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Blue Avocado,
Although the challenge of providing adequate compensation to low-wage employees may seem overwhelming, especially during a financial crisis, the fact is that non-profits and funders can consider a number of helpful options without torpedoing the budget.
Temporary or episodic flex time: Many low-wage workers have to start and stop at specific times. But many nonprofit professionals take for granted that they can leave the office for a couple of hours to go to the dentist, a parent-teacher conference, or to take an elderly parent to the doctor. Have supervisors talk with staff to figure out ways to allow them to have some of the same flexibility.
Help employees access government and community resources. Some staff may be unaware of how they (or their relatives) can apply for respite care, for free after-school programs, community health and dental clinics, immigration legal help, and so forth.
Funders: As part of a discussion with a prospective grantee, ask about salary levels, and talk about increasing your funding by an amount that would go directly to increasing salaries at those levels.
If you can't provide raises for all staff, make sure you provide them for the crucial-to-the-mission low wage staff who are difficult to replace. It may be possible in this downturn, for instance, to announce small wage increases for the lowest paid staff: it sends an important message, makes business sense and raises morale.
If you are a board member, ask for a presentation on the number and types of positions that are front-line and what wages are earned in those positions. Work with staff to provide some comparables so that you can see whether you are paying less than other nonprofits for these positions, the same, or more.
The issue is probably not related to competitiveness; the issue is more likely to be the deeper societal problem that these positions typically command neither respect nor good pay. Think about taking a small step to address these issues: for example, whether you can consider something like making a commitment to raise the lowest salaries by 7% over a four year period.
Work with other nonprofits to get increases in salaries for low-wage workers. Such increases are seldom made for one organization, but pressure from multiple contractors (including their board members) can be effective.
If you have a number of people in a particular low-wage position, take an informal poll of similar organizations nearby and see what they pay. If you call them and promise to share the results but keep the organization names confidential, most organizations will be glad to participate. Make a commitment to meet the median level of pay or benefits or strive to reach a pay level of 30% above the median.
Raise the issue within the associations and networks to which you or your organisation belongs. Suggest a survey, an official stance, an opening of discussions with contractors and funders. Everywhere you go, look for opportunities for joint calls to action.
Both mission impact and financial impact are positively affected by supporting low-wage staff. While nonprofits are used to thinking about strengthening families of clients, they may not be aware that some of their own employees may be in the same economically vulnerable situations.
Absenteeism and turnover are also expensive to community nonprofits. Both can be reduced by following some of the suggestions in this article.
Read the full article by Jan Masaoka at http://www.blueavocado.org/node/376