About the workshop
This workshop uses the experience in the UK and internationally to focus on key aspects of public sector pay and grading reform. Pay issues are often among the most immediate and obvious concerns of policy makers and employees. Grading, also known as job evaluation, is no less important. Identifying and analysing the key areas of, and necessary reasons for, reforming pay, grading and job evaluation systems involves close analysis of the interdependent relationship between both pay and grading.
What the workshop will cover
The workshop will look at:
● The legal basis of current pay and grading arrangements, which is generally laws and regulations. Changing any or all these arrangements involves a process which can be a considerable political, as much as a legal, challenge to work through satisfactorily
● The potential financial impact of change. Changes to public sector employees’ pay generally have an immediate and sometimes considerable impact on government finances. It is important, in such circumstances, to have a clear and accurate understanding of the potential costs
● The methodology of grading. Different grading systems are used by different public sector institutions around the world. The most successful systems are those which are consistent with their environments and the abilities of Human Resources (HR) units to operate and maintain the systems to a good standard
● The process of implementation. Whether the public sector is large or small, implementation must be planned well in advance and then executed both on time and to the highest possible standard
● Analysis of the impact. Reform without noticeable improvement represents a wasted opportunity for all concerned, whereas careful monitoring of reform outcomes can alert policy makers to difficult issues if they arise and enable the necessary corrective action to be taken.
How participants will benefit
The workshop is designed to:
● Enable you to understand the theoretical basis of grading systems and how individual jobs can be assessed against objective criteria to provide consistently accurate assessments of relative levels of job responsibility throughout your organisation
● Provide you with an understanding of pay systems in terms of how they are constructed; how the cost of reform can be calculated, and in terms of these systems’ interdependent relationship with grading systems
● Let you explore the experience of relevant institutions within the UK and consider relevant international examples of our project work. You will be able to appreciate both key similarities and differences in particular approaches to the issue and thereby gain an informed understanding of what will be best suited to your context
● Provide you with an understanding of the legal issues surrounding pay and grading reform, not just in terms of the potential requirement to replace or renew existing laws and regulations, but also in terms of best international practice in this area
● Enable you to have a good understanding of the practical issues surrounding implementation of any new pay and grading system, particularly in respect of building capacity within your organisation to enable proper ownership of any new system that is introduced
● Provide a forum for you to review the strengths and weaknesses of your existing pay and grading system in comparison with those of other workshop participants and with relevant examples of international best practice
● Develop an outline approach to pay and grading reform in your own institution(s) and consider possibilities for each of the necessary steps required to implement that reform.