Promotions & lateral moves

For members in Lloyds Banking Group.

There are several aspects to the Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) pay policy which our members frequently ask us about. In this article we'll provide detail to help you understand promotions and lateral moves. We've got more detail on how pay works in our article 'All about pay'.

Before we go into detail about promotions and lateral moves, we'll clarify the difference between the two so you know which may apply to you in your situation:

• A promotion involves an increase in grade - for example you secure a role move from a C grade to a D grade.
• A lateral move is an appointment to a new role, which is substantially different, but remains at the same grade - for example you're a grade C colleague and secure a new role at grade C in a different part of the business.
• Secondments or deputisation are short-term appointments to cover other roles or assist with responsibilities of a senior colleague. We cover this in detail in the article 'Secondments & deputising'.

LBG's policy on pay increases for promotions applies when you're being promoted to a higher job grade and covers grades A - G.

The core principle is that you should receive a pay increase of up to 10% or the percentage required to take you to the minimum for the applicable pay range, whichever of the two is the greater amount. At grades D & E you may also receive an additional increase to take you to 90% of the mid-point for the pay range.

The business can decide not to apply an increase in exceptional circumstances, such as:

• Applying an award of 10% would take you above the maximum for the pay range.
• Where your salary is already in the Market plus zone of the new pay range, consideration may be given to where your salary is in comparison to your new peers.
  

Your salary will not be reduced if you secure a new role and are above the maximum for the new pay range, and there is a waiver process in place for the business to make pay awards outside of this defined process where there is a business case to do so.

If you feel the increase that is being applied to you is incorrect, talk it through with your manager in the first instance. If you're being declined an increase, make sure you get a business rationale, preferably in writing. If you're still unhappy with the decision, talk to your local Accord officer for further assistance. We've written a separate article relating to the steps you can take if you feel you're being paid unfairly.

A lateral move involves a permanent move to a new role which is at the same grade as your existing grade and role, and covers grades A - G. It can also be applied where you gain new professional qualifications in your role to take on new responsibilities.

The core principle is that you should receive a pay increase of up to 5% or the percentage required to take you to the minimum for the applicable pay range, whichever of the two is the greater amount.

This policy is applied in the following circumstances:

• Where you move roles to gain additional knowledge and expertise by performing a different job, which requires new skills and provides different responsibilities. This is often indicated by a change in Job Family or an increase in accountabilities.
• To recognise a job-required professional qualification that allows you to take on additional duties or responsibilities - for example, Actuarial or Accountancy qualifications required to be able to undertake new tasks or accountabilities. An increase will only be applied if the qualification isn't a pre-requisite of holding the role and therefore not built into the salary for that role.
• To provide valuable development opportunities and career progression for colleagues.

The business can decide not to apply an increase in exceptional circumstances, such as:

• Applying an award of 5% would take you above the maximum for the pay range.
• Consideration may be given to where your salary is in comparison to your new peers.

There are also situations where the lateral move policy is not applied such as when you've moved roles because of a business-related change which is intended to protect job security, or where the role you're performing is the same just at a different location or there is no change in the required knowledge or expertise.

If you feel the increase that is being applied to you is incorrect, talk it through with your manager in the first instance. If you're being declined an increase, make sure you get a business rationale, preferably in writing. If you're still unhappy with the decision, talk to your local Accord officer for further assistance. We've written a separate article relating to the steps you can take if you feel you're being paid unfairly.