Tag Archive for: employee retention

Winning the War for Talent

The talent war is raging, and CEOs want their human resource heads (CHROs) to spend more time finding, retaining, and upskilling great employees. That is according to a recent poll by Chief Executive and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

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Many companies are gearing up for significant growth as the pandemic eases, but the speed of the economic recovery has unleashed a talent shortage. Few organizations have all the talent they currently need. Further, poaching may rob companies of talent needed to grow. In fact, the more successful a company is, the more likely it is to become a recruiting target.

To acquire and retain talent, organizations must be preemptive by developing a competitive and fair compensation program. Worker shortages, the improving economy, and inflation are putting increased pressure on wages and salaries. Making sure compensation comparisons are up to date is essential (and more challenging). Survey data may be less reliable in this rapidly growing economy. To update the comparison, we also recommend getting a pulse on the market through colleagues as we continually assess through out contacts.

With an equitable compensation plan as a starting point, HR teams hiring and retention initiatives will go further.

HIRING TOP TALENT

The U.S. Labor Department reported more than 7.5 million unfilled job openings in June 2021, a slight improvement over March of this year. Nonetheless, employers continue to struggle with hiring and finding employees whose skills match their hiring needs. To close the gap, we advise organizations to:

1) Shift the hiring focus from a work history to a skills or competency-based approach. This will open a new pool of potential workers and demonstrate that there is no best route to a role. For example, significant numbers of food service employees have lost their jobs. Many have the skills to be successful in customer service roles, currently a high-demand function.

Refocusing on skills will mean recasting job descriptions to skills needed versus work history requirements. Managers will need to change their mindsets and expand training programs to prepare employees for new roles. And an adapted evaluation process may be needed as the newly hired learn on the job.

2) Do not overlook internal candidates. Emphasis on skills is the future of training and development. Companies are realizing the need to reskill or upskill their employees. Exposing employees to different areas of the company will help to identify business areas that they are interested in. Start by including them in cross-functional teams and meetings. Most important, encourage employees to keep to a continuous learning cycle.

3) Get creative to recruit women back to the workforce. In March of this year, almost 1.5 million fewer mothers of school age children were working compared to February 2020. As schools return to in-person instruction, more women will be available to fill recruiting needs.

However, some creativity is required. Consider flexibility to address childcare responsibilities, work-from-home arrangements, access to EAP or mental health programs, and reintegration training for women who have been off long-term.

RETAINING KEY EMPLOYEES

Surveys show that anywhere from a quarter to more than half of employees are planning to look for a new job post-pandemic. To avoid losing key employees, companies need to offer competitive compensation. After all, these employees are among your most valuable assets. Losing them is expensive and replacing them may not be possible.

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There are three employee groups that bear special consideration: top performers, those in positions of high demand, and high-potential employees. About 10% to 15% of salaried employees are top performers. Look at employees that performed consistently for at least two years; last year can be considered an anomaly.

High-demand positions are those that came into prominence last year. An example is supply chain workers dealing with product shortages, shipping delays and general vendor delivery uncertainty. These jobs are netting higher wages and salaries as demand outpaces supply. Employers may have no choice but to invest more heavily in these positions.

The final group is high-potential employees who have been identified to receive special developmental opportunities. These are your future leaders. Continue to invest in cross-functional training and educational experiences.

SUMMARY

Moving forward, businesses relying on a pre-pandemic pay equity analysis must adjust to changing market conditions. Some will be forced to wait until profits return to fund pay equity adjustments. A thoughtful analysis will help companies get from here to there.

HR hiring and retention programs will be challenged for months to come. However, there are compensation planning steps employers can take now to improve program outcomes and make the most of the current job market.

LET’S CONNECT

To discuss how to recruit and retain key employees, please contact Neil Lappley at (847) 921-2812 or nlappley@lappley.com.

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Answers to Your HR Questions

Sometimes great advice comes from our peers and respected colleagues. This is why networking, panel discussions and webinars are such powerful business education tools.

With that in mind, this issue of Compensation Alert shares expert insights from a diverse group of human resource (HR), management consulting, compensation and employee retention leaders. We asked them for feedback on three key questions impacting hiring and compensation management decisions in 2020. Our experts include:

  • David Gilmartin, managing director at Patina Solutions, a management consulting firm that partners with organizations to fill a key expertise or resource gap.
  • Jeff Kortes, an employee retention consultant, author and speaker. Jeff is founder of Human Asset Management.
  • Aaron Schneider, managing director of the Petenwell Group, an executive search and employee retention firm.
  • Rena Somersan, president of the Milwaukee Area Compensation Association (MACA). Rena also is the Newport Group’s managing principal, compensation consulting services.

Of course, HR compensation consultant Neil Lappley, founder of Lappley & Associates and publisher of this newsletter, also weighs in.

Here are Your Three Questions and Answers From our Top Experts:

1) What do you think will happen with wages, salaries and benefits this year?

Salaries will continue to increase; part of that is driven by what everyone is calling the “labor shortage.” Benefits will remain the same. Aaron Schneider

Wages and benefits will (increase) at a higher rate; lowest-worker wages will finally start to push the next tier of worker wages up. Middle-level managers will see wages go up at a rate lower than the lowest tier because (they) tend not to leave and (so) are subject to the “salary pool budget.” Jeff Kortes

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Wages will remain flat this year. With the state (of Wisconsin) not making changes to minimum wage, that alleviates the short-term risk.

Still, (there is) concern changes (will be) made for 2021 and beyond or at the federal level. David Gilmartin

Our market intelligence suggests that 2020 wage growth for production, professional (non-management), management, and executive job classifications will remain largely unchanged from the prior year, hovering between 2.8% and 2.9%. While we do not anticipate sweeping changes in benefit plan offerings for 2020, employers are modifying their benefit plans to entice younger workers. (Offerings include) tuition forgiveness, flexible schedules, and richer parental leaves of absence. Rena Somersan

Median salary increases will be flat at median 3.0% and average at 3.2%. Assuming the Consumer Price Index increases by 2.3% as projected by the International Monetary Fund, real salary increases will be .7%, the lowest level in 40 years. Neil Lappley

2) What are the biggest HR challenges facing your clients? What have you been hearing from them?

Recruiting and retention (are) the biggest challenge(s) and will be for the next decade at least. My manufacturing clients are still afraid to raise prices, but when they have gotten past that they have been making (prices) stick by telling clients they (can’t) keep talent if they are not competitive with compensation. When the argument is presented in this way, customers accept the increases. Jeff Kortes

No question the two biggest challenges facing management are retention and recruiting. Companies are expanding their sources for new workers and are paying more attention to taking care of current employees. For HR and compensation professionals, emphasis is being placed on pay equity and pay transparency. Neil Lappley

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Employee retention and hiring are my clients’ biggest challenges. The availability of skilled laborers is a significant risk in Wisconsin and beyond, especially with our strong manufacturing base. There is also concern for finding leadership and technology skilled resources. One example: Milwaukee Tool needs to find almost 800 (new) employees as they continue to expand in SE Wisconsin. David Gilmartin

Our clients and members of MACA are concerned about executive talent flight. The job market is hot for skilled executives who possess the managerial fortitude to lead organizations through major transformations in today’s increasingly competitive global economy. Rena Somersan

The pressure is on to review systems and processes. Many HR managers are under increased pressure to increase benefits, find candidates for job openings, and (improve) employee engagement. These managers are noticing that some of the same systems that worked for the last several years are changing. Aaron Schneider

3) What would you advise your clients – especially small and mid-sized businesses – who are having trouble hiring and retaining top talent in the current business climate?

As companies struggle to differentiate rewards and recognize excellent employee performance, they are increasingly turning to incentive compensation, both in number of programs and numbers of eligible participants. At the same time, employers are relying on gig workers to fill employment gaps in the tight labor market.

In addition, to capture and retain talent, employers are personalizing employee benefits – not necessarily high-cost perks – that align with their culture, offer greater flexibility and work-life balance. Neil Lappley

My advice it to take advantage of firms like (ours) who (can provide) experienced professionals who are willing to work in interim and project-based roles with clients. Businesses need to look beyond the Wisconsin state border; (Patina Solutions) has access to those resources and the ability to expedite the hiring process for our clients. David Gilmartin

Increasingly, executives at SMBs are being hired by larger companies. These larger companies likely have long-term incentive (LTI) programs in place to attract, retain, and reward executives for their contributions to the business. LTI programs provide actual or pseudo “ownership” in the firm and typically comprise a large portion of the executive’s total direct compensation package.

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To maintain a competitive edge, SMBs should determine whether their executive compensation programs provide a long-term incentive opportunity for key executives. The LTI opportunity should be aligned with the company’s strategic plan and future growth goals, and it should provide monetary rewards commensurate with performance and appropriate levels of risk taking. Even if SMBs cannot provide “ownership” in the traditional sense (i.e., equity), several cash-based program types might be considered. Rena Somersan

Hire where you are at. Meaning, in small and mid-sized organizations, it is important to hire people that fit your current organization, but maybe can take you where you’re going. (This also means not hiring) someone outside of your current capabilities. If you are focused on the ideal candidate and not getting jobs filled, shift to hiring candidates that fit the culture and be ready to train them up on the needed skills. Aaron Schneider

Focus on retention. In my case, I tell them to pay competitively and “Give their Employees C.R.A.P.”  (Caring, Respect, Appreciation, and Praise). Develop a strategy to retain people (versus) trying to recruit people. Jeff Kortes

Do you have more questions about where wages, compensation and benefits are heading in the current economic climate? Or would you like to connect with any of our Q&A contributors? If so, please contact Neil Lappley at (847) 921-2812 or nlappley@lappley.com.

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The Case for Employee Retention

As we begin a new decade, the challenges facing businesses, executive leadership and HR professionals are growing. From societal changes to digital transformation, the trends shaping organizations have HR responsibilities evolving. These issues require fresh ideas and perspectives.

With that in mind, Compensation Alert will periodically feature guest articles from thought leaders in their fields. Our first is from national speaker and trainer Jeff Kortes, founder of Human Asset Management LLC. Jeff helps organizations recruit, engage, develop and retain talent.

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Employee retention is the biggest challenge organizations will face in the next decade. The reality is that Baby boomers are retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day. There are simply not enough people to take the spots of the people that are retiring.

Trying to find replacements is difficult and costly, so when you do find them you need to be able to retain them. As an employee retention speaker and trainer, I have worked with organizations to address their employee retention issues. They cite various reasons, including:

The first and most frequent reason is money.

The bottom line is that having a revolving door of people costs an organization a lot. Those costs drop right to the bottom line.

One of my clients, a metal casting company, determined that it was costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire new employees, train them and ramp them up to the point where they were producing quality parts. The owners were turning down sales because they didn’t have a fully staffed plant due to their employee turnover. To address the situation, they took the approach of:

  • Educating managers on what drives employee turnover,
  • Getting managers input on how to address those drivers in their organization, and
  • Taking certain key actions to improve job satisfaction.

These actions helped them reduce turnover by approximately 30% in the six-month period after our employee retention workshop.

Another compelling reason is the stress that employee turnover puts on the people who lead their teams and their departments.

In this case, the supervisors and managers who were leading the people in the organization were so stressed because of the constant turnover that they were experiencing that it was starting to take a toll on them emotionally.

The HR Director and the VP of Operations saw the toll it was taking on these leaders and realized it was not sustainable in the long run. They also realized that the reason that much of the turnover existed was because of the way their supervisors were leading.

As a result, they embarked on a six-month leadership training program to educate leaders on how to lead Millennials and Gen Z employees so that they wanted to stay with the organization.

Beyond starting to reduce the stress of excessive turnover on the supervisors and managers, they are also experiencing operational gains because of the change in leadership style.

Lastly, and most importantly, another reason for addressing the issue of employee retention is organizational survival.

When you can’t keep the people you need to run your organization and your competitors can, you are out of business. That’s reality. In the next decade, we will find that organizations that don’t get a handle on their employee turnover will find themselves unable to compete. When this happens, an owner’s years of working to build a business will be flushed down the toilet or stockholders will suffer massive declines in the value of the business.

One manufacturing client in a rural area with a 1.8% unemployment rate was simply running out of people. They had to stop the employee turnover, or the business would be in jeopardy.

Using a combination of an employee retention workshop to get buy in from supervisors and managers and a focused kaizen event on employee retention, the organization saw a significant drop in employee turnover in the next year so that they now have a stable workforce. In fact, they were not only able to survive but are now able to grow.

In Conclusion

Regardless of the reason for embarking on an employee retention initiative, delaying the inevitable impact of employee retention is sheer insanity. The key to attacking employee turnover is to recognize that if you don’t take focused action, the issue is not going to go away.

The days of thinking that you can simply replace people are gone — long gone. And, the reasons for taking action are compelling ones. Clearly, it’s in the best interest of any organization and the leaders who must bear the brunt of turnover to act on this compelling business issue.

About the Author:

Jeff Kortes is a recognized speaker and trainer who helps organizations recruit, engage, develop and retain talent. Founder of Human Asset Management LLC, he has more than 25 years of experience in human resources working with companies including ConAgra Foods, SPX, Midas International and American Crystal Sugar. He is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and the author of several books including: Give Your Employees C.R.A.P., 7 Other Secrets to Employee Retention, and HR Horror Stories…True Tales from the Trenches. For more information, contact me at jeff@humanassetmgt.com, 414-305-9626 or visit http://www.jeffkortes.com.

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2020 Salary Budget Increases

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Despite uncertainty about where the U.S. economy is heading, recent salary surveys from compensation consulting firms reveal that salaries are expected to either increase slightly or hold steady versus 2019 salaries. In this issue of Compensation Alert, we look at how companies are planning to deal with 2020 salary budgets to remain competitive and retain top talent.

Survey information was gathered from human resource professionals facing an extremely tight labor market, increased investment in pay equity adjustments and climbing minimum wage rates. What’s more, many economists are predicting slower economic growth and greater risk for a possible recession within the next two years.

Under these conditions, participating organizations in this year’s salary surveys provide crucial insights into how companies are budgeting for salary increases in 2020.

WorldatWork

WorldatWork survey participants report that in 2019 salary budgets grew slightly to 3.2% average (median 3.0%) meeting last year’s projections. They expect salary budgets overall to increase to 3.3% in 2020. Specific pay increases are expected to be:

  • 3.2% for exempt salaried workers,
  • 3.3% for officers and executives,
  • 3.1% for nonexempt employees, and
  • 3.2% for nonexempt hourly.

In addition, pay equity continues to be a significant issue to organizations. The WorldatWork survey finds that 42% of participants plan to budget for pay equity increases in 2020, up from 37% in 2019. When pay equity adjustments are not budgeted, 46% of respondents report that company savings will be used for adjustments in 2020.

Promotional increases in 2020 are projected to average 8.9%, up slightly from 2019. The portion of salary increase budgets attributed to merit are projected at 3.0%. Not surprisingly, the largest increases in salary budgets are from the East Coast (Washington DC and Boston) and the West Coast (Denver, Portland, San Diego and San Jose). In 2019, the reported average salary structure increase was 2.2%.

Willis Towers Watson

According to the 2019 Willis Towers Watson General Industry Salary Budget Survey, salary increases are expected to hold steady in 2020. The survey reveals increases of:

  • 3.1% for exempt and non-management employees,
  • 3.1% for management employees,
  • 3.0% for nonexempt hourly workers,
  • 2.9% for nonexempt salaried employees, and
  • 3.1% for executives.

The survey finds that employers will continue to reward star performers larger increases than average performing employees. According to the survey, the highest performing employees were granted an average increase of 4.6% in 2019, about 70% higher than the 2.7% increase given to those receiving an average increase.

To retain your best workers, as compensation consultants we have long advanced a minimum increase for star performers should be at least two times the increase to average performers. Although the differential has crept up over the past few years, it still has not reached a minimum ideal level.

Mercer

Mercer’s findings are consistent with WorldatWork’s 2019-2020 Salary Budget Survey. While overall salary increases were 3.5% in 2019, they are projected to be 3.6% in 2020. Survey results show that merit increases for 2019 were at 2.9%, while mean and median merit increases are expected to be 3.0% for 2020.

Additionally, the Mercer survey found that there was no change in the number of employees receiving promotional increases in 2019. The average promotional increase was 9.3%, slightly more than the 8.9% increase recorded by WorldatWork.

Further findings reveal organizations continue to use performance ratings to differentiate salary increases, although a small portion do not use performance ratings (14%). Among this small group, the majority distribute merit pay based on manager discretion with oversight by business leader or HR/compensation.

The survey also finds that high performers received 1.6 times the salary increase of average performers.

Payfactors

The Payfactors salary survey provides detailed responses for U.S. and Canadian employers, with data broken out by industry, revenue, organization size, region and state.

According to the Payfactors survey, average salary increases in 2020 are expected to be:

  • 3.2% for exempt employees,
  • 3.2% for exempt (non-management) employees,
  • 3.2% for managers, and
  • 3.1% for officers and executives.

Industries reporting higher expected increases include professional services, pharmaceuticals, software, technology, metals, and oil and gas. Industries expecting lower increases include retail, not-for-profit, hotels and restaurants, banks and aerospace. The survey shows little difference in average increases by region.

Salary.com

According to its annual Salary.com Salary Budget Survey, median annual salary increases are expected to remain flat at 3.0% for 2020. The salary.com survey average salary increase is significantly lower than the salary increases predicted in prior cited surveys. Although different survey methodology may be present, also likely at play are different survey populations.

Variable Pay Programs Becoming More Important

After reviewing the results of these top-rated surveys, it is apparent that many organizations are struggling to remain competitive on salaries to attract and retain top talent. That’s why many are moving towards variable pay programs. Rather than investing in long-term, fixed salary programs, companies are focused on rewarding and retaining top talent via pay-for-performance incentive programs. Along with improving employee engagement and reducing turnover, another benefit to these programs is stronger market competitiveness.

How Do You Determine Your Salary Increase Budget?

Clearly, predicted market increase budgets are only one input to weigh when deciding on your salary increase budget for 2020. To begin with, it is important to distinguish between your competitiveness goal and your overall compensation strategy. Next, examine how far above or below that goal your current salaries are. Finally, evaluate how close your company can come to meeting your 2020 salary goal based on available funding.

One final point to consider: recessions are inevitable. Organizations that take strategic compensation and human resources actions in advance of these downturns will be better positioned when the economy turns around.

In Summary

Please contact me at (847) 921-2812 or nlappley@lappley.com if you would like to discuss this topic further. In addition, you can read more on this topic at lappley.com. Please share this article with anyone who think may be interested.

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[Salesforce Alert Sept. 2018] The Millennial Effect on Sales Compensation

A lot has been written about the interests, attitudes, and behaviors of Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996). Among the facts that have been reported, primarily by the Gallup organization, these stand out:

  • Millennials will account for 50 percent of the US workforce by the year 2020.
  • Only 50 percent plan to be with their current company one year from now.
  • Only 29 percent are engaged at work.
  • At the 2016 Sales Compensation Conference, research done by Michael Ahearne, a professor at the University of Houston, suggests that Millennial salespeople are more interested in a leveraged compensation plan than their traditional peers

Based on our research and experience, we believe the following should guide the treatment of Millennials:

  • Millennials want to grow in a job that fits them.
  • They enjoy more periodic feedback than other generations.
  • They have a firm desire to be considered for a “fast track” promotion if their performance warrants.
  • Millennial salespeople want to be rewarded for their results.

All of this signals the importance of rethinking how to recognize and reward superior performance of an increasing population of Millennials in the sales organization.

So, what are some of the ways to consider?

Possible Approaches

Following are four possible approaches. Understandably, careful analysis will need to be undertaken to ensure any new approach or program can be aligned with a company’s overall culture and reward strategies.

  1. Career Pathing. To better retain Millennials offer individual career growth paths that spell out how a salesperson of any age can advance in the organization. According to reports, Credit Suisse, the international financial services company, did just that and believes that its 1% increase in retention can save $75 to $100 million a year.
  2. Outstanding Achievement Award. For all salespeople who clearly demonstrate stellar achievement, for example candidates for “The President’s Club”, offer them a new, end-of-year special bonus that can be used to support their outside-work deep interest. Examples could be a local community group (Boys & Girls Club) or the local alumni chapter of the college they attended.
  3. Enhanced Engagement Opportunities. To better engage Millennial salespeople, offer all employees some new or enhanced opportunities to participate with company executives. One example is providing structured networking with senior company executives (Sales VP, CFO, CMO, VP Operations, VP HR). Video chats, such as an “Ask the CEO” forum, might also be considered.
  4. More leverage in the Compensation Plan. Move, for example, from an 80/20 compensation plan for sales people to a 70/30 plan.

Survey Your Salesforce

Not sure your Sales Compensation Plan or talent management programs need a major change to accommodate Millennial salespeople?

Consider evaluating where you stand today by conducting a Salesforce Survey with the entire salesforce asking for the recipient’s age category and opinions on a number of topics, e.g., career pathing, training, current compensation pros and cons, and incentive leverage. The survey results can offer a baseline snapshot of today’s situation. From there, discussions can be started to lay a forward path.

If you would like to discuss this topic or your other salesforce compensation needs further, please contact Tim Weizer at tim@salescne.com or 312-479-6411 or Neil at nlappley@lappley.com. Also feel free to share this article with anyone who might be interested.

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[March 2017 Comp Alert] Cost of Not Paying to Market

Low unemployment and a looming labor shortage means employers have to work harder to attract and retain top talent. Across gender and education levels, salary and benefits are the most important factors when job seekers are choosing an employer, according to research conducted by Randstad North America. 

It is becoming a candidate-driven market again, and job seekers have more tools to determine if they are getting paid what they’re worth.

A recent survey by Gallup asked the question: “What do workers want most out of their job and their company?” The answer can help companies develop better retention strategies. It can also give insights into why employees may join the organization.

Gallup asked employees how important certain attributes are when considering whether to take a job with a different organization. Although the reasons for changing employers are often multi-faceted and typically include the ability to do what they do best and greater work-life balance, a significant increase in compensation is one of the most important reasons.

A Significant Increase in Compensation

Roughly four out of 10 employees (41 percent) say a significant increase in pay is “very important” to them when considering a new job. Specifically, more male employees than female employees say this factor is “very important”. Not surprisingly, more millennials and Gen Xers, than baby boomers, rate this factor “very important” in a job search.
Income matters to people, and organizations cannot overlook its importance. Organizations should ensure that managers have conversations with candidates explaining in great depth the company’s compensation strategy and how compensation programs work.Retaining Current Employees
At the same time organizations must focus on retaining current staff, particularly top performers and high-potentials. Most companies address this in several ways:

  • Developing a Compensation Strategy – Organizations develop a compensation strategy to better understand how pay supports the overall strategy and culture of the company.  A compensation strategy will describe targeted levels of competitiveness for salary, incentives and benefits; the organization’s approach to pay for performance; and how pay programs will be communicated.
  • Compensation Market Competitiveness – Companies regularly assess the competitiveness of their compensation programs by comparing themselves to market. Consideration is given to who they compete with and who they hire from and lose employees to.
  • Salary Plan – As my colleague Rich Sperling and I have stated in our presentations to senior management and human resource groups, merit increases to top performers and high-potential employees ought to be at least twice the amount given, on average, to fully-competent employees. For example, with an overall salary increase budget of 3 percent, 20 percent of employees can receive an average of 5 percent, while the remaining 80 percent receives an average of 2.5 percent.
  • Incentive Compensation Programs – Companies are slowing moving to increasing the number of variable pay plans for two important reasons: 1) to reward employees for achieving corporate-driven objectives, and 2) to reduce fixed costs.
Now is a good time to review your organization’s compensation strategy and determine if its goals are being met. If yes, great and continue on track. If not, re-evaluate your compensation strategy to determine if it remains appropriated and review pay programs to ensure they are in accord with your strategy.

Contact Us
Please contact me at nlappley@lapppley.com or (847) 864-8979 to discuss any questions you may have from this eNewsletter. Feel free to forward this email to anyone else who may be interested.
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