RISD spends more than 60% of its budget on total compensation. Therefore, it is important that we have a staffing model that best meets the needs of RISD and individual areas that is consistent, fair and equitable, and fiscally responsible.
We have in place a process for the request and approval of significant non-faculty position changes. This includes new positions, increases in FTE/hours, promotions/reclassifications, replacement positions, term positions and bonuses.
To authorize the hiring of a temporary/on-call employee, the appropriate cabinet member/dean must give approval before you submit a temporary/on-call employee request application.
Position Change Review Process Goals
- create clear, transparent and understandable processes 1.) to identify and communicate a needed or desired position change and 2.) to evaluate and act upon each request
- deploy processes that help create and maintain a diverse workforce in accordance with the Social Equity and Inclusion Plan and RISD’s commitment to open and transparent job searches
- execute the process expediently and deliberately as appropriate to the situation (in all cases, all parties should clearly understand a well-defined timeline)
- process each request with simultaneous and complementary evaluation of position-related factors (e.g., grade, title, job duties, internal equity, etc.) and budgetary considerations and constraints
- maximize the effectiveness of constrained resources to achieve institutional priorities
Position Review Committee
RISD’s Position Review Committee (PRC) is comprised of members of the President’s cabinet, including the Senior Vice President for Finance Administration, Human Resources, and others. Committee membership is subject to change periodically.
The committee reviews positions every other Friday, considering new requests and working toward resolving requests that require further deliberation and analysis. Following each review period, the committee clearly communicates status updates to managers with outstanding position requests.
Please submit all requests and supporting documentation for PRC review via the PRC Request process in Workday. For guidance, see our step-by-step guide for creating and submitting requests.
You must submit requests by Thursday at 12:00 p.m. in order for the PRC to evaluate requests at their next meeting. See below for our process for identifying, evaluating and resolving requests for new positions or other position or employee actions.
Review Process Details
Evaluation Criteria
In evaluating requests, the PRC balances institutional needs and funding and considers the following criteria:
- The requested action allows for the requesting department to perform critical duties and cannot be met with current resources.
- The failure to approve the requested action creates an immediate public safety concern, accreditation risk and/or compliance issue.
- Availability of current or future funding within the requesting department or the division.
- Alignment with RISD’s strategic plan, social equity and inclusion plan and financial plan.
Definitions
- New position: a newly created position within a department or division
- Increase in FTE/Hours: an increase in the number of hours per week or months per year above 25%
- Reclassifications/promotions or equity adjustments: an increase to the compensation of an existing position
- Replacement: an unoccupied position due to resignation, reorganization, retirement or other separations
- Bonus: a one-time payment in recognition of exceptional performance
- Temporary/On-Call: a position to be held for six (6) months or less
- Complete the temporary/on-call position request form to request a temporary and/or on-call employee hire.
Review Process
- Submit proposed positions/position changes to your Human Resources partner. They then perform an initial review of the position description and current work distribution, and, in coordination with the department head/chair/supervisor, assess opportunities for cross-functional or interdepartmental realignment.
- Human Resources and the department head/chair/supervisor, along with the division’s senior manager/Vice President approval, perform a full review of the appropriate job classification and recommended compensation, taking into consideration market data and internal equity.
- Once the proposed position information is complete, the responsible manager submits the proposal via Workday. For full consideration of new position requests, include all of the following:
- the type of request (new position, increase in FTE/hours above 25%, change in compensation to an existing position, replacement position).
- a detailed summary of the request.
- a space-usage and funding plan while evaluating the impact on RISD’s budget.
- additional details as needed.
- After reviewing submissions, the PRC notifies the requesting area’s vice president/cabinet member of its decision.
- If the candidate chosen to fill the new role requires funding above the approved amount, the PRC may need to give additional approval.