Introduction to Broadbanding

The Job Family Analysis effort currently underway at the University of Minnesota will result in classifications and pay ranges that differ in structure and function from those currently in use. This new pay approach is referred to as broadbanding and will result in:

• Up-to-date job descriptions. These descriptions will provide a common language that is consistently utilized and applied throughout the University.
• The elimination of certain barriers and bureaucracy from the compensation system and the placement of responsibility for pay decisions at the departmental management level.
• The ability to stay competitive with the market and provide the flexibility to adapt to competitive pressures and ensure attraction and retention of employees.
• A compensation system that can be maintained and can adapt and respond to change in the workplace.
• Enhanced career development opportunities for employees and career planning capabilities for departments.
• Provision of a mechanism to integrate compensation-related processes with organizational values, structures, and work-related processes.

What is Broadbanding?

Simply stated, broadbanding is the grouping of jobs with similar duties, responsibilities, and levels of accountability. Broadbands are created based upon the job analysis process of examining the body of work being performed at the University. Broadbands widen salary ranges in order to facilitate organizational flexibility, encourage individual career development, and market competitiveness. The use of broadbanding also reduces the number of job classifications.

Broadband classifications are broad in scope and describe the general body of work, not the specific duties that belong to all of the jobs included within that classification. The broadband classification description documents the job's duties and responsibilities as well as the knowledge and skills essential to the classification.

Broadbanding is not a new compensation concept. Many private sector corporations and some public sector organizations have transitioned to broadbanding systems. Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin, and University of Iowa are examples of higher education institutions that have broadbanding systems in operation.

The salary range will be based upon current labor market information and will represent a wider spread than those ranges currently in use at the University. There will be no salary range maximum in some bands. All of these elements are essential to ensuring that the University can adapt to the dynamic nature of the competitive labor market.

Broadband job titles are very general in nature and are designed to identify and define the job family. They also provide a consistent and common standard by which these families can be utilized across departments and offices within the University. A department may certainly utilize more descriptive working titles on business cards and correspondence. For example, in the broadband classification of IT Professional, an employee may use the working title of Business Systems Analyst.