New staff groups
In order to reduce disparities in pay and benefits among staff in the same role, while also recognizing the value of mobility and international experience, MSF has moved to a model with two staff groups. This replaces the three staff groups previously used to determine pay: Locally Hired Staff, HQ Staff, and Internationally Mobile Staff.
MSF’s new staff group model consists of these two groups:
COUNTRY-BASED POSITIONS: Positions performed in the same context over an extended period of time, and not entailing international mobility. Country-based positions are paid using the local salary grid where the work is taking place. This includes staff who work in programmes, country coordination offices, hubs and HQ offices.
MOBILE POSITIONS: Positions that involve moving internationally to take on assignments in programmes in different countries. Mobile positions will be paid using the Mobile Salary Grid, irrespective of where the mobile staff come from.
The new staff groups are designed to align with the strategic directions set by the ExCom. These directions include:
- Ensuring that the staff groups are based on positions rather than individuals.
- Recognizing and rewarding international mobility and enabling the formation of diverse teams.
- Reducing existing disparities in rewards among staff groups, with the aim of moving towards "same job same salary".
- Encouraging individuals to develop and move between staff group to extend their career with MSF.
A staff group model determines the reasons why certain staff members are paid using different salary grids and why some staff members may receive additional benefits beyond the core benefits given to all staff. These changes aim to create a rewards system that promotes more equity, transparency, and consistency
MSF’s global workforce is distributed in the new staff groups as demonstrated in the image below.
How the new staff groups were developed
In October 2022, the Full ExCom requested that an extensive risk analysis be conducted to effectively understand the operational, organisational, and financial impacts of the proposed new model. This risk analysis was conducted between December 2022 and March 2023, and the full analysis was presented back to the Full ExCom in April 2023.
The risk analysis revealed that the proposed model has the potential to address numerous identified issues and support operational priorities. However, it also highlighted polarized opinions within MSF: some view the proposal as overly conservative, while others believe it introduces changes that are too radical.
