Chp 9: Compensation Management Flashcards
LO1: one indicator of compensation
Look at turnover for compensation - if turnover rate is high enough to adversely impact firm performance, employee compensation is probably too low
LO1: what is compensation
Cash and non-cash rewards employee receive in exchange for their work
LO1: 2 types of compensation
direct, indirect
LO1: what includes direct compensation
Direct compensation includes wages paid and variable pay such as bonuses, commissions, and stocks paid as short or long term incentives in exchange for the work they do
LO1: what includes indirect compensation
Indirect compensation includes employee benefits and services (Chapter 10)
LO1: what do employees evaluate
if they are underpaid or adequately paid
LO1: 4 points to absolute vs relative pay
1) Total amount versus amount compared to others
2) Affect perceptions of fair and adequate pay
3) When total/absolute pay is too low - employees cannot meet physiological or safety needs
4) Dissatisfaction with relative pay more common (amount compared to others)
3 points to compensation perceived inappropriate
1) Performance, motivation, and satisfaction may decline dramatically
2) Turnover may occur
3) Dissatisfaction with absolute or relative pay
LO1: what does effective compensation try to achieve
internal and external equity
LO1: define internal equity
pay related to relative worth of jobs. Perceived equity of a pay system across different jobs within org. Compare jobs and skills within org in terms of relative contribution to org objectives.
LO1: define external equity
paying workers relative to market. Perceived fairness in pay relative to what other employers are paying for the same type of work
LO1: 5 effective compensation objectives
1) Acquire qualified personnel
2) Retain present employees
3) Reward desired behaviour
4) Control costs - without systematic wage + salary structure, the org might overpay or underpay employees
5) Legal compliance
LO2: phases in determining direct compensation
Phase 1: compensation philosophy (lead, match, lag) (LO2)
Phase 2: job analysis (job description, job specification, performance standards) (LO2)
Phase 3: pricing jobs (job evaluation, market pricing, skill based) (LO3)
Phase 4: matching employees to pay (LO4)
LO2: phase 1:what does strong compensation philosophy do
ties org mission, strategies, outlook to pay it provides employees
LO2: phase 1: define lead strategy
rates higher than relative marketplace like google to attract top talent ex. retail stores
LO2: phase 1: define lag strategy
rates lower than those of relative marketplace ex. Warehouse with low turnover in remote community w large labour pool.
LO2: 2 points to phase 2
Understand job + skills needed
Review job analysis info to compare jobs for internal equity and identify comparable jobs to make external equity assessments
LO3: 3 approaches to determining direct compensation
1) job evaluation
2) market pricing
3) skill or knowledge based
LO3: define job evaluation
Systematic procedures to determine the relative worth or value of jobs (internal equity). Systematic processes of assessing job content and ranking jobs according to consistent set of job characteristics and worker traits
LO3: 3 approaches to job evaluation method
1) job ranking
2) job grading aka job classification
3) point system
LO3: define job ranking
form of job evaluation in which jobs are ranked subjectively according to overall worth to org
LO3: 3 points to job ranking
1) Simplest form but least precise
2) Challenge: some elements may be overlooked or unimportant items weighted too heavily and do not differentiate relative importance of jobs. More important jobs paid more.
3) Best suited for small org with simple hierarchies
LO3: define job grading aka job classification
form of job evaluation that assigns jobs to predetermined job classifications according to their relative worth to org and job description
LO3: 3 points to job grading
1) More important jobs paid more but can lead to inaccurate pay levels
2) Assigns each job a grade based on classifications
LO3: define point system
form of job evaluation that assesses the relative importance of the job’s key/compensable factors in order to arrive at the relative worth of jobs
LO3: 3 points to point system
1) Most popular and valid
2) Jobs worth more are paid more like all these methods
More difficult to develop initially but can be done by job evaluation committee or compensation analyst. Often use a standard approach with unique variations.
LO3: explain alternative to point system - profile method by korn ferry hay guide
evaluates jobs on 3 factors a) value created by job/accountability b) how value is created/problem solving c) what job requirements are that employee must meet to deliver value (know-how)
LO3: 6 steps in point system
1) determine compensable factors like safety of others, product/service quality
2) determine levels (or degrees) of factors
3) allocate points to subfactors (start with level IV)
4) allocatie points to levels (degrees)
5) develop point manual - contains written explanation for each job element and what is expected for 4 levels (degrees) for each subfactor
6) apply point system - subjective and requires specialists to compare job descriptions and point manual for each subfactor
LO3: define market pricing
Focuses on external competitiveness ie how much should org pay for jobs based on what competitors are paying
LO3: what does firm rely on to get market pricing data
Rely on Wage and salary surveys ie same labour market comparable jobs
LO3: 2 points to market pricing
1) One group suggests using comparables beyond industry and use last employer of new hires
2) Simply matching job titles can be misleading
3) Data from wage + salary surveys need to be aged to common point in time. Surveys older than 2 years are likely too old.
LO3: 3 types of market pricing
1) matching market
2) market leader
3) market lag
LO3: define matching market in market pricing
targeting 50% percentile means org will pay at middle of all orgs with similar positions
LO3: define market leader in market pricing
typically aim for paying 75th percentile
LO3: define market lag in market pricing
paying 25th percentile. May suit loose labour markets or org with strong variable compensation + benefits program.
LO4: define skill or knowledge based pay
pay system based on employee’s mastery of skill or knowledge
LO4: 3 things and examples skill/knowledge based pay is based on
Pay is based on depth (gaining greater expertise in existing skills), breadth (increases in employee range of skills), and self-management (gaining higher level of management-type skills like budgeting, training, planning)
LO4: 3 points to depth pay systems
Commonly seen in skilled traders and professors and seen in white collar careers where there is dual career ladder
Existed since middle ages