A few weeks ago, the San Francisco 49ers, with the 131st pick in the NFL draft, chose Marcus Lattimore, a running back out of the University of South Carolina. Considered by many to be the most talented running back in the 2013 draft, Lattimore wasn’t chosen until the fourth round because he had suffered not one but two knee injuries while in college. So while he possessed the talent, there was some question about whether he would ever be able to demonstrate it on Sunday afternoons in the NFL.

Compensation.BLR.com, now thoroughly revamped with easier navigation and more complete compensation information, will tell you what’s being paid right in your state—or even metropolitan area—for hundreds of jobs. Try it at no cost and get a complimentary special report. Read more.

The second of Lattimore’s two injuries came during his senior year and was quite serious. Mothers with sons playing football, stop reading and skip to the next paragraph! In an interview with ESPN, famed sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews said Lattimore’s knee ligaments looked like hamburger meat and that he was lucky he didn’t lose his leg. Given the seriousness of the injury, it wouldn’t have been surprising if it had ended his career.

Moms Will Be Able to Relate

But Lattimore had a dream of playing in the NFL, and through a tremendous amount of hard work, he was able to realize his dream—with some help from the 49ers. You want to see a young man thankful for an opportunity? Watch this clip of Lattimore receiving a call from the 49ers on draft day. Oh yeah, all of you moms reading this are going to want to watch it, too. You’ll probably be able to relate to his mother’s reaction!

It’s great to see someone fight through adversity—not once but twice—and get the opportunity to achieve something he has dreamed about his entire life. But just as interesting and inspiring as Lattimore’s story is the decision by the 49ers and their coach, Jim Harbaugh, to draft him.

There’s a chance Lattimore won’t play a single down in 2013. The 49ers don’t want to rush him onto the field and risk another injury. The team was the NFC champion last season and already has a Pro Bowl running back in their backfield, so they can afford to be patient with Lattimore. They chose him because he is a “first-round talent,” and they can afford to wait until his knee is 100 percent healed before putting him on the field.

The 49ers picked Lattimore because of his talent and his ability to overcome adversity. Coach Harbaugh was impressed with his character, so much so that he asked to speak with his mother on draft day. The coach complimented her on what a fine son she had raised and told her the decision to draft him was due in large part to what they saw in him as a person.

Two Great Lessons for Managers

There are great lessons in this story for all of us. First, if you have a dream, don’t let anything stand in your way of achieving it. Lattimore suffered two knee injuries. No one would have questioned him if he had hung up his cleats after the second one and decided that playing in the NFL just wasn’t meant to be. But he didn’t. He worked hard, overcame the injury, and got drafted. Recently I quoted Winston Churchill on how important it is to never give up. That is something Lattimore certainly understands.

The second lesson for us comes from the 49ers. They chose talent and character and figured the rest will work itself out. Lattimore isn’t completely healed from his injury. He might not be ready to play this season, but the 49ers believed in his willingness to work hard and rehabilitate his knee enough to take a risk when others weren’t willing to do so. And that decision, in part, was due to the high degree of character he had demonstrated and how he had persevered. They could have picked someone more likely to help them immediately, but they took a risk on the upside that Lattimore possesses.

Sometimes it’s not best to do the safe thing. We’ll see how it turns out for the 49ers.

Daniels, who is senior consultant at Keating Advisors, LLC, offers the following advantages of non-cash rewards:

• They are more memorable than cash rewards.
• Non-cash rewards cost less.
• Cash rewards can quickly become expected.
• Non-cash rewards programs can be constantly reinvented.

Daniels offered her tips at a webinar sponsored by BLR® and HR Hero®.

Six Types of Employees

Daniels notes that research shows that there are six distinctly different employee types, and each might be attracted by a different type of reward.

1. Award Seekers

Award Seekers want rewards that have both monetary and trophy value. They are far less motivated by rewards that take time away from their normal routines, such as the opportunity to mentor other employees, work with people outside their own area or take on challenging new projects.

Reward preferences: Employee recognition awards, gift cards and travel awards.

2. Nesters

Nesters are turned off by rewards that take them away from home. Travel awards and the opportunity to attend conferences are least appealing to this group. Achieving a good balance between work and personal life is especially important.

Reward preferences: Days off, flexible scheduling.

3. Bottom Liners

Bottom Liners are less concerned about trophy or award value and are concerned most about the monetary value of rewards. They place little emphasis on receiving verbal or written praise. It is likely that if a company did not attach something of monetary value in their recognition efforts, their efforts would be considered ineffective with this group.

Reward preferences: Cash bonuses or cumulative award points programs that they can build to obtain rewards.

4. Freedom Yearners

Freedom Yearners are less materially motivated, with limited interest in things like gift cards and cumulative award programs. They are best rewarded by giving them flexibility. Freedom Yearners are often people who have already achieved a certain level of financial success and security and are more focused on doing work that is personally meaningful without an excessive amount of management interference.

Reward preferences: Flexible hours, freedom to choose how to achieve their goals, ability to choose interesting and challenging projects and opportunities to attend conferences.

Finally, a simple but comprehensive guide to wage and hour. Correctly apply the FLSA, remain the go-to expert with BLR’s comprehensive guide. Save hours of research time.  Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

5. Praise Cravers

Praise Cravers value any type of praise more than any other segment. They have a great desire to have their work acknowledged, with or without an accompanying award of monetary value. This group has the least interest in days off or flexible scheduling, suggesting that they receive a great deal of personal satisfaction from a job well done that is recognized accordingly. Among this group, simple stated recognition of good work will have much greater impact than with most others.

Reward preferences: Verbal, written or formal praise from managers or informal praise by peers.

6. Upward Movers

Upward Movers are the most satisfied and committed among employee segments. They are the least interested in cash bonuses, days off and flexible scheduling. These people love their jobs and want to move up in the company.

Reward preferences: Status awards, meals with company management or opportunities to mentor other employees and work with people outside their areas.

Ideas for Common Non-Cash Rewards

Daniels suggests the following types of non-cash rewards:

1. Recognition/Attention: A visit or e-mail from the president saying “thank you,” letter of recognition in employee’s personnel file, article in local/regional/national newspaper regarding employee’s achievement, highlighting employee in company newsletter or via organization’s intranet, recognition at team meeting
2. Applause (e.g., plaques, trophies, true applause at the end of the day)
3. Flex-time schedules
4. Free or discounted parking
5. One-on-one coaching
6. Training (allowed to attend seminar of employee’s choice)
7. Given a team leadership role or additional responsibilities
8. Quarterly social office or team gatherings, sponsored by the organization
9. Casual dress day
10. Theme contests (sports, anniversaries, culture)
11. Stress management or wellness services (in-office yoga, meditation, health food)

Getting pay right is always a challenge. There’s nothing employees pay more attention to than their pay—and there’s nowhere it’s easier to make mistakes. Yes, wage/hour should be simple, but it’s just not. Complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is one of the most confusing and challenging things comp managers have to do.

Even the most savvy practitioners get tripped up, and the law’s complex requirements can easily land you and your company on the wrong side of a lawsuit or Department of Labor (DOL) investigation.

Fortunately, there’s help—Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR provides you with detailed guidance on how to comply with the FLSA and takes you through the most complicated wage and hour issues that HR practitioners encounter.

When you’re faced with a supervisor’s travel time question, an employee’s request for comp time, another executive’s suggestion that more assistant managers be deemed exempt from overtime, you’ll find answers in seconds, from a reputable and reliable source.

Wage and hour lawsuits are expensive—and easily prevented. Here’s how to protect against crippling judgments. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR features:

• Real-world examples of wage and  hour challenges and how to solve them;
• Multiple quizzes, so you can see where you need to review more carefully;
• An overtime exemption audit checklist, so you never make the wrong call;
• State-specific charts, for comparing your multistate obligations;
• Sample policies, easily modified to fit your specific preferences; and
• A quarterly newsletter, Wage & Hour Compliance Bulletin, to keep you aware of the latest developments in the law, and why they matter to you.

BONUS! Not just a manual. You also get:

• A free CD containing over 20 forms, policies, checklists, state-by-state comparison charts, and more, all so you can point, click, and go.

Why are aggressive attorneys so eager to file claims on behalf of employees? Because there’s so much money to be made:

• $4.75 million: Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, settles wage and hour lawsuit over miscalculated overtime pay and failing to compensate workers for missed meal and rest periods.
• $1.15 million: Las Vegas construction company to pay in back wages to 1,060 current and former employees.
• $976,327: New Mexico aerospace company settles with 900 employees who were routinely required to work through lunch breaks without compensation.
• $340,400: New Jersey convenience store to pay back wages and damages for violations of overtime and recordkeeping.
• $84,541: New York physical therapist agrees to pay 22 employees for minimum wage violations.
• $30,000: Texas chain of four gas stations to pay their six hourly employees, again for recordkeeping and overtime violations.

Avoid steep fines. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR.

Buyers’ Benefit: To make sure your Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR remains current with changing interpretations and court decisions, we monitor courts, Congress, and state legislatures. Each year, we’ll rush you an updated edition and bill on a 30-day review basis. You pay only if you decide to keep the updated edition.

Stay up to date with wage/hour changes. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR.

• Make sure that all parts of the company are on the same page. Payroll, posted policies, and employment handbooks should all agree, says Marques.
• Make sure the payroll system can account for accruing PTO time.
• Avoid individually negotiating different benefits from the established policy. All peer employees should be getting roughly the same benefits. Sometimes new candidates negotiate that they want what they had at their old job, and the temptation is to say, OK, that’s fair, but try not to do that, Marques says.
• Make sure that supervisors are well-trained to address abuse of the PTO system before it gets out of control. Remember that they are not HR professionals; but they have to deal with these issues, says Marques.
• Be consistent to avoid claims of discrimination with sticky issues like religious holidays, disabilities, or other disparate treatment where employees can claim that they are being treated differently because of membership on protected categories, different child-caring responsibilities, age, etc.

Boundaries for Paid Time Off

Make sure your supervisors are aware of wage/hour issues concerning employees who are out on leave.

For example, says Marques, be careful about calling/ e-mailing workers who are on vacation. They may claim that they are due wages or they are due back the day off. (You might say, “I’m just sending this now, I don’t expect you to act on it until next week when you are back to work.”)

Also be aware of remote access, which can create similar problems, Marques says.

Finally, a simple but comprehensive guide to wage and hour. Correctly apply the FLSA, remain the go-to expert with BLR’s comprehensive guide. Save hours of research time.  Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

State Leave Law Topics

Pay particular attention to state laws, says Marques. They may have provisions concerning such areas as:

• Time to vote
• Bone marrow donor
• Family medical leave
• Jury duty
• Military leave
• Sexual assault or domestic violence victim

Watch Out for Furloughs

Private employers need to be careful with exempt employees, says Marques. Under federal law, an employer may establish weeklong furlough periods in which no work is done by exempt employees for the entire week. However, these periods may not be a means to evade the minimum salary test.

Only under certain circumstances may long-term furlough plans that reduce exempt work schedules be lawful, and the minimum salary test must still be met for exempt workers, cautions Marques.

For hourly employees, watch for eligibility for unemployment on a weekly basis, says Marques.

Furloughs—just one more compensation challenge. Yes, wage/hour should be simple, but it’s just not. Complying with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is one of the most confusing and challenging things comp managers have to do.

Even the most savvy practitioners get tripped up, and the law’s complex requirements can easily land you and your company on the wrong side of a lawsuit or Department of Labor (DOL) investigation.

Fortunately, there’s help—Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR provides you with detailed guidance on how to comply with the FLSA and takes you through the most complicated wage and hour issues that HR practitioners encounter.

When you’re faced with a supervisor’s travel time question, an employee’s request for comp time, another executive’s suggestion that more assistant managers be deemed exempt from overtime, you’ll find answers in seconds, from a reputable and reliable source.

Wage and hour lawsuits are expensive—and easily prevented. Here’s how to protect against crippling judgments. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR features:

• Real-world examples of wage and  hour challenges and how to solve them;
• Multiple quizzes, so you can see where you need to review more carefully;
• An overtime exemption audit checklist, so you never make the wrong call;
• State-specific charts, for comparing your multistate obligations;
• Sample policies, easily modified to fit your specific preferences; and
• A quarterly newsletter, Wage & Hour Compliance Bulletin, to keep you aware of the latest developments in the law, and why they matter to you.

BONUS! Not just a manual. You also get:

• A free CD containing over 20 forms, policies, checklists, state-by-state comparison charts, and more, all so you can point, click, and go.

Why are aggressive attorneys so eager to file claims on behalf of employees? Because there’s so much money to be made:

• $4.75 million: Hospital in Thousand Oaks, California, settles wage and hour lawsuit over miscalculated overtime pay and failing to compensate workers for missed meal and rest periods.
• $1.15 million: Las Vegas construction company to pay in back wages to 1,060 current and former employees.
• $976,327: New Mexico aerospace company settles with 900 employees who were routinely required to work through lunch breaks without compensation.
• $340,400: New Jersey convenience store to pay back wages and damages for violations of overtime and recordkeeping.
• $84,541: New York physical therapist agrees to pay 22 employees for minimum wage violations.
• $30,000: Texas chain of four gas stations to pay their six hourly employees, again for recordkeeping and overtime violations.

Avoid steep fines. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR.

Buyers’ Benefit: To make sure your Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR remains current with changing interpretations and court decisions, we monitor courts, Congress, and state legislatures. Each year, we’ll rush you an updated edition and bill on a 30-day review basis. You pay only if you decide to keep the updated edition.

Stay up to date with wage/hour changes. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR.

PTO Policy Decisions Are Important

Policy is very important, says Marques, especially since non-HR managers have to work with PTO issues every day. Keep policies general enough that you don’t have to keep making exceptions, says Marques, If you’re constantly making exceptions, your policy isn’t doing its job, and you’re looking at potential discrimination claim.

Here are Marques’ key policy questions:

1. What Is Your Definition of PTO?

What’s in the bucket? asks Marques. All time off? Just certain types of time off?

2. What Is Your PTO Accrual Schedule?

Will PTO build up over the year (e.g., 2 days per month) or will there be a yearly allowance available on the first day of the year (e.g.,15 days beginning on January 1, or fiscal year)?

3. Will You Impose Use It or Lose It?

Be aware that use it or lose it policies for accrued time are contrary to some states’ laws, says Marques. Typically, those states consider PTO as a part of compensation that should be used or paid for.

Finally, a simple but comprehensive guide to wage and hour. Correctly apply the FLSA, remain the go-to expert with BLR’s comprehensive guide. Save hours of research time.  Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

4. Will You Limit Rollover?

Even where use it or lose it is prohibited, you may be able to limit rollover from one year to the next (Again, check state law compliance.).

Employers want to do this to limit the ability of long-term employees to rack up months of paid leave that will have to be paid out in a lump sum on departure. It’s also helpful to minimize the problem of figuring out what rate was in effect when the time was “earned.”

There are several ways to limit rollover. For example:

• Cap the number of days that can be rolled over.
• Require written approval to log rollover.
• Allow rollover only for limited time period (e.g., January through March).

5. How Will You Deal with Partial Days Off?

Generally, exempt employees may not receive unpaid partial days off. However, the FMLA provides a mechanism to do so for intermittent leave for “serious health condition.”

Nonexempt employees should be docked for partial absences, either by dipping into PTO or by docking pay, says Marques.

6. Will You Require Mandatory Time Off?

Generally, employers can force nonexempt workers to use their time off by not assigning work and then applying paid time off. The bottom line for that week is unchanged, but the overall budget is managed. (Again, exempt workers must normally be paid for any day on which they do work.)

7. Will You Have Special Rules for New Employees?

For example:

• Is there a waiting period before any PTO accrues?
• Is there any proration for new employees who begin in the middle of a period?
• Does an employee on extended leave keep accruing time? (Check for state law compliance before deciding this one, says Marques.)

8. Will There Be Restrictions on Taking PTO?

For example, multiple employees with key skills may not be out at the same time, time around holidays or the company busy season is restricted, etc.). Employers can generally refuse nonmandated leave requests, says Marques, but make sure your policy reads that way.

These restrictions may be company or departmental, she adds.

Wage and hour lawsuits are expensive—and easily prevented. Here’s how to protect against crippling judgments. Go here for information or to order Wage & Hour Compliance: Practical Solutions for HR

9. How Is Leave Requested?

Require advance notice for leave, says Marques. Set up a standard method for requesting time in advance. Be sure to reserve company discretion to approve planned absences.

For employees and all the way up the chain, PTO isn’t a free-for-all, says Marques. Set the protocol for notice and scheduling so that all employees know.

10. What Is Your Method for Tracking Time Off?

You need a good method for tracking time off and a method for reporting absences (for example: Employees have to call in by 7 a.m. and speak to an actual company rep or keep calling until they do. Or maybe a voice mail is OK. Supervisors need to enforce this policy. (Note that statutory mechanisms, e.g., the FMLA, may take precedence, Marques says.)

11. How Will You Pay upon Termination?

Set your policy concerning payment upon termination for unused time (remembering that this may be dictated by state law, and may need to be shared with employee at hiring).

In tomorrow’s Advisor:  key considerations for PTO policies, plus an introduction to the wage and hour guide that helps you find expensive problems before the feds do.

[Go here for yesterday’s questions and answers]

Question from Annalyn Kurtz: In what occupations is the pay gap the widest?
Dr. Hunt, Chief Economist: The detailed occupation with the worst pay disparity in 2012 was insurance sales agents:

1. Insurance agents
2. Retail salespersons
3. Real estate brokers and sales agents
4. Personal financial advisors
5. Education administrators
6. Physicians and surgeons
7. General and operations managers
8. Marketing and sales managers
9. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
10. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

It’s vital for organizations to ensure that their reward programs are rooted in fairness to motivate employees from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Don’t miss our eye-opening webinar on June 4 about Employee Rewards. Register Now.

Question from @SavanGroup: What current initiatives is DOL undertaking to achieve equal pay?
Latifa Lyles, WB:

• Encouraging women to enter higher-paying career fields, such as science, technology, engineering, math, and higher-paying green jobs
• Calling attention to the challenges faced by vulnerable low-wage women workers, such as restaurant workers
• Working to promote the President’s proposal to raise the minimum wage
• Working with other federal agencies on the President’s Equal Pay Task Force—the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, our sister agency in the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management—to strengthen enforcement of federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination in employment, including in compensation

In just 90 minutes, learn the key role that fairness plays in your reward program — and how to use it to your advantage. Register now for this informative webinar risk free.

Question from Kristin: Most companies have a pay for performance system in place. How do you view these systems, and how do they impact pay differences between genders and ethnicities?

Patricia Shiu, OFCCP: When companies use performance to set pay, they need to do so without discrimination. Performance can be a valid basis for paying employees differently, but OFCCP will investigate and test any factors that a contractor uses to determine pay to ensure they are not tainted by discrimination. Where identified employment practices such as performance review systems show disparities, OFCCP reviews for potential evidence regarding whether the practices result in disparate treatment or disparate impact—including inquiring about evidence of validation and/or the existence of best practices to reduce adverse impact.

Patricia Shiu closed the chat saying, “… we are committed to closing the pay gap that denies millions of American workers the fair wages to which they are entitled.

Perceived fairness, or the lack thereof, is often at the root of why employees leave organizations. The idea of fairness also determines if an employee will make an extra effort to reach organizational goals or even the objectives of her own job.

For these reasons, it’s vital for organizations to ensure that their reward programs are rooted in principles of fairness to motivate employees from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures.

Don’t miss our webinar on June 4, when you’ll learn:

• How employee demographics, organization culture, and geographic location are related to employee perceptions of reward fairness
• How pay strategies, programs, and policies can be used to enhance employee perceptions of reward fairness
• Whether pay differences enhance or erode pay fairness and employee engagement
• The business impacts that perceptions of pay fairness have on organizations
• How reward fairness should be handled in the design of reward strategies, policies, and programs
• Common pitfalls to avoid when the importance of reward fairness is underestimated — or overlooked altogether
• And much more!

In just 90 minutes, you’ll learn the key role that fairness plays in your reward program — and how to use it to your advantage. Register now for this informative event risk free.

Shiu and Lyles were joined by Jennifer Hunt, chief economist at the Department of Labor (DOL), and Nancy Leppink, representing the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Here are some of the participant’s comments, the first of which came from BLR® (publishers of HR Daily Advisor) and the agencies’ answers:

Question from BLR: Negotiating skills is cited as a factor in the gender pay gap. Any plans for a skills program?

Nancy Leppink, WHD: Thanks for your question! We’ve got an app for that. The Women’s Bureau knows how important negotiation skills are! http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/apps-winners.htm.

Question from John Frith: Is it true that research shows that when we compare men and women in the same job, same level, same experience and education, that pay is about the same?
Dr. Hunt, Chief Economist: No, especially among more educated workers the pay gap is as large as 15% even when we compare men and women in the same job, same level, same experience and education, and occupation.

It’s vital for organizations to ensure that their reward programs are rooted in fairness to motivate employees from different backgrounds, experiences, and cultures. Don’t miss our eye-opening webinar on June 4 about Employee Rewards. Register Now.

Question from Guest: Why is there such an gap between the pay of men and women doing the same job over the same amount of years?
Dr. Hunt, Chief Economist: We are not sure, but discrimination is an obvious possibility. Another is that women bargain less forcefully over wages when they are in job negotiations.

Question from Annalyn Kurtz: Is the pay gap still evident looking at just the youngest generation of workers?
Dr. Hunt, Chief Economist: Thanks for that question, Annalyn. The pay gap is much smaller at younger ages, which may either mean that the pay gap grows with age or that new generations of women are doing better.

Question from Nikki: How can a woman know if she is being paid fairly? Is there a website for us to check?
Latifa Lyles, WB: We’ve got two resources that might help. We have an equal pay app (www.dol.gov/equalpay) and a Woman’s Guide to Equal Pay document, which you can get at the same site.

Question from Jay-Anne Casuga: Hi, Director Shiu! What are the key steps contractors should take in order to be prepared when OFCCP analyzes their compensation practices during a compliance evaluation?
Patricia Shiu, OFCCP: Hi, Jay-Anne. Contractors should of course already be regularly preparing and updating their written Affirmative Action Plans and proactively reviewing all of their employment practices, including pay, for potential problems and developing action-oriented plans to address them. Contractors should also have their supporting data ready to provide to us. Contractors can expect us to ask them questions about their data, their pay practices and their self-analysis, and that we may need to go on-site to do interviews and investigate issues. I also suggest they review the Directive and the FAQs to have a clear understanding of OFCCP’s investigative approach.

In just 90 minutes, learn the key role that fairness plays in your reward program — and how to use it to your advantage. Register now for this informative webinar risk free.

Question from Simone Avery-Legree: What should a female employee do if she is denied a raise and promotion that are given to a male with less experience and education?
Pat Shiu, OFCCP: She should consider filing a complaint with the appropriate federal, state, or local agency such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If she works for a federal contractor, she could file a complaint with the OFCCP.

In tomorrow’s Advisor, we will provide more pay equity questions and answers, plus an introduction to how to fairly and effectively drive engagement and loyalty.

• Top compliance training topics for employees are new hire orientation (79%), sexual harassment (75%), and discrimination (69%).
• For professional development training for employees, job-related skills leads the list (73%), followed by communication (66%), customer service skills (59%), team building (49%), computer skills (46%), and time management (36%).

The survey also covered:

• HR’s Role in Training
• Harassment and Discrimination Training
• Training Topics, Methods, and Products

Here are the detailed survey results. How does your organization measure up?

Compensation.BLR.com, now thoroughly revamped with easier navigation and more complete compensation information, will tell you what’s being paid right in your state—or even metropolitan area—for hundreds of jobs. Try it at no cost and get a complimentary special report. Read more.

HR’s Role in Training

HR wears multiple hats when it comes to implementing training programs. For example, HR evaluates training materials/options for 59% of our survey participants and purchases the materials for 47%. HR schedules training sessions (64%) and conducts the training (57%).

Additionally, HR not only fulfills supervisor/management requests for training (59%) but also helps supervisors provide individual training for employees as needed (51%). Of the survey participants who answered this question, however, 7% do not currently conduct training.

Other training duties handled by HR include:

• Developing training materials
• Evaluating the effectiveness of training
• Maintaining training records
• Supporting the training department

When asked who makes decisions about training, 70% of the participants in our survey indicate that it’s executive management. HR management is involved in making those decisions for 67%. In-house counsel is involved in the decision-making process for 8%, and training/development staff is involved for 39% of survey participants.

Harassment Training

Training in preventing workplace harassment is required by city or state law for 48%, with sexual harassment complaints leading the field as a problem or concern for 46% and gender harassment coming in next at 36%. Age and race/color harassment complaints tie as a concern for 31% each, and disability harassment complaints are a problem for 20%. National origin harassment complaints are an issue for 19%, and religious harassment complaints are a concern for 15%.

Though 18% of survey participants have no problems or concerns about harassment in their organizations, 11% have other types of harassment complaint problems that include:

• Bullying
• Education level/qualifications
• Hostile work environment
• Sexual preference
• Socio-economic background
• Weight

Discrimination Training

Training in preventing workplace discrimination is required by either city or state law for 35%. Age discrimination is a problem or concern for 41% of our survey participants, and gender discrimination is an issue for 36%. Race/color discrimination is a problem or concern for 38%, and disability discrimination complaints are a problem for 26%. National origin discrimination complaints are an issue for 20%, and religious discrimination complaints are a concern for 14%.

Twenty percent of survey participants have no issues regarding discrimination in their organizations, while 5% have other types of discrimination complaint problems that include:

• Preferential treatment/favoritism
• Socio-economic background
• Transgender/sexual orientation

How Long Should a Training Session Be?

A half-hour is the preferred session length for legal compliance training of employees for 24% of survey participants and it’s 1 hour for 28%. At 10%, 2 hours of training is the third most selected, and 8% believe 45 minutes is the best length of time for training. All-day training is preferred by 4%, and another 4% prefer half-day sessions.

When Should Training Occur?

Compliance training is conducted when employees are first hired for 64% of survey participants and yearly for 45%. Monthly compliance training is the norm for 7%, and 55% conduct compliance training as needed. The “other” category for this question in our survey included:

• Biannually
• No training
• Quarterly
• When laws or regulations change

The picture is a little different when it comes to legal compliance training for supervisors. Sessions are conducted as needed for 60% of survey participants and yearly for 40%. Training is also conducted when supervisors are first hired or promoted for 36%. 

Compliance training for HR staff is conducted as needed for 63% of survey participants who answered this question and yearly for 16%. This training is conducted when new HR team members join the department for 8%. The “other” category for this question in our survey included:

• Biannually
• No training
• Ongoing
• When laws or regulations change

Training Topics

The leading topics for compliance training for employees are:

• New hire orientation (79%)
• Sexual harassment (75%)
• Discrimination ( 69%)

Other compliance training topics for employees mentioned by survey participants include ADA compliance, code of conduct, confidentiality, diversity, HIPAA, security, wage/labor, workers’ compensation, and workplace violence.

The leading compliance topics for training supervisors are:

• Discipline/documentation (75%)
• Sexual harassment (74%)
• Performance evaluations (70%)
• Discrimination (68%)

Compliance topics for training HR staff were:

Professional Development Training for Employees

Provided by 73%, job-related skills leads the list of professional development training for employees. Communication and customer service skills, at 66% and 59%, respectively, come in second and third in our survey. Team building (49%), computer skills (46%), and time management (36%) round out the field.

Other professional development training offered by survey participants includes:

• Business/email etiquette
• Change management
• Conflict resolution
• Cultural competence
• Emotional intelligence
• Ethics
• Good manners and behavior
• Leadership/supervision
• Performance assessment/management
• Presentation
• Professional certification

Supervisor Training

Leadership/management is the professional development topic covered most (75%) when training supervisors, with communication and dealing with problem employees, both at 72%, following closely. Coming in next is team building at 58%, and mentoring/coaching is right on its heels at 57%. Employee retention and motivation is a must-have for 51%. Other professional training topics for supervisors include:

• Change management
• Conflict management
• Critical thinking
• Delegation
• Decision making
• Documentation
• E-mail and teleconference etiquette
• Emotional intelligence
• Interviewing skills
• Performance assessment/management
• Problem solving
• Strategic thinking and planning
• Time management
• Understanding your leadership style

Training HR Staff

The leading professional development topics for training HR staff are:

Other professional development training topics for HR staff include:

• Business writing
• Finance and accounting for HR
• HR audits
• HR metrics
• Organizational development
• Risk management
• Strategic planning
• Succession planning
• Talent management
• Workforce planning

Training Methods

Our survey shows that the leading method (58%) for training employees is in-person presentations by HR departments, followed closely (53%) by in-person sessions presented by experts from outside the company. Outside conferences are effective for 38% of survey participants, and printed or online materials created in-house are effective for 36%. Purchased video-based or DVD-based materials (34%) and online training through an outside learning management systems (34%) are also effective methods.

The most effective methods for training supervisors differs only slightly from the methods for training employees, with in-person presentations by HR departments at 61% and in-person sessions presented by experts from outside the company at 55%. Outside conferences are effective for 34% of survey participants, and printed or online materials created in-house are effective for 28%. Purchased video-based or DVD-based materials are effective for 24%, and online training through learning management systems from outside vendors are effective methods for 27%.

The top three most effective training methods for HR staff are outside conferences or training by other organizations (53%), in-person presentations by experts from outside the company (46%), and in-person presentations by in-house HR department (40%).

Training Products and Services

It is difficult to find good training products/services for 42% of survey participants. Budget constraint is the problem for 79% of them, and finding qualified vendors is an issue for 31%.

Cost is the number one factor survey participants consider when evaluating training products/services. Quality of the materials is rated as the second factor. Time required for training and adaptability to participant needs are the third and fourth factors most considered.

The top three problems survey participants have encountered with the training materials/services they’ve purchased are cost (57%), can’t meet or adapt to specific needs (48%), and inability to hold employees’ attention.

The number one go-to source for packaged training courses and seminars is SHRM at 58%. Coming in second and third are HR.BLR.com (35%) and the U.S. Department of Labor (34%), respectively. Fourth and fifth are OSHA (31%) and state departments of labor (30%).

SHRM leads the field (58%) when it comes to finding tools and/or information to help survey participants develop training materials in-house. The U.S. Department of Labor comes in second at 41%, and state departments of labor come in at 32%. Rounding out the top five is OSHA at 31% and HR.BLR.com at 30%.

Participants in the Survey

Of the participants responding to our survey, 48% have a workforce that is one-fifth or less exempt employees. Another 32% have a workforce that is more than one-fifth but less than one-half exempt, and 20% have a workforce with more than one-half exempt employees. Unions represent employees at 24% of our survey participant employers.

Company size of respondent companies:

Privately owned organizations are represented by 54% of survey participants and nonprofits account for 17%. Public corporations make up 11% and governments are represented by 11%.

Industries of responding companies include:

Job titles of 700 survey participants are:

Thanks to all who participated in the survey!

Upcoming survey topics include:

• Performance Management
• Pay Budget
• Policies
• HR Department

• How did you find me?
• How did you know that I can …?

Maintain transparency, says Dingee. Explain how you found them. You’re not hacking, you’re searching the Internet for publicly available information.

Dingee’s tips came at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Las Vegas. (Info on this year’s symposium here.)

Here are some other things Dingee suggests that recruiters consider:

Branding

Before you get started, think about how you’re going to appear to those with whom you have contact. Are you presenting yourself in an appropriate, business-like, and attractive way?

Take Advantage of Interactive Capabilities of Social Media Sites

Social media is set up for communicating. Take advantage of it, says Dingee. Encourage questions and inquiries—they are opportunities for more engagement and interacting and more networking.

Sourcing is tedious and time-consuming, says Dingee. However, when you get familiar with the social media sources for the particular types of jobs you look to fill, you can be very efficient. For example, she recently identified 200 candidates for a newly assigned opening in about 2 hours.

Budget cuts? Let us help. HR.BLR.com® is your one-stop solution for all your HR compliance and training needs. Take a no-cost, no-obligation trial and get a complimentary copy of our special report Critical HR Recordkeeping—From Hiring to Termination. It’s yours—no matter what you decide.

Connecting After You Find Someone

Connecting with people is pretty simple. You just say, “Let’s chat.” Consider:

• Skype
• iChat
• Google+hangouts
• Anywhere the kind of people you look for hang out

Another major timesaver for Dingee is applicant tracking systems. She suggests considering the following:

• iCIMS
• Jobvite
• iRecruit
• PCRecruiter

Dingee’s Final Tip

In all your interactions, be sure to personalize, says Dingee. No “Dear Applicant.”

Finding good candidates in the “new normal”—just one more daily challenge. In HR and comp, if it’s not one thing, it’s another. Like FMLA intermittent leave, overtime hassles, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation, and then on top of that, whatever the agencies and courts throw in your way.

You need a go-to resource, and our editors recommend the “everything-HR-in-one website,” HR.BLR.com. As an example of what you will find, here are some policy recommendations concerning e-mail, excerpted from a sample policy on the website:

Privacy. The director of information services can override any individual password and thus has access to all e-mail messages in order to ensure compliance with company policy. This means that employees do not have an expectation of privacy in their company e-mail or any other information stored or accessed on company computers.

Find out what the buzz is all about. Take a no-cost look at HR.BLR.com, solve your top problem, and get a complimentary gift.

E-mail review. All e-mail is subject to review by management. Your use of the   e-mail system grants consent to the review of any of the messages to or from you in the system in printed form or in any other medium.

Solicitation. In line with our general policy, e-mail must not be used to solicit for outside business ventures, personal parties, social meetings, charities, membership in any organization, political causes, religious causes, or other matters not connected to the company’s business.

We should point out that this is just one of hundreds of sample policies on the site. (You’ll also find analysis of laws and issues, job descriptions, and complete training materials for hundreds of HR topics.)

You can examine the entire HR.BLR.com program free of any cost or commitment. It’s quite remarkable—30 years of accumulated HR knowledge, tools, and skills gathered in one place and accessible at the click of a mouse.

What’s more, we’ll supply a free downloadable copy of our special report, Critical HR Recordkeeping—From Hiring to Termination, just for looking at HR.BLR.com. If you’d like to try it at absolutely no cost or obligation to continue (and get the special report, no matter what you decide), go here.

#4: Competitive Reference Points

Describe the comparator group(s) for your rewards package
Determine industry/geographic competitors
For signature programs, what are the benchmarks

#5: Competitive Positioning

Describe your desired position vs. the market. If your position is below market average, be prepared to explain why. Honesty is a positive message, says Csizmar. (Be sure you walk the talk.)

Avoid false aspirational statements like “We pay at market.” when actually your ranges are at market, but your pay isn’t.

6: Internal Equity and Consistency

Will your strategy be consistent? Employees will assume yes, that they are getting fair and equitable treatment. It is a common occurrence that business necessity forces you to pay new hires more than existing employees. Be sure you are consistent and that exceptions can be explained.

If you fail here, first you lose employees’ hearts and minds, and then eventually their bodies when they up and leave.

7: Communication and Involvement

How much program information will you disclose? Key elements for sure, but not necessarily all the particular details.

Clarify HR vs. management responsibility for program design and ongoing administration. HR typically is the responsible party for rolling these programs out, Csizmar says.

If have unions, employee councils, or other similar bodies, you should indicate what the roles are and what the extent of employee involvement is.

8: Governance

State the need for revision and competitive refreshing of the strategy. Determine the frequency of review and by whom? HR should take the lead, Csizmar says.

Also for senior management, are we keeping pace with our commitment?

Communicate, Communicate

Then, you need to communicate:

• Define a theme to generate interest.
• Talk to employees, not at them.
• Use multiple media, speaking points and Q&As.
• Be easily understood; avoid confusion.

Sample Ministatements

Csizmar offers the following as examples of clear statements you can make about your compensation program:

• Base salary will be targeted at the 50th percentile of the relevant competitive marketplace in which we compete.
• Future salary increases will be based on an employee’s evaluated performance.
• Benefit scheme provisions should be cost- and tax-effective to the company.
• If individual performance does not meet objectives, monetary rewards will be reduced.

This Is Not Easy Stuff!

Finally, says Csizmar, this is not easy. You may expect challenges, such as:

• It’s hard to establish consensus on what to do.
• You can expect passive resistance (especially those who are happy with the status quo).
• You have to have top-down support.
• You need to monitor reality vs. plan.

It’s not easy stuff, but you can’t avoid it—your compensation strategic plan, just one of comp and benefits’ daily challenges. “Maintain internal equity and external competitiveness and control turnover, but still meet management’s demands for lowered costs.” Heard that one before?  

Many of the professionals we serve find helpful answers to all their compensation questions at Compensation.BLR.com, BLR’s comprehensive compensation website.

And there’s great news! The site has just been revamped in two important ways. First, compliance focus information has been updated to include the latest on COBRA, Lilly Ledbetter, and the FMLA. Second, user features are enhanced to make the site even quicker to respond to your particular needs:

• Topics Navigator—Lets you drill down by topical areas to get to the right data fast.
• Customizable Home Page—Can be configured to display whatever content you want to see most often.
• Menu Navigation—Displays all the main content areas and tools that you need in a simple, easy format.
• Quick Links—Enables you to quickly navigate to all the new and updated content areas.

The services provided by this unique tool include:

• Localized Salary Finder. Based on reliable research among thousands of employers, here are pay scales (including 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) for hundreds of commonly held jobs, from line worker to president of the company. The data are customized for your state and metro area, your industry, and your company size, so you can base your salaries on what’s offered in your specific market, not nationally.

• State and Federal Wage-Hour and Other Legal Advice. Plain-English explanations of wage-hour and other compensation and benefits-related law at both federal and state levels. “State” means the laws of your state, because the site is customized to your use. (Other states can be added at a modest extra charge.)
• Job Descriptions. The website provides them by the hundreds, already written, legally reviewed, and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandate that essential job functions be separated from those less critical. All descriptions carry employment grade levels to current norms—another huge time-saver.
• Merit Increase, Salary, and Benefits Surveys. The service includes the results of three surveys a year. Results for exempt and nonexempt employees are reported separately.
• Daily Updates. Comp and benefits news updated daily (as is the whole site).
• “Ask the Experts” Service. E-mail a question to our editors and get a personalized response within 3 business days.

If we sound as if we’re excited about the program, it’s because we are. For about $3 a working day, the help it offers to those with compensation responsibilities is enormous.

This one’s definitely worth a look, which you can get by clicking the links below.

Click here to get more information or start a no-cost trial and get a complimentary special report!

Dingee’s tips came at the Advanced Employment Issues Symposium in Las Vegas. (Info on this years’ symposium here. )

Here are some of the results:

Dingee recommends paying for enhanced service from LinkedIn. It offers better search options and better returns.

Similar searches are possible in thousands of places, Dingee says. Try Google+, Pinterest, FaceBook, Twitter, and dozens more. It’s like puzzle. You have to go play with it, Dingee says. You’ll get different results in different places depending on the kind of search you’re doing.

Budget cuts? Let us help. HR.BLR.com® is your one-stop solution for all your HR compliance and training needs. Take a no-cost, no-obligation trial and get a complimentary copy of our special report Critical HR Recordkeeping—From Hiring to Termination. It’s yours—no matter what you decide.

Try the ‘Site’ Approach

Put “site:” in front of your target site’s address to have it searched for your terms. For example:
Site:linkedin.com “project manager” “industry*construction”

Here are some of the results:

When you get into a group, when it’s appropriate get into the conversational feed, says Dingee, slip in “got a great development job. Anyone interested?”

Here’s a Pinterest search for an online marketer: (site:Pinterest.com “online marketing”).

Find out what the buzz is all about. Take a no-cost look at HR.BLR.com, solve your top problem, and get a complimentary gift.

Here’s a twitter search (site:twitter.com “CAE” association)

In tomorrow’s Advisor, you’ll learn more of Dingee’s tips for finding great candidates through social media, plus an introduction to the all-HR-in-one-place website, HR.BLR.com.