State of California

  M E M O R A N D U M

  REFERENCE CODE:
  98-041

  DATE:
  September 9, 1998

  TO:
  Personnel Officers

  FROM:
  Department of Personnel Administration
  Classification and Compensation Division

  SUBJECT:
  Pay Differential for Excluded Employees (Managers, 
  Supervisors, and Confidential)

  CONTACT:
  Camille Hollis, Personnel Management Analyst
  (916) 324-3860, CALNET 454-3860
  FAX:  (916) 327-1886
  OFFICE VISION:  DPA(CLHOLLIS)
  INTERNET:  CAMILLEHOLLIS@DPA.CA.GOV


  Information Technology (IT) recruitment and retention has 
  become a major concern to many State agencies.  The 
  competition for skilled IT professionals has recently 
  intensified.  In many departments, business success and 
  mission attainment are directly tied to complex IT 
  operation.  In these cases, the retention of highly skilled 
  and trained IT staff becomes "mission critical."  The 
  creation of this Professional Competency Pay Differential 
  addresses the critical need to retain employees with 
  mission-critical IT skills working on mission-critical IT 
  projects.
  
  A Professional Competency Pay Differential provides 
  appointing authorities discretion and authority to provide 
  additional compensation to excluded employees in the IT 
  area assigned to a mission-critical IT project.  The pay 
  differential allows for three levels of premium pay, 10%, 
  15%, and 20%, as illustrated below:
  
  Level One - 10% per month - Professional IT Training 
  Courses - Verification of completion of required department 
  specified IT training courses and demonstrated successful 
  application of learned competency (example:  Database 
  Development and Administration, System Administration, 
  Network Administration, etc.).
  
  Level Two - 15% per month - Advanced Professional IT 
  Training Courses - Verification of completion of advanced 
  department specified IT training courses and demonstrated 
  successful 
   
  application of learned competency (example:  Database Development and 
  Administration, System Administration, Network Administration, etc.).
  
  Level Three - 20% per month - Professional Certification - Specific 
  product professional credential.  Verification of professional 
  certification (example:  Oracle Database Development and 
  Administration, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer).
  
  CRITERIA:
  
  To qualify, the following elements must exist in the department:
  
  A Departmental Strategic Plan
  
  A Departmental IT Strategic Plan
  
  A Mission-Critical Project(s):
  
  Project is strategic in nature (legislative, court 
  mandated, or direction from agency head) for a specified 
  time frame per approved project to meet the department's 
  business needs.
  
  Eligible Employee(s):
  
  Assigned to a mission-critical project.
  
  Documented verification of completion of required 
  department specific professional IT training courses and/ 
  or professional certification. 
  
  Maintained IT professional recertification no more than one 
  generation (version) old as supported by the issuing 
  company and utilized by the department.
  
  All IT training coursework must be related to the employee's job 
  description.
  
  All departments meeting the above criteria elements should submit 
  their completed Pay Differential request package to Camille Hollis, 
  Classification and Compensation Division, Department of Personnel 
  Administration, by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1998.  The request should 
  describe the purpose (include information on mission-critical 
  project(s)), specific conditions or circumstances that warrant this 
  type of pay differential, and a performance standard for demonstrated 
  IT application and learned competency, along with a listing of 
  required IT training coursework, including price and duration of 
  courses.  A copy of the department's strategic plan and IT strategic 
  plan must accompany the request.
  
  All requests received after the above date will be added on a flow 
  basis.
  
  After the initial pay differential request is approved, departments 
  will be added as an eligible department on the pay differential.  The 
  authority to approve individual employee participation in this pay 
  differential is at the discretion of the appointing power.  
  Departments should establish a request criteria for individual 
  employee participation (see attached sample request form).
  
  Questions regarding application of this pay differential should be 
  directed to Camille Hollis at (916) 324-3860 or 
  camillehollis@dpa.ca.gov.
  
  
  
  
  
  Frank Tanaka
  Program Manager
  
  Attachments will be distributed via mail.