4.04 Promotion and Transfer

Effective Date: April 1, 2010 (revised)

Purpose:

It is Trinity College policy to provide primary consideration to current employees whenever possible before going to outside sources to fill vacant positions. This policy outlines the situations which may present opportunities for career advancement or job enhancement as well as the procedures for securing them.

Procedure:

Application Process

Employees are encouraged, but not required, to discuss their interest in another position with their present supervisor, particularly if selected for a formal interview with the hiring department. When a hiring decision is imminent, however, and references (including those at Trinity College) must be checked, the current supervisor must be notified.

Employees will be notified by Human Resources or the hiring department regarding the status of an application and the outcome of the search as soon as possible. Should an individual be promoted or transferred, the effective date is established through mutual agreement between the two departments involved. To ensure a smooth transition, there must be reasonable time to recruit and train a replacement before the change takes place.

Promotion

For the purposes of this policy, promotional opportunities are defined as position vacancies which have received all necessary approvals through the requisition process. Listings of current openings and their requirements are available on the Human Resources web page at https://trincoll.peopleadmin.com or in the Human Resources Office.

In order for the appointment to qualify as a promotion, the move for the current employee to the new position must represent a higher level in the classification and compensation system. Promotions so defined differ from a title change or a position reclassification. Normally, a bona fide promotion to a new position with a higher level warrants a salary increase of eight percent or the minimum of the new level, whichever amount is greater.

Promotions within a Department

When an opening occurs within a department, the department head reviews the credentials, abilities and status of the department’s employees to assess whether there is a candidate from within the department to consider for promotion. If there is an individual who is clearly qualified and experienced, the hiring supervisor is encouraged to fill the position through internal promotion, in which case there is no need to post the position.

Promotions within the College

When an opening occurs and the department head determines there is no current member within the department who is clearly qualified and experienced, the position will be posted on campus. At this time, employees both from within the department as well as from other departments on campus may apply. While department heads may consider applications from external sources, if internal candidates apply within five business days of the posting, meet all of the minimum requirements of the position, and have records of service that are not of concern, they will be given preferred consideration over outside candidates. Hiring supervisors are encouraged to review performance evaluations and records of qualified internal candidates.

When no fully qualified internal applicants present themselves for the position, the department head and/or hiring supervisor will contact the Human Resources Department to expand the search to external candidates.

Title Changes and Position Reclassifications

The College may grant a title change in recognition of an employee’s broadened experience, deeper knowledge, and increased value to the institution after an extended service period. An example of this type of promotion is a change in title from assistant to associate director. These promotions do not necessarily result either in a reclassification to a higher level or to a salary increase. Requests made by a department head to change a title will be reviewed by Human Resources for appropriateness.

Reclassification of a position to a higher level may occur when internal equity or external market conditions dictate. In these situations the basic job function remains the same and a salary increase may not be applicable if the incumbent’s salary already is well within the range of the higher level.

Transfer

Current employees are afforded the same consideration over external candidates for positions that are at the same or a lower level than the employee’s current position. In the event of a voluntary transfer to a same- or lower-level position, the hiring manager is encouraged, but not required to match the transferring employee’s rate of pay. Internal equity considerations may dictate an offer of a lower rate of pay.

See the following policies for additional relevant information:

4.02 Hiring Process 49

4.06 Employment of Relatives 66

6.01 Job Description Creation and Review of Level 148

6.02 Job Classification and Salary Structure 152