Carnegie Mellon University
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Compensation

The compensation policies of the university are designed to ensure equitable and competitive pay practices. As a supervisor, you will likely be faced with compensation-related questions from your staff members. It is important to familiarize yourself with the university's compensation policies and practices as well as the resources available to assist you.

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Merit in Workday

Workday is used for the performance and merit life cycle in order to better connect pay to performance. Merit facilitators and supervisor facilitators are responsible for recording merit recommendations in Workday.

Resources

Total Rewards

A Total Rewards statement is a personal and unique statement that estimates the overall value of an employee's total compensation package. It highlights their cash compensation, CMU's contributions to their benefits, non-cash compensation and additional perks for which they may be eligible.

With the new Total Rewards tool in Workday, you can view this information in real time. To learn more, check out Total Rewards at CMU.

Pay Scales and Job Profiles

 Job Profiles

Job profile information may include:

  • Title and job profile code
  • Pay grade and Fair Labor Standards Act status (exempt/nonexempt)
  • Education, experience, skills and abilities requirements
  • Typical functions and responsibilities
  • Accountability, direction, decisions and supervision needed

The majority of staff positions at Carnegie Mellon have been assigned a particular profile through the job analysis process. However, not all staff positions are profiled. Due to the assignment of unique responsibilities, certain positions fall outside of the job profile structure. You can view the job profile assigned to your position on your worker profile in Workday. (At the top right corner of the Workday home page, click on your name, then “View Profile.”)

For the most up-to-date job profile information, please refer to the Job Profile Catalog in Workday. See the Accessing Job Families, Profiles and Market Data Quick Guide [pdf] for instructions.

Pay Scale

Carnegie Mellon's pay grade structure [pdf] provides a framework for organizing staff positions at the university. Positions with similar qualifications, requirements and levels of responsibility are grouped together in pay grades to create the classification structure.

Resources

Setting Salaries

When making a salary decision, consider:

  • Requirements of the position and the individual: What skills, education and experience are required to perform this job? How difficult is it to find someone with the necessary combinations of knowledge and abilities?
  • Market competitiveness: What market data is available related to jobs with comparable responsibility, knowledge requirements and demand?
  • Internal pay equity: What do employees with similar jobs and experience levels make within the department, division and university as a whole?
  • Job profile: Positions within the university have been aligned to specific job profiles. These profiles provide a generic description of the kinds of skills, education and duties associated with jobs of that type, whether the position is exempt from overtime pay requirements according to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the pay grade associated with the job.
  • Pay grades: Job profiles have a pay grade associated with the job. While important, pay grades continue to be a secondary point of reference when making offers and setting salaries in relation to other more important factors such as the specific duties of the position, market data, departmental budget, the candidate’s relevant experience and past performance, internal equity and other relevant factors.

For detailed information on setting salaries, please refer to the Guidelines for Hiring Staff [pdf] and Compensation Guidelines — Staff [pdf].

When hiring foreign nationals with H1B visas, see also the Wage Determination Packet [docx].

Non-Salary Compensation

The compensation package comprises more than just the annual salary. The culture, environment and opportunities of the university are important features that attract leading candidates. Our benefits package is also a significant factor in attracting the country's best talent.

  • Share benefits information with top candidates when discussing compensation. 
  • Remember that different benefits will be of value depending on the candidate's life circumstances. 
  • We provide a generous benefits package that is unique among employers, including:
    • Tuition benefits for the employee and their dependent children
    • Retirement contributions that do not require matching savings
    • Benefits for domestic partners
    • Family care resources including concierge family support
    • Access to campus wellness and athletics facilities
    • Unlimited public transportation access
  • Many of our benefits not only provide peace of mind and financial protection, but they also have a monetary value of several thousand dollars per year.

Need more help?

Reach out to your HR business partner for answers to your compensation related questions.