Performance-based salary increases have moved from July to January for faculty, professional and scientific (P&S) staff, contract staff and postdoctoral researchers, and senior leaders this week shared the parameters for those increases.
As initially shared in fall 2022, university leaders moved performance-related salary increases for all but merit employees from July 1 to Jan. 1, following a transition plan in fiscal year 2024. The shift provides additional time between external decisions on state appropriations and tuition rates and the internal decision about salary increase parameters.
For employees with satisfactory performance evaluations, the salary adjustment range is 1%-3%. For employees with extraordinary performance, up to a 4% increase is possible without additional approval. Increases above 4% require approval from the respective senior vice president or president (and the process for these requests will be shared this fall).
Employees whose performance is less than satisfactory are not eligible for a performance-based adjustment. Salary parameter details and eligibility criteria are online.
Divisions are expected to target an overall 3% increase in spending for performance-based salary increases in compliance with those parameters and eligibility criteria. Differential increases, not an across-the-board approach, is the expectation, noted vice president for university human resources Kristi Darr in her July 17 memo to the university's administrative officers.
For Ames National Laboratory employees, the university parameters may be adjusted to coincide with federal salary adjustment guidelines.
All performance-related adjustments will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, reflecting performance reviews this fall and Dec. 31 base salaries. P&S employees with satisfactory performance evaluations and whose salaries are at, or nearly at, the maximum of their pay grade on Dec. 31 are eligible for recognition in January. Any portion of a percentage increase that's above their pay grade maximum would be as a one-time payment.
Darr included two reminders about other salary increases related to market:
- Market adjustments should be planned for prior to, or after, Jan. 1.
- Approximately 60 P&S employees whose salaries dropped below their pay grade minimum when the pay grade structure was adjusted July 1 must receive a salary adjustment by Oct. 1 to at least the new minimum in their pay grade.
Reminder: Fall performance evaluations
Performance reviews for P&S staff, contract staff and postdoctoral researchers should occur during the September through November window. All faculty performance reviews should occur during the fall semester for the previous academic year (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024).
No time shift for merit staff reviews or salary increases
The new timelines don't impact merit staff. Performance review dates for merit staff remained the same and merit pay increases are consistent with the state's collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Iowa Council, and the state Board of Regents' Merit System Rules.
Per the agreement, Iowa State's approximately 1,100 merit employees received a 3% increase on July 1. As approved by the regents, merit employees not at the top of their pay grade are eligible for a performance-based increase of 1% on their anniversary date.
