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Finance and Support Services Division
Office of Human Resources

Staff Performance Award Program

UAC building on San Marcos Campus

The dedication and hard work of our employees is one of the many things that make Texas State University great. Your efforts not only directly impact our success as a university, but the lives of our students, and even our greater community at large.

To recognize and reward outstanding employees, Texas State has a Staff Performance Awards Program consisting of two different types of awards—Just-In-Time Awards and Staff Performance Awards.

Two Different Types of Awards

Just-In-Time Awards

The performance award program maintains the option of just-in-time awards (JITA). 

Supervisors and account managers have the authority to make awards at any time during the year for what they believe to be exceptional performance within their divisional guidelines. 

Typically, the staff member would receive the award as a one-time addition to their regularly scheduled pay or through the next scheduled supplemental payroll.

Performance Awards

Annual staff performance awards are subject to budget availability and are based on outstanding performance occurring during the fiscal year. Award recipients are determined at the divisional level.  The award is paid on the November paycheck or December off-cycle paycheck in the following fiscal year.

While there is no set or pre-determined schedule for the awarding or payout of performance awards, the example timeline below illustrates a typical scenario:

ActionDate
Employee provides outstanding performanceSeptember 1 - August 31
Staff Performance Awards are decided within each division (subject to budget availability)September 1 - October 12
Department submits "Special Pay" PCROctober 13 - October 22
Recipient receives awardNovember paycheck or December off-cycle paycheck

*Note – The Staff Performance Award Program is not a part of the Performance Management Process. Continuous meritorious service is rewarded during the annual salary review process when merit pay funds are available. For examples of outstanding performance included in the Staff Performance Award Program, please see the qualifying achievements section below.

Each division may establish its own timelines and selection process and may add additional selection criteria consistent with these guidelines.

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    • Part-time, regular, and non-regular staff employees.
    • Individuals no longer with the university who were nominated for performance during the award period.

  • Activity/Idea: 

    • Directly impacted achievement of strategic plan goals and/or objectives.
    • Improved a process or a system, achieved customer satisfaction or saved money, etc. 

    Employee:

    • Took on additional responsibilities temporarily with no corresponding increase in compensation.
    • Applied their Texas State training and job-related skills to a pro bono service to the greater community at large.
    • Received recognition from a professional organization for service.
    • Completed professional growth, certification, or licensure.

    The list above is not comprehensive. An employee may receive an award without achieving one of the above criteria provided the activity represented an effort that was significantly “above and beyond” the normal job expectations. Furthermore, the activity must have constituted a specific project, action, or unique effort.

    • The maximum award(s)* an individual may receive for the year is $2,000, set annually by the President.   
    • Amounts above $2,000 may be awarded in exceptional circumstances and must be recommended by the appropriate divisional Vice President and approved by the President.

    *Nominated awards (e.g., Employee of the Month) do not count against the $2,000 limit for employees. Learn more about nomination awards.

  • Initiating an award for an employee is simple! The Department PCR initiator needs to:

    1. Create a "Special Pay" PCR using the reason code "Award".
    2. Provide details in the "Payment Justification" section to justify the award type (i.e., FY 22 Performance or JITA)
    3. Select "One Time" from the drop-down menu in the "Recurring Payment" section.

    For more information on the PCR process, please visit our PCR Deadlines & Resources webpage.

Questions?

Please contact Human Resources at hr@txstate.edu or 5.2557.