The following press release was received by OPEA from the Office of Management and Enterprise Services. OPEA will be providing information to the study as requested. OPEA has already met with the consultant responsible for the study. A more detailed look at the study was printed in the May OPEA Advocate which was mailed to members last week.
OKLAHOMA CITY— The Office of Management and Enterprise Services this week launched a comprehensive state employee compensation study to determine appropriate compensation levels for an estimated 33,000 state employees.
“The state needs the ability to recruit, reward and retain a quality workforce to serve its citizens,” Gov. Mary Fallin said. “This study will explore sustainable, fiscally conservative ways to ensure capable state workers are appropriately compensated for the important work they do day in and day out.”
Fallin and legislative leaders this past session requested a comprehensive review of employee compensation in order to formulate informed compensation policy proposals for the state workforce. The OMES division of Human Capital Management is conducting the study with the assistance of national consultants and a working group comprised of officials from the governor’s office, Legislature, state agencies and Oklahoma Public Employees Association.
“It’s time to review the whole compensation package to find ways to improve it,” said Secretary of Finance and Revenue Preston L. Doerflinger, director of OMES. “We need newer, smarter strategies if public service is to compete for and retain talent in today’s marketplace.”
Key components of the study include:
- development of a statewide employee compensation philosophy;
- an extensive data-driven review of current compensation levels;
- a comparison of current compensation levels to other public and private sector market levels;
- recommendations for appropriate pay and benefits packages.
The study will cover all executive branch state agency employees who are not employed by higher education institutions, local education institutions or local career technology centers. A final report is expected in the fall.
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