Hiring - Hiring Bonus Program

• Hiring managers may need to occasionally provide hiring bonuses when attracting candidates to Extension employment.
• This can be up to 15% of the proposed salary indicated on the Request to Fill (RTF) and would be paid in a single lump sum to the new employee on their first paycheck.
• In most cases, the hiring manager will need to request approval for a hiring bonus before submitting the RTF to Extension HR.
• Hiring bonuses are distinct from faculty start-up packages and relocation expenses.

Divisional Criteria

• Pre-Posting

  • Traditionally hard to source positions; 

  • 2nd or 3rd postings; 

  • New positions that have a very limited available labor pool;

• After-Posting - Exceptional Situations (e.g. during negotiations)

  • Requesting hiring bonuses after a position has been posted will be in exceptional situations and will require additional review by HR. 

  • Situations where there is a clear finalist and their salary request is outside the salary range; or

  • The candidate will lose a bonus or other benefits by leaving their current job and a hiring bonus would make up the difference. 

• Available funding source

  • Hiring bonuses cannot be paid from sponsored funds (e.g. 136, 143, 144).

Eligible Employee Classifications

• Faculty

• Academic Staff

• Limited Appointees

• University Staff

• Temporary Employees

• Student Hourlies

• Post-Degree Training

Does not apply to:

• Student Assistants

• Internal Recruitments

Determine Justification

Justifications must detail that a consistent and verifiable recruitment problem exists, or is likely to occur, and that a hiring bonus is a reasonable solution. The following guidelines, in the form of questions, are intended to assist in identifying the existence of a serious recruiting problem and for developing a valid justification. Justifications should include examples, data, evidence, etc., relevant to these indicators.

• Is there a history of recent (i.e. six months) problems attracting applicants?
• Are continuous recruitments necessary due to lack of applicants?
• Has attracting minimally qualified candidates proven difficult, demonstrated with applicant pools insufficient for the number of vacancies or a high rate of failed probations due to performance?
• Are you recruiting at an entry level and still experiencing failure?
• Have extraordinary efforts been made to recruit applicants yet challenges still exist?
• Is there a high vacancy rate due to an inability to fill vacancies?
• Is there known competition in the market where a bonus program may provide an advantage or offset competitor hiring incentives?
• Have academic, industry, economic, or other credible experts reported a serious shortage of qualified candidates?

Determine Amount

• The amount of the hiring bonus can be up to 15% of the proposed starting salary (documented in Request to Fill (RTF).
• If you need assistance determining an amount please consult hr@extension.wisc.edu. 

Determine Funding

• Determine your funding source. The budget authority for your hire will be your DLT Representative. 

• Once you have determined your funding source and DLT Representative, reach out to your financial manager (OFS - Resources - Financial Specialists & Managers Contact List) for the funding string information. 

• Include a description of the funding source and the funding string in your request.

• The funding source is subject to review and approval by OFS. 

Determine Approvals

1. Extension HR

   1. Jamie O’Donnell - Primary

   2. Nathaniel Shay - Alternate

2. Office of Financial Services  - choose  your  financial  manager

   1. Chad McClure

   2. Laura Krause

3. DLT Rep

4. Dean & Director

Request Hiring Bonus

Pre-Posting

1. Navigate to the Hiring Bonus Request Workflow.

2. Create a new hiring bonus approval request

3. Fill out all required fields

4. Submit for approval

5. Include the approved amount in the RTF you submit to Extension HR.

After-Posting (e.g. Negotiations)

Note that any requests after posting will require additional review and approval by the campus Office of Human Resources. 

1. Navigate to the Hiring Bonus Request Workflow.

2. Create a new hiring bonus approval request

3. Fill out all required fields

4. Submit for approval

Human Resources

• Pre-Posting

  • Extension HR reviews the hiring bonus on the RTF and verifies that it has been approved and that the amount is 15% or less of the proposed starting salary and that the proposed starting salary is within salary guidelines.

  • ASU HR will include the hiring bonus in the Position Vacancy Listing (PVL) based on the RTF. If they have any questions they are cc’d on the SharePoint approval email and can also email extension HR questions. 

  • Extension HR will submit a lump sum spreadsheet to ASU with the approved starting salary.

  • ASU HR will include the hiring bonus information in the appointment letter.

  • ASU HR will include the lump sum spreadsheet in the JEMS New Hire Notification.

  • ASU Payroll and Benefits will process the lump sum payment

• After-Posting

  • Whoever approves needs to consult with central OHR via email for review and approval before signing off on this step. 

  • Extension HR will submit the lump sum spreadsheet with the approval email to ASU.

  • ASU HR will include the hiring bonus information in the appointment letter.

  • ASU HR will include the lump sum spreadsheet in the JEMS New Hire Notification.

  • ASU Payroll and Benefits will process the lump sum payment

Employee

• The employee will receive the full hiring bonus on their first paycheck in the newly appointed role.
• The bonus will have taxes taken out.
• If the employee leaves the position within 12 months of hire, or prior to the proposed end date if the position is less than 12 months in duration, the employee will be required to repay a prorated amount of the hiring bonus amount.

Questions? Contact hr@extension.wisc.edu.