Staff Senate FAQ

• What is WKU's plan for addressing the increase we've experienced in cost of living? Should we expect a pay increase that will match the cost of living increase we have experienced?
• Does this compensation study address annual cost of living increases? If yes, please explain. If no, please explain.
• With the cost of everything soaring, can we expect to see even just a cost of living raise yearly?
• When will staff salaries stop decreasing? Without yearly cost-of-living/inflation raises, we are essentially losing money each year.
• According to the compensation website, the market assessment by Segal took place in Fall 2019. Since then we’ve seen a dramatic increase in cost of living and competitive wages in the region. We need compensation increases for 2022, not 2019. What has been done to ensure the market data being used is up-to-date?

Cost of Labor (i.e., cost of talent and variability in pay based on geographic impacts in talent supply and demand) have been factored into the study; Cost of Living is not typically a driving factor in compensation studies given the variability in living expenses across individuals.  Generally speaking, annual salary budget increases do not follow cost of living changes.  However, salary increases do take many things into account, such as the financials of the organization, changes in market, adjustments to internal equity and when possible, inflation. 

While the initial information was gathered in 2019, the salary data has been aged to support a 2022 completion date.  Aging factors are calculated by collecting salary budget trend data from a variety of sources, including Segal, CUPA-HR, WorldatWork, government sources, and other survey publishers.

• Will the entire campus not certain areas receive compensation for pay discrepancy?
• Why was the study not related to adequate pay increases or adjustments?
• What will Phase II encompass?
• The compensation initiative focuses on employees hired on or before Aug 1, 2021, but Aug 2 was the Monday of that week. Can employees who started work on Aug. 2 be considered for the planned compensation increase?
• I changed jobs within WKU since August 2021. When will my compensation be looked at?
• What is the plan to address salary issues that do not fall into the category of being outside of a band? Particularly when staff continue to leave WKU for other opportunities paying much higher, and searches are not successful due to advertised pay being too low compared to off-campus opportunities, or opportunities at other institutions?
• With the new budget, the state is giving all state employees an 8% raise this year and a 12% raise next year. Will WKU do the same?

The priority of the first phase of implementation was to bring those individuals identified as being paid a salary that is below the minimum of their newly established pay bands to a level within the band.  The increases were intended to bring the individual to, or as close to, the new pay band minimum given certain parameters.  These parameters allowed more individuals to receive impactful adjustments given budgetary constraints, with increases set at no less than $1,000, but no more than $10,000. 

Additional phases will include completion of the Pay Administration Guidelines, review of positions hired or modified since August 2021, and modeling for the long-term goals of the study.

• In lieu of raises, wouldn't it be beneficial to the University to offer remote work to employees who would choose it?
• If our particular department budget does not allow for raises to be given and we are considered "underpaid" for our position, are other employment 'perks' being considered? E.g. Working from home if our job can still be done as effectively, Staff/Faculty get free admission to a handful of athletics events per season, free access to the Preston Center gym during certain hours, etc.

WKU recognizes that salary is one part of a total compensation package and continues to work with leadership to consider other non-monetary benefits.

• Since it has been more than 2 years since the staff submitted information for this, staff positions have been severely cut pushing more jobs onto one person. Will the compensation review take into account the increased responsibilities now assigned to a single person when before it took 6 people?
• In summer 2019, faculty/staff were asked to submit an essential functions worksheet and job analysis questionnaire. Since that time, many positions have undergone changes and reorganizations, due to changes in staffing. How will this be taken into account as many of our essential functions are no longer the same as they were in 2019?
• Several VSIP positions involved supervisors who were paid at a higher rate than other employees in their area. Since they left, the work they did has been accomplished by others who have not seen any compensation for the additional work load. Will those positions return and will those employees be compensated for the extra work they've been doing?
• Inflation has continued to rise. Several of my co-workers have been let go or their positions have been eliminated. Due to this, I have had to inherit new responsibilities with fewer resources. What is going to be done about it?

• When will WKU (a higher education institution) start compensating professionals with higher levels of education appropriately? (e.g. higher pay when higher levels of degrees completed).
• When will positions start to be able to get paid more for higher degrees of education in student affairs?

There are multiple considerations when determining the market placement of a particular position. Some of those things include degree requirement, job duties, and required knowledge, skills, and abilities.  All of those factors are compared with available market data to identify the most closely related pay band

• Why do we keep doing compensation studies? When can we expect *actual results* and pay increases to be more in line? Also, for units like the Museum, has the compensation study looked at what other university museums - and the museum field as a whole - pay? There are units on campus that are not strictly academic, and so how are you ascertaining benchmarks for compensation in those cases?
• When will academic advisors begin getting compensated for even the low end of the average salary given for this position in the country?
• Why would the study compare staff rates to positions outside of higher ed, when WKU is a higher ed institution? Faculty is only compared to higher ed even though they are teachers just like many other types of teachers, but staff get the short end of the stick for what reason?

We recognize that staff positions working in higher education are different than general industry positions and solely higher education positions.  Because of that differentiation, it is important for both general industry and higher education to be considered for marketing staff positions.  Some positions may be a better match with higher education specific data and some positions may be a better match with general industry.

• Why do you keep paying these outside companies to conduct studies we already know the answer to and then not follow through with any sort of compensation plan every time these studies show staff are underpaid across the board?
• How much is this study costing the university? Will this actually result in monetary compensation for current and long term employees or is it just a restructure of the entire job descriptions and pay grades?

Having outside consultation for these broad and complex endeavors is quite common across higher education.  A consulting engagement helps to bring about expertise, objectivity and ideas explored and implemented by other institutions.  A consultant also helps to support the significant workload efforts that are a natural part of these projects.   Consultants also guide the process through effective project management using proprietary applications and tools so that the projects remain on course and within stated objectives.  Helping to formulate an implementation strategy is also an expected outcome of consulting services.  Specific to WKU, Segal (formerly Sibson) Consulting was selected for the Compensation and Performance Development initiatives.  Segal is a nationally ranked consulting firm recognized for its work with higher education institutions across the country, and it is our belief that their expertise and experience supported a successful completion of these important strategic initiatives.

The current pay practices were established more than ten years ago and have not kept with market fluctuations. Therefore, a comprehensive study was needed.  Now that the initial study results are available, there is a commitment from leadership to continue focusing on overall compensation strategies.

• Where can I view my pay range as decided upon by the committee?
• Will we all find out as individuals where we fall in the comparative pay bands? Or only if our salary is being adjusted in the first round?
• Am I getting a pay increase? Will I be told either way? What type of information or communication can I expect to receive following the meeting and presentation? When will that information or communication be shared?

All full-time employees that were hired before August 2021 should have received an email on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 with their specific pay band information.  If you are full-time and were hired prior to August 2021 and did not receive an email, please contact compensation@wku.edu.