Market research focused on western Canadian health care and Saskatchewan public service positions with data from across western Canada being used to develop policy and determine revised pay bands.  This Plan was again reviewed and revised in 2010.  

The Plan creates a consistent out-of-scope classification system to address employee compensation and compression issues and applies principles of the Government of Saskatchewan Policy Framework for Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value and Pay Equity.

The Plan includes most Saskatchewan out-of-scope health sector employers in a consistent out-of-scope classification plan that will assist in addressing compensation and compression issues. 

The current Out-of-Scope Evaluation process utilizes the Korn Ferry System (Hay Job Evaluation Methodology) to objectively and fairly determine the value of jobs within an organization.  The Provincial Out-of-Scope Job Evaluation process evaluates jobs utilizing a systematic analysis based on four gender-neutral criteria: skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions, which the Korn Ferry System (Hay Job Evaluation Methodology) of job evaluation translates into knowledge, problem solving, accountability and working conditions. 

The Korn Ferry System (Hay Job Evaluation Methodology) compares similar jobs or benchmark positions to assess the relative importance of the jobs to an organization. 

• Used by over 12,000 private and public organizations and employers in over 90 countries
• Is an effective method of evaluating all types of work, workplaces and professions
• Korn/Ferry maintains the validity and methodologies of the plan

Out-of-Scope Classification and Job Evaluation Process

The evaluation and classification process follows the Korn Ferry System (Hay Job Evaluation Methodology).  It is a systematic process for ranking jobs logically and fairly by comparing jobs against similar jobs or against benchmark positions to determine the relative importance of jobs to an organization.  

• Based on pay equity principles and is not market-based
• Compliant with pay equity legislation and has been legally challenged in multiple environments and has been found to be a bias-free methodology in every pay equity case tested
• Consistent framework across industries and organizations
• Minimal changes to the plan ensure the integrity of the plan is maintained.

Step #1:  Submission of the Job Description

A job description is submitted indicating:

• Main areas of responsibility within a job
• Key accountabilities
• Scope of the position and its effect on the organization
• Organization structure (chart)
• Dimensions for the position, department, organization (FTE’s, budget, etc.)
• Any additional information as to what has changed or rationale for the new job being submitted.

Step #2:  Evaluation Process

The evaluation begins by looking at the structure:

Chief Executive Officer, Vice President Executive Director, Director, Manager – all factors are looked at starting with the position above and below the submitted position. 

Four factors essential to the evaluation:

1. Know-how:  Includes relevant knowledge, skill and experience, however acquired, for acceptable performance in a job or role including

• Practical/Technical – depth (complexity) scope
• Managerial – planning, organizing and integrating
• Human Relations – communicating and influencing.

These three levels within Know-how are interrelated and applied based on the Plan. 

2. Problem Solving: The amount and nature of the thinking required in the job in the form of analyzing, reasoning, evaluating, creating, using judgement, drawing inferences and arriving at conclusions is considered. Problem solving looks at the mental processes required to use Know-how to identify and solve problems including:

• Strategic
• Tactical
• Operational
• Procedural
• Process and task-oriented.

3.  Accountability Evaluation Process: 

All jobs exist to achieve results.

• Assess the extent to which a job/role is answerable for actions and consequences.

Decision making authority

• Freedom to act
  • Determine the extent to which the role decides on the measures and actions to be taken.

Nature of Impact

• Degree of influence on the end result and the magnitude of the impact on the affected area.

4. Working Conditions Evaluation Process

The overall rating is a combination of all these factors:

• Physical Effort
• Physical Environment
• Sensory Attention
• Mental Stress.

The intensity, duration and frequency are taken into account. 

Jobs with same/similar job titles may evaluate differently as organizational structures, job context, size and complexity differ. 

Provincial Out-of-Scope Job Evaluation Committee (POOSJEC)

The Provincial Out-of-Scope Classification plan has all Saskatchewan out-of-scope health care employees in a consistent classification plan to address compensation and compression issues.  The committee reviews provincial out-of-scope positions and maintains a database of all the evaluation results for the provincial out-of-scope positions. 

Classification and Job Evaluation Documents

The Provincial Out-of-Scope Classification Plan was approved and implemented in January 2011 with subsequent additions and revisions occurring throughout 2011, 2012 and 2013.  Some of the major components of this plan include:

• Movement towards standardized conditions of employment including hours of work, sick leave and vacation entitlement
• Northern benefits
• Pay at risk plan
• Professional development
• Maternity leave top up 
• Health and Lifestyle spending accounts
• Commitment to a market based policy moving forward. 

Commitment to a Market Based Policy

An outcome of the 2011 Provincial Out-of-Scope Classification plan is the Out-of-Scope Compensation plan that established a policy to make pay bands reflective of the 65th percentile of the market. This means that approximately 65% of market comparators are lower than or equal to our pay bands (at maximum rate) and about 35% pay more (at maximum rate). Going forward, the market will be evaluated on an annual basis and recommendations made. The OOS Compensation Plan will retain previously established pay equity principles.

For support relating to the Provincial Out-of-Scope Job Evaluation program please contact Laurie Kisilowski, SAHO Classification & Job Evaluation Specialists at 306-347-1528; Laurie.Kisilowski@SAHO.ca, or Dori LeBel, SAHO Classification & Job Evaluation Specialist at 306-347-5516; Dori.LeBel@SAHO.ca.