Pay Philosophy: Performance-Oriented and Market-Based

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Pay Philosophy: Performance-Oriented and Market-Based

  • Historically

    • Pay ranges followed the GS schedule
    • Everyone could advance to the pay cap irrespective of their performance—not a matter of if, but when
  • New Approach

    • Pay ranges set to be competitive with the labor markets in which GAO competes for talent
    • Everyone can advance to the pay cap—but they must have performance in excess of a certain level to advance beyond a certain point of the pay range (e.g., 75th percentile)
    • Pay ranges may overlap in upper part of band pay range to adequately reward expertise, leadership, and performance