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Frequently Asked Questions

About the Project

What is the Pay Equity Project?

​Oregon state government is committed to fair employment practices and non-discrimination, including pay equity, for all employees. The Pay Equity Project includes an Equal Pay Analysis of current state employees as well as changes in hiring processes associated with setting initial new hire rates.

The Pay Equity law, was signed into law June 1, 2017 by Governor Kate Brown. This makes it unlawful for any Oregon employer:

  • To discriminate between employees, in wages and other compensation for “work of a comparable character,” on the basis of a protected class;
  • To seek or use the salary history of an applicant before an employment and salary offer has been made;
  • To screen applicants on the basis of current or past compensation; or
  • To determine compensation for a position based on current or past compensation of a prospective employee.
What is an Equal Pay Analysis?

An equal pay analysis means an evaluation process to assess and correct wage disparities among employees who perform work of a comparable character.

Employees with similar qualifications (e.g.,  seniority, experience, education) should be compensated similarly.

What does Pay Equity mean?

​Under the law, differences in compensation for individuals doing comparable jobs may only be based on differences in their job-related education, seniority, experience, training, merit, travel or work location or a combination of these factors. In other words, pay equity is a means of eliminating discrimination in the wage setting system.

What is the timeline for the executive branch pay equity study?

​​​Employees in the executive branch as of July 1, 2021 are in scope of the pay equity analysis. The equal pay analysis is currently being concluded and any unscheduled pay equity adjustment as a result of the analysis will be effective on January 1, 2022. 

When will the results of the analysis be complete?

​​​The equal pay analysis is currently being concluded and any unscheduled pay equity adjustment as a result of the analysis will be effective on January 1, 2022. Any unscheduled pay equity adjustment will appear in employee's paychecks no later than April 1, 2022.

When will employees be notified of the results?

​​Executive branch employees will be notified via email no later than March 1, 2022.​

Scope of the Analysis

Who is included in the executive branch pay equity analysis?

Employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State's Office and employees in management and executive service with the Oregon State Treasury, are within scope of this project. This includes represented, unrepresented, and management service as well as limited duration employees.​

How was my information for the Equal Pay Analysis reviewed?

​​Employees were asked to update their Workday profile by June 30, 2021, to include job history, and any education or certifications relevant to their current position. Employees were grouped by classification and then data analytics were used to determine the relationship between seniority, experience, education, and compensation to identify predicted salary step upon hire. Employees who had indications of being low were sent to your agency's Human Resources department staff to perform a secondary review for their input on accuracy and relevancy.​

If I am currently working out of class, do I need to update my information?

​Yes, all employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State’s Office and employees in management and executive service with the Oregon State Treasury are within scope of this project.​​

If I am a management service employee, does the executive branch pay equity analysis apply to me?

​Yes, all employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State’s Office and employees in management and executive service with the Oregon State Treasury are within scope of this project.​​

If I am a represented employee, does the executive branch pay equity analysis apply to me?

​​Yes, all employees in the executive branch, with the exception of the Secretary of State’s Office and employees in management and executive service with the Oregon State Treasury are within scope of this project.​​

Will the study analyze if I am placed in the proper job classification?

No, the purpose of the equal pay analysis is to ensure that individuals are compensated at equitable levels relative to others in their same base job classification and who have similar seniority, experience, and education. If you believe your job is not in the correct classification, you may contact your agency Human Resource office or local union representative for information about requesting a classification review.​

Appeals

What is the deadline for submitting an appeal?

​​The timeframe to submit an appeal is February 25, 2022 through March 27, 2022.​​

What are the requirements for submitting an appeal?

You must have been:

  • Employed by a State of Oregon executive branch agency as of July 1, 2021, except for semi-independent state agencies not subject to ORS 240, the Oregon Lottery, Secretary of State or in the unclassified service within at the Oregon State Treasurer's office; and
  • Below the top step of the salary range for your job classification as of January 1, 2022.​
What if I am not eligible to file an appeal according to the eligibility requirements?

​​Please complete the Employee Request for Internal Salary Assessment Form​ and submit it to your agency’s Human Resource representative or office. ​​

How do I submit an appeal?

​​Please complete the Equal Pay Analysis Appeal Form​ in Workday. Appeals to the executive branch equal pay analysis are due no later than March 27, 2022. You are able to submit the appeal once, so please make sure your appeal information is complete before clicking “Done.”​

Can I submit additional documents with my appeal?

​No. ​ Please describe why you believe you are eligible for a salary step increase based on your seniority, education, and/or experience relevant to your current position on the appeal form.  This will be used to reconsider the information in your Workday profile.  Please refer to “How do I submit an appeal?” above.  ​

What if I am not sure how long I have been in my current position or with the State of Oregon?

​You can approximate this information.  If you do not have an estimate, you may leave this section blank.​​

How do I find my salary step to help inform what salary step I believe I should be on?

​​Your current salary step is available in your Workday profile. The Profile Overview Quick Reference Guide can help you access your Workday profile. Clicking the “Compensation" link in the left blue window pane will take you to your current salary step information.​​

When will I know the results of my appeal?

​The employer shall make a good faith effort to respond with a decision regarding the employe​e’s appeal no later than 120 days after receiving the appeal notice.  ​​

When would a pay adjustment as a result of an appeal be effective?

​Pay adjustments made as a result of accepted appeals shall be made retroactively to January 1, 2022. ​​

Salary Adjustments

What is the effective date of any unscheduled pay equity salary adjustment that results from the analysis?

​January 1, 2022 is the effective date of any unscheduled pay equity salary adjustment, which will be applied to your April 1, 2022 paycheck.​

If I am at the top step of my salary range, am I eligible for an unscheduled pay equity salary adjustment?

No, employees cannot be paid above the top step of their salary range.​​

I am temporarily working out of class, how is the pay equity analysis going to affect me?

​The pay equity analysis for employees who are working out of class will be done in the same manner as other employees by evaluating their seniority, experience, and education relative to others in their base job classification. If the evaluation indicates an adjustment of the employee’s base compensation level is necessary, this will, in most instances, increase the amount of work out of class an individual will be eligible to receive under applicable policies and collective bargaining contracts. ​​

Updating Profile Information

How do I update my Workday profile?

You can update your Workday profile information using the job aids from the Workday Instructions Page. ​

Here are some helpful links to job aids:
• Manage your Career Information Job Aid to edit information related to job history (pg. 3) and education (pg. 1).
• Manage your Certifications Job Aid to add or remove relevant certifications.
• Manage your Education by clicking "edit" to the right of any education item or remove the education information.​​
• Review your worker profile via the Worker Profile Quick Reference Guide​. This job aid guides you to where profile elements can be found and how to see what was entered.

Job History

If I am working out of class, do I include those job duties in my job history?

​Yes, please note the work out of class assignment and include your duties in your job history. Please don’t forget to include effective dates.​​

I’m on a job rotation. How do I enter that information?

You can add a job history item and indicate you are on job rotation. Be sure to include the classification name, duties, and the dates. ​

Miscellaneous

If I feel that I am not being paid appropriately right now, what can I do?

​​​​​If you are a represented employee, please follow the process outlined in your Collective Bargaining Agreement​.

If you are an unrepresented employee, please refer to State HR Policy 20.005.10 (Pay Practices)​ for steps you can take.


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