Tag: Variable Pay

Perks Survey Results in; How Do You Compare?

Highlights of our 2014 Perks Survey of over 2,000 employers: Paid holidays is the number one perk. Also in the top five: life insurance, LTD, STD, and paid vacation. For exempt employees, flextime is offered by 60.9%. Other benefits being offered include: Financial planning assistance (51.7%) Telecommuting (49.2%) Legal assistance programs (39.8%) On-site fitness centers […]

Key Questions for Compensation Audits

What Is Written? Start with the written documents, says Kleinman. What written documents relate to compensation? Who has them? Who wrote what and when?  What do they say? For example: Plan documents Structures Policies Pay parameters Hiring/Bonus boundaries (approval levels, etc.) How’s Turnover? What turnover levels is the organization experiencing? Functional turnover is created “intentionally,” […]

Why the Trend Toward Variable Performance Pay?

Increasingly, employers are less averse to withholding merit increases for poor performers so they can afford to grant meaningful increases to better performers, says Morning, who is president of Teri Morning Enterprises in Carmel, Indiana. Morning made her suggestions during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR®. What is Variable Performance Pay? Variable performance pay aligns […]

Trends in the Use of Variable Pay

“Variable pay supports the organization’s strategic direction and drives the accomplishment of organizational goals.” Teri Morning explained in a recent BLR webinar. “It does so by enabling companies to recognize and reward high performers and to sustain high performance.” What Is Variable Pay? Variable pay is pay given over and above base pay, since average […]

Compensating Tech Workers—Best Practices for Retention

It’s challenging to reward tech workers, says consultant David Wudyka, but you have to find a way to do it or you’ll lose them. Wudyka is the founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Massachusetts-based human resource and compensation firm that specializes in pay, performance, and productivity issues. His tips came during a recent […]

10 Keys to Market Pricing

In today’s Advisor, Rizzuti, who is a principal at PHR Compensation Resources, Inc. in Upper Saddle River, NJ, shares her 10 keys for effective market pricing. 1. Collect Good Job Information Ensure that job descriptions accurately portray the job duties and responsibilities. Many jobs have changed in the past few years. Pay special attention to […]

Make Smart Post-Recession, Performance-Based, Pay Decisions

How can you make smart decisions on pay budgets, merit budgets, and overall compensation given the economic turmoil of the last few years? Consultant David Wudyka tells us what’s going on and what we can do about it. Wudyka is founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Wrentham, MA based, full-service HR and compensation […]

Catch Me If You Can Compensation? DOL Says ‘I Caught You’

“There is a dramatic increase in wage and hour lawsuits,” says Contacos-Sawyer (and the recent Wal-Mart decision probably means an even greater increase). At her presentation at the recent World at Work Total Rewards Conference in San Diego, Contacos-Sawyer, president of HR Consultants, Inc., was joined by colleagues Polly Wright and Judith Mickey.  What About […]

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Broad-Based Variable Compensation Plans

As the economy crumbled around our collective feet, the proper design of a compensation program may not have seemed like a priority. But with more candidates than jobs available and the U.S. unemployment rate determined to break into double digits, you may be surprised to learn that compensation programs continue to play a vital role […]