UPDATE: I just spoke with the hiring manager on the phone... some salient points of consideration:
1) He was telling me that he and the rest of the leadership in his department are very much open to the idea of telework - in short: he would be fine with me teleworking but....
1b) with the caveat that any future requirements there are to meet in person, I would *not* be reimbursed for travel/commute (and presumably food and lodging) expenses
1c) I pointed out the policy for telework and reimbursements (
https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/telework-policy.aspx and
https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/travel-reimbursements.aspx) and he
was reminding me that the travel reimbursement is strictly for the purpose of training type events, in which case showing up for an on-site meeting is not under the umbrella of (thinking about this, I don't see why he
couldn't just budget for "all team training" once or twice a year and that way I could get reimbursement, even if it's partial)
2) The position is EXEMPT so there is no overtime. He countered that by saying that they are very flexible and would come up with arrangements to 'make up' for any time worked outside hours (sounded like comp time) They are very "conscious of work/life balance" and try to honor it based on what he was saying. I'm not sure what the time keeping process is with the state but per the telework policy it seems you have to fill out a daily time card/report..?
3) The salary numbers are currently being worked on by HR and he told me it would take probably 2-3 days or so for them to get the exact number/compensation. I told him this is very important for me to be able to viably make a decision but also hinted that it is not the only thing dictating whether or not I will take the position.
NOTE: Regarding the telework situation, the hiring manager told me at first that as they slowly open things back up for "return to office" he may want to meet in person more frequently but he was not divulging much about how often that would be. At first he said maybe twice or every month. Then as we talked more about telework/remote work and my current situation his tone slightly changed to being "more flexible" and maybe asking for in person meetings once or twice a year or once a quarter.
I should say that I have it in my mind that I'm very much leaning towards NOT taking the position just due to the pay reduction concern. While I understand the state benefits are mostly great, it would still be difficult to make a sensible justification to drop down from my current salary.
EDIT: just saw the snippet regarding "commute" in the midst of telework -
"Expenses Incurred While Working a Telework Schedule
Expenses incurred as a result of working a telework schedule will not be reimbursed by the State including, but not limited to, the following: usage fees for privately owned computers, utility costs associated with the use of telephone, computer or occupation of the home, or travel to the Central office if required to come in on a telework day."
So it also sounds like they may not provide a work computer/laptop or phone and that I'd have to use my personal computer and VPN in? Not sure how I feel about that as currently I have a dedicate work laptop and phone.
@spartana or
@robartsd - what percentage of your state income goes to pension? From what I understand, this amount cannot be changed or altered, right? I found this snippet:
"Based on data over the past 20 years ending June 30, 2020, for every dollar CalPERS pays in pensions: 55 cents comes from investment earnings. 32 cents from employer contributions. 13 cents from employee contributions." - so to figure "total pay/compensation" I'd have to know the mandatory contribution percentage X my annual salary X .32 if I understand correctly... if it's something like 8% (which is what my county friend says he has to contribute) then that would translate to $2560 if you have a salary of say $100k.
After re-calculating and estimating *TOTAL* compensation (not base salary), I think the percentage decrease would actually be around 14-15% primarily due to the health care benefit which seems to be pretty significant. If we're just talking about base pay though, the percentage decrease is more like 27% (presumably this should drop down a little less when 2022 comes around and the COLAs kick back in).