In the State
of Minnesota governmental jurisdictions are required to meet the Pay Equity
law. Pay equity was established to
provide equity in compensation between male and female workers. In essence this means that like work is to be
paid similarly. That may sound simple on
the surface but how do you compare one job to another? To accomplish this each job is reviewed considering
a number of factors.
These factors
include:
Education and experience to do the job
The nature of decision making required
The nature of problem solving
The nature of relationships needed
Mental and physical efforts
Elements of the work environment
These factors
are then rated using a point system and points from each category are added
up. These amounts are then posted to a
wage scale to determine appropriate compensation for each position.
The city
council decided that a Classification and Compensation study should be
accomplished. This study will be done by
David Drown and Associates. With the
assistance of NJPA the cost for this study is minimal. Each position will be reviewed to classify
it. The classification process has been
started and before we’re done a market analysis will be conducted to determine
competitive compensations for each position within the region. When this is completed the consultant will
make a recommendation to the city council.
The recommendation will include where wage rates should be based on the
classifications made and market analysis conducted. The recommendation will then be considered by
the city council. The goal of the city
council is to pay employees fairly and be competitive to attract quality
employees. It is hoped the process will be completed near
the end of October.
