I mentioned at the September Town Hall that, in recognition of a tremendous year of progress and service, UTMB’s executive leadership had approved merit pay increases and Team Award payments for eligible employees. I wanted to take this opportunity to share more information about these programs for this year.

UTMB’s merit pay program is an important part of our total compensation strategy for Classified, Non-Teaching and Administrative& Professional (A&P) employees. Merit pay increases are designed to reward staff for meeting or exceeding performance expectations. Individual merit pay amounts will be determined by managers, based on employees’ most recent annual performance rating.

To be considered for a merit pay increase, employees must meet the following criteria:

• Benefits-eligible, full-time or part-time status;
• Successful completion of six-month probationary period;
• Did not receive any merit increases (base pay or non-recurring pay) during the last six months;
• Satisfactory performance evaluation within the last 12 months;
• No formal corrective action (written warning or above) initiated within the last 12 months; and
• Current on all mandatory requirements (e.g., compliance training, testing, licensing, etc.).

Merit pay increases for Classified employees will be effective Nov. 16, 2019, and will first appear in paychecks dated Dec. 6, 2019. Merit pay increases for Non-Teaching and A&P employees will be effective Dec. 1, 2019, and will first appear in paychecks dated Jan. 2, 2020.

As a reminder, compensation for Correctional Managed Care staff is managed separately through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice budget, so there will be no CMC-wide salary increases at this time.

Compensation for faculty members and executive leadership is managed through the Faculty Compensation and Incentive Plan and the Executive Compensation Review, respectively.

UTMB also will recognize the collective efforts and contributions of our workforce in FY19 with a one-time $500 Team Award payment.

This payment reflects the staffing and opening of the Clear Lake Campus, continued expansion and renovation work at the League City and Galveston campuses, groundbreaking research discoveries, the historic number of students enrolled in our four schools, achievement of the Vizient Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award for the third consecutive year and other notable accomplishments.

Team Awards will be paid on Nov. 15, 2019, to employees who meet the following criteria:

• Completed at least six months of continuous active employment (actual hours worked) during FY19 in a benefits-eligible Classified, CMC, Non-Teaching, Resident and/or A&P position;
• Were benefits-eligible as of Aug. 31, 2019;
• Did not participate in the Faculty Compensation and Incentive Plan, Executive and A&P At-Risk Compensation Plan or any other incentive plan in FY19;
• If under formal corrective action at any time in FY19, has documented performance improvement by Aug. 31, 2019, as determined by their supervisor or manager;
• Received a satisfactory performance evaluation for FY19; and
• Is employed by UTMB on the payout date.

For more information about the merit pay program or Team Awards, please refer to these frequently asked questions. You may also contact the Human Resources Compensation team at hrcomp@utmb.edu. 

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to UTMB and for advancing our mission to improve health for the people of Texas and beyond. 

Ben G. Raimer, MD, MA, FAAP

President ad interim