Day: April 29, 2021

Evergreen Solutions performed Denton County’s first Comprehensive Classification, Compensation, and Benefits Study in 15 years. The study included conducting employee orientation sessions, focus groups and interviews, as well as a job analysis for more than 1,550 Denton County employees. The study also included a comprehensive salary and benefits survey of local, regional, public, and private labor market peers, which helped Evergreen Solutions assess the County’s competitive position for wages and benefits. The data collected eventually contributed to the development of recommendations for the compensation structure and individual job classification slotting.

The content of all classification descriptions were updated, and FLSA designations and ADA compliance were reviewed. At the conclusion of the engagement, our consultants provided compensation administration guidelines and training on Evergreen Solutions’ JobForce software to provide Denton County with the tools necessary to maintain the new system.

Evergreen Solutions was engaged by the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico to conduct a Comprehensive Compensation and Classification Study for all City employees, including non-bargaining employees and those covered by collective bargaining agreements. Evergreen Solutions worked with the City for approximately ten months to complete the work with input from the more than 1,325 City employees.

The Evergreen Solutions Team will conduct orientations and focus groups with employees, as well as interviews with department directors and other executive managers. All employees will be asked to complete Evergreen Solutions’ Job Assessment Tool, and supervisors will complete the Management Issues Tool, as needed. The data gathered through this process resulted in JAT scores for each job title, placement of each job into an internal hierarchy, and potential recommendations for revision to the current classification structure. Evergreen Solutions also worked with City Human Resources staff to conduct a comprehensive salary survey of local and regional peers. The results were reviewed in conjunction with the internal hierarchy to help generate recommendations for a comprehensive compensation and classification structure.

Finally, Evergreen provided detailed recommendations for implementation of the new structure and related employee salary adjustments. In addition to the compensation and classification components of this study, Evergreen Solutions consultants assisted the City with implementation of a revised performance assessment system. This process included the creation and distribution of performance appraisal factor weighting forms, and trainings for supervisors and staff.

Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, and the fourth largest city in the state with a population of more than 72,000.

In addition to the City of Santa Fe project, Evergreen Solutions provided human resources consulting services to Albuquerque Public Schools and Gadsden Independent School District in New Mexico.

Evergreen Solutions completed a project in which they assisted the City of Kalamazoo, Michigan with a comprehensive Job Analysis Study of all KPSOA and KPSA positions within the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (DPS). To ensure the job analysis was accurate and relevant for future employment, transfer, and promotional testing and assessment processes, DPS personnel were involved in the job analysis research. During the course of this study, relevant personnel were requested to identify the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform each position through the completion of the Job Analysis Tool, and further information was gained through focus groups and interviews. At the completion of the study, the City of Kalamazoo was issued accurate and current job descriptions for all KPSOA and KPSA positions within the Department of Public Safety.

This was Evergreen Solutions’ first project in Michigan; however the firm has completed many similar public safety studies. The City of Kalamazoo is the largest city in southwest Michigan, with an estimated population of more than 323,000. It is the home of Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo College.

In August 2008, Evergreen Solutions concluded a project with the City of Newport News and the Newport News Sheriff’s Office to conduct a Job Comparability Study of selected positions. The main focus of the project was to review and evaluate Sheriff’s Department jobs utilizing job description reviews, questionnaires (where appropriate), and meetings with subject matter expert (SME) committees.

The project involved assessing the comparability of NNSO ranking positions against similar positions in the Newport News Police Department, Parks Department, and Adult Corrections Department. The structure of the Newport News Sheriff’s Office is designed in a typical paramilitary fashion, with a ranking hierarchy consisting of the following sworn classifications: Deputy I, Deputy II, Master Deputy/Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Lt. Colonel, and Colonel.

Evergreen Solutions methodology for conducting the review included six major components. These components were Policies and Statutes Review, Personal Interviews, Focus Groups, Job Assessment Tool (JAT) Collection, and Personal Observations, including time spent in the following capacities: Jail Administration, Courtroom Security and Transportation, Civil Process, Booking, and Records/Classification.

As an additional element of the analysis, Evergreen Solutions conducted a market salary survey of regional sheriff’s offices to assess the competitive position of NNSO against eight regional peers. Evergreen Solutions consultants conducted a statistical analysis of the mean salary ranges at the minimum, midpoint, and maximum levels of the salary ranges within NNSO.

In 2006, Evergreen Solutions worked with the City of Columbia, Missouri to conduct a general survey of employee satisfaction for approximately 1,200 City employees. The primary purpose of the survey was to provide the City with information regarding satisfaction with City operational methods. Additional purposes were to identify new benefits desired and to gather information that will assist in policy decisions.

Evergreen Solutions consultants conducted focus groups, developed and administered the survey, and performed a comprehensive analysis, including cross-tabular analysis by department. Final results of the survey were presented formally to the City Council and City employees. The City intends to repeat the satisfaction survey within the next year to track progress and tailor efforts to continually improve internal employee relations.

One of the themes employees identified in the survey was their desire for a more effective mechanism for evaluating and rewarding employees. This led to the City of Columbia retaining Evergreen Solutions again in 2007 to assist with a comprehensive review of its performance management system. Based on data collected through focus groups, employee surveys, interviews, and best practice research, Evergreen Solutions created a new performance management system that was consistent, objective, and constructive. The system combined performance factors from each level of the organization including the individual, department, and organizational levels. Our consultants also provided on-site training for the use of the performance appraisal program with supervisors and on-site meetings with non-supervisory employees to provide them with an overview of the performance appraisal program.

In mid-2008, the City of Columbia re-contracted with Evergreen Solutions to review implementation and application of the performance management system one year after initial implementation. Evergreen Solutions consultants met with employees again through focus groups and interviews to collect additional input on the first year of system implementation. Evergreen Solutions then presented additional recommendations for revision of the performance management system and provide training to employees on goal-setting. In the end, the City of Columbia now has a performance appraisal program that will improve employee and supervisor accountability and improve service delivery.

In December 2007, the Evergreen Solutions Team kicked-off a Compensation and Classification Study for Manatee County, Florida. The study included all employees that serve in capacities for the Board of County Commissioners. As part of the review, orientation sessions, focus groups, and interviews were conducted throughout the county with approximately 1,500 employees. All employees were asked to complete Evergreen Solution’s Job Assessment Tool (JAT). Consultants conducted job analysis based on employee feedback in order to assist with the creation of a classification plan. A salary survey of local and regional employers was conducted to assess Manatee County’s level of market competitiveness. Based on the classification and compensation findings, a new pay plan, as well as policies and procedures, were recommended to the County.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its operations and management, the City of Fountain, Colorado, a growing city near Colorado Springs, hired Evergreen Solutions to conduct a comprehensive management and performance review of its operations.

In Phase I, Evergreen Solutions consultants conducted a thorough diagnostic review of the city’s structure, management, and organizational issues. Chief among those was the tremendous growth the city has experienced since the late ‘90s, and which is projected to continue. This growth has led to a strain on limited resources within the city and a need to identify strategic priorities for the future.

In Phase II of the study, the Evergreen Solutions team conducted an in-depth analysis of the city’s overall organizational structure, financial operations, human resources management, public safety operations, public works, and utilities management. The overriding goal of the study was to assist the city in determining where resources needed to be directed to accomplish its goals, where resources were being utilized inefficiently, and the best approach to realign resources to sustain positive community development.

In 2008, the City of Fountain again engaged Evergreen Solutions to facilitate the development of the City’s comprehensive strategic plan. In the context of the plan development, the following major tasks will be completed over a six-month period:

• Conduct Internal, External, and Market Analysis
• Develop City Mission, Vision, and Strategic Priorities
• Develop City Administrative Goals and Objectives
• Develop Budget Linkage Plan

Evergreen Solutions was responsible for conducting a community-wide outreach program to solicit input, identifying the City’s major strengths and weaknesses as well as core values, and developing a comprehensive plan to address five-year goals and objectives to guide the City and its development.