Town needs to up pay to attract employees: committee

Town needs to up pay to attract employees: committee

News

By: Sandra Bolan

The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury can’t attract senior and professional staff because the municipality doesn’t pay enough, according to the recently created recruitment challenges ad-hoc committee.

Twice this year, the town has tried to hire a director of engineering services and both times, no suitable candidates presented themselves. Two unsuccessful attempts were also made to hire a procurement officer. In both rounds of hiring, the best candidates declined the job to take positions elsewhere.

The recruitment drive for a senior planner ended with the same result — the chosen applicant accepted a position with another municipality.

“In order to be more competitive with senior and professional staff, the committee recommends addressing compensation by adding levels to the top of the salary grid, essentially creating three additional levels that would expand the (non-union) salary bands,” according to the committee’s report.

The three pay grades proposed by the committee are: $96,292 to $120,365; $104,920 to $131,150 and $114,320 to $142,901.

“The addition of such salary bands would have to comply with the job evaluation system, which meets pay equity requirements,” according to the report.

“Consequently, this would require re-assessing the job evaluation instrument to identify and incorporate gender-neutral and Pay Equity Act compliant factors, which more accurately reflect the nature of the senior and professional positions which fall within the scope of the non-union pay equity plan.”

While the increased pay grades might yield more and better qualified applicants, they might also force the municipality to increase, or possibly decrease, what it pays current employees.

“The potential is there,” Kelly Losak, director of human resources for Bradford West Gwillimbury said. “(The) job evaluation (tool) is a process that examines the requirements of positions according to predetermined criteria. It results in a top-to-bottom ranking of positions in an organization based on their overall value or worth to the organization.

“Job evaluation takes into account the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions associated with a position.”

Not only is the town on the lower end of the pay scale, it currently doesn’t provide any type of work-life balance or employee assistance programs — things that could potentially attract and retain staff.

“Studies continue to indicate that the competition to retain good staff will intensify,” according to the committee’s report.

“Many benefits have been reported, by various studies, on the merits of introducing programs such as flexible work arrangements, employee assistance programs and other work-life balance, career development, performance management and wellness programs.”

Council approved the recommended changesTuesday.

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