Job Evaluation and Salary Structures

When pay has been set case by case, staff notice. Two people doing similar work on different salaries, a grade that means one thing in finance and another in operations, an allowance added to settle one complaint and then claimed by everyone: these are among the most common reasons for grievances and resignations.

Job evaluation gives you a consistent way to compare roles. A salary structure then puts a price on each grade.

How We Do It

1. Job descriptions. We update or write a description for every role, working with the people who do the job and their managers.
2. Evaluation. Each role is scored with the same points-based method, on factors such as knowledge, responsibility, decision-making and working conditions.
3. Grading. Roles are grouped into grades, with written criteria for each grade so that new roles can be placed consistently later.
4. Pay. We compare salaries and allowances with the market and propose a scale for each grade.
5. Costing and transition. We work out what the new structure costs and how to treat staff currently paid above or below their new scale.

Allowances and the Minimum Wage

Maldivian pay packages often carry a long list of allowances, some fixed and some variable. The difference matters. Since the minimum wage came into force in January 2022, basic pay and fixed allowances count towards it, while variable allowances do not. A pay review is a good moment to fold some allowances into basic pay, which also makes payroll easier to run and to explain.

Taking It to the Board

Our leadership has designed pay frameworks and taken them through boards and remuneration committees. We write the final report so that a board can see the method, the cost over the next three years and the risks, and make a decision without commissioning further work.