that allows an employee to request time off for a personal obligation and make up the time without receiving overtime pay under the following circumstances:

 

• It is requested by the employee for the employee’s personal convenience, not the employer’s;
• The employee may work no more than 11 hours on another day and no more than 40 hours in the work week, to make up the time off;
• The time must be made up within the same workweek (Monday through Sunday at USD);
• The employee must submit a signed written request in advance.  See the Makeup Time Request at:http://www.sandiego.edu/administration/financeadmin/payroll/documents/Makeup_Time_Request.pdf

 

Can I require my staff employees to work overtime, then give them time off another day?

Yes, supervisors can require staff employees to work overtime to meet the business needs of the university.  Try to give them advance notice, if possible, and ensure they are accurately recording their hours and being properly paid at the overtime rate, if applicable.  Sometimes it will help to reduce overtime hours if the supervisor can foresee the overtime and adjust the employee’s schedule to limit the total hours worked in the work week to 40 or fewer.  For example, if a Mon-Fri staff employee must work a Saturday event, the supervisor could give the employee a day off earlier in the week, say Monday, and avoid paying overtime for the Saturday work because it would not be in excess of 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week.  Again, the day off must be in the same work week.

  

If I am an administrator who has to work late for a university event this week can I take some time off next week to make up for it?

Administrators, or exempt employees, are by definition exempt from the overtime and recordkeeping regulations of state and federal wage and hour law.  As such, they have more flexibility than non-exempt employees to vary their schedules according to business needs.  However, exempt employees are also expected to work the number of hours it takes to get the job done, and should not be tracking their hours worked/time off on a formal hour-for-hour or day-for-day basis.  To do so will likely destroy the employee’s exempt status.

 Temporary or Part-Time Employees

 What is the 1000 hour rule for temporary/part time employees?

 It is University policy that all casual/temporary/non-benefit based employees work less than 20 hours per week or less than 1000 hours per calendar year. This includes student employees.  It is the responsibility of the hiring supervisor to monitor these employees' work hours to ensure that employees work less than the maximum 1000 hours each calendar year.  For employees with multiple assignments, the supervisors must communicate with each other to monitor total hours worked. 

 

To monitor these employees' work hours to ensure that they do not exceed the 1000 hour limit, supervisors may print a 1000 Hours Report from Oracle Manager Self-Service.  Once the 1000 hours is reached in the calendar year, supervisors will need to reduce the employee’s scheduled hours per week or end their temporary assignment. The employee would not become eligible for rehire at the university until the beginning of the next calendar year. Supervisors should print a Department Action Form (DAF) from Oracle Manager Self-Service to change end dates or end an assignment. 

Under limited circumstances, and with prior approval of Human Resources and the appropriate vice president, temporary/casual employees may continue to work past the 1000 hour limit.  However, they will become eligible for the university’s retirement benefit only, and the department will be responsible for the cost of the additional benefit.  The position will become a temporary, benefit based – retirement only -  position (BBR). Another option is to convert a temporary position to a regular, benefit based position through the budget approval process.

Performance Evaluation

What is the “Introductory Period”?
An employee’s introductory period is the first six months he or she works as a non-temporary university employee. The Introductory period is designed to allow the employee a period of adjustment to his or her new position, to allow the supervisor to observe and evaluate the employee's performance, and to allow both the employee and the university to determine whether or not to continue the relationship.

What are the employee’s and supervisor’s responsibilities during the introductory period?
Supervisors of introductory employees are expected to help the employee adjust to his or her new position, providing the employee with adequate instructions for performing his/her duties, and keeping the employee well informed on whether or not job performance is meeting expectations. Employees are expected to ask questions and request assistance or guidance as needed, and take responsibility for learning the duties of their positions.  Both are deciding if the job is a good “fit” for the employee.

What is the “New Hire Six-Month Evaluation”?
About one month before the end of the introductory period, the supervisor will receive a reminder from Human Resources that the introductory period will be ending soon. The “New Hire Six-Month Evaluation” is a simple, one page form to be completed by the supervisor indicating whether the employee should be retained past the introductory period.  It includes a brief evaluation of the employee’s performance and any areas the employee needs to work on improving.

What happens to an employee’s status after completion of the introductory period?
Satisfactory completion of the introductory period results in the employee’s status becoming “regular” or “ongoing”.  However, as an at-will employer, the university reserves the right to end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice.  Likewise, the employee has this right as well.

Can the Introductory Period be extended?
Unusual circumstance may necessitate an extension of the introductory period beyond the usual six months. In such cases the supervisor will consult Human Resources before the end of the original introductory period to determine whether an extension is warranted. Such an extension, if approved by Human Resources, will be for a specific period of time not to exceed three months. If probation is to be extended, the supervisor will inform the employee in writing, before the end of the original six-month period, of the reason for the extension and its duration.

Is there a difference between being discharged during the introductory period or after?
Employees may be discharged at any time during or at the end of the introductory period. Discharged introductory employees do not have access to the university's employment-related complaint procedure, but they do have access to the university's procedure for resolving allegations of discrimination.

My employee’s six month introductory period ends about the same time as the annual performance evaluation process begins.  Do I need to complete both forms?
No.  The university’s evaluation process is not intended to cause additional paperwork or a duplication of effort for employees and supervisors.  Where both reviews would occur in the same time frame, the employee and supervisor would proceed with the annual evaluation process.  Check with Human Resources if you have questions about the timing of the evaluation.

If I transfer to another position on campus, do I begin another six month introductory period?
Normally, yes, in the case of a transfer to a different position, either within the same department or to a different department, a new introductory period would begin.  This is because the employee is learning a new position and a similar period of adjustment occurs as it would if the employee were new to USD.  Exceptions to the six month introductory period for transferred employees must be reviewed with Human Resources.

Am I required to do a self-evaluation as part of the performance evaluation process?
Because the university believes that it is very valuable and important for employees to participate in the evaluation process, all employees are requested to complete a self-evaluation prior to meeting with their supervisor.  This gives employees the opportunity to reflect and communicate how they feel they are performing.

My supervisor rated me mostly the middle rating “Meets Expectations”.  Should I be concerned because I didn’t get rated “Exceeds Expectations”?
“Meets Expectations” is a good rating.  Employees who meet expectations are fully performing the requirements of the position and are doing a good job.  We expect most of our employees to fall into this category.

I received a “Needs Improvement” rating.  Am I going to get fired?
A “Needs Improvement” rating means that the employee is not meeting expectations in that area.  It does not necessarily mean the person’s job is at risk; it may just indicate one area where an employee is still learning, or where the employee needs to be re-directed to another approach in order to achieve success.  If several areas need improvement and the overall evaluation rating is “Needs Improvement”, the supervisor and employee should work together to develop a performance improvement plan, including specific action plans and timetables for improving performance.

This is my first year and I don’t have any performance goals to be evaluated on – what should I do with the Goals section of the evaluation?
Even if you and your supervisor did not set formal performance goals when you started in your position, you may have discussed some initial projects or focus for your first several months, such as “learning the duties of the position”.  These can be used as your goals, and your self evaluation can comment on your progress thus far.  And you and your supervisor should definitely set performance goals for the next rating period.

My supervisor plays favorites – what protection do I have against an unfair evaluation?
You will notice that the performance evaluation forms have space for both the immediate supervisor’s signature and their next level manager’s signature.  This two-level management review was established to address concerns of employees who may feel their direct supervisor may rate them unfairly because of favoritism or personality differences. It is the next level manager’s responsibility to ensure that the evaluation is fair and consistent within the department or division.  The next level review/signature should occur before the evaluation is finalized, so that the employee is assured that two management levels have seen and agree with the evaluation.

What do I do if I disagree with my performance evaluation?
Employees are encouraged to bring any documentation supporting their self-ratings to their evaluation meeting, and discuss their concerns openly with their supervisor.  In addition, there is a space on the form encouraging employee comments; additional comments may be attached on a separate sheet.  In the event the employee and supervisor do not agree on a rating, the supervisor’s rating will prevail; however, the employee’s comments will be included for the record.

Can an employee refuse to sign his/her performance evaluation?
The employee’s signature is to acknowledge that they have received an evaluation, not necessarily that they agree with it.  If the employee were to refuse signing the document, then the supervisor should state on the form that the employee refused to sign the document but did receive a copy.  The evaluation will still become part of the employee’s personnel file.

What happens if an employee is out on a leave of absence when performance evaluations, either the six-month or the annual, are due?
If an employee is out on an approved leave of absence during the six-month introductory period, the supervisor should communicate with Human Resources and extend the introductory period accordingly.  If an employee is on LOA during the annual process, the evaluation can either be completed early (if the leave was anticipated) or after the employee’s return to work.  An employee’s leave of absence is not a valid reason for not completing a performance evaluation.

Please contact Janie Carolin at ext. 2723 if you have any questions.