This past Friday, TSEA learned from a DOHR communication that not all state employees will receive the upcoming January pay for performance raises.
The October notification specifically stated, “To be eligible for pay increases, a preferred or executive employee shall have completed twelve (12) consecutive full months of employment with the State of Tennessee beginning on or before October 1, 2014 and ending September 30, 2015 and have a rating of Valued, Advanced, or Outstanding.”
TSEA is concerned about the impact on overall pay for employees who will have completed – or will very soon complete – a full year of employment but began state employment after October 1, 2014. Some of these workers will have received at least one performance evaluation, but will not have completed twelve consecutive full months of employment by September 30, 2015.
Denying the opportunity for a salary adjustment to these employees is punitive for the duration of their state career. This also impacts the retirement benefit of career employees upon their retirement.
As it stands, this would mean some employees will never have a chance to receive the 2016 performance increase. For example, the first available opportunity for a performance raise for an employee who began employment with the State of Tennessee on October 2, 2014, will be January of 2017, and only if raises are funded and approved in the budget by the legislature.
In past years, the salary administration policies have included language which allowed all employees to receive the raise “regardless of their length of service”. Of course, these were considered across-the-board raises.
TSEA is communicating with the Department of Human Resource and asking DOHR to consider allowing these affected employees to receive the January 2016 pay for performance increase upon completion of one year of state employment and upon receiving a performance review with a rating of valued, advanced or outstanding.
We will keep you up to date on this developing concern.