Staff weighs in with Mercer on compensation Focus groups discuss pay system at AU By VIRGINIA MYERS KELLY After more than a week's worth of focus group meetings and a flurry of questionnaires, a study to evaluate AU's compensation system has taken a solid sounding of what staff members think about their pay. Among their concerns: marketplace equity; the value of tuition remission; consideration of seniority in the pay structure; the possibility of a sick leave bank to assist colleagues in times of need; carrying over vacation time from one year to the next; tuition remission tax restrictions; maternity and paternity leave structure; and staff turnover inherent in a population that works for tuition remission and moves on when the degrees are earned. These issues were only some of those discussed behind closed doors earlier this month. In a series of 10 focus groups, with 15 staffers invited to each, staff members from every level of employment at the university, up to the deans, discussed in randomly selected groups what issues most concern them about pay and benefits. In addition to the focus groups, questionnaires were distributed last week to all full-time staff members that will give employees additional input to the process. An e-mail address, <mercer@american.edu>, and a dedicated phone line, 885-3201, have also been set up to capture feedback, questions, and comments. Conducting the focus groups were consultants from William M. Mercer, who made lists of comments for reference during the restructuring of the pay system. All comments were kept confidential; information for this article was obtained independently, through outside interviews with focus group participants whose names will not be revealed. Focus group data is currently being analyzed and will be combined with feedback from the questionnaires to help influence the design of a new pay system for AU. One of the concerns voiced at the focus groups was that similar studies have been conducted in the past, with no final outcome. By thoroughly incorporating staff input during the compensation study process, administrators hope to get better results from the consultants and finalize a new system in time for September's equity and merit pay increases.