Purpose

A program approved by the Iowa Board of Regents that will allow the Graduate College flexibility in compensating non-organized Professional & Scientific (P&S) staff for extra meritorious performance. There are two types of awards (1) Exceptional Performance Award and (2) SPOT Performance Awards. Flexible pay should not be used as a substitute for providing ongoing base adjustments that assure equitable and competitive salaries. The Director of Human Resources & Finance will communicate to the University's Central Human Resources with data regarding the number of nominations and awards which will be shared with the Board of Regents. The department or unit is responsible for funding of awards.

Eligibility & Criteria

The following individuals will be eligible for Exceptional Performance and SPOT awards:

  • All regular, non-organized P&S employees who work in the Graduate College and subunits that hold a regular appointment of 50% or greater.
  • An employee must have been employed in a regular position for 6 months.
  • An employee must have received at least the average July 1st salary increase for the department to be eligible for flexible pay, barring extenuating circumstances that must be documented.

Guidelines for nominations:

  • Nominations for the Exceptional Performance and SPOT awards must be initiated by the supervisor.
  • Flexible pay will be awarded in the form of a lump sum payment that is not added to the base salary.
  • No more than 10% of the college's non-organized P&S staff is eligible to receive an Exceptional Performance Award in a given year.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate Exceptional Performance and SPOT awards:

  • Contributions that extend beyond those normally expected or required by the job description, e.g. expanded scope of duties, completion of a major project, extraordinary performance, development of significant new initiatives.
  • An employee must have a current (within the past 12 months) overall above average performance evaluation.