What is the movement of employees among positions at the same organizational level rather than through progression and promotion?

As your role and responsibilities evolve at Harvard, you may change jobs or receive a promotion. An overview of job changes, promotions, transfers, and other types of pay are outlined below.

Job Changes/Reevaluation

When substantive, measurable changes occur in responsibilities, a job review is in order. Reviews are handled at the local level through the HR office and may be requested by a supervisor, HR officer, or an employee.

Once the request is submitted to HR, decisions are typically made within a reasonably short time period. In most cases, a salary increase is granted when a person is reclassified to a higher grade.

Promotion

A promotion is when an employee advances to a position that is classified at a higher salary grade, or in certain circumstances, an acknowledgment of significant greater responsibilities within the same grade.

A salary increase is typically appropriate at the time of the promotion, based upon an evaluation of relevant experience, performance, relative position in the new salary range, internal equity, and external competitiveness.

Transfer

A transfer is when an employee moves to a position outside his or her current department. A transfer can be lateral (no change in grade), a promotion (increase in grade), or demotion (decrease in grade). Salary changes may or may not be warranted in the case of a transfer.

Types of Pay

In addition to regular pay, the following types of pay may be appropriate in certain circumstances:

Bonuses

Employees may receive bonus pay to reward exceptional work, initiative, or achievement. Bonuses depend on local guidelines and budgetary considerations in consultation with the local HR office.

Extra work

Extra work is Harvard work that falls beyond a regular job assignment. If the extra work is performed in a department other than the staff member’s home department, prior approval should be obtained from the home department. The work must clearly fall outside normal assignments, be performed outside the employee's normal work schedule, and not interfere with regular responsibilities.

If the additional work is comparable to the staff member’s regular duties, normal pay rate apply. If the additional work is significantly different, the HR office should recommend an appropriate pay rate.

Temporary adjustment

Under certain circumstances it may be appropriate to make a temporary salary adjustment. This may happen when an employee temporarily assumes the duties of an additional employee or that of someone in a higher-level position. Once the temporary situation ends, the employee’s salary will be restored to the original rate.

Union Members

Employees who are members of a union at Harvard should consult their contract for addition information on Meal Allowance, Shift Differential and Overtime, as appropriate.

In a lateral move, an employee moves to an equivalent role in an organization. The new position usually has a similar salary range and a job title and is at the same level. Unline a promotion where an employee moves up the employment ladder, a lateral move keeps the employee on the same level but changes their job responsibilities. The sideways move may afford the employee new opportunities or access to new skills.

Growing Laterally

A lateral move gives the employee a chance to expand his skills and network with a new circle of employees and customers. A lateral move is an opportunity for an employee to expand their career path opportunities.

Visually, in a lateral move, the employee's new job is equal to or on the same level on an organizational chart as the employee's former job. The employee who accepts the move may or may not report to the same manager, depending on the responsibilities that report to that manager.

Frequently, it affords the employee the opportunity to report to a new manager. This change allows the company to get a different perspective on the employee's skills and experience. Also, the move may allow the employee to work in new departments, offices, work areas, or workgroups.

Availability of Promotions

In any organization, job promotions are limited by the number of roles needed to accomplish the work. The number of available roles, as seen visually on an organizational chart, decreases the higher on the chart you go. As you move up through management levels, fewer and fewer people are needed to fill the next layer of jobs.

As an employee advances up the organizational chart, fewer opportunities exist for lateral moves. Organizations need fewer people who organize and manage the work and oversee the work of others than they need employees who actually do the work. 

Also, different departments within a business may have a limited number of positions at higher responsibility levels. Lateral moves can change a high-achieving employee into a department that has more room for continued upward growth.

Advantages of a Lateral Move

The lateral move provides a career path for employees through additional training and new experiences or responsibilities. It may help the employee overcome boredom and dissatisfaction they may have had with the previous position.

The demands of the new position provide a new challenge and will force the worker to continue in their career growth. They may learn about different facets of the business and how work is accomplished in different departments or job functions. They may be able to bring new insight into the way things are being done due to the experience they had in the previous position.

Also, the worker gains visibility with a new group of coworkers and managers. Visibility for a good employee brings potential future opportunities.

A lateral move is viewed as desirable by employees because of the impact a lateral move has on the employee's opportunity for personal and professional growth and motivation. While a lateral move may not heavily affect pay, the lateral move is often accompanied by a small increase in responsibility. The worker may feel more connected with the business as they begin to have a broader influence on the decision process.

A lateral move raises the status of the employee. The move is a visible sign of esteem from the employer that they are developing the employee and preparing them for bigger and better opportunities. Coworkers will see this as do managers.

Continuing Commitment

The lateral move is viewed as a continuing commitment from the employer to enable the employee to continue to develop and grow in their employment and pursue a desirable career path. It is valued as an opportunity booster. It is cherished by employees who are not quite ready for—or an opportunity doesn't exist for—a promotion. The employee's career continues to grow.

Is the movement of employees from one position to another so they can develop additional skills and abilities?

Job rotation is the systematic movement of employees from one job to another within an organization to achieve various human resources objectives. Formal job rotation programs offer customized assignments to promising employees to give them a view of the entire business and to round out their experience.

Which term refers to a lateral movement of a worker within an organization?

What refers to a lateral movement of a worker within an​ organization? Transfer. Movement of an employee to a higher level within an organization is known as​ ________. promotion.

Which step is used by employees to determine their career interests and areas to improve?

Self-assessment refers to the use of information by employees to determine their career interests, values, aptitudes, and behavioral tendencies. During the self-assessment step in the career management process, an employee: identifies the opportunities and needs to improve.

Why must the alert roster and the notification procedures that use it be tested more frequently than other components of the DR plan?

The alert roster must be tested more frequently than other components of a disaster recovery plan because it is subject to continual change due to employee turnover. Training focuses on the particular roles each individual is expected to execute during an actual disaster.