Promotion Defined

What is a Promotion or Salary Increase

Brief Definitions:

Promotion: An increase in a professional employee’s basic annual salary accompanied by movement to a higher salary level (SL) with a change in title resulting from a permanent and significant increase in the employee’s duties and responsibilities as a consequence of  a permanent increase in the scope and complexity of function of the employee’s position.

Salary Increase: An employee who has been assigned a permanent and significant increase in duties and responsibilities as demonstrated by the employee’s performance program.

Permanent – Long term in duration without an anticipation of the duties going away. 

Significant – Results in a substantive impact on an employee’s daily work life.  Not typically a task or responsibility that is done occasionally.    

Scope – The range, extent, capacity, or span that an employee’s responsibilities cover; the scale or reach of an employee’s responsibilities.

Complexity – The difficulty, intricacy, involvedness, or complicatedness of the duties and responsibilities.

Frequently Asked Questions:.

If I attain a new degree or certification, can I receive a promotion or salary increase?  If you receive a new degree or certification and your job responsibilities do not change, you would not qualify for a promotion or salary increase.  If your responsibilities change based on receiving a degree or certification (e.g. you are assigned personnel to supervise, or you are now responsible for a new program area,) you could apply under this process. 

What is the difference between a salary increase and a promotion?  An employee can receive a salary increase for assuming additional responsibilities that do not necessarily require more knowledge, skills, or abilities, but are at a similar level as his/her other duties. (e.g. an employee has routinely reported activities to New York State and the State has recently made a significant increase in its reporting requirements which directly impacts the requirements of the employee.)  A promotion can reflect an addition or change in duties or responsibilities that increase the scope or complexity of his/her work and usually require a higher level of knowledge, skills, and abilities to carry out those responsibilities.  (e.g. an office is responsible for multiple program areas and to comply in a change in regulations, the department has added a substantial program and made you responsible for it.)

 I was given additional responsibilities (tasks) but also had some removed or taken away.  Can I receive a salary increase?  Typically, a salary increase would not be warranted if duties were ‘exchanged’ and the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the new responsibilities are similar to those required to perform the removed tasks.  If the new tasks require a new skill set and have a significant impact on your daily work life, you may be entitled to a salary increase and/or promotion.