Total Pay Transparency With Presidential Appointments? We Don't Need No Stinking Salary Ranges...

One of the things that you always hear is that the government has complete pay transparency, listing a grade and range structure for each position.  With that in mind, I was excited to get a copy of the "Plum" book, which lists all of the positions and ranges that the new presidential administration will be filling to round out their leadership roster. 

You can play along with me by finding the the complete rundown/Plum Book here!! 

Alas, while you and your company may be subjected to new laws like the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation that would allow the government to help you value talent as a replacement for the marketplace and your judgment, the government would like to keep things a little more... well, market-driven.

About 80% of the jobs listed don't have a range assigned, and I kid you not, as I cut and paste the rationale for that straight from the plum book below:

"If there is no entry in this column, the position does not have an established level, grade, or pay rate. For example, the pay rate for Senior Executive Service and Senior Level positions is ‘‘personal,’’ i.e., attached to the incumbent, not the position. The pay rate for each new appointee is set by the appointing authority (usually the agency head) on a case-by-case basis. Annual salary schedules and pay ranges for such positions are shown in Appendix 4."

To my human capital and compensation brethren who put this program together - I feel your pain and I agree.  There's no way you can establish ranges for these leadership positions that number in the thousands, because you need the best talent possible and you don't know where it's going to come from or what it will cost.  You're basically saying what we all know - that there are 1,001 factors that go into decisions on how to compensate talent.

I'm not being critical of the new administration, because this is the way it is and should be... But at the same time, I doubt any administration, Democrat or Republican, will ever be scrutinized by the Paycheck Fairness Act.  Just us out in the free market, trying to make it happen...

Geesh...

Comments

[Jessica Lee]

you scare me... i wrote about the plum book briefly this morning as well.

http://jessicalee.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/wanna-work-for.html

[Ann Bares]

A little Monday morning irony. Geesh is right. Good reporting KD - this might be helpful ammunition in the times to come...