STAFF BONUS POLICY AND PROCEDURES

The College of Education staff bonus policy is for the purpose of rewarding consistent exceptional performance, recognizing specific accomplishments that go beyond the normal duties of the staff member, and providing incentives for staff members to engage in professional development opportunities that result in enhanced work productivity. This policy will be administered within the guidelines established by the University bonus policy ( HR.177 ) and will be adjusted to reflect any future changes that are made to HR.177.

1. In March of each year the Associate Dean for Administration and Research will recommend to the Dean the funding level for the staff bonus pool. The source of this pool will be fringe benefits savings that result from external funding of salaries achieved through grants and contracts. The size of the pool will be based on (a) the total amount of fringe benefits savings for the year and (b) the overall fiscal health of the College.


2. The Associate Dean for Administration and Research will ask unit heads for both academic departments and support units to submit recommendations for staff bonuses. The maximum number of recommendations solicited from each unit will be determined by the size of the bonus pool and will reflect the number of staff members in the unit. The maximum amount of a recommendation will also be determined by the size of the bonus pool but can never exceed $1,000 per person.


3. At the time that unit heads are asked to submit recommendations for staff bonuses, the Associate Dean for Administration and Research will also disseminate this request to the members of the College faculty and staff. Members of the faculty and staff will be encouraged to provide data to unit heads to assist with the selection process. Written documentation with specific data will be most helpful.


4. Unit heads will submit recommendations. Each unit can make fewer than the maximum number of recommendations and may recommend multiple bonus tiers to reflect different levels of performance. Recommendations should be made in a supporting memo with a copy of the most recent annual performance evaluation attached. The supporting memo should list specific reasons to support a staff bonus. Recommendations for bonuses for support unit heads will be determined by the Dean and associate deans.


5. The Associate Dean for Administration and Research will review all bonus recommendations and will forward all materials along with his/her recommendation to the Dean. The Dean will determine the final list of College staff bonuses, pending University approval. These bonus requests will be forwarded to the Vice President for Human Resources for final approval.

Recommendation Guidelines

Bonus recommendation memos should provide specific examples of exceptional performance or indicators of productivity that go beyond normal job expectations. In the case of improved performance, annual productivity should be compared to previous years. Recommendation memos should be consistent with annual performance evaluations. Unit heads can add credibility to bonus recommendations by providing comparative data showing that staff members recommended to receive bonuses earned performance ratings for that year that exceed typical ratings given within the department.