EMPLOYEE PAY POLICY (HR2473) 10-10-2018.PDF

MARICOPA COUNTY INTERNAL POLICY
Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2473
EMPLOYEE PAY
Current Adoption Date: 10-10-2018
Current Implementation Date: 10-10-2018
Approved by: Board Agenda Number: C-31-19-008-6-00
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Original Adoption Date: 10-10-2018
I. PURPOSE
To provide a strategy to determine employees’ salaries within approved salary ranges.
II. AUTHORITY
This policy is issued pursuant to A.R.S. §11-251.
III. APPLICATION
This policy applies to all employees of Maricopa County elected offices and appointed departments as well as the
Flood Control District of Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Library District, and the Maricopa County Stadium
District (Special Districts).
IV. DEFINITIONS
A. Applicable Qualifications: Qualifications that are quantifiable, relevant to employee’s positions, and
impact the employee’s job performance.
B. Appointing Authority: An elected official, the single administrative or executive head of a department, or the
designated representative authorized to act in this capacity.
C. Executives: Elected officials’ chief deputies and department deputy directors and above.
V. POLICY
A. The County’s strategy to determine employees’ salaries is designed to coincide with its performance-
based retention pay strategy. After initial placement, movement through a salary range is primarily based
on performance and when applicable, market adjustments.
B. Factors Used to Determine Employees’ Salaries
1. Applicable and Quantitative Qualifications: Examples
a) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: What employees know and are able to do.
b) Productivity/Proficiency: Goods or services employees produce in a certain amount of time.
c) Applicable Experience: Current and prior experience at the same level of responsibility, scope,
and relevancy to the position in question. This does not include lower level experience that helped
the applicant qualify for the position.
d) Certification: Must be job related and beneficial to perform the job.
e) Education: Must be job related and beneficial to perform the job.
f) Performance: Demonstrated exceptional proficiency in accomplishing assigned tasks.
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Policy Title: Policy Number: HR2473
EMPLOYEE PAY
Current Adoption Date: 10-10-2018
2. Internal Equity: Employees’ salaries with similar applicable and quantitative qualifications need to be
considered to ensure pay equity.
3. Midpoint: Offers above midpoint are typically reserved for applicants with significant applicable
qualifications that allow them to be experts in their field.
C. Job Offers
1. Below First Quartile: Departments determine offers up to the first quartile and should not make offers
higher than current employees unless the applicant has higher level applicable qualifications.
Promotions within the first quartile that are above 5% require approval from Human Resources, unless
the promotion rate is equal to the minimum.
2. Above First Quartile: All job offers above the first quartile of the salary range must be approved by
Human Resources before they can be extended. An offer above the first quartile of the salary range
that is extended without Human Resources’ approval can be rescinded and reduced to a lower
amount.
D. Promotions: When an employee’s current salary is at or above his/her placement within the promotional
position’s salary range, the new salary will be determined as percentage increase based on the employee’s
new responsibilities while considering internal equity.
E. Demotion: Human Resources must review the salary of employees who are demoted for any reason into
lower level salary ranges.
F. Lateral Transfers: Employees transferring to another department within the same or comparable salary
range will typically not receive an increase in salary.
G. Salary Compression: Employees with varied levels of applicable qualifications can be paid similarly.
H. Market Adjustments: When determining salaries during market adjustments, the larger increases will be
focused on major retention or recruitment issues within the salary range. Typically, movement will be more
aggressive at the lower end of the range as that is where the majority of the retention and recruitment issues
exist. Movement above the midpoint will be less aggressive and focus more on top performers.
I. Minimum of Salary Range: Employees may be paid below the minimum of a salary range.
J. Executive Salaries: Salary offers for executives are reviewed by the Board of Supervisors or the County
Manager depending on the reporting relationship and state statutes.
K. The Board of Supervisors must approve any rate that exceeds the maximum of the salary range.
L. The County Manager or designee may approve exceptions to this policy that are consistent with the intent of
the policy.
Revision History
Version Revision Date Description of Revision
1 10-10-2018 Initial version; Replaces Placement in Range Policy (B7009) and Executive Salary
Policy (B7010) (C-31-19-008-6-00)
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