Winter 2008 Report of Results from Segal’s 2007 Public Sector Rewards of Work Study

Abstract

As the pool of highly skilled workers shrinks due to the demographic shifts in the labor market, public sector employers are on a constant quest to design a high-value total rewards package that supports successful recruitment and retention of top-performing employees.

The Segal Company conducted a national Public Sector Rewards of Work Study to understand what attracts, motivates and retains government employees in the U.S. - and how public sector entities can use this information to assist with succession planning and workforce development. The study captured and measured employee opinions and attitudes towards work and the following rewards they receive for their efforts: pay, benefits, work content, career and affiliation. More than 1,900 individuals employed by states, counties, municipalities and public authorities throughout the U.S. participated in the 2007 Public Sector ROW Study.

This report of results summarizes the key findings about how employees in two broad age groups perceive the value of a broad range of rewards: those under age 40 and those age 40 and older. These key findings of the 2007 Public Sector ROW Study include:

  • Career and work content are the most important aspects of work for employees under age 40 (which includes Generations X and Y). More than three-quarters of these younger employees rate these elements of work as "very important" or "extremely important."
  • Younger employees rate pay lowest in importance among the five rewards of work, with only half rating pay as "very important" or "extremely important,"
  • Younger employees also place a greater importance on other "intangibles" of work, such as having good supervisors, a pleasant work environment and interesting work,
  • The level of base pay was not rated as highly as many other components of rewards of work, suggesting that, while pay is certainly important to most employees, there are aspects of work that may be more important than salary.

More information on these findings - as well as other important survey data - are reported as well. This includes a more detailed discussion of the generational differences in satisfaction with rewards of work, broken down into the five categories of the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) model: pay, benefits, job content, career and affiliation. Graphs complement the text, and a brief discussion of Segal's rewards of work (ROW) framework is also included.

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