Editor's Note:  We've all encountered the disappointment of clicking on a promising headline, only to find out we've been fooled into taking the bait.  Not good.  So  - asks Dan Walter in his Classic post - are your pay plans all that you advertise to your job candidates... and... Read More

We are being tested as we try to survive the post-Covid staffing tsunami. (And who knows? Possibly another wild wave known as the Covid variant that's out on the horizon.) Will we play by the rules that kept things ticking along in the good times, or give in to today's pressure by... Read More

To “attract, retain, and motivate”, these are the infamous principles upon which organizations rely when designing, communicating, and executing their total rewards strategy.  While this approach may fulfill the needs of the business, lets us not forget the perspective of the employee and the... Read More

Not every employee can sell products or services to potential customers.   The selling process requires an employee to possess a particular set of interactive and persuasion skills, as well as a compatible personality profile (garrulous, self-confident, unafraid of rejection, etc.).   While... Read More

Editor's Note:  It's that time of year.  Or it's just around the corner.  Many of you are - or will soon be - in the throes of reviewing your employee incentive plan. This Classic post highlights the three tiers of conversation that are critical to getting this done right. Years... Read More

Compensation professionals love to throw around the phrase "line of sight", particularly with respect to incentive pay design.  What do we mean when we use it in regard to rewards? And are we using it correctly in understanding reward effectiveness? Line of sight is an expression with... Read More

Research can be found everywhere and compelling research findings can make for profitable clickbait.  We in the HR space, however, would do well to become careful consumers of what is often presented as rewards and productivity research. One example would be an article with an attention-grabbing... Read More

On the plate today: an incentive plan design primer covering the topic of performance gates.   Performance gates (also referred to as "hurdles", "tripwires", "qualifiers" and "knockouts") can play an important role in incentive plan design. When an... Read More

Compensation wisdom and a terrific quote from none other than Maya Angelou! She says: Human beings are more alike than unalike.  Whether in Paris, Texas or Paris, France, we all want to have good jobs where we are needed and respected and paid just a little more than we deserve. I call this... Read More

A recent conversation about management participation in a compensation review brought to mind a client project where we made a big bet on involving managers. I was engaged to conduct a review of the company's compensation and benefits practices.  Managers in one particular division had... Read More