Originally Issued: November 2005
Most Recent Revision: May 2006
Responsible CIT Division and Director: Office of Information Technologies - Human Resources, Linda Croll Howell
In order to recognize the contributions of its employees, and consistent with the University's guidelines and policies, CIT may award monetary bonuses (depending on availability of funding).
http://www.ohr.cornell.edu/policies/nonacademic/1011b_wagesalary/676.html
Employees may be called upon individually or as part of a team, to demonstrate extraordinary initiative to meet organizational objectives, including but not limited to:
Bonuses will generally fall into one of the following categories:
Extraordinary Accomplishment - applies to strong or leading role in an initiative outside of the normal scope of work, or far in excess of the normally expected level and quality of contribution. Amounts less than $200 will be processed in accordance with the Recognition check process. Amounts greater than $200 must be approved by Division Director, Business Analyst, CIT/HR Director, and Vice President for Information Technologies. Retention — not a substitute for regular review of compensation levels, but may be used to retain staff through a milestone or critical project. Special Duty — provided for taking on additional responsibilities for a limited time due to temporary staff shortage. In this case, an employee has not actually taken on a different role but temporarily assumed additional responsibilities. Signing — to avoid compromising internal equity, a signing bonus can be helpful in an attempt to match the first-year compensation expectations of a new hire to the department. Signing bonuses are a targeted recruitment tool and not a general practice. They are discussed with CIT/HR Director as part of the offer process, and require approval by Division Director, Business Analyst and Vice President for Information Technologies. Refer to Filling Vacancies policy for process (to be created).
Bonuses do not affect employee's base pay and are not intended to address changes in workload as a result of cyclical fluctuations that are in the normal scope of department business needs. All payments will be included in the employee's regular paycheck and will be subject to applicable taxes and withholdings. Division Directors are expected to discuss with all HR actions including bonuses with the Vice President for Information Technologies after initial consultation with manager and Business Analyst.
Division Directors are expected to discuss with all HR actions including bonuses with Vice President for Information Technologies after initial consultation with manager and Business Analyst.
Eligibility
Regular full- or part-time, temporary, casual, or limited term employees of CIT are eligible to receive a bonus under these guidelines.
Extraordinary Accomplishment & Retention
Managers requesting an Extraordinary or Retention bonus for one of their reports must:
CIT/HR will review and initiate internal approval process which consists of:
Recognition Bonuses for $200 or less
Division Directors are responsible for the distribution of their division Recognition checks. Prior approval from CIT/HR, CIT Finance, or Vice President for Information Technologies is not required.
CIT Recognition bonus checks are awarded to employee(s) under the following guidelines:
CIT/HR will notify the manager and Director who submitted the request of any potential violations.
If Director fails to notify Vice President of impending request, it may result in denial of request.
University definitions are marked with an asterisk, all others are CIT definitions.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Extraordinary Accomplishment* | "For circumstances in which a dean/vice president documents that an employee has been expected to and has performed for a major period of time remarkably above the usual position expectations under extraordinary circumstances, a special payment or temporary adjustment of base pay may be authorized by the dean/vice president or designee. This payment does not affect the individual's base pay. This is intended to address infrequent, unusual, and highly select cases when the usual performance increase does not adequately reward the performance and circumstance. These extraordinary circumstances must have a definite commencement and conclusion, and any exceptions must be approved by the local hr representative or designee. This is not intended to address changes in workload arising from usual cyclical fluctuations." |
| Regular employee* | "An appointment to a position of least 20 hours per week with an expected duration of at least six months." |
| Temporary employee* | "An appointment to a position of at least 20 hours per week with an expected duration of less than six months." |
| Casual employee* | "An appointment to a position of less than 20 hours per week. Casual employees are never eligible for benefits." |
| Full Time* | "A position of at least 35 hours per week. May apply to regular or temporary appointments." |
| Part Time* | "A position of less than 35 hours and more than 20 hours per week. May apply to regular or temporary appointments." |
| Recognition Check | CIT designed non-negotiable written request to pay a specific amount of money. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| There is an employee I would like to recognize that isn't my direct report and/or isn't in my division. What do I need to do? | Follow the above processes as if the employee is one of your direct reports. It is recommended that you notify the employee¹s Director of the request before letting the employee know they will be receiving the bonus. |
| Subject | Contact | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Clarification Responsible Director |
Nancy VanOrman | 5-2618 | nlv1 |
| Policy Clarification CIT HR Generalists |
Tammy Blasz Jennifer Russler |
5-4981 5-3051 |
td13 jcr9 |
Any other questions should be directed to Nancy VanOrman, 5-2618, nlv1@cornell.edu.
