Texas Officials: No Need to Reward Longtime Service
Collins County lawmakers revise longevity pay for employees, claim that increased salaries make up for the cutback.
By Garry Kranz Comments 0 | Recommend 0
Not Needed for Retention: Government employees in suburban Collin County, near
Dallas, no longer can bank on cash rewards simply for remaining in the same job
for years. Known as longevity pay, the inducement first was instituted as a
recruiting and retention
tool about 20 years ago. However, county commissioners recently voted to scale
back the program, claiming the money saved could be used for other projects.
According to the Dallas Morning News, longevity pay has been soaring and is
estimated to cost Collins County $3.7 million in 2007. County Commissioner Jerry
Hoagland, who advocated the change, was quoted as saying longevity-based pay “is
foreign to pay for performance. We don’t need it” because salaries for the
system’s 1,700 employees have been on the rise. Commissioners cast a unanimous
5-0 vote. Under the revised plan, new county employees will not be eligible for
longevity pay. Also, bonuses will be capped at 10 percent of existing workers’
annual salary.
Workforce Management contributing editor Garry Kranz is based in Richmond, Virginia. E-mail editors@workforce.com to comment.
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