Dear Puget Sound Staff,

In recognition of your vital work, we are delighted to let you know that President Crawford has authorized early distribution of the July 1 2% staff salary pool increase, plus one-time bonuses for eligible faculty and staff, in April 15 paychecks. 

You will recall that the fiscal year 2023 budget approved in February by the Board of Trustees included a 2% increase to the faculty and staff salary pools and a one-time bonus pool for distribution in the fall of 2022.  Given that current year budget projections indicate the university is on track to end fiscal year 2022 with a smaller operating loss than originally projected for the year, we believe the best use of the available resources is to implement staff salary increases in advance of the new fiscal year and offer a bonus as well.  Because faculty contracts are already in place through June 30, 2022, the faculty salary pool increase will be implemented effective July 1, unlike the staff salary pool increase.

We know that the early implementation of the 2% increase and the payment of a bonus does not fully address the challenges of living in the dynamic Puget Sound economy.  We do hope that it signals our commitment to monitoring improvements in the University’s financial picture and utilizing available opportunities to recognize our faculty and staff, as we continue to work to identify and close gaps between Puget Sound’s wages and the market. We want to recognize your hard work and dedication and do all we reasonably can to successfully hire and retain exceptional staff in the current challenging economic environment.

What will the early increases look like?
Regular ongoing staff and benefits-eligible temporary staff will receive a 2% increase to their pay beginning with the pay period starting 3/22/22 for non-exempt staff and 4/1/22 for exempt staff. These increases will be processed for the April 15 paychecks instead of being implemented in July 2022.

Staff who are currently receiving temporary out-of-class pay due to interim increases in responsibilities will receive the 2% increase on their total pay (and when their interim responsibilities end, they will revert to their prior base wage/salary plus 2%). Staff who are on leave of absence but are receiving pay from the University through the use of accrued leave will see the increase reflected in their paid leave. Regular staff who are working temporary secondary assignments (such as administrative staff who are temporarily working beyond their regular FTE in other departments to provide additional support), will also receive increases in their secondary assignments.

In addition, budgets for vacant positions will also be increased by 2%, to improve our ability to recruit staff into vacant positions.

What type of bonus will be paid, and which staff will be eligible for the bonus?
Regular ongoing staff and benefits-eligible temporary staff will receive the bonuses. Full-time staff will receive a bonus of $1000, while part-time staff will receive a prorated bonus based on FTE.  To be eligible for the bonus, staff would need to have begun employment on or before March 1, 2022 (and still be employed as of April 13). Staff need to be employed in good standing (that is, not engaged in a formal performance improvement process) to be eligible for the bonus. This bonus will not affect the bonus funding approved in the fiscal year 2023 budget.

Please reach out to Nancy at hr@pugetsound.edu if you have questions.  Thank you for all the work that you do for the University of Puget Sound.

With appreciation,

Sherry and Nancy

Sherry B. Mondou | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Nancy Nieraeth, SHRM-SCP, SPHR | Associate Vice President for Human Resources and Chief People Officer