With the implementation of a new salary structure for Marquette University staff, the university’s Staff Compensation Structure Project has concluded. The Department of Human Resources launched the project in August 2022 in collaboration with a project team composed of key university partners and with guidance from external compensation consultants. The project was designed to update the staff compensation program to best position the university to meet its strategic goals.
The completion of this project brings the university closer to its stated goal in the Healthy Campus theme of the university’s Marquette 2031 Strategic Plan: Guided by Mission, Inspired to Change: “Ensure that staff and faculty have fair and competitive compensation and benefits, as well as opportunities to learn and grow professionally and personally.” Faculty and staff compensation is a priority investment that will be phased into the university budget annually, supported by the successful implementation of Securing Our Future actions.
As a first step in aligning staff salaries with the market, this spring the university invested to bring staff employees whose salary was below the minimum of their new pay range into their range. As funding becomes available through Securing Our Future actions and in alignment with Marquette’s strategic priorities, additional steps will be taken to move staff within their range based on their skills, proficiency, performance and experience. This follows recent years of investment in increasing faculty salaries to be more competitive in the marketplace.
The Staff Compensation Structure Project resulted in key deliverables that were communicated to staff as they were implemented during the course of this project, including:
- Compensation philosophy aligned to the university’s mission
- New job families and updated systems to make it easier for candidates to search for job opportunities
- Updated staff market comparables and survey data sources
- Streamlined and improved job evaluation methodology and tools, including a new job description form/process.
- A Staff Salary Administration Guide
- New staff salary structure that aligns with industry best practices while providing increased transparency
In preparation for rolling out the new salary structure, all supervisors were invited to training from HR in January, which included an information toolkit to help communicate the changes to their employees. All staff employees should have met with their supervisors in February to receive this information.
Salary adjustments for employees who were below the base of their range were effective March 1; new salary grades were released via MyJob at that time.
Work will continue to ensure that the staff compensation program remains up to date and consistent with best practices in the field. Additionally, HR will continue to develop career ladders where applicable to assist employees and candidates in understanding staff career opportunities throughout Marquette.
Employees who still have questions about the new salary structure or any component of the Staff Compensation Structure Project should contact their supervisor and consult this FAQ on the HR website.
Watch Marquette Today in the coming weeks for information regarding this year’s performance review and merit increase process.
