Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.23
Liaison Michael Chapman
Submission Date Dec. 8, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Nova Scotia Community College
PA-9: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.78 / 3.00 Janet Byrne
Director Human Resources
Human Resources
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Number of employees:
1,713

Number of staff and faculty covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements:
1,713

Does the institution have employees of contractors working on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
Yes

Number of employees of contractors working on campus:
150

Number of employees of contractors covered by sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies and/or collective bargaining agreements:
0

A brief description of the sustainable compensation standards, guidelines, or policies; and/or collective bargaining agreements covering staff, faculty and/or employees of contractors:

As stated in the Guidelines to employment at NSCC, “Nova Scotia Community College recognizes that one of our most important assets is our people. Our Strategic Plan outlines our commitment to “create an environment that drives our passion for learning and our commitment to making a difference, while developing extraordinary people who bring out the best in others and apply their talents in pursuit of our Vision. By focusing on learning, flexibility, and wellness, we are an employer of choice and create an environment of celebration.”

At NSCC, compensation is only one part of our people philosophy ‘towards being an education without boundaries employer.’ We provide compensation that actively supports our ability to recruit and retain talented employees to help achieve our mission.

Guiding Principles:
 We ensure our compensation practices contribute to an environment where individual and collective contributions are recognized and valued.
 Career level salaries are complemented by competitive people practices, meaningful work and collegial relationships, opportunity for career growth and learning, flexibility, and a realistic opportunity to balance work and life.
 Compensation is determined through a mix of internal and external review of job scope, balanced with our financial position and ability to pay in the markets in which we compete for talented employees.
 We are committed to open communication and transparency of practice, and balancing internal and external equity considerations in determining career level salaries.

All full time and part time employees of NSCC are remunerated based on standards/policy that were developed to support fair, equitable and sustainable compensation. Examples of the standards for the various levels are provided below:
Management and Confidential
Management and Confidential staff are compensated based on the Leadership Career Compensation program, which is administered by Human Resources.
Career Ranges (salary scales) are established based on regular surveys of pay rates, benefits, and other components of compensation.
Employees are paid according to their contribution to the organization and the attainment of their Employee Success Plans and goals and which are tied to growth/development and the business plans and objectives of the college.
Faculty
Faculty at NSCC are compensated based on standards outlined in the Collective Agreement between NSCC and the Nova Scotia Teachers Union.
Operational
Operational Support staff are compensated based on the Collective Agreement between NSCC and the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.

As noted above, all of NSCC’s full time and part time employees are covered by a policy; however, casual employees or contractors are not included.
Casual Employees:
The average hourly rate is for casuals vary, but for students and summer help the range is between $11.50 – $15.50/hour. This is over the current minimum wage in Nova Scotia of $10.70/hr.
Contractor Groups:
The contractor groups at NSCC include some campuses with food services and day care services provided by third party companies. These groups are not directly covered by NSCC compensation guidelines.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (assessing employee compensation)?:
Yes

Number of staff and faculty that receive sustainable compensation:
1,593

Number of employees of contractors that receive sustainable compensation:
150

A brief description of the standard(s) against which compensation was assessed:

The current minimum wage standard in Nova Scotia is $10.70 per hour. However, Living Wage Canada reference a report on their website titled “Working for a Living, Not Living for Work: The Halifax Living Wage 2015” which estimates the living wage for a typical four-person family in Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Capital City, where 3 of NSCC’s Campuses are located. The living wage for Halifax is a conservative estimate can be applied to other communities in Nova Scotia because of the relatively higher cost of living in Halifax compared to other predominantly rural Nova Scotian Communities. A unique aspect of the report is that the formula for the living wage calculation factors in a parent who is enrolled in two three-credit classes at NSCC. The report estimates that the living wage for Halifax is $20.10 per hour per adult earner. When comparing NSCC’s compensation rates to this standard of sustainable compensation, 87% of NSCC employees (including casual and student employees) earn more than $20.10 per hour. If casual and student employees are excluded then 93% of NSCC employees earn more than $20.10 per hour.

Source: http://www.livingwagecanada.ca/index.php/living-wage-communities/nova-scotia/

Source:https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/Nova%20Scotia%20Office/2015/06/CCPA-NS_Halifax_Living_Wage2015.pdf


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, full-time employees:

All of NSCC’s full time and part time employees are covered by a policy; however, casual employees or contractors are not included.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular, part-time employees:

Casual Employees:
The average hourly rate is for casuals vary, but on average for students and summer help they are around $11.50 – $15.50/hour. This is over the current minimum wage in Nova Scotia of $10.70/hr.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular) staff:

Casual Employees:
The average hourly rate is for casuals vary, but on average for students and summer help they are around $11.50 – $15.50/hour. This is over the current minimum wage in Nova Scotia of $10.70/hr.


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid temporary (non-regular, adjunct or contingent) faculty:

As per the Faculty Collective Agreement, the lowest paid FT Term faculty paid at step 1 (57,509.73 per year).


A brief description of the compensation (wages and benefits) provided to the institution’s lowest paid student employees (graduate and/or undergraduate, as applicable):

As indicated above, on average students and casual summer help are paid between $11.50 – $15.50/hour


The local legal minimum hourly wage for regular employees:
10.70 US/Canadian $

Does the institution have an on-site child care facility, partner with a local facility, and/or provide subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of faculty and staff?:
Yes

Does the institution offer a socially responsible investment option for retirement plans?:
Yes

The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable compensation policies and practices is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.