"Top 4" Total Rewards Predictions for 2010

A prediction by Rebecca Regan

Listed in no particular order:

1). The unemployment rate will bottom out in the first quarter of 2010, relieving pent-up demand from high performing, skilled employees and creating movement in the job market for the first time since 2008. Employers will only add staff once they must, with the pain of recent layoffs still fresh in their minds. Once overtime has been maxed out and employers cannot add more temporary staff, they'll begin to hire workers. Employers must identify their highest tier of performers, develop and deploy retention programs to mitigate loss of talent (hopefully, these plans are already in place....).

2). With increased scrutiny from the Federal government on managing risk versus reward in executive pay plan design, compensation professionals will need to play an integral role in auditing and assessing all of their in-house compensation programs. This review includes Board sub-committee structure, authority, oversight & review for compliance with new guidelines. These new regulatory standards from the Fed and SEC are expected to expand and apply to all prudently managed organizations (i.e., not only TARP recipients) within the U.S.

3). Variable pay plans will reward employees and recognition programs will help to retain them in 2010. The economy will be improved by November, 2010 because of the elections scheduled then. The question is how much of an improvement will happen between now and then? The key will be to track movement in specific job groups to respond to market pressures to compete from a total compensation perspective. With base pay used primarily as an inflation hedge, variable pay will increasingly become a commonly used tool to identify and retain A,B & C levels of performers.

4). We're not going back to where we were. Regardless of the direct impact of our own personal experience, whether it's been a loss of job, reduced 401k balance, lost home, or slashing employee expenses in total compensation programs at work, each of us has a new reality check with reduced expectations emerging on the backside of 2009. We've all struggled in some way this year, whether it affected us personally or through some member of our family. And because of that struggle, I think that many have a new found appreciation for the things that really matter in life such as our health, job stability, financial soundness, family, freedom, country and faith.

Because we don't take things for granted as much as we did only two short years ago, we have a new appreciation for the things that are good in our lives; we're simply not as greedy as we were. The bubble burst, and we're smarter for having lived through it. This is one prediction that I hope doesn't lapse before the end of 2010, because it's the silver lining of having lived through the recession.

What's your top prediction for 2010?

Copyright 2009, Regan HR, Inc.
Becky Regan is the founder and President of Regan HR, Inc., a human resources consulting firm specializing in compensation consulting for California employers and purveyor of online HR products.

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Choosing a Recession Proof Career

It’s becoming more of a reality with each passing day even if politicians are averse to use the proper term.

We are in a recession. 
The combination of rising fuel costs, the war in Iraq, the rising price of food and the mortgage crisis in this country has put us in a severe economic downturn. Call it what you want but it has made many of feel extremely uneasy about our future.

How will we continue to live the lifestyles we’ve grown accustomed to? Is it possible? One way to ensure that you’ll come out of this horrendous period of economic history in decent shape is to find a career that can go relatively untouched by a wretched economy.

Here are five careers to consider if this is a concern of yours:

1. Think international. 
With the state of the U.S. dollar in steady decline it may be time to consider relocating to Europe for a period of time where economies are thriving. If you have bilingual skills now is the time to put them to use. You probably wondered to yourself as you were taking your seventh year of Spanish: why do I need to know a foreign language? Well, this is the reason. It’s going to give you an opportunity to secure your financial future.

2. Teaching is rewarding. 
The stigma that teachers don’t make a lot of money is true. However, they do earn a respectable living and can make up to $80,000 if they earn their masters degree. Not to mention, the pension plan for educators in public schools are excellent where you can earn up to 80 % of your highest salary and receive excellent health benefits.

3. Go green. 
Working for the environment is not just a couple of hours of community service on Earth Day anymore. This is a thriving industry as some politicians are serious about combating global warming. This field is open to scientists and people with great communication skills that are adept at promoting major issues.

4. Healthcare jobs are safe. 
The healthcare industry is one of the largest growing fields in the United States and there appears to be no end in sight. With healthcare privatized for the foreseeable future there will always be a future in this industry.

5. Public service. 
Firefighters, policemen and municipal jobs will always be needed to be filled. While the salaries may not escalate like they used to, there will always be a demand for these services to be rendered.

Source: www.bankaholic.com

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Tools to "Celebrate a New Hire"

Part of HR's job is to educate managers on the importance of making new hires feel welcomed and important. Managers and employees need to take a larger role in "closing the sale" and owning the process of assimilating the new hires because their talent will improve the teams chance of meeting it's goals. Managers should consider using one or more of the following "celebration tools" to raise the enthusiasm of and for the new hire.

1. A phone call from the CEO/ GM welcoming them to the organization.
2. An invitation by the CEO/ GM to visit their office on their first day (or the CEO stopping by their work space).
3. A letter from the CEO/ GM welcoming them to the organization.
4. Cake and candles on the first morning to celebrate their joining the "family"/team.
5. A new hire luncheon on the first day to meet the team.
6. Welcome banner for their cubical signed by the CEO and all.
7. Take a Team Picture on the first day and have it signed by all.
8. Give them a Tee Shirt signed by all.
9. Place a Notice/Ad in the Local Paper welcoming them to let everyone know of your new team member (like consulting/ law firms do).
10. Give them a Plaque - Celebrating their First day.
11. Give them a "2 for dinner" certificate to tell their spouse or friend about their new job.
12. Place a welcome Note/ picture on your corporate Web site.
13. Put new hires pictures in our local ads or in regular corporate advertising.
14. Send their spouse/kids first day welcome gifts, corporate products or cards to make them feel they are part of the team and to build support for the new company.
15. Have other spouses call and welcome their spouses.
16. Have a new employee lunch for spouses during their first month.
17. Have a "No forms/ video/ manuals" policy during the first day/week. Consider sending them to their home to read prior to starting or let it wait until at least week 2.
18. Give them a "new hire" pin/ hat to let all know they deserve special help. The pin/ hat also entitles them to ask "dumb questions".
19. Give them a "pre-dated" 5 year pin to show them we expect them to be part of the team for a long time.
20. Give them a "meet everyone card" that requires (rewards) them for getting the initials of all key team members on the card during the first ___ days.
21. Give them a "new hire" reserved parking spot to celebrate their first week.
22. Give them a License Plate Cover for their car announcing their new company

This post is a part of Dr. John Sullivan article: The New Hire Orientation "ToolKit".
Dr. John Sullivan is a Head and Professor of Human Resource Management College of Business, San Francisco State University

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Managing Payroll Attendance

Hourdoc informs business owners and professionals about payroll attendance and the costs and challenges associated with payroll attendance. It highlights the positives of payroll attendance and use of payroll attendance to see more innovative techniques of managing payroll attendance.

Employers need an effective, efficient method of tracking payroll attendance that is associated with hour’s employee’s work, which are connected with payroll attendance. A lot of companies use old fashion ways of tracking payroll attendance, reporting payroll attendance, and managing payroll attendance. This is the age of digital interconnectivity, to enhance payroll attendance, payroll attendance telecommuting and payroll attendance virtual offices. These tools are good, especially when dealing with payroll attendance. A lot of older systems dealing with payroll attendance are outdated and irrelevant.

Old systems, dealing with payroll attendance, require HR personnel to perform all aspects of payroll attendance and if not up to speed, managing payroll attendance becomes too cumbersome and HR is overloaded, then payroll attendance suffers and the bottom line suffers. Using newer systems when payroll attendance is up and running smoothly payroll attendance becomes self regulated and instead of focusing on payroll attendance and payroll attendance related issues management could focus on pressing matters. The antiquated payroll attendance systems are prone to human error where payroll attendance is concerned and management, administration, and employees become impaired.

Payroll attendance can take care of employees from beginning to end with an updated cost effective payroll attendance system. Only Internet access is needed. This will free up a business owner’s time to keep focus off payroll attendance and payroll attendance problems, so they can focus on strategic aspects of their company. A huge percentage of companies spend more time and money on payroll attendance than they really should. Fraud creeps into the picture when no payroll attendance tracking, or payroll attendance documentation is integrated into the corporate structure along with no accountability for payroll attendance systems.

A payroll attendance system that is Internet based, payroll attendance user-friendly, payroll attendance up-to-date, and payroll attendance cost effectiveness will ease the burden for administrative, which are payroll attendance related, and employee payroll attendance functions. Also a payroll attendance implementation time should be short.

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Getting Promoted: Advancing Career In A Sustainable Way

"These are my real strategies for advancing career and getting promoted. Brace yourself for the long haul" (Long Yun Siang)

This getting promoted article isn’t going to teach you any short cuts to getting that promotion. Neither is it going to give you any tips or tricks to win brownie points from your bosses and superiors. The advice you will get here are my real strategies for advancing career and getting the promotion you want. This is the long way, and the hard way, if you will.

If you are here looking for short cuts to getting promoted then this article probably is not for you. But this much is true; these strategies worked for me. It will work for you if you are willing to clock the hours.

Even if today is your first day at work, I am sure you are thinking about that promotion. Getting promoted is often the ultimate goal for any working person. The strategies here gives you a set of values that will carry you far. Not just for the next promotion but for many more promotions to come.

I call these the 3Hs Strategy for Getting Promoted. The 3Hs are Honesty, Humility and Hardworking. These work values once you internalize them will dictate how you approach people and your work. And when done joyfully will even seem effortless. So, there is no need for shortcuts, tips, tricks and hints for getting that promotion.

1. Honesty

Practice honesty early on in your career. Being honest also means being true to yourself. Know what are your real strengths and weaknesses. And be honest with yourself. This honesty creates an awareness of what you can truly work on in getting promoted.

Honesty is also being true to others. It means being genuine and sincere in all your undertakings in the company. Do not go around politicking and back stabbing people knowingly or unknowingly. These can become a bad habit and before you know it, it would hurt your career advancement. You probably wouldn’t even notice that this habit hurts chances of getting promoted.

Honesty also means conducting your work with integrity. If you made a mistake at work, admit to it. You gain more respect from your colleagues than hiding behind it, hoping that no one finds out. Anyone with high personal standards would not want to get promoted by taking credit for someone else’s work. Honesty here is to give credit where credit is due. Admit to the good work you contributed but do not hoard the glory that you had no part in.

2. Humility

My grandparents used to say, if you want to know if a child will meet with a lot of benefactors in his/her life, then see if the child is humble. The logic is that if a person is humble, then that person is more likely to meet someone who is willing to help in times of trouble.

This wisdom rings true today even in the workplace. Ask yourself, how many times have you wished for that cocky colleague in your office not getting promoted? In fact, you probably did not even offer to help that colleague in times of trouble.

As a career newbie or even as a veteran, humility goes a long way in helping you getting promoted. People go out of the way to help those who are humble. When you have the skills and knowledge, yet remain down to earth bosses gravitate towards you. It helps you getting promoted in the long run. Treat colleagues with humility regardless of designation. Everyone has a role in the workplace and each deserves being treated with respect.

3. Hardworking

I am a big believer in working hard. Being hardworking means doing the best and completing every task properly. Do not take any shortcuts and do not think that working smart means there is no need to be hard working. Even when you work smart, maximum effort is needed. If you think that getting promoted is about working smart, then think again.

Maximum effort is working hard. To be constantly working smart and not give up on the idea of consistency is to be hardworking. In that sense, bosses look for people who are hardworking. Someone who is consistently delivering the results towards achieving the company’s objectives. Regardless of how you look at it, getting promoted involves consistent hard work.

If you are looking at getting promoted, try the 3Hs Strategy for Getting Promoted. Higher positions need people who have high personal standards, hence honesty is important. Humility is important as you move up the corporate ladder. This is because you need to motivate staff and not intimidate them. You gain respect rather than fear. Someone who is hardworking has the tenacity to see that work gets completed in the best possible fashion. These strategies ensure that your career advancement can be sustained regardless of rank.
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Source: Article99

What Salary Are You Seeking?

Recruiters often use salary requirements as part of the initial screening process, asking applicants to disclose their expectations in a cover letter or during a telephone interview. HR job seekers are certainly not immune from such inquiries and need to be prepared to drawn on their HR expertise when responding, experts say.

"Salary negotiation is more an art than a science," says Gail Aldrich, SPHR, an executive coach in Genoa, Nev., and former chief membership officer for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). But she says interviewers are going to expect HR people to know how to handle this type of question.

Dodging the question entirely is not recommended, according to Jim Kennedy, president of Management Team Consultants Inc., an interview training company in San Rafael, Calif. "My advice would be to share what they have in mind as an expected range and not just dance around the issue," he says.

Sometimes the best response is to ask "Can you tell me what you have in mind for this particular position?" says Lin Blair, SPHR, HR project leader for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Little Rock, Ark. Candidates should know their own bottom line, she says, but be very careful not to undersell themselves.

Blair, who is also a career planning instructor at Webster University, suggests HR candidates use this question as an opportunity to distance themselves from the competition by describing any additional experience, advanced degrees or HR-related certifications they possess. "Recap your skills and experience and give a range," she says, that is based on research into comparable pay for similar sized organizations in the same industry.

Candidates should take their time responding, however. "Don't throw out a number first if you can avoid it," says Laura M. Labovich, president, A & E Consulting LLC, a Washington, D.C., area career coaching and HR consulting service. "If you do, you'll either undersell your value or overbid yourself out of the position."

Instead, Labovich suggests recapping the position requirements and stating "I'm open to hearing what this position's market value is."

Everything Is Negotiable
"HR people get too limited by knowing the top of the range," says Maureen G. Henson, SPHR, vice president of human resources at Henry Ford Bi-County Hospital in Warren, Mich. She says they shouldn't be so constrained by their knowledge of salary structures.

Aldrich suggests finding out as much as possible about a position's total compensation package, including benefits, stock options and bonuses, as well as base pay, before the interview takes place. If complete information is not available, she suggests a response such as "I'm confident we can find the right number, but I'm reluctant to give a specific number until I have done a complete analysis of the total compensation."

"You don't want to undersell yourself," Aldrich says. "You want to give the recruiter confidence that you can come to terms but need more information about how the total compensation package compares."

Aldrich, who interviewed many HR people in three roles as top HR executive, says "You really do expect HR people to have done their homework more than others. … You expect them to have good questions about the total compensation program; all HR people really need to do their homework on their current plan and new employer's plan.

"Make it clear that you are interested in an equitable salary and don't want to be overpaid or underpaid compared to others performing similar work," Aldrich says. Applicants are generally not privy to an organization's pay scale, so, she says "Tell them you will rely upon them to make sure you are equitably paid."

Take It to the Next Level
An applicant shouldn't show their hand to just anyone, according to Kennedy. "I would want to make sure this person had some decision-making authority and wasn't someone on the interviewing schedule who would just be a potential peer," he says, suggesting that candidates first ask "Are you the one who will set the salary?"

If the salary quoted is too low or the position seems too junior as described, Labovich says, a candidate can try to create a larger job during the interview by describing additional tasks they can perform for the organization which would result in a larger job and higher salary.

"HR professionals don't always know how marketable their skills are," Henson says. She says candidates should assess their worth through networking and research and not worry about pricing themselves out of the market.
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From SHRM's HR Careers Articles, by Rebecca R. Hastings, SPHR (online writer/editor for SHRM)

How Do You Want To Be Rewarded On The Job ?

Different employees are rewarded in different ways and at different times in their career. Managers have to be flexible. Employees and job seekers should realize the major trend of baby boomers retiring as they come of age. Both job seekers and employees should realize that they are in a much better bargaining position when it comes to their pay , bonuses and conditions they receive .

Gone are the days when a pat on the back for a job well done or a gold watch after 25 years of service were enough to keep employees happy , productive and in the end profitable.

Different employees need to be rewarded in different ways. You may wish to rewarded in different ways at different times of your life and career.

For example if you are a person who is newly married and saving for a home the best reward for you may be an increase in pay.

However s several years later with a young you may felt that the best rewarded is time off or 3 day weekends in the summer to better spend precious time with his family.

Good managers and supervisors are flexible in their reward tactics. Employee recognition and reward programs are often now be seen as an investment rather than an expense.

Traditionally recognizing superior job performance beyond the old fashioned compliment and occasional bonuses has previously not been a priority or concern in most Human Resource (HR) departments. And to make matters worse often bonus or reward programs were changed in midstream.

This changing of the rules was often done arbitrarily on the whim of “management privilege” causing frustration on the part of employees and often great resentment. As a result morale suffered often in the most productive employees on staff. It is often said that 85% of the results in any organization and certainly the role models of new employees come from the top 15 % of staff.

You should be aware of a major trend that is brewing in the workforce.

Masses of the most senior, experienced employees that were born during the “Baby Boom” are getting ready for their retirement and thus exiting the work force.

As a result many job seekers and employees are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their employment expectations,

What can you ask for from your management superiors and as well look for in their hiring process?

Employment recognition , awards and remuneration come in many varied forms – from simple salary increases , bonus structures , physical rewards of course such as shiny plaques and art work ,

Employees can be rewarded in “point to point reward programs for high end merchandise, memberships in elite clubs and health clubs can also be a form of remuneration to look for.

As well you could be rewarded as an employee by expensive dinners, sports tickets, vacations and of course physical cash bonuses.

However be aware of awards that are “not rewards “well at least to you.

The interviewer or manager may speak strongly of a “trip “to some exotic location such as Hawaii or Fiji. However once there it turns out that this trip is actually a “Moonie company indoctrination “session where you are held captive in an isolated resort compound: You will be lucky if you see the light of day outside of the “ meeting” and in the evening slave over so called vital “reports” and assignments .. So much for the “trip’ being a reward.

In the end as in life the simple things are really what to look for in the hiring and employee recognition process.

Either some form of effective increased salary – be it a simple salary or bonus structure , increased time off – vacations , 3 day weekends, shorter day periods or a benefit that you would otherwise have to pay out of your pocket – for example a company car , lunch allowance or a paid health care plan are best.

At the worst as your grandmother may have told you “When in doubt give cash “.
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Source: article99