Frequently Asked Questions
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Note:
Since Career Banding is a new system in DHHS and in NC state government,
we are learning and building the system as we go. These answers will
reflect our latest interpretations and understanding of the system,
and we will revise and add to the information as we learn more.
For questions not answered here, please use the e-mail
link at the bottom of the page and a member of the Human Resource Banding
Project Team will
respond.
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What
is Career Banding and
why are we going to this new system?
Career Banding is a new human resources
system that affects the way we classify, hire,
pay, promote, evaluate,
and provide career development opportunities for
our employees.
The new system will be phased into state
government
over
the next
few years. To reduce
the number of job classes and titles in state government,
jobs that are similar will be grouped together into more
general job classes (called Job Families).
The combined
job classes will be grouped into larger pay ranges and
may be assigned new titles.
The Office of State Personnel initiated
this new Human Resources system throughout state government
for a number of reasons:
-
The current system is
outdated and we need to reduce the number of job classes
and titles in state government.
-
Pay should be based on
current market rates to help us retain qualified employees.
-
Career Banding gives
agency directors more flexibility to set pay rates
for qualified employees.
- Career Banding creates more
emphasis on career development.
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Will my salary or job duties change under
Career Banding?
Although you may have a new job title in the
future, your duties should not change.
Your workplan will
be rewritten to describe “competencies” (skills,
knowledge, abilities, and key behaviors) that are needed
for you to do your job well and advance through your new
pay range, but you will notice few
other changes in the new system.
In the current budget year,
there are no anticipated salary increases associated
with
any jobs that
are converted
to the banding system in DHHS.
In future years after your job has been “banded”,
you may be able to get a pay increase if:
- Budget money is available to fund the increase;
and
- Pay studies comparing
your pay to other public employers and private industry confirm
that employees in your job
family are
being underpaid; or
- You move up through the new banding pay
range by demonstrating new job-related
competencies (skills, knowledge, abilities, and key behaviors) that
you may have acquired through further education, training
or on-the-job skill building. Note that you have to be "demonstrating" these
competencies on the job to move up through the pay range.
This means
that if you learn how to perform a new or higher level
competency
that
you
cannot
use in
your current job,
you will not be eligible to receive a higher pay rate for
the new skill that you are not "demonstrating" in
your position. Of course, acquiring new skills
can
reward you in the long run, however, by allowing you to
move up to a higher level in your work unit if needed in
the future or qualify for
promotions
into positions where you can use those new skills!
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| What are the benefits to Career Banding?
We anticipate that there will be many benefits
to the new system. Although any pay increases will always
be
tied
to the overall
budget for the year, the Banding system should make some things
easier to manage.
Here are some expected benefits:
- Managers will have more flexibility than
they do under the current system to grant pay adjustments
including
pay
increases
(if budget money is available) for eligible employees.
- Employees will be able to move
up through the pay range by acquiring and demonstrating
new job-related competencies, education,
or
training.
- DHHS as a whole should be able to attract
and keep more talented employees who know that there is
a potential
for
career advancement.
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When
will my job be "banded"?
We have banded our Information
Technology jobs as well as our Law Enforcement jobs.
The next classes to be banded will be Institutional
Services (Nutritional
Services and Building and Environmental Services) and
certain jobs under the Operations and Skilled
Trades Job Families.
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What
are Job Families and where will my job fit?
The following explanation is illustrated
in a graphic below to
help you see how all of the pieces fit.
Staff from DHHS and other state agencies
have been working with the Office of State personnel (OSP)
to define 10 Job Families to include
all of our current jobs. Each Job Family will have a number
of "Career
Branches" and under that, a number of "Banded
Class Series" that
will include your job.
| The banding profile
for a "office assistant" job, for
example, will be: |
Administrative and Managerial
Job Family
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Office
Programs Support Career Branch
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Office Support
Banded Class Series |
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- The overall Job Family for office assistants
would be the "Administrative
and Managerial Job Family";
- The major Career Branch for office assistants
would be the "Office Programs Support Career Branch"; and
- The direct Banded Class Series for office
assistants would be the "Office Support Banded Class
Series".
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How
will my job fit into a "pay band"?
A pay band is a range of pay set for a group
of employees. Each major Job Family will have a wide pay
band associated with
it.
Human
Resource
Staff
will
research
current data on the average pay rates for similar
employees
who work in government and private industry to
establish fair pay "bands" for each Job Family
and each Banded Class Series under each Job Family. The
range will go from
the lowest rate for a new or inexperienced employee
to
the
highest rate for a highly skilled or experienced employee.
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How
will banding affect me as a manager?
When jobs are moved into a pay band, agency
directors should have more flexibility
than they do under the current system to grant pay
increases for eligible employees. Job-related competencies,
education, and/or training
will be defined for each pay band. As employees acquire
these skills or meet these requirements, managers will
be able to authorize appropriate pay increases (as budgets
allow).
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What
is a competency? Who decides
what competencies will be in my job and what level of competencies
I have attained?
Competencies are the skills,
knowledge, abilities, and key behaviors that you need to
perform your job. DHHS
Human Resources staff will be working with division and institution
managers,
supervisors,
and representative groups of employees to make sure that the
Competency Profiles for your job are accurate and develop
some specific "Key Activities" to further describe how you
may be demonstrating these competencies on the job. (When
your job is banded, you should be given a copy of your Competency
Profile. The profiles are also posted on this web site under
your Job Family as they are developed. See Business & Technology
Applications Technician Competency Profile for an example.)
These competencies will be used
to:
- find qualified
applicants to fill vacant positions,
- assess eligibility for pay increases
when you demonstrate higher competency levels, and
- plan career development and training to
help you increase your competencies.
The defined competencies will be grouped into
3 categories related to 3 pay ranges within a pay band:
- Contributing (entry level)
- Journey (experienced)
- Advanced (expert)
You and your supervisor will decide what
level of competencies you are demonstrating.
We also plan to use a performance management
system under banding that should not differ very much from
the current system of workplans and annual reviews. There
may
be some
new forms, but the basic philosophy of making sure that employees
understand what is expected of them, meeting periodically
to assess their progress, and evaluating performance at least
annually should remain the same.
Competencies will relate to all aspects of
Human Resources. You may want to view a graphic that
illustrates this relationship. (Use your "back" button
to return to this page after viewing the grahic.) You may
also read a more detailed Employee
Fact Sheet on Competency Assessment for more information.
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How
will banding affect my ability to advance?
Many current jobs in state government leave
no room for advancement other than entering supervision
or management.
When your job is placed into a banded career
path, you may be able to work your way up in responsibility
and
pay
by
going
from
"contributing"
to "journey" or from "journey" to "advanced" by increasing
your competencies. And since your current
job may be banded with other similar jobs, you may be able
to
move more easily into a similar
position that would give you even more career advancement opportunities.
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Could
my job be negatively affected by banding? Could I be layed off/RIF'd?
DHHS anticipates no layoffs or Reduction
in Force (RIFs) as a result of this move into the new system.
Although
you
may have
a new job title in the future, your duties
should
not
change.
Your
workplan
may be rewritten to
describe “competencies” that
are needed for you to do your job well and advance through
your new pay range, but your pay would not be reduced as a result
of where your particular skills are in the new pay range.
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