The 5 Benchmarking Mistakes Public Agencies Keep Making (And How to Fix Them)

Benchmarking seems simple: Find out what others pay and match it. But the devil is in the details. After working with thousands of public agencies, we see the same five mistakes repeated constantly, mistakes that cost money and lose talent.

1.  Using Data That is Too Old

• The Mistake: Relying on a salary survey from two years ago and just adding a 2% inflation factor.
• The Fix: Use real-time data. The market for specific roles (like cyber-security or nursing) moves much faster than inflation.

2.  Benchmarking by Job Title Only

• The Mistake: Comparing your “Admin Assistant” to another city’s “Admin Assistant” without reading the job description. Theirs might be an entry-level clerk; yours might be an executive aide.
• The Fix: Use duty-based matching (like TrueComp’s) to compare roles based on work performed, not just titles.

 3. Ignoring Total Compensation

• The Mistake: Looking only at the base salary number. This ignores the massive value of pensions, healthcare, and paid leave.
• The Fix: Always benchmark Total Comp. You might be underpaying on salary but winning on benefits—you need to know that.

 4. Comparing to the Wrong Peers

• The Mistake: Comparing a small rural town to a major metro city or using national averages for a hyper-local role.
• The Fix: Build a custom peer group of agencies that look like you (size, budget) and are near you (geography).  Also, be sure you have a large enough set of peers for each job.  Expand your comparator set specifically for those unique jobs.

 5. Benchmarking “Just in Time” (Crisis Mode)

• The Mistake: Only pulling data when an employee threatens to quit or a union negotiation is stalled.
• The Fix: Make benchmarking a continuous habit. Spot the gaps before they become crises.

Avoid these mistakes–see TrueComp’s real-time Benchmarking in action, request a demo.