The Ruler Method

The Ruler Method is a suggested and customizable process – instructive, not prescriptive. The point is to be intentional and consistent in your approach. You might choose to “do the math” for every employee every year, or just do some spot-checking to make sure employees are progressing within their ranges.

Imagine the range for any position being superimposed on a ruler, with the expected midpoint at 5 inches. Each inch represents 2% of the midpoint. This puts the expected minimum and maximum at 0” and 10” respectively, with special situations at 12”.

• We expect a competently performing employee to reach the midpoint within five years, with the potential for additional advancement for applicable professional development achievements or exceptional leadership.
• Progress is made along the ruler each year to reflect an increase in experience.
• When we adjust our ranges upwards, the inches along the ruler change in value. Moving one inch to the right along the ruler in a given year reflects a 2% increase plus any structural adjustment.

New Hires

We suggest offering starting salaries between 0” (expected minimum) and 5” (midpoint), depending on relevant work experience and learning credentials. (It is a common practice to set the hiring range in the lower half of the overall range for a job grade or level.) Be sure to:

• Appropriately account for lived experience, volunteer work (including significant congregational roles), prior congregational staff roles, and unconventional paths.
• Strive for a consistent philosophy across new hires.
• Adjust as needed for community-based staff, i.e., where local wage norms need to be considered.

Annual Salary Adjustments

Keep in mind economic justice and prioritize those at the lower end of the pay range. Suggestions:

• Advance each staff member 1 inch each year up to 5”. An employee hired at the expected minimum of the recommended range for their position would reach the midpoint in 5 years.
• Once a staff member reaches the midpoint, advance them 0.5” each year up to 10 inches.
• For staff members at 10” (expected maximum) on the ruler, you might keep them at 10” and allow their pay to increase along with the changes in our recommended ranges. Or, if additional advancement is warranted due to outstanding contributions, a competitive job market, or other factors, make use of the “special situations” range on the ruler (10”-12”).

Professional Development Milestones

Your congregation can assess the value of professional degrees and certifications. Especially if a current staff member completes a program with direct applicability to their role, a pay bump or bonus may be appropriate.

Whether and how to reward attainment of degrees and certifications is up to you in most cases. However, we do offer specific guidance for completion of our UUA in-house professional development programs (beyond the suggested annual progression along the ruler).

Religious Education Credentialing Program

In year of completion:

• Skilled Level: advance an extra 0.5 inches
• Advanced Level: advance an extra 1 inch
• Leadership Level: advance an extra 1.5 inches

If levels are completed at different times, advance 0.5 inches per successive level.

Music Leadership Certification Program

Advance an extra 1 inch in year of completion

Paying for Performance or Exceptional Service

Some organizations factor job performance into pay increases. This is a decision left to your congregation. If you choose to do this, make sure you have a clear, values-aligned, bias-aware performance review process in place.

At the discretion of the supervisor or congregational leadership, an employee might be given a bonus and/or advanced an extra 0.5” to 1.5” along the ruler to recognize exceptional service.