Douglas County, GA: Classification and Compensation Study and Analysis

Evergreen Solutions was engaged with Douglas County to conduct a Classification and Compensation Study and Analysis. Evergreen evaluated the County’s present salary structure as compared to the relevant job market for comparable positions in both the private and public sectors. Evergreen performed the following tasks: reviewed all current job descriptions and analyzed same for knowledge, skills, abilities, education and experience relevance and internal consistency, job definitions & summaries, distinguishing characteristics, supervision received and exercised, conformity with the ADA relative to essential job functions (including physical demands); special requirements including licensing and certifications; reviewed the County’s current Position Classification and Wage Administration Plans and provided recommendations for enhancement and specific guidelines for requests pertaining to the following: creating new positions, salary adjustments and reclassifications, retroactive pay, compensation for additional duties (temporary and permanent assignments) and internal equity adjustments; analyzed all existing job family classifications, pay grades and salary ranges and recommended modifications as necessary; analyzed all existing FLSA classifications and recommended modifications as necessary; established appropriate benchmarking standards and conducted salary surveys as needed for similar positions with comparable Georgia counties as required; identified potential pay compression issues and provided alternative solutions; and developed applicable classification/reclassification questionnaire.

Southwest Florida Water Management District: FLSA Audits and Salary Survey

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the Southwest Florida Water Management District to conduct a salary survey and provide FLSA determinations for 52 positions. Following project kickoff, Evergreen worked with SWFWMD to identify appropriate benchmarks and targets for the salary survey; conducted an external analysis of market peer compensation; and finally, provided details on positions to be adjusted based on market data where necessary. In addition, Evergreen reviewed the FLSA status of each position and determined appropriate exemption status given each position’s duties and salary level, as well as the Department of Labor’s rule changes for FLSA determinations as of December 2016.

City of Daytona Beach, FL: Employee Satisfaction/Engagement Survey

Evergreen Solutions was engaged with the City of Daytona Beach to conduct an Employee Satisfaction/Engagement Survey for its workforce. Evergreen used electronic, web-based surveys, to give employees an opportunity to express their views about city management, general direction, operations, and working conditions. This method provided Evergreen and the City with immediate feedback on survey responses. Evergreen conducted focus groups by grouping employees based on job type in order to identify job-specific areas of concern that should be explored with the entire employee population. While an electronic diagnostic survey identified many of the major issues to be reviewed in a more in-depth employee survey, the use of focus groups uncovered areas not previously considered important regarding employee satisfaction and working conditions.

Upon completion of the survey, Evergreen documented all survey findings, analyses, and conclusions. Most importantly, Evergreen provided the City with an appropriate context for assessing the results of the workforce survey. Finally, sufficient information was presented in our report so that any reader of our report could clearly follow our analysis.

CareerSource Pinellas, FL: Salary Survey

Evergreen Solutions was engaged with CareerSource Pinellas to conduct a Salary Survey. Evergreen analyzed local and national market data taken from peer organizations to determine the appropriate compensation levels for benchmark positions.

Fort Bend County, TX: Employee Compensation Consulting Services

Evergreen was retained by Ft. Bend County to provide employee compensation consulting services. Evergreen conducted the following tasks: reviewed current compensation plan including policy groups and salary structures; conducted Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) exempt/non-exempt status review of all positions; analyzed internal equity and possible compression issues; completed salary survey of City and County governments in the State of Texas as designated by the County; designed and executed a salary survey, analyzed results and made recommendations; and evaluated and determined each employee’s proper step placement on the newly approved salary grade structure.

City of Plant City, FL: Comprehensive Pay Plan Study

Evergreen Solutions was hired by the City of Plant City to conduct a Comprehensive Pay Plan Study. Evergreen assisted the City in identifying and implementing any adjustments to its classification and pay plan necessary to meet the needs of the organization to attract, retain, and motivate employees. The recommended system was fair and equitable and allowed the City to pursue a competitive posture when compared to the relevant labor market, and provided the needed guidelines and controls that allowed for the effective and efficient implementation and subsequent administration and maintenance of the proposed plan by City staff. Evergreen considered professional compensation strategies, personnel practices and research, as well as applicable laws, statutes, regulations, and current issues (e.g., The Equal Pay Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, comparable worth issues, the Americans with Disabilities Act, etc.) in developing recommendations.

Evergreen also evaluated the City’s existing plan and, where appropriate, recommended new salary structures, salary schedules, and/or job specifications. Evergreen also provided job-specific performance appraisal and merit increase recommendations that encouraged performance excellence and progression through the pay range. Supervisory and management employees were trained to properly administer and maintain the plan, as well as the performance-based pay system, and related administrative processes.

City of Gonzales, TX: Classification and Compensation Study

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the City of Gonzales to conduct classification and compensation study for approximately 114 employees. Employees participated in focus groups, interviews, and job analysis to determine the best classifications for the work performed. Classifications were reviewed, as needed, and FLSA determinations were made. Evergreen consultants conducted a market salary survey to identify pay ranges in the public and private sector in order to determine the appropriate pay levels for all included jobs in the City.

Recommendations were provided to improve the fairness and equity within the City and a plan was provided to address maintenance of implemented changes to the City’s classification and compensation system.

City of St. Petersburg, FL: Job Classification Analysis

Evergreen Solutions was retained by the City of St. Petersburg to conduct a Job Classification Analysis in order to update and produce approximately 648 legally-compliant job descriptions that included 6 – 8 core competencies each. Evergreen’s consultants: analyzed all city job descriptions, both full-time and part-time positions, and determined the core competencies for each classification; and revised classifications and competencies that formed the foundation of the City’s recruitment, learning management, performance management, and succession planning programs.

Evergreen met with HR staff and department heads to discuss roles, competency model options, and project processes and to adjust the competency survey that was used in conjunction with the Job Assessment Tool (JAT) that was administered to a representative sample of the City’s 3,150 full- and part-time staff. Evergreen reviewed the work performed by each classification and scored and reviewed any supervisory comments for any anomalies or discrepancies discovered. Evergreen created task inventory and job families based on JAT responses and organizational charts and identified the degree of overlap in tasks between jobs in similar job families. From this, Evergreen identified root factors in each task grouping and linked to any underlying behavioral factors.

Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, NC: Classification and Compensation Study

The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority (CFPUA) was again hired Evergreen Solutions to conduct a classification and compensation study to determine CFPUA’s relative market position with respect to compensation. The study included a classification analysis using Evergreen’s Job Assessment Tool job valuation methodology in addition to a statistical assessment of current conditions.

The study included recommendations to resolve any inequities in the classification and compensation system and, if necessary, updated the existing system that will: easily accommodate organization change and growth; be based upon sound compensation principles in which both internal and external equity were considered within the pay structure as well as the concepts of equal pay for equal work, equal pay for similar work, and equal pay for comparable work; and provided for new positions to be incorporated into the compensation plan as well as appropriate adjustments to maintain the compensation plan’s effectiveness. Evergreen also provided a procedural manual and training for Human Resources employees to maintain the recommended classification and compensation plan.

Manatee County, FL: Compensation Analysis

Evergreen Solutions was hired by Manatee County to assist with a county-wide update to the County’s Compensation and Classification Plan for its entire workforce. The goal of this project was to assist the County with continuing to attain their goal of maintaining a sound process to provide a classification and pay structure that was fair, equitable, and systematic with a compensation plan comparable with other governmental jurisdictions and the private sector. To accomplish this, Evergreen examined the County’s JATs and grades using the original classification and compensation plan. Using the plan, Evergreen’s consultants: created a new employee database; reviewed any job descriptions that were changed since the 2009 study; discussed alternative scoring methodologies; validated the proposed methodology; scored all classifications based on the previous JAT information; slotted the newly scored classifications into the current pay plan; and provided the new scores to HR staff for review and feedback.

Evergreen’s consultants also surveyed the market, identified whether the County’s midpoints were competitive at the 50th percentile, and then recommended any re-grades that needed to be done to slot individual positions based on market for that position, irrespective of the compensable factors. In the end, Evergreen facilitated a meeting with all Department Directors to review the final calibrated positions and made any necessary adjustments.