It’s important that faculty and staff know how much this institution values your hard work. There are many ways that we can show that, from remembering to say a simple thank you to honoring individuals with recognition awards or events.

Those are all important. But equally important (some might argue more), we need to be sure that we’re recognizing your commitment to Suffolk and your hard work with a regular system of salary increases.

After a number of years where we were unable to raise salaries, we are in a position this fall to provide a general increase for faculty and staff members, with some exceptions as noted below.

Though it will not make up for the absence of general increases in the past few years, I consider this a first step in an ongoing commitment to more predictable compensation adjustments.

The raise will be a flat amount for all eligible employees, ranging from 1 percent for the highest earners to 5.7 percent for lower earners.  We have tried to structure the pay increase in a way that uses the pool of available funds to have the most impact on employees at the lower end of the pay scale. For someone earning $35,000, the pay increase would equate to a 5.7 percent raise. An employee earning $65,000 would see an increase of 3 percent. Rising transportation, food, and utilities costs affect everyone, but we are aware that higher costs each year have the greatest impact on those who make less.

Increases will be effective Oct. 31 for hourly workers and Nov. 1 for salaried workers. Human Resources will provide the relevant information to managers across campus who in turn will be asked to communicate specifics with each employee reporting to her or him.

Increases will not apply to those who:

  • have senior management roles and employment contracts approved by the Board of Trustees
  • have received a significant pay increase since January 1, 2016
  • were hired on or after January 1, 2016
  • are on a performance improvement plan
  • are covered by a collective bargaining agreement
  • are in time-limited or intermittent/seasonal jobs

I am also a strong proponent of rewarding people who regularly go above and beyond in their job performance. While we focused this time on general increases, I hope going forward to have a process that ties regular salary increases to performance. We paused work that was being done on a redesign of the University’s compensation program in 2014 when funds for raises were unavailable. That work will restart over the winter and will be the basis for future compensation adjustments, based on equity and performance.

I’m often struck by the tremendous dedication of Suffolk faculty and staff. I want to thank you for that ongoing commitment. I realize that even though we have chosen mission-driven careers that focus on supporting students, we also work to earn a living. As mentioned, this is a first step in what I hope will be predictable salary increases going forward.

As always, I welcome your feedback through email or in the blog comment section.

 

marisasig

Marisa J. Kelly
Acting President