Annual Pay Increases

Across-the-Board Increases

As a part of the budgeting process, the college designates a salary increase pool, to be distributed on July 1, the first day of the new fiscal year. All regular employees are eligible for the college’s across-the-board salary increase, however, across the board increases are not guaranteed.

Merit Increases

Each year, also part of the budgeting process, every VP/dean may be allocated a merit increase budget. Supervisors and directors nominate staff for merit increases and VP/deans review all the recommendations and then decide how to allocate their pools. A regular staff member who begins employment before January 1 of that year may be eligible for a merit increase. Merit increases are typically considered each July.

Merit increases are not guaranteed, and it’s not uncommon to receive a merit increase one year, but no increase or a smaller one the following year.

Meeting the basic expectations of your role does not automatically qualify an employee for a merit increase. Merit increases are reserved for those who consistently go above and beyond their job description in service to Reed and its students.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for a merit increase, a staff member must:

Have met or made significant progress toward individual performance goals
Have performed core job duties at a proficient or advanced level

Additional Factors That May Be Considered

Supervisors may also consider:

Contributions to equity, inclusion, and belonging in their role
Active engagement in the Reed community (such as committee service, search participation, onboarding support, or strong attendance)
Taking on significant new or expanded responsibilities during the year

Equity and Fairness

Decisions about merit increases can be vulnerable to favoritism or other forms of bias. Supervisors responsible for awarding merit increases are expected to take deliberate steps to ensure fair, consistent, and equitable decision-making across their teams.