PUBLIC PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION
EXAM REVIEW STUDY GUIDE RATED A.
Accountant and Senior Accountant
•Match on 7 of 9 Factors (Not surprising)
•Not matched on knowledge and supervision - Senior requires greater.
•Assumption is that these jobs are highly similar and should have a highly similar
pay, but the senior should be compensated at a higher rate due to the factors
Attributes of a Modern, Effective Classification System
•Internal Equity
•External Equity
•Transparency
•Flexibility
•Adaptability
•Simplicity
•Rank-in-position
•Rank-in-person
Broadbanding
•Advantages
•Can reward best staff members more easily
•Can vary annual pay increases rather than using "step" increase
•Can base staffing on organizational needs as well as individual needs
•Disadvantages
•Classification review process can be labor intensive, burdensome, and time
consuming
•Broadbanding can be more expensive than standard grade system
Compensation - Pay Administration
•If government lags behind private sector in terms of pay, what are the
consequences?
•Recruiting top talent
,•Rewarding top talent
•Retaining top talent
Compensation
•Classification Act of 1949
•18 Grade System for Federal Government
•Federal Pay Comparability Act of 1970
•Government pay should be comparable to private sector pay
•Created mechanisms to make pay adjustments
•Resulted in 30% pay gap between public and private sector
Federal Pay Reform Act of 1990
•Focused federal wage rates on comparable local wages in the private sector
•Basically factored in local "cost-of-living"
•Numerous federal agencies were requesting their own pay system
Salary Surveys
•Follows the annual job analysis classification survey or may be based on request
from hiring manager/director
•Use updated duties to review current pay grade and determine if changes are
warranted
•Conduct salary comparisons using public and private sector organizations with the
same/highly similar jobs
Setting the Pay Grade
•When the salary survey is concluded, can average the midpoints of the ranges
identified
•Using the existing salary schedule, find the grade with the midpoint closest to the
average - this would be the appropriate grade
•Based on revenues and other factors, some jurisdictions/agencies may wish to align
the grade above or below the market
Other Factors:
Salary Compression - When layers of jobs are built into the system, the assigned pay
grades may create limitations on salary/wages.
, •Example - Fire Series
•Firefighter - G17
•Fire Apparatus Operator - G18
•Fire Medic - G19
•Fire Lieutenant - G20
•Fire Captain - G24
Premium Pay
•General
•5, 10, or 15% increase on top of regular salary
•Lead Worker
•Professional Certification
•Managing Multiple Units
•Education
•Public Safety
•Hazardous Materials
•Methamphetamine Lab
•Rescue Unit
•Tactical/Specialty
•Linguistics
Employee Selection
•Goal is to bring talent into government work.
•Any decision made by an organization that affects the employment status of an
individual can be considered a "selection" decision.
•Decision Examples
•Application Screen - Qualified vs. Not Qualified
•Examination - Pass vs. Fail
•Selection - Hire vs. Not Hire
•Promotion - Promote vs. Not Promote
•Terminate - Fire vs. Retain
Employee Selection - Legal History
Myart v. Motorola (1963)
•Griggs v. Duke Power (1971)
EXAM REVIEW STUDY GUIDE RATED A.
Accountant and Senior Accountant
•Match on 7 of 9 Factors (Not surprising)
•Not matched on knowledge and supervision - Senior requires greater.
•Assumption is that these jobs are highly similar and should have a highly similar
pay, but the senior should be compensated at a higher rate due to the factors
Attributes of a Modern, Effective Classification System
•Internal Equity
•External Equity
•Transparency
•Flexibility
•Adaptability
•Simplicity
•Rank-in-position
•Rank-in-person
Broadbanding
•Advantages
•Can reward best staff members more easily
•Can vary annual pay increases rather than using "step" increase
•Can base staffing on organizational needs as well as individual needs
•Disadvantages
•Classification review process can be labor intensive, burdensome, and time
consuming
•Broadbanding can be more expensive than standard grade system
Compensation - Pay Administration
•If government lags behind private sector in terms of pay, what are the
consequences?
•Recruiting top talent
,•Rewarding top talent
•Retaining top talent
Compensation
•Classification Act of 1949
•18 Grade System for Federal Government
•Federal Pay Comparability Act of 1970
•Government pay should be comparable to private sector pay
•Created mechanisms to make pay adjustments
•Resulted in 30% pay gap between public and private sector
Federal Pay Reform Act of 1990
•Focused federal wage rates on comparable local wages in the private sector
•Basically factored in local "cost-of-living"
•Numerous federal agencies were requesting their own pay system
Salary Surveys
•Follows the annual job analysis classification survey or may be based on request
from hiring manager/director
•Use updated duties to review current pay grade and determine if changes are
warranted
•Conduct salary comparisons using public and private sector organizations with the
same/highly similar jobs
Setting the Pay Grade
•When the salary survey is concluded, can average the midpoints of the ranges
identified
•Using the existing salary schedule, find the grade with the midpoint closest to the
average - this would be the appropriate grade
•Based on revenues and other factors, some jurisdictions/agencies may wish to align
the grade above or below the market
Other Factors:
Salary Compression - When layers of jobs are built into the system, the assigned pay
grades may create limitations on salary/wages.
, •Example - Fire Series
•Firefighter - G17
•Fire Apparatus Operator - G18
•Fire Medic - G19
•Fire Lieutenant - G20
•Fire Captain - G24
Premium Pay
•General
•5, 10, or 15% increase on top of regular salary
•Lead Worker
•Professional Certification
•Managing Multiple Units
•Education
•Public Safety
•Hazardous Materials
•Methamphetamine Lab
•Rescue Unit
•Tactical/Specialty
•Linguistics
Employee Selection
•Goal is to bring talent into government work.
•Any decision made by an organization that affects the employment status of an
individual can be considered a "selection" decision.
•Decision Examples
•Application Screen - Qualified vs. Not Qualified
•Examination - Pass vs. Fail
•Selection - Hire vs. Not Hire
•Promotion - Promote vs. Not Promote
•Terminate - Fire vs. Retain
Employee Selection - Legal History
Myart v. Motorola (1963)
•Griggs v. Duke Power (1971)
