The process focused on understanding the work performed—not job titles—by reviewing Position Description Questionnaires (PDQs), job descriptions, job shadowing, occupational panels, and interviews with department leadership.
Classification and benchmarking decisions considered job duties, scope and complexity, decision-making authority, and organizational impact. This approach provides a transparent, defensible foundation for classification and pay grade placement while supporting internal equity, external competitiveness, and long-term compensation management.
Why can’t Gallagher provide county-to-county pay comparisons?
Gallagher is unable to provide public-sector benchmarking or county-to-county comparison data for Harris County positions. This limitation is due to compliance with anti-trust laws and ethical standards, which prohibit sharing competitive pay data across public entities in a way that could influence market behavior. Instead, Gallagher uses a combination of published survey sources and custom data collection to ensure accurate, market-based recommendations. This approach ensures compliance and maintains the integrity of the benchmarking process.
For transparency, here is how data was sourced across employee categories:
- Positions Benchmarked Using Custom Survey Data Only:
Roles that are highly specific to county government or elected positions were benchmarked exclusively through custom surveys.
- Positions Benchmarked Using a Mix of Custom and Published Survey Data:
Broader administrative, professional, and operational roles were benchmarked using a combination of custom surveys and published market data from sources such as CompData, Economic Research Institute, Mercer, and Willis Tower Watson.
This process was applied consistently across all employee categories to ensure fairness, accuracy, and compliance.