This procedure is made under the Remuneration, Recognition and Working Conditions Policy.
This procedure applies to all staff with the exception of those staff covered by the Senior Executive Remuneration Framework.
1.1. Salary rates for academic and professional staff are detailed in Schedule A – Academic Staff Salaries and Rates of Payment or Schedule B – Professional Staff Salaries and Rates of Payment.
1.2. Salaries are paid fortnightly in accordance with the payroll calendar.
2.1. In cases where a supervisor, who must have at least a level 2 delegation, wishes to appoint a casual staff member at a rate higher than the highest levels published in Schedule A or B, the supervisor and the casual staff member must agree the rate of pay appropriate for the work to be done prior to commencement of the engagement.
2.2. The rate of pay must be agreed with the staff member before they commence a casual engagement with the University and the supervisor must provide the new casual staff member with details of how the rate was determined.
2.3. The agreed hourly rate of pay must not be less than the appropriate hourly rate for the performance of the same duties documented in the Collective Agreement.
2.4. The supervisor must retain written justification and documentation that this is the case.
2.5. The agreed rate of pay must be documented in units and calculated using the rate of $100 per unit. An agreed rate will be entered in Themis using multiples or percentages of $100 per unit. For example, if an agreed rate is $1,000 this would be entered into Themis as 10 units of $100, similarly if the agreed rate is $50 then this would be entered as 0.5.
2.6. Timekeepers and eligible staff members will enter the rate of pay and the length of the casual appointment in Themis on the written advice of the supervisor.
2.7. The University will internally audit 'agreed rates' on a regular basis.
3.1. Incremental progression is based on performance and is not automatic.
3.2. Full and fractional full time staff must participate in an annual Performance Development Framework (PDF) process in order to be eligible for an increment.
3.3. Supervisors must conduct the annual PDF process in a timely fashion and no increment will be deferred or denied due to a failure of the supervisor to conduct an annual review and feedback discussion under the PDF.
3.4. Supervisors at level 1 delegation authority or above may grant increments to staff members under their supervision and convey this to the staff member at least four weeks prior to the increment due date.
3.5. An increment shall be awarded if a staff member has participated in the PDF process during the appropriate review period and performance has been assessed as satisfactory or better and the increment ceiling has not yet been reached
3.6. If the increment date varies from the date of the PDF process, the supervisor must ensure that any decision on incremental advancement is consistent with the substance of the most recent performance review interview.
3.7. Where a staff member has not participated in the PDF process because they are on unpaid leave from the workplace for a period of greater than three months, an increment will be deferred.
3.8. The deferral period will be no longer than the period of the unpaid absence.
3.9. A level 2 delegation authority may award an accelerated increment where the staff member's performance is assessed as outstanding and has consistently and significantly exceeded expectations.
3.10. A level 2 delegation authority or above may defer an increment as follows:
3.11. A level 2 delegated authority should take prior advice from local HR before proceeding to deny an increment. A level 2 delegation authority or above may deny an increment as follows:
3.12. The supervisor will advise the staff member in writing of the reasons for denial of the increment.
3.13. Notification of an upcoming PDF/Increment due date will be sent by Themis to the employee’s supervisor eight weeks prior to the PDF/Increment due date, and to the employee six weeks prior to the PDF/Increment due date.
3.14. The supervisor will conduct a feedback discussion with the staff member prior to recording a performance rating in Themis Self Service. If the employee is due to receive an increment, a rating of satisfactory or above will cause the increment to be automatically awarded to the employee on the due date.
3.15. An Incremental Acceleration, Deferral or Denial form must be completed and sent to local HR to approve an increment acceleration, deferral or denial.
4.1. A professional staff member may be eligible for a performance bonus:
4.2. The supervisor of a professional staff member, after discussion with the head of department, may submit a Performance Bonus Request form to the head of department recommending that the staff member receive a discretionary performance bonus and including details about how the staff member meets the eligibility criteria and, in the case of pre-negotiated target payments, attaching the approval of the head of budget division provided at the commencement of the period.
4.3. Staff are invited to disclose relevant personal circumstances and working arrangements. Supervisors will plan for and assess performance in accordance with the Guidelines for Consideration of Performance Relative to Opportunity.
4.4. Where roles are autonomous, the supervisor may need to consult with the staff member’s clients and colleagues before the recommendation is made.
4.5. A head of department who supports the proposed performance bonus will indicate his or her support on the Performance Bonus Request form and forward it to the head of budget division for consideration.
4.6. The head of budget division may approve a recommendation for a performance bonus, after taking into account the existing distribution of bonuses within the faculty or division, the availability of funds, the reasons for the bonus and, where relevant, the broader impact across the division.
4.7. A maximum of one such payment per annum is permitted.
4.8. In the case of a pre-negotiated performance bonus linked to the achievement of targets, approval by the head of budget division is given in advance
4.9. The head of budget division will submit an annual report to the Remuneration and Employment Conditions Committee (RECC) detailing the professional staff in receipt of performance bonus payments and including details of the bonus as a percentage of total salary.
4.10. The payroll team in HR Specialist Services will arrange payment of the bonus as a single annual payment through normal fortnightly salary payments unless the staff member has previously elected to have the bonus paid into his or her superannuation fund as an additional lump sum payment in accordance with the Superannuation Procedure.
5.1. The head of budget division or Provost may recommend to the Vice-Chancellor that an academic staff member be awarded a General Faculty Loading (GFL) associated with their office or role.
5.2. GFLs are additional to normal salary, are temporary and except to any extent required under superannuation guarantee law, non-superannuable. Contact local HR for further advice and salary calculations. GFLs are paid from departmental funds.
5.3. GFLs may be paid to academic staff:
5.4. GFLs may be packaged as a sum added to a staff member's normal superannuable salary and the remainder as the University's employer superannuation contribution.
6.1. Professional Recognition Loadings (PRL) are available to all budget divisions and may be paid to eligible continuing or fixed term professional staff to:
6.2. PRLs may be paid out of any general University funds which do not preclude such payments.
6.3. PRLs may be paid:
6.4. PRLs are discretionary and are paid for periods of up to 12 months at a time.
6.5. The PRL does not affect the classification of a vacant or occupied position.
6.6. A loading may be applied to a vacant position to attract a suitable applicant if sustained and extreme market pressure in recruitment has been demonstrated through advertisement or benchmarking data.
6.7. PRLs should not be paid for the permanent assignment of continuing higher level duties. Compensation for continuing duties cannot be addressed through this recognition policy. If an employee's duties have been permanently altered to include higher level duties, contact local Human Resources to determine available options.
6.8. Where a staff member who is in receipt of a PRL has their position reclassified or they are promoted, any PRL that was applicable ceases. If any new arrangements are to be negotiated, the normal process of approval and application of the criteria will apply to the new role.
6.9. PRLs must be reviewed on at least an annual basis as part of the PDF and may be removed in the case of disciplinary or unsatisfactory performance rulings, non-achievement of minimum PDF requirements, market demand decline or lack of the achievement of targets. On reviewing an attraction and retention PRL, it may also be appropriate to undertake a re-assessment of market demand, and review a staff member's key skills, knowledge and experience in the light of the current employment market to ascertain if the payment of the PRL remains appropriate.
7.1. GFL and PRL approval process
7.2. Payment procedure
7.3. Reporting on GFLs and PRLs
8.1. Academic heads of department receive a total remuneration package higher than standard salary rates based on the department sizing model outlined in Schedule C - Loadings. Enterprise agreement increases are applied to the total package.
8.2. A staff member who acts as head of department for more than three months will receive the full remuneration package appropriate to the headship including the loading.
8.3. The head of budget division may approve a GFL to a staff member acting for less than three months as head of department. The loading rate is based on the department size:
8.4. Academic Board officers receive a special remuneration package in recognition of the responsibilities associated with their office, as detailed in Table 3 of Schedule C - Loadings.
9.1. Clinical loadings are paid on the approval of a level 2 delegated authority, within approved faculty policy, to Professors, Professorial Fellows, Associate Professors, Associate Professor and Readers, Senior Lecturers and Lecturers, who have either a medical or a dental qualification and who work in the following departments:
9.2. Clinical loadings are paid as part of salary, are superannuable and are payable while the staff member is on study leave, annual leave, long service leave and upon termination.
9.3. Details of the payment amounts for clinical loadings are set out in Table 4 in Schedule C - Loadings. The amounts will be increased on approval by University Council.
9.4. Clinical loadings are not paid to medical practitioners who are employed as research staff, except where they are members of a clinical department and have patient-care responsibilities in the context of sessional services provided on behalf of the department to a teaching hospital. If research staff who are medical practitioners undertake clinical duties without direct remuneration, the level 2 delegated authority may approve payment of a clinical loading where funds have been made available for that purpose.
9.5. The head of budget division in the Faculty of Veterinary Science may pay an out-of-hours clinical consultancy loading to level B to level D academic staff employed at the Veterinary Clinical Hospital. This clinical consultancy loading is non-superannuable and is not included in calculations for annual leave, and/or long service leave payouts on termination and is detailed in Table 5 in Schedule C - Loadings.
9.6. Details regarding payment of a service differential loading is set out in Table 6 in Schedule C - Loadings.
9.7. Details regarding loadings paid to the Director of Creswick; Conciliator of Disputes; Co-ordinator of Field Studies, Department of Social Studies; and the Clinical Superintendant, Veterinary Clinic and Hospital are detailed in Table 7 in Schedule C - Loadings.
10.1. Three levels of loading are available, determined by the office of the Senior Executive they are assisting. Table 9 in Schedule C - Loadings provides an indication of the level of additional duties that an executive assistant can be expected to carry out in order to receive this loading.
10.2. To be eligible, staff must be employed as assistant or personal assistant to a dean, President and Vice-President of the Academic Board, or members of the Vice-Chancellor's senior executive team. Staff who cease to hold the position of executive assistant will no longer be paid the loading.
10.3. The head of budget division, in consultation with the local Human Resources consultant, may authorise the appointment of an executive assistant and payment of an executive assistant loading as specified within Table 8 of Schedule C - Loadings. This staff member is required to undertake the additional duties outlined in Table 9 of Schedule C - Loadings.
11.1. Full-time staff (other than a casual staff member) shall be paid an annual leave loading in respect of four (4) weeks leave entitlement equal to 17.5 per cent of the ordinary pay of the staff member.
11.2. The maximum payment will be equal to the Australian Bureau of Statistic's figure for Average Weekly Total Earnings (Australia), for the May quarter of the year in which the entitlement to the leave is accumulating.
11.3. Part-time staff members or staff members who have not worked for a full year shall receive pro-rata payments.
11.4. Payment of the loading on termination will be based on the previous year's figure if a staff member ceases employment before the annual leave loading calculation for the year is known,
11.5. Annual leave loading will be paid to all eligible staff in the first full pay period in December.
12.1. Flexible remuneration packaging (FRP) enables salary packaging and salary sacrifice options.
12.2. Staff may sacrifice up to 100% of gross annual salary.
12.3. Where a staff member elects to access benefits, the staff member's take home pay will be reduced by the value of the benefit and any associated fringe benefits tax. The resulting cash component of the remuneration will be paid as salary and forms the basis for calculation of pay as you go tax.
12.4. A staff member who elects to package his or her salary will be regarded as having a gross salary as set out Schedules A and B for academic and professional staff and specified in their letter of appointment. This is also the rate referred to in discussions about promotion, classification, reclassification, increments and accelerated increments.
12.5. The salary rate will also be used as the figure in relation to the calculation of the following entitlements:
12.6. To apply for flexible remuneration options, staff should review the Flexible Remuneration Packaging Guidelines, complete the relevant form and submit it to the Employee Remuneration and Benefits team for action.
12.7. The salary sacrifice scheme includes the option of paying superannuation contributions from before-tax pay and additional lump sum payments as outlined within the Superannuation Procedure.
12.8. Details regarding what benefits may be packaged are available on the HR website.
13.1. A staff member who has received an overpayment has a duty to immediately report the error to their local Human Resources, irrespective of the sum involved and the cause.
13.2. The University has an obligation and legal entitlement to recover all debts, will take appropriate measures to do so and attempt to recover all overpayments in a fair and reasonable manner.
13.3. The University will contact the staff member by phone or email, informing them of the overpayment, prior to providing a written 'Overpayment Notice' which will include the following:
13.4. A staff member should immediately contact the Employee Remuneration and Benefits Team in Human Resources if they wish to query an overpayment.
13.5. The Employee Remuneration and Benefits Team will examine the overpayment in direct consultation with the staff member and attempt to resolve the matter at a local level.
13.6. The funds can be paid to the University by way of salary deduction, cheque or electronic funds transfer.
13.7. The University will take fair and reasonable measures to recoup overpayments within a reasonable period of time. The method and rate at which the overpayment will be recovered is undertaken in consultation with the staff member, and only in accordance with the staff member's written authorisation.
13.8. Monies recovered within the same financial year are repaid as a net amount. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) requires that repayments relating to the previous financial years will be recovered as a gross amount and inclusive of PAYG tax.
13.9. Normally, one-off overpayments will be recovered by the University in the pay period immediately after which the overpayment is discovered.
13.10. Depending on the circumstances and amount owed, staff members can elect to repay the overpayment either by instalment or a single payment in full.
13.11. If a staff member does not agree to or enter into an arrangement to repay the outstanding monies, the University may either:
13.12. Where an overpayment remains outstanding at the date of termination or resignation of the staff member, the University may either:
14.1. Consistent with the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic) (the Act), staff will be paid accident make-up pay in accordance with clause 49 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010. For staff in receipt of Workcover benefits, the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic) deems retirement at 65 years of age.
14.2. Payment will be from the day on which the incapacity arising from the injury/illness commenced.
14.3. This will be paid in circumstances where the staff member is entitled to weekly payments of compensation under the Act and who has suffered an injury/illness at work which causes partial or total incapacity for which the University is liable.
14.4. Casual staff members are not eligible for accident make-up pay.
14.5. In accordance with clause 49.2 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010 a continuing or fixed-term staff member (excluding casual staff members) is entitled to either a maximum period, or aggregate of periods of 52 weeks in total, of accident make-up pay to be made by the University for any one injury/illness period resulting in a total or partial incapacity.
14.6. In the event that a staff member receives a settlement payment which ensures their entitlement to weekly payments of compensation under the Act ceases, the liability of the University to pay accident make-up pay also ceases with effect from the date of such settlement.
14.7. A staff member who is partially incapacitated and is unable to obtain suitable employment with the University but has obtained suitable employment with another employer, shall continue to be paid accident make-up pay by the University on the basis prescribed in clause 49.2 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010 at their actual earnings. This is provided the staff member provides evidence to the satisfaction of the University of the rate of actual earnings the staff member is receiving from the other employer. These payments shall cease upon the expiry of the staff member's fixed-term contract with the University (if applicable).
14.8. If a staff member is granted a form of paid leave and subsequently has a workers' compensation claim accepted for the same period or part thereof under clause 49.2 of the University of Melbourne Collective Agreement 2010 on account of the same injury/illness, the University shall re-credit the form of paid leave taken by the staff member.
14.9. Section 7.8 of the Superannuation Procedure details superannuation entitlements relating to WorkCover and accident make-up pay.
14.10. All rights to accident make-up pay shall cease upon the death of a staff member.
14.11. Accident make-up pay will cease where a staff member's employment with the University terminates due to any of the following circumstances:
15.1. Awards for outstanding contribution will be recognised by the University through various Recognition Programs which are an essential part of the University’s commitment to attraction, recognition and retaining quality staff. Full details are available through the following links:
15.2. When a professional staff member has served the University for 25 years or more, the Executive Director, Human Resources (or nominee) will contact the head of department to initiate the award of a bronze medal. The medal may be presented at a ceremony to be conducted at the discretion of the relevant department, faculty or division as appropriate.
15.3. A head of department wishing to nominate a member of staff to receive a silver or gold medal for exceptional service to the University in the course of the member’s paid employment, or by a member of staff in an honorary capacity, will forward a proposal and a draft citation under confidential cover for consideration to:
15.4. The Vice-Chancellor will present the recommendation for awards for exceptional service to Council for consideration.
15.5. After Council approval of an award, the University Secretary will ask the awarded if they are prepared to accept the medal, and to identify the occasion most convenient for the presentation. The award will be presented on the nominated occasion with an appropriate citation.
15.6. Gold and silver medal awards will be made upon or after retirement. The person being nominated must not be informed of the submission being made.
The Executive Director, Human Resources is responsible for the development, compliance monitoring and review of this procedure and any associated guidelines.
The Director, HR Specialist Services, Human Resources is responsible for the promulgation and implementation of this procedure in accordance with the scope outlined above. Enquiries about interpretation of this procedure should be directed to the Implementation Officer.
This procedure is to be reviewed by 30 November 2014.
Version | Approved By | Approval Date | Effective Date | Sections Modified |
1 | Senior Vice-Principal | 21 Aug 2012 | 21 Aug 2012 | New version arising from the Policy Simplification Project. Loaded into MPL as Version 1. |
2 | Senior Vice-Principal | 6 Jun 2013 | 6 Jun 2013 | Addition of new section 4.3 and consequential renumbering within section 4. Section 15.3 updated. |
3 | Vice-Principal Administration and Finance on behalf of Senior Vice-Principal | 22 May 2014 | 22 May 2014 | Links to 'Guidelines for Consideration of Performance Relative to Opportunity' updated. |
4 | Vice-Principal Administration and Finance | 21 May 2015 | 17 Aug 2016 | Update broken links throughout document. |
5 | Created in error | Created in error | ||
6 | Executive Director, HR | 28 May 2018 | 28 May 2018 | Update links to salary scales |
7 | Policy Advisor | 29 August 2019 | 30 August 2019 | Editorial amendment - removed incorrect and outdated hyperlinks to Schedules A, B and C. |