Wilkes University is committed to maintaining fair and competitive compensation practices that will attract, retain and reward high-performing employees at all levels. The University's compensation structure and policies reflect the breadth and complexity of the work performed in positions across the University, while accounting for the unique sets of skills and responsibilities of the employees in those positions.
The University determines base compensation amounts by examining applicable salary survey data for comparable positions and by reviewing the internal base salaries of other employees in comparable positions (when available) to ensure equity of compensation within the institution.
General Base Compensation Increases for Regular Full-time Employees
Decisions to implement general increases to employee base compensation and/or to authorize the payment of a lump sum are made periodically by the President's Cabinet.
The implementation of these decisions will be made as soon as it is administratively feasible using the following criteria:
- Regular full- and eligible part-time employees must have at least one year of service and a hire date at least one year prior to the effective date of the base compensation adjustment and/or lump sum payment.
- Adjunct faculty and part time, temporary employees are not eligible for base compensation increases and/or lump sum payments.
- Full-time faculty members on approved sabbatical leave are eligible for any base compensation increase and/ or lump sum payment made effective during the period of sabbatical leave.
- Regular full-time employees on an approved leave of absence will receive the increase to base compensation and/or lump sum payment upon return to active employment.
- Regular full-time employees who received a promotion or other base compensation increase within a 6-month period of the effective date of the general increase are not eligible unless otherwise noted and approved.
Individual Base Compensation Adjustments
Employees may receive one-time increases to base compensation that do not involve substantial changes to job responsibilities or employment status. These adjustments may happen as a result of but are not limited to: rank promotions for faculty, internal equity adjustments and departmental restructurings, and will be limited to a one-time increase of 15%. Approved increases that exceed 15% will be distributed over the course of two years.
Employees receiving a base compensation increase as a result of a promotion with significant changes to job responsibilities may exceed 15%, provided that a new or revised position description justifying the increase is provided.
The university may at its discretion adjust an employee or category of employees' salaries based on changing market conditions or to preserve internal equity of salary distribution.
The university reserves the right to establish and administer other periodic enhancements to employee compensation and to establish additional eligibility criteria for such enhancements.