Compensation at the University of Virginia

At the University, including its Medical Center, our philosophy is to pay fairly and competitively in order to recruit, reward and retain high-performing employees. Employment at the University offers other benefits including, but not limited to, health insurance, tuition remission and assistance, annual leave, training and retirement programs.

Read more about strategic salary increases.

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

The University is the employer of choice in the region and a leading employer in the state. Local interest in working at the University is high. The University's current minimum hiring rate is $10.65 an hour, $3.40 more per hour than the federal minimum wage. As a result of the economic downturn, the state has frozen salary increases since December 2007. From 2005-2007, the institution demonstrated its commitment to U.Va.'s lowest-paid employees with four salary increases in a two-year timeframe, including raising the minimum hiring rate 23% (from $8.67 per hour in December 2005 to $10.65 per hour in July 2011).

Market analyses of all public colleges and universities in Virginia indicate that the University's minimum hiring rate is set at the second highest in the commonwealth of Virginia. Only George Mason University in northern Virginia offers a higher minimum hiring rate.

The fringe benefit rate for 2010-2011 is 27.6 percent for full-time salaried staff. Employees who make the $10.65 an hour entry rate with no dependents on their health insurance receive benefits worth an additional $6.42 an hour, for total compensation of $17.07 an hour. Those benefits are outlined in more detail on the salary snapshot on these pages.

PAY IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The University provides many opportunities for employees to improve their pay, including: annual increases, change in job duties, market adjustments, internal alignment, using new skills on the job and more. In addition, University Staff are eligible for increases based on performance and can improve their pay by gaining new skills.

Before the salary freeze, the University had awarded well over 4,000 in-band salary adjustments, worth more than $14 million, for strategic salary alignment. In years past the Board of Visitors has allocated $250,000 a year in addition to funds from the state for strategic base salary adjustments for classified employees. These funds have benefited employees whose salaries lag behind market rates.

The Board of Visitors also provides $200,000 to fund bonuses under the state Reward and Recognition Plan. In addition, individual departments have funded rewards and recognition bonuses (including both monetary bonuses and paid days off) for superior performers. Those have totaled more than $2.2 million and nearly 2,800 days off to eligible employees.

Employees are using career ladder opportunities provided by the University, filling openings at an increasing rate. In February 2009, the University instituted an internal posting policy for all staff positions, and 69 percent of U.Va.'s openings were filled by internal candidates in Fiscal Year 2009-10.

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The University administers an education benefit that provides $2,000 per calendar year to benefits-eligible employees to use toward furthering their education. More than 2,200 employees have taken advantage of the program since it was introduced in July 2008, at a value of $4.5 million. U.Va. provides informal and formal training to help our employees develop their skills and advance in job responsibilities and pay. Training opportunities include: GED classes, English as a second language, customer service, IT systems, supervision and leadership, writing for business, cultivating career happiness, balancing work and home, assertiveness training, and many more. In addition, University Human Resources offers three leadership programs: Essential Workskills, Hoos Managing the U.Va. Way and the Supervisory Essentials Certification Program.

BENEFITS

The University offers employees extensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement programs, life insurance, disability insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, flexible reimbursement accounts, long-term care insurance, a tax-deferred savings program, a matching contribution retirement plan, the education benefit described above and more. Employees receive generous paid leave. Academic Division employees earn 12 or more paid holidays and at least 22 days of leave a year. Leave increases with tenure.

The University also offers a supplemental benefit credit, specifically targeted at our lowest-paid employees. Currently those earning less than $40,000 are eligible for a credit of $300, which they can apply to programs and deductions such as parking or health insurance premiums. On June 20, 2011, this credit will go up to $450 and the salary threshold will rise to $42,000 to offset the impact of the 5% employee contribution legislatively mandated for VRS.

— April 2011