Central Florida’s increasingly tight job market has employers examining the compensation they offer to attract and retain outstanding employees. Though my organization is in the public sector, our approach must be the same.
As Orange County Clerk of Courts, I lead more than 400 skilled employees, who maintain more than 67 million digital court documents as well as millions of paper records for Orange County and the 9th Judicial Circuit. To handle the sensitive files in our care with efficiency and precision, we employ a team of detail-oriented, motivated and diligent clerks. But, facing a shrinking pool of qualified workers, we made a strategic business decision that empowers us to lead rather than lag.
As of Jan. 1, we raised the minimum hourly wage for both full- and part-time clerks to $14. This bump in starting pay, which amounted to a nearly 16% increase, benefits more than 75 hourly employees on our team as well as all new hires this year. Part of a two-phase approach, the initiative will ultimately elevate our minimum hourly wage to $15 on Jan. 1, 2021.
It’s a bold step rooted in research, strategic planning, and careful financial consideration. Higher wages help us attract skilled workers as well as retain the experienced team in whom we’ve invested training, guidance and resources. In today’s employment landscape, our leadership team estimated the cost of turnover at about $650,000 per year. Taking the initiative to raise the minimum wage not only makes financial sense for our organization, it’s the right thing to do for our valued employees.
Ali Martin Rios, a new deputy clerk in our civil division, explained it this way: “If we want social justice to occur, our leaders have to step up to the plate and provide the means to make it happen. Clerk Russell has taken this step. Knowing that the cost of literally everything from rent to food has gone up in the Orange County and the Orlando metro area, she has decided to bring our starting salary up as well. By raising the minimum starting rate to $15 an hour in 2021, she has come out ahead of almost everyone, not only in the county but in the state in showing appreciation for her workforce by providing a starting living wage.”
In addition to increasing the minimum hourly wage, we provide our workforce with a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance as well as mental health support through an Employee Assistance Plan, family and medical leave, and a generous vacation policy.
Providing competitive salary and benefits enables us to continue efficiently serving the residents of Orange County, our customers. They rely on our clerks for a wide variety of critical services, from helping initiate or contest a civil case to managing probate issues and child support payments along with processing traffic and criminal fines. Our team assists customers in filing domestic violence injunctions and seeking help for a loved one with mental health or substance abuse issues. We also process passport applications and issue marriage licenses. Some Orange County residents are surprised to learn we even perform wedding ceremonies, including the special Valentine’s Day event I had the honor of officiating for 20 local couples last month.
Looking back on this process, my proudest moments have been the positive responses that have come from our team, including more seasoned employees who recognize the positive ripple effect this change will have on the organization as a whole.
Laura Keating, a senior deputy clerk from our criminal division, put it best when she said: “The Clerk’s office did the right thing when they decided on this hourly wage increase, and I’m very proud to say that I work here. The increase doesn’t affect me directly, but I know what this means to the newer clerks, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Article by Tiffany Moore Russel, Orange County Clerk of Courts
Tiffany Moore Russell is the Orange County Clerk of Court. Want to know more about the Orange County Clerk of Courts and its employment opportunities? Visit www.MyOrangeClerk.com. The Orange County Clerk of Courts is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Photos Courtesy of Orange County Clerk of Courts
