The newly appointed Chief Executive of a national charity, which had grown over time, asked me to explore how to address inequalities in the pay and grading system. Discussions with leadership revealed an overly flat structure allowing little opportunity for promotion or development and led to staff at the same grade undertaking widely different roles.
To address the disparity in pay and relative seniority, I designed a job evaluation scheme that allowed jobs to be correctly graded for skills and impact. I set up a small staff focus group to ensure the scheme was relevant to the charity. I then developed a simplified pay and grading structure, which was achieved with no additional cost to the charity.
Over a three-month period, I implemented the new policies and processes. I dealt with individuals’ queries and concerns and worked closely with payroll and administrative staff to ensure success. I coached the Office Manager so he could continue to apply the job evaluation and pay and grading structure both of which are still in use by the charity today.
