What it Means for the Public Sector Employer - By Kari Mercer, Senior Consultant Generally speaking, the workforce today is comprised of three generational groups:  Baby Boomers (born roughly in the years between the mid-1940s and the mid-1960s), Generation X (born roughly in the years from the mid-1960s to the […] Read More

Confusion exists with confidential designation - By Katie Kaneko, President During the course of our classification work we often find that within agencies the term "confidential employee" gets misconstrued to suggest that anyone who is exposed to confidential or sensitive, private information should be designated as confidential. […] Read More

Weighing Organizational Culture Versus Best Practices - By Kari Mercer, Senior Consultant Best practices.  The term was first recorded circa 1980 and refers to a procedure or set of procedures that is preferred or standard in an organization or industry.  It is a term we hear a lot these […] Read More

A Well-Planned RFP Process = Calm Waters - By Georg Krammer, CEO, and Ruth Zablotsky, Administrative Analyst The floodgates have opened.  And we are not talking about water running over California dams during this year's epic rainfall!  Over the last couple of years, we have seen a steady increase in the […] Read More

Diverse Workforce = Innovation, Creativity and Reduced Turnover - By Barbara Davis, Recruitment Manager According to Glassdoor.com, 67% of active and passive job seekers say that they look at a company's workforce diversity when considering both potential employers and job offers. Revising your talent brand to better reflect diversity […] Read More

Is it creeping into your agency? - By Kari Mercer, Consultant You may be asking yourself, "What is classification creep?" It is a term that refers to the upward movement of positions within an organization's classification system without the commensurate shift in duties and responsibilities.  In other words, a position or group of positions is elevated to a higher […] Read More

Organizational Studies Present Unique Opportunity - By: Kevin Hardy, Senior Consultant Watershed Moment Maybe it was obvious -- an event or a series of events that you now understand altered your organization’s status quo. Perhaps it was inconspicuous -- the emergence of alliances or rhetoric challenging the organization’s […] Read More

Build a Talent Pool through Succession Planning - By: Barbara Davis, Senior Recruitment Consultant As you look around your organization, you see that everything is going really smoothly. And then, it hits you.  What if my CFO (or any key person) left?  What if it happened tomorrow?  After a […] Read More

Missing the Mismatch - By: Barbara Davis, Senior Recruitment Consultant You did an exhaustive search. All of the resumes were screened. You had many candidates that were qualified and spent two days interviewing. After a protracted debriefing session, the panel recommended three candidates to move […] Read More

Plan Ahead for a Classification and/or Compensation Study - All sectors of the economy experienced difficult times during the economic downturn that occurred in 2008-2010. Public agencies had to undertake cost cutting measures, such as hiring freezes, layoffs and furloughs, to be able to continue functioning and providing services […] Read More

Onboarding: A Wise Investment - By: Barbara Davis, Senior Recruitment Consultant Onboarding?  New employee orientation?  Same difference, right? Well, no. After an exhaustive search, you have finally identified the perfect candidate.  She will be starting in a couple of weeks. You sent her all of your benefits information […] Read More

Right Classification System for Your Organization will make it Bloom - Last month we highlighted the differences between broad and narrow classification plans, and how to identify the right balance for your organization. An organization interested in providing career development and growth opportunities for an existing staff is best served by implementing a […] Read More

Crafting the Right Classification Plan for your Organization - A good classification plan is one that evolves over time as job descriptions are continuously refined.  A classification plan is the organization of an entity’s individual positions into groupings based on common relations or inherent similarities.  This plan provides an […] Read More

What is the Impact on Your Recruitment and Pay Strategy? - Last month, we talked about equity adjustments and the benefits to an organization of addressing total compensation inequities. In examining total rewards, historically, the public sector has done a good job of using discretionary dollars to (1) enhance an employee’s […] Read More

Get on Board: Equity adjustments help address salary inequities - Compensation strategies are designed to attract and retain excellent staff. Today's public sector environment is one where there are competing demands for talent and an onslaught of retiring employees. At the same time, there is an expectation that agencies are […] Read More