Scope

This policy applies to eligible employees in a paid position at the time of the application process and at the time of the payment. The Employee Referral Incentive Program is designed to assist a department’s recruiting effort for hard-to-fill and high-demand vacant positions. The recruiting results should advance the University’s employment goals and initiatives.

University of Illinois General Guidelines

1. The University has a list of approved positions for specific vacant positions and/or jobs that would be eligible for the employee referral.
   1. The employee referral incentive payment is $600 for eligible positions.
   2. Eligible employees may receive more than one incentive payment for different positions per fiscal year if the referrals are hired and meet the program requirements.
2. The referring employee sends a link via Cornerstone to the person they wish to refer. The referred applicant must be applying for a position on the U of I campus. These guidelines are not designed for use across multiple campuses.
3. The referred applicant must:
   1. submit an application, using the link from the referral.
   2. be hired in a position eligible for the referral incentive.
   3. not be a current or past University employee.
4. The employee referral incentive may not be split between multiple employees.
5. The employee referral incentive payment is a one-time payment issued to the referring employee within 45 days of the new hire’s first day of work (New Hire Date). The new hire must be in active status at the time of the referral payment.

Procedure

1. Approved payments to employees should be initiated by the hiring unit through a lump sum payment.
   1. Attach the email from Cornerstone with the employee acknowledgement.
   2. Reference the eligible position number and applicant tracking requisition number.
   3. Confirm that the required employee referral incentive requirements have been met.
   4. Include the HRFE transaction comment, IHR, please correct the earn code to ERP for $600 to pay the lump sum for an Employee Referral Incentive payment.

Sanctions

Violations of university policies will be handled in accordance with applicable university policies and procedures which may include disciplinary actions up to and including termination from the University.

Document Last Updated: September 6, 2023