FAQ: Merit Adjustment 2025

When will merit increases be reflected on paychecks?

Merit increases go into effect on Nov. 16. They'll be visible to team members in Workday on Nov. 17 and will be reflected in the Dec. 5 paycheck – the first paycheck after the increases take effect. This is consistent with our past practice at Cook Children’s, e.g., FY2024 merit adjustments were effective Nov. 17, 2024.

Why do the performance discussion and the merit discussion happen separately?

The annual performance discussion should be about job performance and should be an honest and accurate assessment of how an employee performed for the fiscal year, along with conversations about career growth and development. The merit increase will be reflective of the employee’s overall performance but should not be the focal point of the discussion.

Does Cook Children’s give Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)?

Cook Children’s does not give an annual COLA. Rather, Cook Children’s pay philosophy focuses on key elements that attract, engage and retain top talent. We want our pay practices to be fair, and we will achieve this through transparency, competitive pay and performance-based incentives (merit). We base salaries on the cost of labor (the market value of jobs) to ensure that pay is competitive with what other employers are paying for similar roles. We will continually review pay to understand changing market conditions that may warrant action.

If I have a specific question, how can I contact Compensation?

Use the ticketing system in Workday. Workday tickets are the best way to reach us since they get logged and updated.