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SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Program

2012 SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Program

Goal

The SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Program was created to encourage staff initiative in solving problems, achieving efficiencies and thinking creatively, as well as to inspire cooperation across departments and schools and throughout the University.

Program

The SAS Staff Incentive Bonus is a special one-time payment awarded to selected SAS exempt and non-exempt staff for extraordinary contributions to the mission of the School, above and beyond the staff member's job description. It is intended to reward those members of our staff whose work is consistent with the School's objectives for excellent performance:

  • To add value. We will add value to our jobs, departments, programs and the School overall by establishing administrative effectiveness and efficiency, by maintaining the highest level of knowledge in our particular field, and by collaborating and working with others to ensure best practices.
  • To find solutions to operational challenges. We will embrace change and push to find innovative and imaginative solutions to difficult problems. We will challenge the status quo when necessary and will commit to a solution based approach to problem solving.
  • To prepare the School for tomorrow. We will help build the infrastructure necessary for the School to grow and flourish in the changing world of higher education. We will recruit and retain the very best staff to increase our flexibility and response to unforeseen challenges ahead.

Examples of outstanding performance which may merit a bonus include:

  • Outstanding customer service
  • Initiative and innovation in solving problems or improving service
  • Accomplishments having a particularly positive impact on the Department.  Accomplishments also include those benefiting the School and the University. 
  • Actions which result in measurable and significant cost savings
  • Successful completion of special projects

The program is designed for the purpose of acknowledging exceptional and well-defined events from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. This will be the focus in the selection process. A bonus award is not meant to replicate the annual salary review process, which should continue to be used to recognize and reward an employee for performing his or her job responsibilities consistently well via a merit increase.

Program Administration

The SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Program will be administered by a committee which includes non-exempt and exempt SAS staff in good standing and a faculty member.

Nomination Process

Faculty and staff are encouraged to nominate individuals for their efforts from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Individual staff members may nominate themselves for their own accomplishments, and are encouraged to nominate other deserving staff within SAS. All nominations (including self-nominations) must be approved by the nominee's immediate supervisor and department manager prior to their submission. Please contact Rebecca Ross at rebross@sas.upenn.edu if you would like to confirm an individual's correct supervisor. A previous bonus recipient may be nominated again, provided the nomination is based on new activity and achievements occurring within the current bonus year. The committee reserves the right to verify all information with the nominee's supervisor.

The nomination form submitted is the only information considered in selecting the award recipients. For this reason, it is important that nominations be complete and accurate. Please provide specific examples addressing some or all of the five criteria above and provide as much detail as possible about why the person you are nominating deserves to receive a bonus. This will greatly impact their chances of being selected. It is possible for more than one person to nominate someone for a particular achievement; it is also possible for one nominator to submit multiple nominations for one individual, provided each nomination focuses on a distinct project or accomplishment. Nominees are eligible to receive only one cash award.

Eligibility for the SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Program is limited to employees who:

  • have completed their introductory period
  • are included in the regular salary increase program
  • have received a performance evaluation rating of "consistently meets established goals/expectations" or higher
  • are NOT in performance management

Qualified staff members are eligible for a bonus regardless of any recent salary adjustments or promotions. Bonus recipients must be employed in SAS at the time of the award.

Nominations will be reviewed by the Staff Incentive Bonus Program committee. Nominations may be submitted at any time but must be received no later than midnight June 30, 2012 in order to be considered. The committee reserves the right to confirm the information provided in a nomination submission.  Nominations selected for a Gold bonus award may be posted on the SAS HR website as an example of a successful nomination; all names will be redacted.

Winner Selection

The Staff Incentive Bonus Program committee will make recommendations to the Dean and the Interim Vice Dean for Finance and Administration for the final selection of bonus recipients. The award amounts, after taxes, will be $750, $1500, or $3000. Awards will be extremely competitive and will recognize only genuinely exceptional performance based on established criteria.

Award Timing

Bonus payments are scheduled to be made in the fall. Bonus recipients will be announced School-wide.

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The 2011 SAS Staff Incentive Bonus Award recipients are:

Gold

Margaret Deeney - Music
Ruth Kelley - SAS Facilities
Enrique Vargas - Chemistry

Silver

Karen Bergbauer - SAS Finance
Yvette Bordeaux - Earth & Environmental Science
Kira Griffitt - Linguistic Data Consortium
Joseph Hallman - College of Liberal & Professional Studies
Justin Klein-Keane - SAS Computing
Jessica Marcus - Institute for Research in Cognitive Science
Christopher Mustazza - SAS Computing
Elyse Saladoff - SAS Finance
Robin Sherwood - Biology
Brooke Sietinsons - History of Art
Amanda Swope - Chemistry
Loretta Williams - English

Bronze

Gavin Burris - SAS Computing
Natalie Dohrmann - Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
Katrina Glanzer - The College
Christine Gravener - SAS Finance
Tanya Jung - The College
Naomi Kaminsky - The College
James Kane - SAS Computing
Krista Leary - Chemistry
Ellen Liebman - The College
Jason Matjasic - SAS Computing
Justin Mazur - The College
Patricia Rea - SAS Graduate Division
Marian Reed - Linguistic Data Consortium
Christopher Sabella - SAS Computing
James Saul - College of Liberal & Professional Studies
Sara Varney - Penn Humanities Forum
Christopher Veitz - College of Liberal & Professional Studies
Christine Walsh - Jewish Studies Program
Jason Watkins - SAS Computing
Sherry Michael Weller - SAS Computing
Ernestine Williams - SAS Finance