Speak up Be heard: Human Resources

Currently, as an ASU salaried employee, I can not make enough money to afford to live as a Skilled Professional l barely clear 2K a month post taxes and deductions on a 50K Salary. This is insufficient to afford the current economy's rent, transportation, food, and clothing costs. I hear senior leadership boast about the benefits we get are amazing but they are the bare minimum expected of any organization we need money in hand not on an unused benefit. Government positions traditionally paid about 10k under market rates as ASU employees we are now falling to nearly 20k under standard market rates for my position. With the Proposed tariffs under the new administration costs are expected to rise even more which will drive ASU employees to be unable to afford the cost of living and use government programs that are expected to be cut. What is ASU going to do to make sure its employees can actually afford to live and work?

I have been trying to communicate with ASU International Employee Management regarding questions or concerns about my employment but the responses I have received are very rude and do not answer my questions. As an international employee and someone trying to reach out to them to ask questions I would hope to receive more professional communication.

In previous years, the December designated holidays have been 12/24 and 12/25. Some staff have raised concerns about the change to 12/26 as a holiday this year and for 2025 instead of 12/24. While they understand that a change to the 2024 holiday schedule is not possible, they are requesting that administration consider designating 12/24 and 12/25 as holidays in 2025 going forward. We appreciate you taking this to the appropriate administrative office for further review and consideration.

I have worked extremely hard at ASU for the past 7 years in 3 different departments, and in every department I’ve been employed in as university staff, the units are constantly facing understaffing the resulting additional work load beyond Job Descriptions and Duty Statements.

ASU is constantly pushing forward that we are a high ranking place to work in publications like Newsweek and Forbes, placing it on our staff main page and continually using it as a shield when very real, negative workplace issues that employees are facing due to ASU Human Resources policies and Benefits.

Are you listening when we express concern to the outlets that you have given us to have a voice? Income disparity exists between those who are classified as managers and directors, versus the people that are doing the work that those same people oversee. 

To add to this, the concept of increasing minimum levels of PTO vacation accruals, in lieu of livable wages, by design will create more workload for those attempting to use it. Additionally, departments and units will put large bars and blackout dates for employees where they are unable to use their PTO due to understaffing in units. ASU HR is aware that it is a cheaper option for the university business to offer increased PTO instead of wage increases. This is a disingenuous offering that has been implemented in corporate institutions such as Change.org, where employees are given “unlimited” PTO by theory inside of a policy, yet the policy is left purposely ambiguous when it comes to implementing it. In multiple positions, I have seen the result, as individual managers across the board are left with the only option to keep their units functioning with their lower staffing levels. They implement constraints on who can take vacation time due to workload, which includes the arbitrary in-person coverage in non-front facing offices.

I know that the University places itself first in this matter, always making decisions for our pay and our benefits which serve the business’s interests firsts, and then try to sell an idea of larger amounts of PTO as a way to respond to higher living expenses in one of the countries highest rising rates of rent, housing, transportation, and expenses across the board since the pandemic started in 2020. Given all of this feedback, how will the administration respond? We are not looking for boiler plate responses, which attempt to downplay or dismiss our urgent concerns as either a personal problem or a singular departmental problem. 

It is inhumane to effectively gaslight your employees that their struggles are not real and valid, while they are responding in clear language about issues they are experiencing. Your staff are literally begging for better working conditions and monetary compensation. What can we expect from the Administration, and when can we expect a response these issues that address our humanity as those who make education and innovation possible?

While ASU offers some staff discounts for the bookstore, we would like to see more discounts are available for ASU staff gym membership, ASU dining, ASU events, and ASU parking. While ASU's compensation is relatively low, it would be nice that ASU offers more discounts to its employees than just tuition benefits and bookstore discounts.

SPP 704–05: Bereavement Leave Benefits states, "Bereavement leave may be used if an employee must be absent because of the death of a parent, parent-in-law, brother, sister, spouse, child, grandparent, grandchild, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and any person who was a member of the employee’s established household, as well as a relative of a member of the employee’s established household. For the death of a relative not covered under this policy, refer to SPP 701–01, “Sick Leave Benefits.” I don't understand why aunts and uncles are not included in this policy, and I'd like it to be looked into, please. While I know that employees can use sick time for the death of an aunt or an uncle, it just doesn't make any justifiable sense to me as to why they were left off this policy. It especially makes no sense that in-laws (brother-in-law, sister-in-law, etc.) are written into the bereavement policy over those who could be blood relatives (aunts and uncles) who many people are oftentimes very close to. If you could please look into this and provide an explanation or get the policy changed, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

Dear Staff Council,

I am writing to address a significant issue regarding our staff holiday schedule: the absence of December 24th as a paid holiday and recognition as a Religious Holiday/Observance. The current Holiday Break is scheduled for December 25th and 26th. Many Christian worship services for Christmas fall on December 24th (Christmas Eve), and those who are also employed by Christian churches are expected to be there the whole day and not just for afternoon/evenings services. However, this day is not even listed on the Religious Holiday/Observances calendar, which prevents employees from requesting leave for religious observance in lieu of having a paid holiday. Moreover, staff who are working that day are expected to be on campus, despite the fact that historically students are rarely ever on campus and using campus services on December 24th. This policy feels particularly misguided, as it requires staff to be in office without any meaningful purpose. 

The oversight of excluding December 24th as a Religious Holiday, as well as excluding it from the paid holidays for ASU employees, not only disregards the importance of Christmas Eve for many of us but also creates challenges for employees who wish to spend time with their families and honor their traditions. It is crucial we advocate for the recognition of December 24th as a paid holiday, rather than substituting it with December 26th as it currently stands for 2024 and 2025.

I ask that Staff Council take action to advocate for December 24th to be honored as a paid holiday and to include this on the Religious Holidays and Observances calendar as well. This adjustment would demonstrate a commitment to supporting ASU employee's needs and greatly enhance employee satisfaction and work-life balance. Thank you for your attention to this important request.

As an international employee, I am very frustrated with the international employee management team. There are always tax errors in my paycheck including forgetting to apply for tax exemption, applying for tax exemption by error, or overcorrecting and deducting more tax than it should be. I have to double-check my every paycheck to make sure there is no mistake which is exhausting. In addition, whenever I notice a mistake and try to communicate with their team, they always have a hard time realizing what's the issue and I have to explain the policies and errors to them. ASU has many international employees and should have a more professional and well-trained team to provide the support we need.

ASU proudly showcases its high student enrollment, yet this success doesn’t benefit employees, who continue to live paycheck to paycheck. Supervisors and directors seem to care only about numbers, not about the people behind them. According to a report from ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy, rent in Arizona has soared nearly 72% from 2010 to 2022, forcing minimum wage workers to work 86 hours per week—essentially more than two full-time jobs—to afford a two-bedroom home. How can we manage to sleep, let alone live balanced lives, under these conditions? And what about single parents struggling on one income? ASU, are you listening? You tout innovation and student numbers, but what about your employees? You know the situation, yet your actions are slow, and your solutions are outdated before they’re even implemented. It's unfair that lower-level staff receive only a 1% raise while higher-ups get more, despite the fact that we do much of the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, the council does nothing to address these issues, simply sitting pretty in their positions. Appreciation Day and the annual food event at the stadium are not genuine ways to show appreciation. True appreciation is reflected in our paychecks, not in publicized events that glorify leadership. We did the hard work, not the leadership. ASU’s policies are increasingly unjust, especially regarding vacation time, where long-serving employees are essentially punished as newer employees receive the same benefits. And what’s with all these new buildings? Many of them remain empty, despite claims they benefit students. ASU continues to build and showcase its success, but behind the scenes, employees are overworked and underpaid. Meanwhile, executives and leaders live lavishly off our labor, and those in power remain silent about President Crow’s role in this. It’s time for ASU to genuinely appreciate its employees and take meaningful action to support us.

The FLSA threshold salary threshold for exemption from overtime pay or compensatory time will be raised from $684 per week ($35,568 per year; $1,368 per pay period) to $844 per week ($43,888 per year; $1,688 per pay period). My current salary is will be below the threshold and my department wants to switch me from salary to hourly employee. "As a currently exempt employee, you have been ineligible to receive overtime pay or compensatory time for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. However, due to the recent change in the FLSA salary threshold and the fact that your pay is below this new threshold, your position will now be classified as nonexempt." What are the pros and cons here?