President’s speeches, letters, and articles
Subject: Update on compensation changes
March 24, 2023
Dear Reed College Staff and Faculty,
The work of all staff is vital to the college. You provide significant support to our incredible students, maintain the college's magnificent physical plant and grounds, sustain the college’s strong financial position, and provide support and service to all of Reed’s dedicated employees. That any of you have felt less than supported is a great sadness to me, particularly at this busy time of the year.
Before we make significant changes in major policies, it is important to me that we take time to consult with those affected. In the case of the recent announcement about job grades, that engagement did not occur. I apologize for this. I understand that the announcement left many of you with the impression that the college does not value your work, and I am deeply sorry.
With this recognition in mind, I have directed that we pause the job grade changes announced. We will continue to evaluate the process for assessing your work and compensation. No changes will be made prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1, 2023. I also believe that our prior structures have flaws that must be addressed. I have met with the HR team, and I am impressed by both their knowledge of fair and equitable systems, and their competence in implementing a system that addresses weaknesses. I support the long-term goals of the project:
- Establish compensation practices that allow for experience to be taken into account.
- Create a fair and equitable compensation structure for everyone, in line with Oregon law.
- Develop consistent practices in paying compensation that is based on benchmarks of other similarly sized and resourced local and regional non-profit colleges and universities.
In order to continue this process, we will maintain communication with Reed supervisors, who will engage in the job descriptions process for the positions they supervise. These job descriptions will then inform the work HR will conduct to update our compensation system.
To further address your concerns and to answer questions, I will host a joint staff and faculty session on Tuesday, March 28 at 2 p.m. in Vollum Lecture Hall. In order to make the most of our time, I request that questions be submitted in advance at this link by Monday, March 27 at 5 p.m. Your questions will be collected anonymously. HR staff will stay after the session for 30 minutes to answer individual questions–and they will be available for additional questions via email or visits to their offices.
Sincerely,
Audrey