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So management decided it's cheaper to keep compensation low and have a revolving door of developers than try to retain them, or is it merely short-sightedness?

shagie 7y ago
In the public sector, management has very little they can do about raises. Raises are an act of legislature or the governor. The number of people at each level within a bureau is likewise an act of legislature or governor. Likewise, the pay isn't anything hidden either. This number is well known https://projects.jsonline.com/database/2019/4/Wisconsin-state-employee-salaries-2018.html#!/grosspay18.desc.1/ https://projects.jsonline.com/database/2019/4/Wisconsin-stat... (much of the technology side gets classified as IS SYSTMS DEVMNT SVCS ...). Compare those numbers to the averages for the area https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Madison-WI/Salary https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Madison-WI/Sal... People applying and taking the job know exactly what they are getting and going to get for compensation and benefits. Pay is a bit on the lower side, vacation is on the higher side, the pension is fully funded (actually at 102.9%). Thus the ability to juggle things to retain a person is very limited - especially when that person hasn't been there for a full year. Consider then, that the person is accepting the job, knowing that this is the public sector, knowing the wage history, and looking for another job elsewhere (many have left to move out west). It is not exactly practical for state government to try to match west coast compensation.
- slothtrop 7y ago
  > It is not exactly practical for state government to try to match west coast compensation. It isn't, though there may be a sharp difference in cost of living and that's a strong consideration with wages. That, and a pension and benefits is taken for granted by younger people. Besides govt positions tending to be less exciting, you can really put some money away. Moving up, though, is a sluggish process.

shagie 7y ago

In the public sector, management has very little they can do about raises. Raises are an act of legislature or the governor. The number of people at each level within a bureau is likewise an act of legislature or governor. Likewise, the pay isn't anything hidden either. This number is well known https://projects.jsonline.com/database/2019/4/Wisconsin-state-employee-salaries-2018.html#!/grosspay18.desc.1/ https://projects.jsonline.com/database/2019/4/Wisconsin-stat... (much of the technology side gets classified as IS SYSTMS DEVMNT SVCS ...). Compare those numbers to the averages for the area https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Madison-WI/Salary https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Location=Madison-WI/Sal... People applying and taking the job know exactly what they are getting and going to get for compensation and benefits. Pay is a bit on the lower side, vacation is on the higher side, the pension is fully funded (actually at 102.9%). Thus the ability to juggle things to retain a person is very limited - especially when that person hasn't been there for a full year. Consider then, that the person is accepting the job, knowing that this is the public sector, knowing the wage history, and looking for another job elsewhere (many have left to move out west). It is not exactly practical for state government to try to match west coast compensation.

slothtrop 7y ago
> It is not exactly practical for state government to try to match west coast compensation. It isn't, though there may be a sharp difference in cost of living and that's a strong consideration with wages. That, and a pension and benefits is taken for granted by younger people. Besides govt positions tending to be less exciting, you can really put some money away. Moving up, though, is a sluggish process.