Carnegie Mellon University

Current Faculty and Staff Members

Find helpful information to assist you throughout your career at Carnegie Mellon. Learn more about how to make the most of the benefits available to you and explore opportunities to get involved.

1. Workday

Workday provides employees with self-service options to complete many HR and payroll tasks, including electing and changing benefits and retirement savings contributions, updating personal information, submitting time (hourly employees), requesting Paid Time Off and viewing payslips. Refer to Workday Guides for step-by-step instructions to complete common tasks in Workday.

2. Benefits Overview

You must experience a qualifying life and family status change to make changes to your benefit elections. 

  • Changes to benefit elections must be submitted in Workday within 30 days of the qualifying event.
  • Documentation is required within 30 days of submitting the change in Workday.
  • You will receive a Workday notification once your benefit elections are approved. Enrollment information is sent to the insurance carriers the Monday morning after your elections are approved.
  • Beginning the Wednesday after your elections are sent to the carrier(s), you can create user accounts on your insurance carriers’ websites
    • Temporary insurance cards (ID cards) can be printed through your user account.
    • Permanent insurance cards are sent within 7–10 business days.
    • Log into Workday to designate your life insurance beneficiaries with MetLife.

TES employees transferring to a regular position with the same benefit eligibility are not permitted to make new benefit elections.

Student workers who are enrolled in student health coverage and move to a faculty or staff position can waive duplicate coverage at the time of hire and then submit a Loss of Outside Coverage life event effective August 1 to replace the coverage lost on July 31.

  • Carnegie Mellon provides two retirement savings plans:*
  • The university contributes an amount equal to 8% of eligible base salary (9.78% for employees on a nine-month appointment) for eligible employees.
  • Eligible faculty members, staff members and student workers can make supplemental contributions by payroll deduction. Employee contributions are effective the first of the month following the date the election is submitted in Workday, unless a future date is designated. You can elect to contribute up to 100% of your pay if you are eligible for the FSRP, or from .25% (¼%) to 100% of your pay if you are eligible for the 401(k) Plan. Elections cannot be made retroactively to a prior or current month or date, unless the election is changing to zero. Contact HR Employee Services to change your retirement elections to zero for the current month.
  • Learn how to roll over assets from an outside institution to CMU and request distributions.
  • Create a user account with TIAA [pdf] to designate/update your beneficiary(ies) or change investment options once your first contribution (employee or employer) is made. Changes can also be made by calling TIAA at 800-842-2776.
  • View retirement savings education opportunities, including one-on-one counseling sessions, webinars and on-campus workshops.

* Members of the AFL-CIO Local 95 — International Union of Operating Engineers are covered under their own contract, which specifies their retirement program options.

Carnegie Mellon provides several types of benefits to accommodate your needs to take time off. The eligibility requirements and compensation/benefits for each type of leave differ. In all cases, you should notify your manager and seek approval for time away from the office with as much advance notice as possible. Questions concerning time off and leaves should be directed to HR Employee Services.

Benefits-eligible faculty and staff members can receive tuition remission or assistance for themselves and their dependent children. Courses may be taken at CMU or at another institution.

Carnegie Mellon offers benefit programs to assist with child care costs. Please note that there may be tax implications associated with child care benefits.

  • Cyert Center Sliding Scale Benefit: The Cyert Center for Early Education is a full-day early care and education program serving the university. The Sliding Scale benefit provides eligible employees with a reduction in the Cyert Center’s tuition rate, taking into account your family income for the prior calendar year. 
  • Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA): Carnegie Mellon offers a DCRA to help you lower your dependent care expenses by paying with tax-free money.
  • Care for Business: Through the Care for Business benefit, CMU provides eligible employees with backup care services for children and adults. The program also includes a free membership to perform self-directed searches for a variety of caregiving needs.
  • Family and Child Care Resources: The Office of Human Resources has compiled a list of relevant benefits, information and resources for parents and families, including the university's Family Care Concierge Service for personalized support and guidance. 

3. Personal Information Changes

You can make changes to your personal information, including legal and preferred name, address, phone numbers and emergency contacts; payment elections (direct deposit); and tax elections.

4. Training and Professional Development

5. Policies, Handbooks and Guidelines

Carnegie Mellon's policies ensure fair treatment of all individuals.

6. Discounts and Perks

7. Opportunities to Stay Involved, Informed and Healthy

Learn about opportunities to get involved in the campus community.

8. Retiring from Carnegie Mellon

As you prepare for retirement, review the resources provided by the Office of Human Resources and the university's retirement plan vendors.

9. Leaving the University

If you decide to end your employment with Carnegie Mellon University, review these key steps that you should take to ensure that you receive the benefits you are entitled to and that your last-day obligations are met.