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1. What is the targeted completion date for the Classification and Compensation Study?

The targeted completion date is the end of the 2023 calendar year.

2. Which government jurisdictions were selected to be included in the study and why?

PRM identified an appropriate and representative mix of jurisdictions and job markets, which consisted of municipalities and counties within the District of Columbia and Baltimore metropolitan areas. Additionally, PRM included certain proprietary and published survey sources for government, not-for-profit and general industry (private) market sectors below:

• Five (5) city jurisdictions: Alexandria, Bowie, Frederick, Gaithersburg, and Rockville
• Three (3) county jurisdictions: Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George’s
• Additional comparators were added for specific occupations: City Harbor (Baltimore City, District of Columbia); Police and Fire (Baltimore County)
• Supplemental Survey Sources: Local Government Personnel Association (LGPA) Annual Survey; and District of Columbia - Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) Compensation and Benefits Survey for Washington-Baltimore Region
• Publisher Sources: Maryland Department of Labor, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Wage Statistics, and Willis Towers Watson, Middle Management, Professional, and Administrative Compensation Survey.
• Proprietary Sources: PRM Consulting Group, Management Compensation Report of Not-for-Profit Organizations.

3. Will the study address pay compression issues?

The longer version of the question: Will the study address pay compression issues, for example, between levels of employees within a work group, across different workgroups, or employee salaries that are at the maximum rate of pay for the position’s assigned salary range?

The study will examine, document, and analyze all pay compression issues and develop recommendations, as appropriate.

4. Is the study examining compensation and classification for current employees or new hires?

The study will examine compensation and classification for all current full-time employees and new hires. It will consider the best practices being utilized among the peer jurisdictions identified in their classification and compensation programs and make related recommendations.

5. Will the study analyze any potential income disparities or inequities that might be based on gender or race?

An analysis of income disparities or inequities based on gender or race is included in the scope of the study.

6. Will the study’s analysis of compensation include employee benefits?

An analysis of employee benefits is outside the scope of this particular study. For the purposes of this study, compensation is defined as base salaries plus variable cash provided through reward and recognition programs.

7. Is the study intended to help employees with their pay or is it intended to reduce employees’ pay?

The study is intended to help ensure employees have up-to-date Job Descriptions that accurately describe the work being performed, and that employees are being paid fairly and competitively with surrounding jurisdictions and the overall job market. No one will have their pay reduced as the result of this study.

8. Will the study possibly result in new classifications, or will it be restricted to just potential reclassifications?

The study may result in recommendations to establish new job classifications that enhance recruitment activities and improve career ladders, as well as to consolidate existing classifications, and/or reclassify existing job titles.

9. Is an individual’s workload considered in determining what the job is worth?

The purpose of position evaluation and market pricing is to determine what should be the appropriate salary range for a given position or job. An employee’s workload is not considered in determining what the job is worth. This is a different type of review, often referred to as a staffing analysis, to consider employee workload, how to best allocate employee resources, and/or the number of employees needed to meet specific goals and service levels.

10. Will PRM Consulting staff meet with City employees individually, or as a group, to gather job information for updating the job descriptions?

PRM Consulting staff will follow the most effective and efficient data-gathering and job analysis methods needed for updating the large number of Job Descriptions. We will conduct Focus Groups with small groups of employees for job titles/families where there are multiple job incumbents who perform similar work. In other cases, employees will be contacted on an individual basis to gather job information for this purpose.

11. In revising the job descriptions, will the study consider the fact that some employees may not have good writing skills, while others may be prone to self-promotion and exaggeration?

PRM has done extensive work in this area. The PRM team of Classifiers will closely facilitate this work to assist with all the updates. The City of Annapolis’ Office of Human Resources along with employees’ supervisors, will have an opportunity to review the updates to interpret responses that either under or overrepresent the importance of any duties or responsibilities.

12. Will employees be able to see the results of the study?

Typically, at the conclusion of a study such as this one, there are various employee communications that are drafted and distributed to summarize the findings and/or the plans going forward. Implementing the study recommendations can be a complex and time-consuming process. Obviously, the city leaders must carefully consider the relative costs and benefits, affordability, and sustainability of any study recommendations in a fiscally responsible manner. 

As part of the budget development and approval process, which requires involvement and collaboration by City senior leadership, the mayor, and the City Council, changes and enhancements are carefully planned, sometime for the next fiscal year which begins July 1 and runs through June 30 of each year, and sometimes this is needed across multiple fiscal years. Union negotiations occur throughout these timeframes for consideration and incorporation into Bargaining Agreements. 

Employees can expect that communications related to this study will continue, just as they have with the Town Hall meetings. Additionally, much of the work will be apparent to employees, such as the resulting updates to the job descriptions, changes to salary guidelines, and modifications to pay schedules. Please keep in mind that there are specific procedural requirements characteristic of a merit system environment, and therefore, certain approvals are needed by the Civil Service Board and the City Council, prior to implementation.