HE Aisha Al Suwaidi, Executive Director of Human Resources Policies Sector,  said that an employee who fulfills the criteria set for adjustment, will be granted  the starting salary of the proposed position grade or a salary increase of 10%,  if his / her current salary is equal to the beginning of the proposed position grade, as stipulated in the approved Grade & Salary Scale.

HE was addressing a special workshop held recently by the Authority in Dubai to explain the mechanism for adjusting the status of employees with university qualifications, with the participation of 70 representatives from 32 ministries and federal entities.

Al Suwaidi said: "The mechanism for adjusting the status of employees with university qualifications obtained during service that has already come into force, includes many important features. Most important of these is modifying the employee’s position grade and transferring him / her to a vacant position commensurate with his qualifications and experience according to Job Evaluation & Description System and the provisions contained in this policy.

"If the qualification obtained by an employee does not match the entity’s nature of work, the entity may not modify his /her status ."

She added that in case an employee has completed higher studies according to written approval of his / her entity as part of planned professional development, the entity is obliged to change the employee's job grade by choosing the career path that corresponds to the new academic qualification and Job Evaluation & Description System.

“On the other hand, if the employee completes university studies without the employer’s approval, and if his /her academic qualification meets the needs of the ministry or federal entity, as well as the nature of the modified position, the entity concerned may adjust his / her status according to the requirements of the work interest, and as per the  conditions applicable in these cases”, she said.

Regarding the conditions referred to above, she explained that the employee shall have the priority to fill vacant positions in the entity, subject to fulfillment of employment conditions, and adjustment must include changing the employee's job grade and transferring  him /her to fill a vacant position commensurate with his qualifications and experience, as per Job Evaluation & Description System and the provisions contained in this policy.

HE Aisha Al Suwaidi, explained that, according to the Cabinet Resolution, an employee who has received any type of promotion shall be entitled to status change only after the expiry of the periods specified in promotion rules of the Federal Government's Human Resources Law and its executive regulations, and no employee whose position has been modified may be promoted before 12 months of his/her status adjustment.

She called on ministries and federal entities to cover the cost of adjusting  the status of their employees who obtained university degrees during service from their approved budgets without requesting any additional funds, stressing that the adjustment will take place starting on the date of the decision of the minister or the head of the entity, and shall not be retroactive.

Al-Suwaidi said that the settlement of the status of employees with university qualifications obtained during service came as part of the Government's keenness on preserving human capital through achieving a happy and innovative work environment that could lead the country to  global leadership.

She said: “The Authority has conducted an extensive study on the status of employees in the Federal Government based on data available in the Federal Government's HR Management Information System (BAYANATI). It also consulted with all the federal entities regarding the study in order to  take their views and observations”.

Regarding the controls that the federal entities must abide by when adjusting their employees’ status, Al Suwaidi said that they include the following: The employee must have completed at least one year of service, with the exception of medical staff;  the employee’s last performance appraisal rate should not be less than the Second Level "Meets Expectations", according to Performance Management System adopted in the Federal Government, and he / she must not have been subject to any administrative penalty, unless its legal effect has been canceled.

Other controls include obtaining electronic and digital approvals when adjusting status, according to the procedures adopted in BAYANATI System, provided availability of a job vacancy and financial allocation in the entity’s budget, and that the qualifications required for adjustment must be issued by higher education institution recognized in UAE, and authenticated by the Ministry of Education.