168. Pay Compression: How it Hurts You & the Public (and What You Can Do About It)

FedUpward Podcast

I welcomed Jason Briefel back to the show for a frank talk about pay compression for federal employees. He's one of the few people you'll hear speaking publicly on behalf of feds about this issue. Think about it - how do we attract talent to federal service if pay in high cost areas doesn't come close to keeping pace with private industry,;political appointees often have HUGE responsibility. but make less than their subordinates; getting promoted to senior executive service means tons more hours and work but no more pay ...????? None of this makes sense, y'all. Jason discusses the problems pay compression causes and how you can advocate inside and outside your organization to spark action on this.

Get educated here:

Start with the actual pay tables --

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/

Then move to discussions of why have people cap out early on pay ain't great:

https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2023/03/pay-caps-fed-exec-lobby-group-reform-past-due/384254/

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/pay/2023/03/biden-plans-federal-pay-compression-fix-streamlined-hiring-in-fy-24-budget/

https://www.fedsmith.com/2023/01/04/pay-compression-pay-caps-impacting-federal-employees-frozen-at-183500/

https://www.federaltimes.com/management/pay-benefits/2022/11/03/white-house-urged-to-fix-pay-compression-at-federal-agencies/

https://fedmanager.com/news/fma-applauds-nortons-leadership-on-salary-compression

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/poverty/3858204-lawmakers-push-for-higher-pay-for-federal-employees/

This isn't new...

https://www.gao.gov/assets/fpcd-80-72.pdf

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/108th-congress/house-report/586/1