State workers to receive salary increases in 2008

State workers are slated to receive a salary increase in 2008, and a new program means the size of raises will depend on how employers evaluate workers’ performances.\nThe increase in wages is part of the Pay-for-Performance program set forth by Gov. Mitch Daniels in 2006. The program affected the salaries of state workers in 2007, said Gary Abell, spokesman for the governor’s office. \n“It’s the rule in life that those working the hardest and getting the best results are rewarded more than those doing a poor job, but Indiana state government, until now, didn’t apply that rule,” said Daniels in a press release from the governor’s office. “The best public servants deserve the best pay.”\nPrior to the Pay-for-Performance program, all workers would receive the same wage increase every year, Abell said.\nWorkers employed by the state will receive a 1.5 percent increase in their wage, said Brad Rateike, spokesman for the governor’s office. The percentage was configured with the rising cost of living in mind, Abell said. \nSupervisors will then complete evaluations of all workers, Abell said. Those evaluations will be looked over by higher-ranking state officials, Abell said. These assessments will determine what extra percentage workers will receive in their wage. \nIf workers “meet expectations” in their evaluations, they will receive an extra 3 percent. If workers “exceed expectations,” they will receive an additional 8.5 percent increase. Thus, a worker’s wage can increase by a total of 10 percent, Rateike said.\n“We have been able to attract a lot of good employees because of Pay-for-Performance,” Abell said. “We have been able to attract people to particular careers when we have been in need of additional (workers).”\nAbell also credits the new program for an increase in worker motivation. \nThe increase in wages was made possible by decreasing the number of state workers. For example, if the state was working in conjunction with a private company on a project, the state used to employ many of the workers. Private companies now employ many of these workers, Rateike said. \nAccording to a chart from the governor’s office, benefits have also increased since the Pay-for-Performance program was first created.