Methods of Developing and Administering Classification and Compensation Plans in the Public Service
| Date | 01 May 1924 |
| Author | Fred Telford |
| Published date | 01 May 1924 |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271622411300134 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
254
Methods
of
Developing
and
Administering
Classification
and
Compensation
Plans
in
the
Public
Service
By
FRED
TELFORD
Bureau
of
Public
Personnel
Administration
SO
many
classification
and
compen-
sation
plans
have
been
worked
out,
adopted,
and
successfully
administered
in
the
public
service
of
the
United
States
and
Canada
that
a
fairly
definite
technique
has
been
developed.
In
different
jurisdictions
many
different
methods
have
been
followed.
There-
fore
the
forms
of
procedure
which
are
best
or
which,
at
any
rate,
may
be
relied
upon
to
give
satisfactory
results
have
been
discovered.
For
this
reason
it
is
possible
in
describing
the
technique
of
developing
and
maintaining
classifi-
cation
and
compensation
plans
to
make
rather
positive
statements,
even
though
certain
parts
of
the
work
cannot
yet
be
done
with
scientific
accuracy.
In
connection
with
the
classification
of
positions
in
the
public
service
on
a
duties
basis,
the
following
are
the
major
points
to
be
considered:
1.
The
selection,
authority,
and
technical
staff
of
the
classifying
agency.
2.
The
collection
of
facts
and
opin-
ions.
3.
The
determination
of
the
classes
to
be
recognized.
4.
The
development
of
class
specifi-
cations.
5.
The
tentative
allocation
of
posi-
tions
to
classes.
6.
The
submission
of
the
tentative
classification
plan
and
the
ten-
tative
allocations.
7.
Criticisms
and
hearings
on
the
tentative
classification
plan
and
the
tentative
allocations.
8.
The
formal.adoption
of
the
classi-
fication
plan
and
allocations.
9.
The
administration
of
the
classi-
fication.
Detailed
matters
of
procedure
like
these
are
likely
to
make
dull
reading
for
those
not
actively
engaged
in
work-
ing
out
or
administering
a
duties
clas-
sification
plan.
It
may
be,
however,
that
a
very
brief
statement
of
the
best
procedure
that
has
been
developed
will
prove
interesting
to
those
interested
in
the
subject
in
a
general
way.
In
another
article
in
this
issue
of
The
Annals
it is
pointed
out
that
in
prac-
tice
the
central
employment
agency
has
proved
to
be
the
most
suitable
classify-
ing
agency.
For
a
piece
of
work
of
this
kind,
however,
it
is
highly
desirable
that
the
Civil
Service
Commission
have
a
specific
mandate
from
the
legislative
body,
giving
it
a
special
piece
of
work
to
perform,
setting
forth
the
principles
to
govern
the
work,
and
granting
it
the
proper
authority;
without
such
legisla-
tive
sanction
both
administrative
offi-
cers
and
employes
are
prone
to
regard
the
work
with
indifference
or
hostility
rather
than
to
co-operate,
while
the
finished
product
usually
receives
scant
consideration-and
that
unfriendly-
from
the
chief
executive,
from
adminis-
trative
officers,
from
employes,
and
from
the
legislative
body.
The
work-
ing
out
of
a
classification
plan
is
such,
moreover,
that
reasonable
time
must
be
allowed;
even
in
a
small
service
with,
say,
1,000
positions
there
is
a
certain
sequence
of
steps
which
makes
it
diffi-
cult
to
do
a
good
job
in
less
than
three
to
six
months,
while
in
a
large
service,
where
a
sufficiently
large
technical
staff
cannot
b_e
quickly
assembled
and
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