September 2018 - Parks & Recreation - 16

RESEARCH

PARK AND RECREATION AGENCIES HOLDING MANDATORY TRAINING
ON HARASSMENT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
(Percentage Distribution)

13%

26%
61%

Regular employee training

Non-regular employee training

the compensation package they
offer to their newly hired, fulltime employees. Two-thirds of
agencies offer a direct contribution plan (e.g., 403(b), 401(k))
either in conjunction with a
pension plan or as the sole retirement benefit offering.
* In park and recreation agencies
that offer a defined benefit program, 84 percent of employees
make contributions. The typical DB employee contribution
is 6 percent of their salary.
* Three in 5 agencies that offer
a defined contribution plan
provide a percentage match
to participants' contributions.
When offered, this match is
typically 6 percent of the employee's income.
* Other Benefits: Beyond health
insurance, most park and recre-

No employee training

ation agencies offer other benefits as part of their compensation package for their full-time
employees. An overwhelming
majority of agencies include the
following benefits as a part of
their compensation packages for
full-time employees:
* Dental (98 percent)
* Continuing education (97 percent)
* Life insurance (95 percent)
* Vision (93 percent)
* Employee assistance/counseling (92 percent)
The 2018 NRPA Park and Recreation Salary Survey also explored
how agencies ensure their employees work in a hostile-free work
environment. Park and recreation
agencies - like most other employers - see the #MeToo movement as an opportune time to revis-

it policies related to discrimination
and harassment in the workplace.
Nearly every park and recreation
agency (or governing jurisdiction
of which it is a part) has a formal,
written policy that addresses harassment in the workplace (e.g.,
sexual harassment, hostile work
environment, discrimination). Further, more than half of park and
recreation agencies have re-evaluated their policies surrounding harassment in the workplace within
the past year. Twenty-two percent
of agencies intend on doing this
re-evaluation in the near future.
Most park and recreation agencies also hold mandatory staff
meetings to review policies and
procedures to help ensure a hostile-free work environment. Three
in 5 agencies have mandatory employee training about harassment
policies and procedures that occurs
on a regular basis (e.g., annually,
biannually). More than a quarter
of agencies provide such training,
but do so less frequently or on a
non-regular basis.
This column is just a brief summary of the wealth of data and insights about worker compensation
in parks and recreation. I invite you
to review the full 2018 NRPA Park and
Recreation Salary Survey report at
www.nrpa.org/salary-survey. Moreover, your feedback is welcome.

Kevin Roth, Ph.D., is NRPA's Vice
President of Research (kroth@nrpa.org).

Three in five park and recreation
agencies hold mandatory training on
harassment policies and procedures
14

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September 2018 - Parks & Recreation

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