Progress Update on Implementation of ACC’s Classification & Compensation Framework

Since that time, this work has continued with steady focus behind the scenes.

We recently provided a progress update to the Compensation & Classification (C&C) Workgroup composed of staff association leaders, executive stakeholders, and HR operational partners.  We want to share that update and discussion points with you.

Many of these same updates were also presented to the Board of Trustees and shared with employees across the College during open presentations in December. 

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From Study to Implementation: What This Phase Means

The past year focused on understanding where ACC’s classification and compensation practices had become inconsistent over time and gathering feedback to inform practices that would be more sustainable. Through partnership with our consultants at Guidehouse, extensive employee engagement, and leadership review, the College established a new framework grounded in a clear principle:

Jobs should be classified and compensated based on the work the College needs performed, not historical titles or individual circumstances.

We are now in the phase where design becomes operational reality.

Implementation means aligning:

• systems,
• policies,
• job design,
• governance processes, and
• decision-making practices

so that compensation decisions across ACC become consistent, explainable, and sustainable over time.

This is deliberate work, and it will occur in phases through 2027, with the bulk of that progress taking place this year. 

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How Guidehouse Recommendations Are Being Used

Guidehouse provided national benchmarking and structural recommendations informed by engagement across ACC.

College leadership reviewed those recommendations carefully and is moving forward with an approach that:

• aligns with ACC’s operational and financial realities,
• integrates with Workday and institutional systems,
• reflects employee and association feedback, and
• supports long-term equity rather than one-time adjustments.

Implementation now focuses less on designing the framework and more on ensuring it functions reliably as part of ACC’s everyday operations.

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What Has Continued Since January

Since our last update, HR and institutional partners have been working to:

• align Workday architecture with the new job framework,
• develop compensation tools that support consistent salary placement decisions,
• modernize classification governance processes,
• prepare standardized job description templates tied to job categories,
• establish annual and exception review cycles for position changes.

These elements are interconnected. Completion does not occur when one deliverable launches; it occurs when the entire system operates together.

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Important Clarifications

As implementation progresses, several common questions have emerged.

Is this a market study?

Not exactly – but market data was an essential part of this work.

Market studies compare an organization’s pay levels to external employers and are typically conducted on a regular cycle to ensure competitiveness. 

The C&C effort served a broader purpose. Its primary focus was internal consistency, ensuring employees performing similar work are classified and compensated using the same standards across the College.

That said, 2025 was a year in which a market review was expected, and external market data was fully incorporated into the redesign.

The new compensation structure includes 14 pay bands built using market data for ACC staff positions. Guidehouse’s analysis found that ACC meets and, in many cases, exceeds pay levels among local and industry competitors, including organizations in metropolitan areas with similar or higher costs of living.

Because ACC’s pay was already competitive in the market, salary adjustments were not required due to external market value alone.

However, as a result of the new framework designed to reduce and prevent certain forms of internal compression, some employees’ salaries landed below the newly established pay band ranges. In those cases, salaries were adjusted upward to align positions within the new structure and ensure internal consistency.

Student Affairs and Basic Needs positions will undergo this same evaluation following completion of divisional realignments.

Both market competitiveness and internal equity matter, but they address different questions:

• Market data answers: Are we competitive externally?
• C&C answers: Are we consistent and fair internally?

This framework brings those two considerations together into one sustainable system moving forward. 

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Why weren’t all divisions included yet?

During the course of this work so far, Student Affairs and Basic Needs teams were undergoing organizational realignment. Applying the framework afterward ensures positions are evaluated accurately within their finalized structures. Positions within these divisions are now being reviewed using the same methodology, and those affected will be notified as validation concludes in the coming weeks.

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Is implementation finished?

Not yet, and intentionally so.

Large institutional systems require careful sequencing. ACC is prioritizing accuracy, sustainability, and fairness over speed-driven deployment.

As components are finalized, employees will receive notifications from Human Resources of any changes to their job profile, classification, and salary placement.

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Can positions still be reviewed or updated?

Yes, in highly defined circumstances.

As implementation continues, ACC will introduce a structured review cycle that provides clearer and more predictable opportunities to request classification reviews.

Once fully implemented, these structured cycles will become the College’s primary method for evaluating, approving, and implementing classification changes. This approach ensures requests are reviewed consistently, aligned with institutional priorities, and coordinated appropriately with divisional and financial leadership.

This represents an important shift: moving from ad-hoc adjustments toward a more transparent, sustainable process that supports fairness across the institution.

Additional information will be shared soon outlining:

• how the review cycle will work, and
• how requests for urgent business needs may be submitted through an established exception process outside the regular cycle.

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This Work Is Structural and Cultural

While this effort introduces new tools and processes, its impact is broader. ACC is moving toward a shared operating model in which:

• job expectations are clearer,
• compensation decisions are more predictable,
• career pathways are easier to understand, and
• leaders across the College apply consistent standards.

This represents a philosophical shift from individually negotiated outcomes toward institutionally governed systems.

That shift strengthens fairness, reduces confusion, and helps ensure resources are aligned to what matters most: serving students and our colleagues well.

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What You Can Expect Next

Over the coming months, employees will see continued progress, including:

• integration of framework elements into Workday,
• publication of updated guidance and resources, and
• phased job description modernization

Look for ongoing communication through the monthly HappyHR newsletter and other channels, including ACC InfoHub. You can expect updates in each edition of HappyHR, delivered every 3–4 weeks.

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Thank You

This work has required collaboration across the College, including employee associations, operational leaders, HR professionals, and institutional partners who have helped shape and strengthen the framework along the way.

Change of this scale takes time and trust.

On behalf of the HR team, thank you for your continued engagement, thoughtful questions, and commitment to building systems that support both our employees and our students for the long term.

With appreciation,

Kelly Torrico

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