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MRSC Insight Blog


Posts for Compensation

Employment Law Q&A: What Local Government Employers Need to Know

April 8, 2026  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Administration and Management ,  Compensation ,  Leave Policies ,  Recruitment and Hiring ,  Termination and Retirement

What must Washington local governments know at each stage of employment? What are the rules for job postings, comp time, benefits, leave, discipline, Loudermill rights, etc. when hiring, managing, and separating employees?

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What Employee Recognition Programs Need to Succeed in Local Government

March 31, 2026  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Administration and Management ,  Compensation

Employee recognition programs don't need to be large or elaborate to be successful. Cities and counties across the state have looked at agency needs, culture, and goals to develop programs that make employees feel their work is appreciated.

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Shows a person reading a document about employee benefits

Elected Officials and Benefits Programs

March 23, 2026  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Compensation ,  Leave Policies ,  Elected and Appointed Officials

Are elected officials considered employees? If so, are they eligible for the various benefits programs provided for in state law? This simple question requires a case-by-case examination of eligible state-based benefits programs. 

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Beyond Salaries: Alternatives for Engaging Local Government Workers

August 20, 2025  by  MRSC Insight
Category:  Compensation ,  Personnel Policies

Across sectors in the United States, employee engagement remains low. This blog explores non-monetary strategies for local governments to boost workforce motivation, productivity, and commitment.

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Benefits and Challenges of Non-Traditional Work Schedules in Local Government

April 9, 2025  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Compensation ,  Personnel Policies ,  Recruitment and Hiring

Government agencies, including San Juan County, which instituted a reduced 32-hour workweek for staff in 2023, are exploring innovative approaches to workforce management. What has been the outcome and can these early adopters offer tips on what to do and what to avoid?

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One employee clocks in while talking to another

Maximizing Retention: Engagement Strategies for Local Government Shift and Low-Wage Workers

December 10, 2024  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Compensation ,  Personnel Policies

A local government should rethink its approach to engaging and retaining shift and low-wage workers, even if a wage increase is off the table. Some strategies to consider include consistent scheduling and providing workers with greater control over their hours. 

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Graph showing a steady increase in money

Increases to Minimum Wage and Exempt Employee Salary Thresholds Will Be Here Soon

November 4, 2024  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Compensation ,  Minimum Wage

Proper classification of employees and proper payment of overtime wages is an essential piece of the personnel puzzle. In 2025 the state’s minimum wage and exempt employee salary thresholds will increase and public employers should be prepared to account for such changes.

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Salary Increases Coming in 2024 for Many Special Purpose District Officials

December 18, 2023  by  Cheryl Grant
Category:  Compensation ,  Special Districts

Every five years elected commissioners, board members, supervisors, and directors of special purpose districts receive increases in compensation as established by the Washington State Office of Financial Management. The next increases take effect January 1, 2024.

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An ethnically diverse group of young professionals in an office

Boosting Retention Among Gen Z and Millennials in the Local Government Workforce

November 14, 2023  by  Alicia Bones
Category:  Compensation ,  Recruitment and Hiring

Government agencies looking to boost retention among younger employees should consider improving their compensation packages, offering more flexibility, regularly highlighting employee contributions, and developing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

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Smartphone on wooden table shows a whistleblower alert from an anonymous caller

Personnel Issues of Note from the 2023 Legislative Session

August 28, 2023  by  Michael Incorvaia
Category:  Guest Author ,  Compensation ,  Personnel Policies ,  New Legislation and Regulations

New state personnel laws establish protections for certain whistleblowers, amend the statutory definition of employment, modify procedures for reviewing and approving requests for partial wage replacement for unemployed workers, and update hospital staffing standards.

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New Legal Requirements for Job Postings

January 17, 2023  by  Linda Gallagher
Category:  Compensation ,  Recruitment and Hiring

Beginning January 1, 2023, public and private employers in Washington State with 15 or more employees are now required to include compensation and benefits information in job postings.

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2022 Legislative Updates to Personnel Laws — Salary and Leave

June 27, 2022  by  Sarah Doar
Category:  Compensation ,  Leave Policies ,  New Legislation and Regulations

New legislation requires many employers to include wage and benefit information in all job postings and makes changes to the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave program.

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State Puts WA Cares on Hold for Now

February 1, 2022  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Compensation ,  New Legislation and Regulations

With new legislation, the WA Cares long-term care insurance program (and the premiums employers were to collect from employees) has been put on hold. This blog looks at the steps local government employers should take at this time.

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An Update on the Long-Term Care Trust Act

September 20, 2021  by  Flannary Collins
Category:  Compensation ,  New Legislation and Regulations

As of January 2022, employees will begin paying into the state's long-term care insurance benefit, but local governments still have a lot of questions, such as how to handle premiums and program eligibility.

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Employee Bonuses and the COVID-19 Pandemic

June 10, 2021  by  Oskar Rey
Category:  COVID-19 ,  Compensation

This blog considers whether local governments may give bonuses to employees for working through the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Year-End Personnel Topics Pop Quiz

January 9, 2018  by  Paul Sullivan
Category:  Compensation ,  Leave Policies ,  Minimum Wage ,  Termination and Retirement

Take a short quiz to test your memory of some common, personnel-related legal issues as well as new employment laws that came in to or remained in effect in 2017.

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Employee Recognition Programs

October 26, 2017  by  Lynn Nordby
Category:  Compensation

Acknowledging a job well done can be a powerful motivator for your employees. However, local governments must consider constitutional prohibitions against gifts to create employee recognition programs that won't run afoul of the law. 

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