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FY18 Staff Performance Evaluation and Merit Increase Guidelines as Published By Duke Human Resources
The information below is being provided for your Management Center guidance regarding the preparation and submission of annual overall performance ratings and pay increase recommendations for eligible staff for Fiscal Year 2018, to be effective on July 1, 2017.
Schools and units will have flexibility to provide salary increases within a budgeted merit pool of 2.5%. Supervisors and budgeting officials need to carefully plan and coordinate how to utilize these salary increase resources, both to confirm the performance message and to stay within the total salary pool budget.
All supervisors should follow Duke’s Performance Management Program in order to provide each employee a written evaluation as part of the annual Performance Evaluation and Planning (PEP) discussion. This evaluation should be based upon their performance of duties set forth in the job description, established behavioral guidelines, and achievement of individual goals set last fiscal year.
The PEP form and related information for documenting performance contributions is available online at the Duke HR website.
Completion of this documentation should include an overall performance rating reflecting performance contributions during the last year. The recommended overall performance rating should be entered into the Salary Setting Tool no later than Friday, June 2, 2017. An analysis of overall performance ratings and proposed salary increases will be reviewed by each Management Center to assess compliance with the guidelines before approved ratings and increases are communicated to staff.
Following Management Center approval, each supervisor should communicate the overall performance evaluation rating and related pay increase to the staff member, preferably in person and confirmed in writing.
Each individual should be evaluated based on his or her achievements with respect to established goals and standards. In general, the objective is to recognize performance whereby the highest rated performers should be awarded higher increases. Typically, performance distributions will reflect the majority of staff rated at the Successful level and a limited number achieving the Exceptional and Needs Improvement ratings. Small departments that may result in challenging ratings distributions are advised to consult with the appropriate Dean, Vice President, or Management Center in advance.
Merit Increase Ranges
Provided below are merit salary increase guidelines based upon an overall performance rating for each staff member:
- For performance contributions assessed as Needs Improvement (NI), no increase may be the appropriate action. This category could, however, be applicable to those at an early point in their Duke career where insufficient performance data is available, or as the result of new and expanded duties which may have included a job reclassification or promotion.
- For performance contributions assessed as Successful (S), an increase from 1.0% to 2.5% may be recommended.
- For performance contributions assessed as Exceptional (E), an increase greater than 2.5%, but not to exceed 5%, may be recommended (while adhering to the 2.5% overall total expenditure pool).
- All increases outside of the parameters set above for any performance level must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Management Center.
Additional Guidelines Pay Ranges
- Minimum and Maximum amounts for all pay ranges will be increased by 2.0%. The Duke minimum wage will remain at $13.00 per hour for all eligible staff.
New Staff
- Staff members hired between January 1, 2017, and March 31, 2017, are eligible for a maximum of one-half the full increase amount, based on the preceding merit increase guidelines.
- Staff hired on or after April 1, 2017 would not be eligible for a merit increase.
Minimum and Maximum Salary or Hourly Rate
- Staff should be paid at least at the minimum of their assigned salary range. For staff members below the range minimum, their pay should be brought to the range minimum first, and then any eligibility for a merit increase should be applied.
- Staff should generally not be paid beyond the new maximum of the salary range.
- Staff members with salaries at or near the maximum may receive a base rate increase to the maximum, with the remainder of the earned merit increase percentage awarded as a one-time payment via a lump sum.
- Staff members with salaries currently above the maximum should generally not receive an hourly or salary base rate increase, but may receive a one-time payment amount consistent with their performance rating category.
- With the advance approval of the Management Center, based on established Management Center criteria, an individual may receive an hourly or salary base rate increase beyond the pay level range maximum.
Salary increases for eligible staff should be submitted using the Salary Setting Tool, which will open on Monday May 1, 2017. Please note that all performance ratings and pay increases must be entered by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 2, 2017.
Further information and instructions regarding the FY2018 merit program, including preparation and submission of related pay increases, may be provided by each Management Center to their respective schools and departments.