The Employee Referral Program (ERP) provides discretionary cash awards to support organizational needs in the recruitment of top talent for difficult-to-fill and other designated positions within the University.
The plan year will correspond to the University’s fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending following June 30.
FAQ’s Employee Referral Program
Employee Referral Program Policy
Employee Eligibility for Cash Awards
Full or part-time policy-covered career Professional and Support Staff (PSS) employees and Managers and Senior Professionals (MSP) Career Tracks Manager 3 and below and equivalent positions are eligible for ERP cash awards if, at the time of the award, they:
- Are an employee at UC Merced.
- Are on active pay status or on an approved unpaid leave;
Eligibility for represented employees will be determined by collective bargaining as appropriate.
The following employees are NOT eligible for an ERP cash award:
- An employee in the Senior Management Group (SMG);
- An employee in the MSP above Career Tracks Manager 3 and equivalent positions;
- An employee who reports directly to the Regents (including in the Office of the General Counsel, Compliance/Audit, Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents, and the Office of the Chief Investment Officer);
- A Human Resources employee or designated departmental personnel representative; or
- An employee who holds a supervisory position and who has hiring authority within the reporting chain of the ERP award-eligible job opening.
Note: Employees are eligible to receive ERP cash awards for the referral of relatives, including near relatives, provided that the other eligibility criteria are met.
ERP cash awards may not be provided for referral of current University of California employees, former University of California (UC) employees with a break in service within 12 months of the plan year, students, temporary/casual employees, and employees working at UC Merced through an agency.
In addition, an ERP cash award will not be paid out for a recruitment that is utilizing a search firm.
An employee’s receipt of an award under the ERP plan does not establish any right or guarantee that the employee will be eligible for or entitled to an award in any subsequent plan year.
Applicant must indicate name of referring employee at time of application to be eligible for award.
Positions eligible for Referral
All vacant career or contract (minimum 2 year term) benefits-eligible position at UC MERCED, using an open recruitment.
Per Diem/Limited/Casual Restricted openings do not qualify. Exceptions to these requirements will be made only when job posting specifically states otherwise.
Award Level
$1000 Designated for all career and contract (2yr +) vacant posted positions.
Funding
ERP cash awards are funded centrally.
Timing of ERP Cash Award Payments
ERP cash awards will be paid as soon as practicable in the month after the month when the referred employee completes three (3) months of employment.
To be eligible to receive an ERP Cash Award, the person who made the referral and the referred and hired employee must both still be employed by UC Merced, in good standing and in pay status at the time payment is to be made.
ERP awards must be paid through the payroll system, are considered taxable income and are subject to withholding. For compensation purposes, cash awards are non-base building.
Limits on the Amount of ERP Cash Awards
The following limitations apply to ERP cash awards.
- Employees are eligible to receive no more than three (3) ERP awards in a plan year. Plan year is a fiscal year.
- ERP cash awards are strictly discretionary and may not be promised or guaranteed in advance.
Program Duration
The Program is effective March 1, 2022 and will continue through June 30, 2024. A plan year is the same as a fiscal year. However, the University may modify or discontinue this program at any time. Should this program be discontinued, any in-process referrals (at any step in the process) will be handled on an individual basis.
Referral Process
An applicant for a referral eligible position must indicate on the application that they have been referred by a current employee. Employees making referrals should advise each referred candidate to select “Referral from Employee” in the “Please tell us how you first heard about this position” section of their job application. There will be a field for the candidate to enter the referring employee’s name. The name of the referring employee MUST be present on the original application submitted.
