The overviews of the cutting-edge trends in employment usually lean towards the situation in private sector companies. For instance, when Kropp and McRae (2022) and Meister (2022) attempt to create roadmaps for HR specialists, their efforts focus on corporate employers. In this regard, analyzing a job profile and compensation plan in the public sector provides an interesting insight into how local government agencies adjust to changes. The detailed description of the Paralegal I vacancy in the County of San Diego, California, offers an opportunity to compare the situation in the public sector against the opinions of seasoned HR professionals.
Cutting-Edge Trends and Changes in Work and Compensation
HR professionals universally consider employee well-being one of the most important trends in the modern workplace environment. Meister (2022) argues that well-being ceased to be a benefit and turned into an employer’s opportunity to support employees in every aspect of life. In particular, employee well-being in its current shape incorporates financial, mental health, social, physical, and career aspects (Meister, 2022). Kropp and McRae (2022) expect that mental, physical, and financial wellness will become the key metric in measuring employee satisfaction. Corporate employers are actively extending employee well-being measures in order to improve retention rates. For instance, the 2020 Gartner survey of 52 HR executives revealed that 94% of companies made significant investments in their well-being programs (Kropp & McRae, 2022). Other cutting-edge trends are related to skills required from the employees. According to Meister (2022), degrees appeared insufficient evidence of possessing in-demand skills. As a result, employers increasingly utilize skill-based hiring, which prioritizes specific skills and competencies over the candidate’s credentials. In addition, Meister (2022) claims that adaptability, resilience, and digital fluency have become the power or most-sought professional skills. Lastly, the flexibility of working conditions and benefits ceased to be a differentiator in job selection. Modern-day U.S. employees expect flexibility from the employer, and those employers that do not offer sufficient flexibility are expected to see increased turnover (Kropp and McRae, 2022). Overall, an all-rounded focus on employee well-being, digital fluency, the supremacy of professional skills over academic degrees, and employee demand for flexibility can be considered the cutting-edge trends in work and compensation. However, while this notion may be true for private sector employers, the public sector organizations may have a different attitude towards these trends. A detailed evaluation of the Paralegal I job description and benefit plan in the County of San Diego will allow assessing the stance of the government employer.
Paralegal I Compensation Plan: Pay Grade and Skills Evaluation
Paralegal I is an entry-level job in the justice system of the County of San Diego. The general job characteristic of Paralegal classes includes assisting attorneys in preparing cases for trial. Paralegals usually work in the offices of District Attorney, Public Defender, Child Support, and Sheriff (County of San Diego, 2022a). The Paralegal I position in the County of San Diego offers an annual salary of $43,576.00-$59,009.60 (County of San Diego, 2022a). Such a significant difference in salary range allows making two conclusions about the compensation plan. Firstly, the County of San Diego utilizes a point approach to pay grades. Under this job evaluation technique, each position is given a certain number of points, defining the appropriate salary (Martocchio, 2017). In this regard, Paralegal I occupies the lowest-paying spot in the job family. Secondly, the County of San Diego uses a person-focus pay scheme, in which base pay increases are awarded on an employee’s gain in skills (Martocchio, 2017). As a result, it becomes possible for an employee to stay in the Paralegal I role and get significantly better compensated with time. In regard to skills, the Paralegal I position still requires appropriate credentials — the trend for skill supremacy does not work in the government institution. Finally, the list of skills and abilities does not contain digital fluency. Overall, the Paralegal I position requires a rather traditional skillset but at the same time offers an opportunity for substantial growth in salary.
Paralegal I Compensation Plan: Employee Benefits
The U.S. employers must provide certain mandated benefits to the employees, such as social security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance. However, the growing demand for employee well-being led to the wide implementation of additional employer-sponsored benefits. These benefits include but are not limited to health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off (PTO) programs (Lester et al., 2020). While Paralegal I job is not following the trends regarding skills, the County of San Diego supplements the vacancy with a modern benefit plan focused on employee well-being. The scope of benefits combines flexibility and broad coverage of the possible employee needs. Firstly, the plan gives freedom of choice from a menu of benefits (County of San Diego, 2022b). The employees in the Paralegal I position may choose between various healthcare options — medical insurance, dental insurance, and vision insurance. In addition, the County provides a pension plan and a selection of voluntary benefits, including disability and critical illness payments (County of San Diego, 2022b). Therefore, one can state that the employee benefit plan of Paralegal I job corresponds with the private sector trend for well-being improvement. Overall, an occupation in the public sector combines a traditional approach to skills and education with modern work flexibility and employee wellness tendencies.
References
County of San Diego. (2022a). Job descriptions and salaries: Paralegal I. Web.
County of San Diego. (2022b). County of San Diego: Summary of Benefits. Web.
Kropp, B., & McRae, E. R. (2022). 11 trends that will shape work in 2022 and beyond. Harvard Business Review. Web.
Lester, G. V., Brock Baskin, M. E., & Clinton, M. S. (2021). Employer-sponsored benefits in the United States: The past, present, and future.Compensation & Benefits Review, 53(1), 24-42. Web.
Martocchio, J.J (2017). Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach (9th ed.). Pearson.
Meister, J. (2022). Top ten HR trends for the 2022 workplace. Forbes. Web.