Bonuses

Eligibility for the granting of bonuses

  • All EPFL staff, excluding professors, trainees, apprentices, temporary staff, employees with less than 12 months seniority or employees leaving EPFL in September of the current year.
  • EPFL executives, administrative and technical staff, doctoral students, post-doctoral students and scientific collaborators are eligible for bonuses.
  • It is recommended that the different categories of eligible persons be represented within the entity in order to ensure internal equity.

Criteria for awarding bonuses

  • The bonus is intended to recognize exceptional performance, based on a justification.
  • The bonus is also intended to recognize unique and exceptional work performance that goes well beyond the normal expectations of the job description.
  • A group bonus may also be granted for an exceptional contribution by a team (e.g. project). In this case, the global amount will have to be divided by the number of employees while respecting the minimum amounts indicated below and an individual request will have to be initiated.
  • Bonuses can be granted for a maximum of 2 consecutive years.
  • The bonus cycle covers the period from the beginning of October of the previous year to the end of September of the current year.

Recommendation of bonus amounts

Amounts vary between CHF 1’000 and CHF 5’000. It is recommended to reduce the amounts by half in case of an activity rate lower or equal to 50%.

Amounts :

  • PhDs : CHF 1’000 – 1’500
  • Post-docs : CHF 2’000 – 2’500
  • Admin/ Technical / IT staff : CHF 2’000 – 2’500
  • Executives: grades > 10 : CHF 2’000 – 5’000

Extraordinary salary increase

In some situations, an ESA may be more relevant than a bonus award, especially when the performance is exceptional over a long period of time.

Granting Procedure

The new bonus module will be accessible to all line managers, as well as HR and HR managers via Sesame, through the “Grant bonuses” tile from July 1, 2025.

Through this tile, they will be able to suggest bonuses for members of their teams.

Support Tool

User guide for Unit Managers – pdf

FAQ – Bonuses – link

Informing beneficiaries

  • Once the bonus request has been approved by management, the beneficiary’s manager will receive an email confirming the beneficiary’s name and the amount of the bonus.
  • Upon receipt, the manager will inform the beneficiary, emphasizing the appreciation for their work.
  • The beneficiary will receive confirmation of the award and the amount of the bonus the day before the October salary is paid.