AuckUni-General-Staff-brochure-07.02.10-website

There is a better way: fair pay

www.payfairly.org.nz

A fair pay system for

general staff

Thanks to Michael Renner at Flickr for the photo www.flickr.com/photos/mgrenner57/2258875977/

TERTIARY EDUCATION UNIONTe Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa

www.payfairly.org.nzTERTIARY EDUCATION UNION

Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa

Performance Pay expert Alfie Kohn

“...My formula for how to pay people distils the best theory, research, and practice with which I am familiar into three short sentences: Pay people well. Pay people fairly. Then do everything possible to take money

off people’s minds. Notice that incentives, bonuses, pay-for-performance plans, and other reward systems violate the last principle by their very nature...”www.alfiekohn.org/managing/cbdmamam.htm

We need your help:

1. Contact TEU to find out more or get invovled:ext [email protected] visit www.payfairly.org.nz

Maybe you want to keep up to date with the campaign, or maybe you want to help put up posters, share flyers with your colleagues, lobby for change, or more?

2. Talk to other general staff about our campaign. Ask what they need to do to make this happen. Explain that if we all work together we can make a difference. It’s more important we show we care now than afterwards when decisions are already made.

Thanks to Alfie Kohn for the photoen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfie_Kohn

In 1993 The University of Auckland introduced a performance pay system for general staff. Staff soon found that the reality of performance pay did not match management promises of bigger and more frequent pay increases. Today, Auckland remains the only university in New Zealand with a purely performance pay system for general staff. At other universities general staff have models that incorporate annual increments and recognition of experience, loyalty and knowledge. In 2007 the union surveyed its general staff members to find out what workplace-related issues most concerned them. More than three quarters of the general staff involved in the survey said that they were unhappy with the performance pay system. The Tertiary Education Union and other unions on campus are committed to replacing the system of

performance pay with a fair method of remuneration that encourages cooperation and reflects the way work is actually done in a university environment. The unions’ proposed model for general staff is consistent with the academic staff remuneration model. While performance pay rewards individuals for their results, a

whole team normally achieves those results. Evidence shows

performance pay undermines workplace teamwork and adds to stress. Staff shouldn’t have to compete with each other to get the pay rises they all deserve. This year we are launching a campaign for general staff to be paid fairly. We need your help.

TEU National PresidentTe Tumu Whakarae

Tom Ryan

1. Automatic pay increases

Currently general staff fit into six salary levels, each one of which has a minimum and maximum pay grade. In our new system, agreed salary levels would be subdivided into six steps. General staff who perform ‘satisfactorily’ will automatically progress through the steps each year. Because The University of Auckland maintains high workplace standards, performance is assumed to meet reasonable expectations unless managers declare it unsatisfactory.

2. Progression through professional development

In addition to the progression available through automatic increments, staff can progress through the acquisition of skills, knowledge and expertise. If a general staff member is recognised as being ‘Proficient’ or ‘Expert’, they will qualify for pay increases and faster progression.

Recognition of Proficiency CertificateAn employee who is recognised as Proficient will have reached a high level of skill by a) researching and reflecting upon and learning from their work experience and/or undertaking training which enhances their professional development and job performance. A certificate will be issued to recognise Proficiency. Work towards the certificate will be designed to increase the institutional knowledge of the university, as well as the skills of the individual employee.

Recognition of Expertise CertificateAn employee who is awarded a Recogniton of Expertise Certificate will have demonstrated

a very high level of skill by a) researching and reflecting upon and learning from their work experience and/or undertake training which enhances their professional development and job performance. It is expected that the work which is done for the Recognition of Expertise Certificate will be more advanced than the work done for the Recognition of Proficiency Certificate.

Achievement of Proficient and Expert and accelerated progression An employee who has gained Recognition of Proficiency will be entitled to an additional payment equivalent to one salary step or a negotiated set rate. Similarly, an employee who has gained Recognition of Expertise will be entitled to an additional payment equivalent to two salary steps or a set rate to be negotiated.

3. Bonus payment

A request for a lump sum payment for the completion of special projects over and above normal duties can be made by an employee’s manager or by an employee through their manager.

Benefits to the employer

The employer will benefit from the new model in several ways. It will be easier to plan budgets with the new system because salary costs will be more predictable. Managers will find it easier to retain staff, and they will notice an increase in productivity and cohesion amongst staff as the frustrations and divisions of the old system are left behind.

Find out more at www.payfairly.org.nz

www.payfairly.org.nzTERTIARY EDUCATION UNION

Te Hautū Kahurangi o Aotearoa

Here’s our plan - To value staff and to support excellence we plan to have the best pay system for general staff in a New Zealand university. Our ‘fair pay’ plan is compatible with the University’s new Performance and Development Review process. It has three elements:

More than just performance payLet’s encourage cooperation and value experience and knowledge, not internal competition