Job Title Appeals

If you have concerns with your new job title, you are encouraged to review the Title and Total Compensation (TTC) Job Title Appeals Policy.

Before considering an appeal, it is important you understand what specifically can and cannot be appealed.

You can appeal:

• Your new official job title

You cannot appeal:

• The salary grade assigned to your official title
• The salary range assigned to your official title
• Your salary as a result of TTC Project implementation
• The title assigned to the standard job description (SJD)
• The language included in the standard job description (SJD)
• Your exempt or nonexempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• The method used to determine the assignment of your title and standard job description (SJD)

While the university has developed a formal appeals process, you should contact your immediate supervisor and divisional human resources office to try and resolve your concerns through informal discussions. If these discussions do not resolve the matter to your satisfaction, and you choose to appeal, you must follow the steps identified below.

Step 1
Informal Resolution

if not resolved ↴
Step 2
Supervisor and/or Divisional HR

if not resolved ↴
Step 3
Compensation Team/OHR

if not resolved ↴
Step 4
TTC Job Title Appeals Panel

if Step 4 overturns Step 3 ↴
Step 5
UW–Madison Chief HR Officer

The dates identified below indicate the expected timeline for appeal resolution that were due on February 4, however the timeline may be revised depending on the individual circumstances of each appeal. These dates also overlap to allow for a rolling process of employee submission and responses to decisions.

Step 1
Informal Resolution
November 7, 2021–January 28, 2022

Use this time to share your thoughts with your manager, supervisor, or department/divisional human resources to seek a resolution. You may have already completed this step during your employee conversation or since that discussion. If after completing Step 1 you chose to move forward to Step 2 with the submissions of the Job Title Appeals Application, you will indicate your completion on Step 1 on the form.

Step 2
Employees May Submit a Formal Appeal for Supervisor and/or Divisional Human Resources Representative Review
November 22, 2021–February 4, 2022

Step 2 is designed to resolve an appeal by informing the administration within your college, school, or division of your disagreement with the TTC job title assignment through the submission of the Job Title Appeals Application. During Step 2, you may request, or be asked to attend, a meeting with a divisional human resources representative and your supervisor to review the appeal. This is the only time in the appeals process when you can request a meeting.

Decision by March 18, 2022
Your divisional human resources office will provide you with a written decision via the online Automated Title Appeals System. You will receive an email notifying you to check the system for the decision. If a resolution is not met during this step, the written decision will include instructions on how to appeal the decision and advance to Step 3.

Step 3
Employees May Request to Advance Their Appeal to the Compensation Team in the Office of Human Resources (OHR)
November 22, 2021–April 1, 2022

Step 3 is designed to resolve an appeal by informing the Compensation Team in the Office of Human Resources (OHR) of your disagreement of the decision made at Step 2. To initiate Step 3, you must follow the instructions provided with the Step 2 decision utilizing the TTC Automated Title Appeals System. If you do not submit a Step 3 appeal by April 1, the matter will be considered settled and will not be eligible for further appeal.

You may be asked to attend a meeting with Compensation Team/OHR, along with your supervisor, and/or divisional human resources representative, but a formal meeting is not required at this step. You may choose to submit a written statement instead of attending the appeals meetings.

Decision by September 2, 2022
A member of the Compensation Team/OHR will provide you with a written decision via the TTC Automated Title Appeals System. You will receive an email notifying you to check the system for the decision. If a resolution is not met during this step, the written decision will include instructions on how to appeal the decision and advance to Step 4.

Step 4
Employees May Request to Advance Their Appeal to the TTC Job Title Appeals Panel
March 21–September 16, 2022

If you are not satisfied with the decision in Step 3 you may appeal to Step 4 of the process. Step 4 is a review by a the TTC Job Title Appeal Panel which will provide you with a third-party review. The TTC Job Title Appeals Panel shall be selected by OHR, in consultation with impacted shared governance groups. The panel will consist of the 3 members from each of the following:

• Compensation Team/OHR member who was not the decision maker from Step 3.
• College/school/division Human Resources Director or designee who was not the decision maker in Step 2.  An alternate Human Resources Director or designee from a division (other than the employee’s division) may serve on the panel.
• Shared Governance member who is from employee’s same employment category (i.e., academic or university staff). This individual will be selected by the appropriate Shared Governance body.

This panel will review your appeal and decide to take one of the following actions regarding the job title decision made in Step 3.

• • Agree with the decision in Step 3
  • Disagree with the decision in Step 3
  • Modify the decision in Step 3

To initiative Step 4, you must submit your appeal via the online Automated Title Appeals System. If you do not submit a Step 4 appeal by September 16, the matter will be considered settled and will not be eligible for further appeal.

Decision by November 4, 2022
After conducting a full review of your appeal, the panel will issue you a written decision via the TTC Automated Title Appeals System. The panel’s decision is considered final unless the panel overturns or modifies the Step 3 decision. Disagreements over a position title of record are not subject to any of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s grievance policies or appeals process.

Step 5
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Reviews Decisions Overturned or Modified by the TTC Job Title Appeals Panel
March 25–December 2, 2022

If the panel overturns or modifies the Step 3 decision, the appeal advances to Step 5, the final step of the appeals process. In Step 5, the Chief Human Resources Office (CHRO) will review all documentation from the previous appeal steps, recommend findings and a decision, and advance the decision for final action. This decision may confirm the panel’s decision or direct a different decision.

Decision by December 2, 2022
After conducting a full review of the appeal on the record, the CHRO will provide you with a written decision via the TTC Automated Title Appeals System. This decision will be considered final and binding and may not be appealed or be subjected to further review within the provisions of the TTC Job Title Appeals Policy.