Silence Isn’t Always Golden—Communicate Your Total Reward Statements

Yesterday, expert consultant John Rubino described total reward statements and what should be included in them to maximize their effectiveness; today, his thoughts on how to communicate these statements to employees.

Rubino, who is the owner of Rubino Consulting Services, offered his expertise in a recent webinar presented by BLR® and HR Hero®.

Communication Is the Key

Rubino cannot emphasize enough that communication is a critical component for the success of total reward statement. Your total reward programs may be stellar, but with education and effective communication, the actual and perceived value increases exponentially. If your rewards are not understood, you’re not going to get the outcome you desire, he says.

Here are some of Rubino’s communication tips:

• Give employees advance notice that total reward statements are on their way.
• Include a letter from the CEO briefly outlining the project. This demonstrates that the higher-ups believe in the program.
• Set up webinars and meetings to review the components of the statements. The more transparent the process, the more successful it will be, says Rubino.
• Offer one-on-one instruction.
• Solicit employee feedback for improvements. Keep your ear to the ground, advises Rubino.

Global research consistently shows that most organizations do a poor job of communicating with their employees, laments Rubino. Depending on where your organization is culturally, you may want to ensure communication is solid before crafting your reward statement program.

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3 Mega Objectives

Rubino stresses what he calls three “mega” objectives for communicating total reward statements:

• Ensure understanding. These are what the statements are all about—helping employees understand exactly what they’re receiving—and communicating them should work to the same end. However, the big mistake most HR pros make, says Rubino, is stopping at just this first objective.
• Get the buy-in from employees. This will change their perceptions, explains Rubino. Get rid of any mixed messages, and personalize your communications (no one-size-fits-all approaches allowed!).
• Motivate the right behaviors. Every communication event should lead to some form of actionable event on the part of the employee, says Rubino.

Achieving all of these objectives takes a great deal of practice and finesse, Rubino says, but the payoff will be immense.

Mark Your Calendar Now for the 10th Annual California Employment Law Update Conference!

The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa, Berkeley, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2015

Each year, California Employment Law Update delivers an all-new program— specifically designed for California employers—with practical guidance for overcoming the latest management challenges.

In just 3 days, you’ll learn how to protect your organization from lawsuits and penalties and how to create effective, legally sound workplace policies.

Attend CELU 2015 for critical insight on:

* Exempt v. nonexempt: The U.S. Department of Labor is overhauling “white collar” overtime exemptions this year, and California employers understandably have serious concerns about how these new regulations will affect obligations under current DLSE wage and hour rules.

* New CFRA regulations: In January 2015, the Fair Housing and Employment Council approved revised regulations to amend CFRA. Learn precisely how these regulatory changes will affect your compliance obligations under the state’s onerous family and medical leave law.

* Immigration: President Obama recently released executive orders signaling DAPA/DACA reforms, and California’s newly enacted AB 2751 bars employers from retaliating against undocumented workers who engage in protected activities—including a lawful change of name, Social Security number, or federal employment authorization document. Also, under AB 263, an employer is prohibited from threatening to reach out to authorities or actually doing so on account of such a worker’s protected activity.

* DFEH/EEOC: Retaliation is “red hot” right now. If an employee engages in a protected activity, such as filing a discrimination charge with DFEH or the EEOC, a retaliation claim might not be far behind if the employee or the reviewing agency has the slightest thought that you took an adverse employment action on the basis of that filing.

And because employees don’t need to prove the merits of the underlying claim for a retaliation claim to stick, it’s important to understand what you can do to minimize the risk of retaliation claims from the get-go.

And much more!

Get more details here—we hope to see you in Berkeley this fall.

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