University of Denver
PAE-11: Sustainable Compensation

Compensation Philosophy The University of Denver recognizes that to fulfill its mission it requires a diverse group of highly qualified employees – educators, researchers, administrators and support staff. To ensure that faculty and staff are recognized and rewarded appropriately for their contributions and that University resources are used efficiently and effectively, the University supports a compensation system that: 1. Provides comprehensive compensation (base salary, supplemental payments, and benefits) that is competitive within the appropriate labor market and is aligned with the availability of institutional and unit resources. 2. Attracts highly skilled and competent employees and retains them by providing opportunities for learning, growth and career development. 3. Encourages and rewards excellent performance by individual staff and teams and assures contributions toward meeting the mission, goals and objectives of the University by basing salary increases on merit and performance. 4. Assures a fair “living wage” for all employees* who work full time. 5. Provides academic and administrative units flexibility in applying the principles of the University’s compensation system. 6. Allocates compensation in a fair yet flexible manner in compliance with all applicable legal requirements. 7. Balances the need for internal equity while recognizing the desire to be market competitive subject to resource availability. 8. Assures communication of system principles, goals, design, procedures and relevant external market information to all units and individuals. 9. Remains open to emerging compensation practices to address changes in the workforce and the workplace over time. Additionally, Human Resources annually conducts and/or reviews compensation studies by Mountain States Employer’s Council (http://www.msec.org/ ), The College & University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), and other appropriate resources that compare DU salaries for staff position grades to compensation at comparable jobs in the region. Based on this analysis, market adjustments to the bottom of the range for all staff position grades are funded by the University. *The lowest grade minimum is $11.60 per hour, above the poverty threshold if working full time based on the National Academy of Sciences Recommendations from 2009 available through the US Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/hhes/povmeas/data/nas/tables/2009/index.html). For our Sodexo contracted food service employees, below is their answer to this question. Sodexo is widely recognized for leadership and innovation in creating a positive workplace environment where our employees can flourish and grow. We provide competitive wages and benefits that are on par with our industry wherever we operate, and lead our industry in expanding the range of benefits available to our frontline employees. We offer training that helps our employees excel in their current jobs and positions them for advancement. 1. Sodexo’s rate of pay by job type and classification is above the prevailing wages as established by the United States Department of Labor. 2. We provide a competitive market wage for the region or city where the institution is located. We employ 126 full time employees and 26 part time employees at the University of Denver. 3. Benefits available to full time Sodexo employees at Denver University include paid sick days, paid holidays, paid vacation, educational assistance, domestic partner benefits and all employees are provided company provided uniforms, including one pair of slip resistant shoes per year and free meals. 4. At Denver Dining, full time employees are offered medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life, family care spending, accidental death and health care spending benefits. 5. We offer long-term disability benefits to hourly employees, and, on average, the company pays about two-thirds of the cost of all health insurance premiums. 6. Sodexo leads our industry in offering a full range of affordable benefits to our hourly employees. Our most popular medical benefit plan is available for approximately $26 a week and offers comprehensive coverage. 7. Sodexo’s 401k program matches up to three percent of employee earnings. More than 60 percent of eligible employees participate. 8. Sodexo allocates compensation in a fair yet flexible manner in compliance with all applicable legal requirements. 9. In addition to our job-related technical skills training, Sodexo offers employee scholarship programs, language training and an employee Disaster Relief Fund. Additionally, the Sodexo Human Resources team and Denver Dining team conduct an annual study in the Denver area to ensure that we are paying at or above the competitive market wage. We compare the wage rates for all staff positions to ensure we provide a competitive market wage.

Fall 2010 reported employee headcount 1623 staff and administrators and 640 full-time faculty and 604 part-time faculty. In addition, there are 152 Sodexo employees, 26 of whom are part time. Part-time (adjunct) faculty could have a living wage, although the institution cannot ensure this in the same manner as appointed faculty and staff. DU's answer to this item was reviewed by Lynnette Woodbury, Associate Director of Total Rewards. Sodexo's answer to this item was provided by Pam Smith, Vice President Operations for Campus Services, Sodexo.