New Strategies for Public Pay: Rethinking Government Compensation Programs

The survival and success of public organizations depends on employee satisfaction and motivation to improve performance. New Strategies for Public Pay addresses one of the strongest motivators?compensation. The book outlines proven strategies, many of which are successfully used in private industry, that are also well-suited for government organizations. Specific programs are described and analyzed by experts from government, academia, think tanks, labor unions, and private business, running the gamut from merit pay to competency-based pay to gainsharing.

New Strategies for Public Pay introduces a range of alternative pay systems that show public sector managers how they can:

? Set standards that match the unique needs of individual organizations

? Stimulate desired new behaviors necessary to overcome the fear of change and business as usual mentality

? Energize employees and provide a fresh incentive for continuing improved performance

The decision whether or not to revolutionize pay systems is fundamental. The way compensation is addressed and managed can either hinder or help accomplish an organization's mission. New Strategies for Public Pay offers a useful framework for planning compensation programs that are in line with the times and that will help create more efficient, flexible, and responsive public organizations.

HOWARD RISHER is senior fellow and adjunct professor of human resource management in the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He has twenty-five years of experience in the areas of workforce management, compensation system design, and employee research. He served as project director for the study that resulted in federal pay reform and the enactment of the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) in 1990. A well-known compensation consultant to public agencies at the federal, state, and local level, Risher has also served as a consultant to major corporations, hospitals, and universities. Risher is a member of several professional associations and is an instructor for certification in compensation management. He is also a member of the advisory board for Compensation and Benefits Review.

CHARLES H. FAY is director of the graduate program in human resource management and associate professor of human resource management at Rutgers University. He is also editor of Human Resource Planning and serves on the board and the research committee of the Human Resource Planning Society. In addition, he engages in research and consulting focused on compensation, systems, performance management, performance appraisal, and human resource support systems.Fay served as chair of the Research Committee of the American Compensation Association. He is also a former member of the Federal Salary Council, a presidential council that advises the Federal Pay Agent on salary issues concerning white-collar employees.