Employment – Attracting the Best and the Brightest

One of public water’s greatest challenges is offering compensation that competes, dollar for dollar, with the private sector. Traditionally, lower hourly municipal pay has been offset by higher job security and benefits such as health care and retirement. With current entry-level wages close to municipal starting pay, and private wages for experienced workers 10% to 50% higher, municipalities need to be creative and proactive to fulfill their workforce needs. Here are some suggestions:
• Review and revise your wage scale. Recognize the different levels of skills and responsibilities required to keep your town healthy and safe, and structure pay scales accordingly.
• Be flexible. Take a fresh look at actual job requirements and how they can be adjusted to better fit needs of young families and working parents. Remote work, childcare, job sharing, continuing education, and opportunities for advancement are all powerful incentives.
• Be innovative. Allow flexibility within your compensation package, for example a “cafeteria plan” that allows workers to transfer health care dollars to their hourly wages. Talk with your employees and potential recruits about what motivates them to do their best for you.
By showing willingness to adapt to changing worker needs, you build a reputation as an employer of choice. By telling your story of water you can raise awareness and interest within your community. Click here to learn more about water worker careers and to let people know about the job satisfaction and stability that come with public service.
Win with Water! is an informational series to raise awareness and provide actionable steps to public water system managers, administrators, and policy makers.