Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Home News latest news State aims to equalize worker pay

State aims to equalize worker pay

Published June 20, 2019 by Veronica Garabelli

Virginia State Capitol | Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

 

After more than 50 years, Virginia’s employment application is getting a facelift. The move is part of a state initiative going into effect in July that aims to streamline the application process and promote fairness and equity in hiring and employee compensation.

“It’s refreshing to see such a progressive, forward-thinking action on behalf of the commonwealth that’s going to help it be competitive in an increasingly competitive war for talent,” says Michael G. Latsko, president of HR Virginia, the state council for the national Society for Human Resource Management. (Latsko also works for the University of Virginia’s human resources department, but said he was not speaking on behalf of the university or the state.)

As of July 1, Virginia will eliminate fields in the new employment application that could result in unconscious bias among hiring officials, according to a news release issued Thursday by Gov. Ralph Northam’s office.

“Since the beginning of my administration, we have worked every day to break down barriers to opportunity and make this commonwealth a more inclusive and equitable place,” Northam said in the release. “This initiative adopts industry-wide best practices in compensation and employment, which will help attract and retain top talent in our state workforce and bring greater equity and overdue improvements to our state policies.”

When considering salaries, the commonwealth will weigh an applicant’s experience, competencies and credentials. The state also will take steps to ensure that the salaries of employees with comparable experience performing comparable work are fairly aligned. 

“When compared with our competitors, Virginia’s current time-consuming and overly complex application has become a deterrent to those applying for state jobs,” said Secretary of Administration Keyanna Conner. “While Virginia changed the Compensation Policy almost 20 years ago to provide a more flexible system, current or prior salary continues to be used as a base for percentage increases in pay when employees are hired or make career moves within state government.”

Michael Latsko

The new application will also forgo personal questions such as an applicant’s age, salary history and the names of schools they attended.

This is more in keeping with hiring practices in the private sector, Latsko says. It’s more common in the business world to request basic information in a job application and request additional details, such as where someone went to school, as an applicant advances in the interview process.

“It’s pretty meaningful,” Latsko says of the new initiative. “They are lifting many of the restrictions imposed by … civil service.” 

For the first time, people applying for state jobs also will be able to submit applications via smartphones and tablets. Additionally, the governor’s release stated that the commonwealth will allow applicants to choose a preferred pronoun on employment applications, highlighting the state’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

Michael Latsko photo courtesy of HR Virginia

 

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

Reston-based Maximus acquires Ascend

Virginia Business logo

Anheuser-Busch renews 141,845-square-foot lease in Colonial Heights

386K+ remain unemployed in Va. during pandemic

Approximately 46M Americans are still jobless

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center mall listed for sale

Making strides

It’s back!

After the crisis

Fort Monroe development moving forward

Sponsored Stories

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Norfolk’s MacArthur Center mall listed for sale

Making strides

It’s back!

After the crisis

Fort Monroe development moving forward

Sponsored Stories

What Logistics issues will have the biggest impact on you in 2023?

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk