As we navigate inflation, difficulty in hiring, etc i have found that several government bodies are not "able" to give the wage increases that are productive for hiring, retention and comparible to other agencies of the same size. If you do not mind private messaging me if your county was able to use Covid Relief Funds for raise increases I would appreciate it.
My second question to that, do you have a board of supervisors that had to approve that? If so, how difficult was that for you as we struggle for anything in regards to wage increases with the Board. It is no secret that our hiring practices are different than three years ago. You get applications you would have passed over in the past which now you move forward due to the lack of applicants. The qualified employees that you used to see are gone. I am hopeful in gaining starting wage increases, but for the state of Iowa there are union negotiations for wage base scales only. For non rep, we will be lucky to see 2 percent. Any guidance or recommendations you have for me will be greatly appreciated.
Note-we did have a salary study and while it was recommended for wage increases, it was chosen by the government body to not move ahead with that. It has left several disgruntled employees.