Java with Josh Follow-Up Questions/Answers

Below you will find additional answers to some of the questions posed during (or after) the SMHS Java with Josh events.

June 8, 2023

Question: When UND HR does phase 2 of the position review, how will they be looking at the positions? Will it be through the job descriptions or just based on the position classification of job code/band/title? Admin Assistant band has increased in market significantly (definitely much needed!) compared to other bands and therefore now making making the equity across other bands unbalanced like they were prior. SMHS has stressed keeping positions equitable among each other, but how will they do that with this big increase in a specific band and not others? Currently with a 5000 band, you don't need a college education but with a 3000 band you do. According to the data given, there is a $1000-$2000 difference approximately between the market of a position with a hs degree and some work experience vs a position needing a college education.

Answer (from Jill Sackenreuter):

1. The equity (not market) study coming forward from Huron Consulting was determined as an institutional need more than a year ago, obviously well before the Targeted Market Exercise was required by OMB. The bidding process took an extensive amount of time, thus delaying this significantly. Unfortunately, this review bumped up against this Targeted Market Equity exercise, which has created confusion for folks. These two exercises are NOT conjoined in any way.
2. Performance was mentioned as one of the considerations for the equity exercise. I want employees to know that we cannot give equity increases based on positive performance. However, if performance has not been acceptable currently, or had not been over a period of time, that can be a reason to NOT give an increase, and also may have been an indicator of why there was an inequity indicator emerging for a position.
3. Regarding job classifications, I can assure you that for staff positions, a fair and consistent process is conducted to ensure that all positions across campus are evaluated the same way. We conduct market evaluations based on where we recruit for the respective positions, using the NDUS approved market data sources. While I’ve not been involved in the faculty market evaluation process, so can’t speak to that process, I do know that there is a very defined process on campus.

May 18, 2022

Q: Hybrid work arrangements. What about offices with more than one employee, allowing them to be staffed in-person 5 days a week by rotating staff through a hybrid schedule? We are still providing customer service to our students, faculty, and other staff members and especially now that our students are required to be back on campus as well as to provide support to our faculty who are in the office (e.g., it shouldn’t be another departments/units responsibility to provide faculty support when they have available staff but none are in-house to assist them).

It is the managers decision and whatever is most appropriate for the office and the work involved. I would recommend that they take this idea/concern back to their manager and discuss the worries they have regarding a dark office, how they feel they aren’t appropriately serving their customers, especially students now that they are back on campus.

Also, SMHS will participate in a UND-commissioned workgroup to address the HR policies and guidelines related to the return-to-office and alternative work arrangements, and we welcome inputs from all employees. We hope this workgroup provides us with reasonable guidelines and better tools to have a safe workplace and reliable business services. There is no one-size-fits-all approach here, and SMHS must consider UND policies, patient care, student needs, employee safety, service excellence, and work-life balance.