Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The Oregon state employee. (Salem, Oregon.) 1944-195? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1945)
4 Position Classification Plan a Base for Pay Plan In establishing and administering pay rates for positions in the public service and apart from any other factor of salary policy, one o f the most im portant objectives is plain equity. U n der the same employment conditions, employees doing work of the same dif ficulty and responsibility' should enjoy the same pay scale; those doing harder or more responsible work should receive more; and those doing easier or less ex acting work should receive less. In a given jurisdiction the pay scale at any time for a stenographer doing a certain class of work should be the same wheth er the Department of Health, the D e partment of Highways, or the Depart ment of Parks pays the salary. Posi tions involving duties and responsibil ities o f higher order should be com pensated in due relation to those of less importance. In other words, scales of pay must be logically and consistently related to work performed. A position-classification plan, which groups and designates positions accord ing to the likenesses and differences in the work which they involve, provides a sound basis for accomplishing this ob jective. In order to put into effect the principle of "equal pay for equal work,” it is necessary first to find out what the work of each position really is, and next to find out what work is, in fact, "equal.” This is determined during the course of preparing a position-classifi cation plan. Classifications and desig nations are controlled by a central agency serving all departments of the jurisdiction alike, and are uniform across departmental lines. Under this procedure, the fact that two positions are in the same class and have the same class title shows that their work is sub stantially equal. Hence, under the same employment conditions, one p ay scale can be established for a class of posi tions with the assurance that if it is right for the whole class of positions,, it is right for each individual position within the class. Similarly, the ranking sequences of the classes as set forth in a position-classification plan permits the association of higher pay scales with higher work* and lower pay scales with less exacting work. Differences in d if ficulty and responsibility of work can definitely be recognized by correspond ing differences in pay scales. This, through the use of a position-classifica tion plan as a base, the same pay scale •is made to apply to all positions involv ing equal work under the same employ ment conditions; and different pay scales are applied in proper sequence to positions involving different work. Experience has amply indicated that it is not possible to create or maintain anything like equitable pay conditions without developing and administering a position-classification plan to support them. They can never be brought about under a system by which the pay of each position is determined separate ly and on the supposed merits o f the individual case. It is only by a compar ison of the value o f the work of any position with the work of every other position paid from the same treasury that there can be a complete applica tion of principles of equity, fairness, and uniformity. In practice, where no position-classi fication plan has been prepared and such comparisons among positions,, are, therefore, not feasible, administrative and legislative officials responsible for setting pay rates are handicapped. There is nothing to tie to. The admin istrative officer rarely has a general view of all positions in the service; he has no convenient source of reference. H e must, as well as he can, recom mend the establishment of pay rates
