Staff Salary Increases

Introduction

Staff salary increases based on merit are initiated during the annual budget cycle. Departments should plan for all staff salary increases to occur during the annual budget cycle.  All raises should begin on July 1 for 12-month faculty/staff and the start of the academic year in mid-August for academic faculty. 

Out of budget cycle salary increases for all divisions are governed by Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 318.2  and intended for addressing equity, retention, promotion, and exceptional circumstances. See Campus Guidelines for Salary Increases for more information. 

Once approved, the supervisor should provide a letter to the employee confirming the effective date and amount of the out-of-cycle salary increase.

Approval Process

All salary increases must be approved by the dean of the college/school, the associate vice chancellor, or the unit head.

Salary increases of 5% or greater require the approval of the appropriate vice chancellor with raises at 10% or greater requiring the additional approval of the chancellor. Salary increases of 10% or greater should be for exceptional circumstances and have specific justification for the adjustment. This applies to both faculty and staff positions.

All out-of-cycle adjustments will be limited to one per fiscal year per person regardless of the amount of increase and the funding source. Senior-level administrators hired or promoted between January 1 and June 30 are not eligible for a merit increase on July 1 unless previously approved by the chancellor. The letter describing the out-of-cycle increase to the employee should also address whether the employee may be eligible for the next available in-cycle base salary increase.

Funding Requirements

Promotions with funding added to the position and out-of-cycle adjustments for a college, school or unit should be reasonable. All increases should be fully funded by the college/unit. Total amounts of increases on positions must be tracked internally.

Units will submit the amount of the individual increase when the approval request is initiated in Workday. Any exceptional circumstances should be discussed with the appropriate vice chancellor of the unit prior to initiating the request.