Questions about Hay Job Evaluation
Q: What is Job Evaluation?
A: Job evaluation is a tool for determining the ‘size' of a job, usually in the form of a number of ‘points' (i.e. a job with 400 points, is a bigger job than one with 200 points). It also allows us to compare different jobs, which in turn enables us to determine where jobs should be placed on the single pay spine, thus ensuring equal pay for work of equal value. At Birkbeck, we are using the Hay system of job evaluation.
Q: Who will benefit from job evaluation?
A: Job evaluation will introduce more transparency and fairness regarding the way jobs are graded and placed on the new single pay spine. It will also enable us to compare ourselves with the external job market where appropriate.
Q: I am employed as an Academic, what is happening with regard to Academic staff?
A: Academic staff have been assimilated to the Salary scales, for background please follow this link.
Q: I am employed as a Researcher, what is happening with regard to Research staff?
A: Research staff have been assimilated to the Salary scales, for background please follow this link.
Q: I am employed as a Teaching and Scholarship member of staff (Sessional/Hourly Paid), what is happening with regard to Teaching & Scholarship staff?
A: Teaching & Scholarship staff were dealt with in Phase 2 and have now been assimilated to the Salary scales, for background please follow this link.
Q: How will the Panels avoid making subjective judgements when assessing job size?
A: All Panel members receive thorough training in the Hay system for job evaluations, enabling them to make informed judgements, based on thorough discussions around the job. It is stressed that the panels will seek further clarification or information if they feel it is necessary.
Q: What happens if I carry out the same job as my some of my colleagues?
A: In order to ensure consistency and fairness, where two or more staff members carry out the same job, one job description (a ‘generic' job description) should be submitted to cover all these staff. Your line manager will suggest which members of staff are ‘generic' jobholders.
Q: Can assurances be given that no existing postholders will be downgraded as a result of the job evaluation process?
A: Current employees will not be directly disadvantaged, so no-one will see a decrease in their salary as a result of the process. However, it may mean that where a job is evaluated at a lower grade than is currently paid, the jobholder(s) would have their pay “red circled”. This means that pay is frozen for an agreed period of time. The exact policy on this will be agreed as part of the on-going negotiations. However, Hay's experience elsewhere has shown that few staff have been thus affected.
Q: Will there be any way of appealing if I'm not satisfied with my job grading?
A: Yes, an appeals procedure will be developed for each staff group and disseminated at the appropriate stage of the process.
Q: Is job evaluation a one-off exercise or a regular undertaking?
A: After the initial job evaluation exercise, the Hay system will stay in place as the job evaluation system for the College. It will be used to evaluate new roles or re-gradings of existing roles that have changed. Therefore, decisions will be made within the FNG about the role of the existing re-grading panels, following the introduction of the Hay system.
Q: Who will sit on the Hay job evaluation panels?
A: Job evaluation panels comprise: the Chair – who is an HR Evaluator; 2 other Evaluators; a Trade Union–trained evaluator. All panel members will participate on panels in their capacity as Hay Evaluators, as opposed to being a representative of a particular school/ department/ trade union. In addition Hay will be present at some panels as a quality control check to ensure a consistent approach is adopted across all panels. There will be equality and diversity considerations in the composition of each panel.