Strengths And Weaknesses As A Negotiator

your interview experiences, write a 3-4 page essay. The first page of the essay should be a reflection of your strengths and weaknesses as a negotiator. The second part of the essay should be your action plan for changing and transforming your skill

 

1. From your perspective, what makes you a skilled negotiator?

Workplace negotiation.  Both individuals with equal responsibility not working together but is causing the department from working as a team.

2. When the other person needs an opportunity to save face, how do you handle that?

a.       Neutral question and answer.
b.      Allowed each person to discuss their point of views.
c.       Verified both person understanding of the others objective and responsibility to the team.

3. What unethical behavior have you personally witnessed during a negotiation?

I had a team of employees that was frustrated with their supervisor’s role in supporting another junior leader.

Different Roles:
Supervisor/Immediate supervisor or  Employee/ Employee with 30 years of experience on the job.

4. How do you handle negotiations with a person who utilizes unethical behavior? It is best to remain neutral, evaluation all the information, research the information given
by the complaint and accused. It is good practice to stay focus on the issues and not the person(s).

 

5. During a negotiation how do you keep from your emotions in check?

Ask if you can the concerns, issues of the other party.  Then summarize what everyone said to make sure everyone understand what have been said.  Then lay out the results of everyone action or consequence based on the rule of the organization.

6. Explain how you interact with someone who comes to the negotiation table with strong emotions?

Restate the issues over so everyone can understand clearly each view point.

7. When you are in a negotiation that has an uneven playing field, in what ways do you try to balance the power?

I always allow parties room to back of their positions, issue and the opportunity to acknowledge their mistake(s).  Additionally make sure the other parties understand the importance of accepting an apology.

8. Which strategy do you utilize the most while negotiating?

I spend the time to build rapport and uncover the interest, and base cause of the issues.

What surprised you?

Unethical workplace behaviors occur everyday. It is almost like a common thing.

2. What did you learn?

There are many programs that are implemented to help.

3. How will you use this information to become a skilled negotiator?

I have a better understanding of how to deal with people and keep my emotions togethe

Benefits And Business At Aflac And L.L. Bean – Case Study 3

Case Study 3

 

This case study is focused on how 2 different companies use total rewards to support the organizations’ missions and values and achieve strategic outcomes. Select only 1 of the companies as the basis for your case study response. (This is not meant to be a comparison of the companies but an exploration of how 2 different companies use their compensation and benefits structures to achieve organizational outcomes). The paper must specifically address the following areas:

 

 

  • How the company uses its own products or services to enhance the total compensation for its employees;
  • The internal and external strengths and weaknesses identified and how the company responded to these factors from a total rewards perspective;
  • Examples of traditional and non-traditional rewards and how they are used to meet organizational objectives;
  • How the company aligns its benefits with its corporate values; and
  • Recommendations regarding an expansion of the benefits programs offered at the company that would further align HR with the accomplishment of organizational goals and values.

    TOTAL REWARDS Student Workbook

     

     

    Benefits and Business at Aflac and L.L. Bean

     

    By Sandra M. Reed, SPHR

     

     

     

    Project team

    Author: Sandra M. Reed, SPHR

    SHR M project contributors: Bill Schaefer, SPHR

    Nancy A. Woolever, SPHR

    External contributor: Sharon H. Leonard

    Copy editing: Katya Scanlan, copy editor

    Design: Kellyn Lombardi, graphic designer

    © 2009 Society for Human Resource Management. Sandra M. Reed, SPHR

     

     

    Case overview

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 1

     

     

     

    In its 2008 annual Job Satisfaction Survey Report, the Society for Human Resource

    Management (SHR M) reported that for the past five years, employees rated

    compensation and benefits among the top three aspects most important to their

    job. But despite the importance of these aspects, employee satisfaction with their

    compensation and benefits packages remains low. According to a Conference Board

    report, “employees are least satisfied with their companies’ bonus plans, promotion

    policies, health plans and pensions”. Employers are missing critical opportunities to

    maximize employee job satisfaction and other organizational outcomes through their

    total rewards programs.1

    In the book Dynamic Compensation for Changing organizations: People, Performance

    & Pay, The Hay Group asserts that traditional pay structures no longer keep

    pace with the emerging, strategy-focused organizations that exist in today’s

    globally competitive market. “What shifted were organizational work values, work

    cultures and business strategies. Although they have been largely overlooked,

    dramatic changes in the organizational rules have frequently rendered traditional

    compensation strategies ineffective. Employees today are expected to work in teams

    rather than solely on their own. They are expected to keep learning new skills and

    to assume broader roles. They are expected to take more risks and responsibility for

    results. As a consequence, we are slowly coming to the realization that we may be

    paying for the wrong things, sending inconsistent messages about the company to its

    employees, or creating artificial expectations of continued advancement and raises,

    no matter how well the company performs.”2

    Furthermore, in its publication Implementing Total Rewards Strategies, SHR M

    notes that “the right total rewards system—a blend of monetary and non-monetary

    rewards offered to employees—can generate valuable business results. These results

    range from enhanced individual and organizational performance to improved job

    satisfaction, employee loyalty and workforce morale.”3

    Today, HR professionals are responsible for programs far beyond the profession’s

    administrative personnel roots. They are expected to measure the success or failure of

    HR practices based on the achievement of organizational outcomes. Brand identity,

    bottom-line profitability, employee job satisfaction and increased management focus

    are all outcomes that can be achieved in part through an organization’s total rewards

    program. This case examines two very different organizations and how they align

    their total rewards programs with their organizational goals and values.

     

     

    Aflac Insurance

    2 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

     

    Company Information

     

    Aflac is a Fortune 500 insurance company founded in 1955 by three brothers, John,

    Paul and Bill Amos. Today, Aflac employs more than 4,500 people and has more

    than 71,000 licensed independent agents throughout the United States and Japan.

    The following is an excerpt from the New York Stock Exchange business summary.

    “Aflac Incorporated is a general business holding company and acts as a management

    company, overseeing the operations of its subsidiaries by providing management

    services and making capital available. Its principal business is supplemental health

    and life insurance, which is marketed and administered through its subsidiary,

    American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), which operates

    in the United States (Aflac U.S.) and as a branch in Japan (Aflac Japan). Aflac’s

    insurance business consists of two segments: Aflac Japan and Aflac U.S. Aflac Japan

    sells cancer plans, care plans, general medical indemnity plans, medical/sickness

    riders, living benefit life plans, ordinary life insurance plans and annuities. Aflac U.S.

    sells cancer plans and various types of health insurance, including accident/disability,

    fixed-benefit dental, sickness and hospital indemnity, vision care, hospital intensive

    care, long-term care, ordinary life and short-term disability plans.”

     

    AFLAC Corporate Philosophy

    “Since its beginning, Aflac has believed that the best way to succeed in our business

    is to value people. Treating employees with care, dignity and fairness are founding

    principles of Aflac.”

     

    Aflac’s mission

    To combine innovative strategic marketing with quality products and services at

    competitive prices to provide the best insurance value for consumers.

     

     

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 3

     

     

     

    Guiding Principles

    To offer quality products and services at competitive prices and use new technology

    to better serve our policyholders.

    n Build better value for our shareholders.

     

    n Supply quality service for our agents.

    n Provide an enriching and rewarding workplace for our employees.

    The case at AFLAC

    With a desire to be an employer of choice, Aflac Insurance is no stranger to the

    competition for talent among employers in the United States. In fact, according

    to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate in the insurance

    industry was at 3.3 percent in March 2008, a number consistently below the

    National and state levels in other industries (Exhibits A and B). This makes finding

    and retaining qualified individuals to deliver positive results to shareholders an

    ongoing challenge.

    Organizational outcomes related to human resources at Aflac reflect many of the

    basic functions, including recruiting, retention, diversity and training. At Aflac, the

    company strives to deliver quality service to its 4,500 employees while staying

    competitive in the insurance market. Aflac prides itself on being ahead of the curve

    From a consumer perspective and desires to mirror that philosophy in its treatment

    of employees. How does the company made famous by the duck maintain the

    integrity of its brand while delivering results through its people? How important are

    benefits and compensation to the company’s ability to compete in a growing

    industry?

    Casey Graves, vice president of human resources in charge of compensation and

    benefits at Aflac, says that the needs of the company’s employees continue to be the

    driving factor behind Aflac’s total rewards programs. As with most programs, it

    begins with an employee needs assessment and continues to be measured through

    outcomes, which have been directly influenced through the company’s enhanced

    total rewards efforts. The consistent thread throughout this process, according to

    Graves, is the quality of communication. Graves explains that Aflac’s total rewards

    statements have evolved from a one-page document to an in-depth review of the

    true value of the employment compensation and benefits.

    Employee satisfaction surveys and focus groups conducted in 2007 with Aflac

    employees and managers drove the needs identification process. A key focus of

    the survey was to help recruit talent and improve retention in an industry with low

    unemployment rates. Although survey results varied, Aflac’s response was consistent:

    to give employees what they need from a benefits perspective while balancing the

    cost, all within a rapid period of growth.

     

     

    4 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

     

    Throughout the process, the company focused on providing value-added programs

    that would improve employee job satisfaction, support organizational initiatives

    and provide opportunities for professional development. Aflac seeks to accomplish

    this by:

    N Providing Aflac products to employees at little to no cost—for example,

    offering employer-paid life insurance, a company-paid cancer policy and company-

    subsidized accident protection insurance.

    Providing total rewards in line with philanthropic goals. Aflac dedicates

    resources to efforts that support the community in four areas: health,

    education, youth and the arts. One benefit offered to Aflac employees is the

    recognition of a “Volunteer of the Month,” in which an employee is awarded

    for the time spent volunteering at his or her charity of choice.

    n Developing employees for their next career level through extensive

    employee training and leadership programs to keep pace with the strategic

    growth goals being executed company- wide. More than 91 percent of Aflac’s

    employees at the senior vice president level and above have been promoted through

    the ranks. Aflac’s corporate training department hosts two employee learning

    initiatives. The first is a leadership development program with on-site courses for

    all employees from entry level to senior management. There are three levels of

    classes; some classes require employees to have taken prerequisite courses that are

    a part of the offered curriculum. Instructor-led classes offer a variety of subjects

    for workers seeking both career and personal development and are designed to

    help employees achieve a quality work/life balance. Course topics range from

    “Managing Your Career” to “Preventing Diabetes.”

    Cost-containment is on every HR professional’s mind when discussing employee

    benefits. According to the National Coalition on Healthcare, the cost of offering

    health insurance continues to outpace inflation. In fact, “in 2007, employer health

    insurance premiums increased by 6.1 percent, which was two times the rate of

    inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four

    averaged nearly $12,100. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over

    $4,400.” And, as Graves points out, that is added to the cost of steadily growing the

    business each year, which includes adding staff. Suddenly, employee benefits become

    a conspicuous line item on profit and loss statements and must therefore enhance the

    achievement of organizational outcomes in order to be justified. An important

    theme in Aflac’s communication to its employees is that the health care cost

    containment is an employer and employee shared responsibility.

    Aflac seeks to administer benefits in a cost-effective manner while staying

    true to the concept of employee service. Aflac recognizes the actual value of

    employee benefits, and as a result, its overall philosophy is that “it’s all about the

    employee.” For Aflac, in addition to competitive salaries, it includes designing

    benefits packages that reflect the needs of a multi-generational workforce—some

     

     

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 5

     

     

     

    seeking portability, others seeking stability. It is about creating a positive work

    environment that is conducive to productivity—by offering one of the largest on-site

    child care facilities in the United States. Aflac sponsors outdoor adventure days,

    on-site fitness centers and service discounts. It pays 100 percent of the employee

    premium for its ground-breaking cancer insurance, in line with the company’s

    philanthropic commitments as a socially responsible organization, positioning

    Aflac to lead its industry to enhanced service levels. These benefits, according to

    Graves, send the message to employees that they and their lifestyles are important

    to the organization. The proof continues to be demonstrated in recent employee

    survey results:

    n Approximately 90 percent of employees were attracted to and remain at Aflac

    because of company reputation.

    n Employees are happy with the profit-sharing bonus, with 81 percent of employees

    saying they believe it is better than that of other companies.

    n Eighty-nine percent of employees consider Aflac’s total rewards statement an

    effective communication tool.

    Perhaps most telling of all in the competitive world of insurance—employee turnover

    fell below 10 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

     

     

    6 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

    data series dec. 2007 jan. 2008 feb. 2008 mar. 2008

    Employment (in thousands)

    Employment, all employees

    (seasonally adjusted)

    2,316.8 2,313.9 (P) 2,310.2 (P) 2,314.1

     

    Initial claimants for unemployment 514

    benefits

    1,022 468

    Footnotes (P) Preliminary

     

     

    exhibit a: the bureau of labor statistics April 2008

    Insurance carriers and related activities: NALCS 524

    employment, Unemployment & Layoffs:

     

    Employment, nonsupervisory workers 1,848.0 1,836.0 (P) 1,839.7

    Unemployment

    Unemployment rate 2.3% 2.9% 2.6% 3.3%

    Layoffs

    Mass layoff events 9 13 7

     

    (Source: Current Employment Statistics, Current Population Survey, Mass Layoff Statistics)

     

    exhibit b: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States

    Civilian Unemployment rate, all Industries

    Labor Force statistics from the Current Population survey

    year jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec

    1998 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.4

    1999 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.0

    2000 4.0 4.1 4.0 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.9

    2001 4.2 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.7

    2002 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 6.0

    2003 5.8 5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.3 6.2 6.1 6.1 6.0 5.8 5.7

    2004 5.7 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.4 5.4

    2005 5.2 5.4 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.9 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.8

    2006 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.4

    2007 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.8 4.7 5.0

    2008 4.9 4.8 5.1 5.0 5.5 5.6 5.8 6.2. 6.2 6.6 6.8 7.2

     

     

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 7

     

     

     

     

    L.L. Bean company Information

     

    L.L. Bean is a privately held outdoor apparel specialty catalog and retail store

    founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, an outdoor enthusiast and entrepreneur.

    In his autobiography, My Story, Bean wrote that nothing eventful occurred before

    his 40th year when he created a leather-topped, rubber-bottomed hunting shoe.

    As the legend goes, he sold his first 100 pairs by mail order with a 100 percent

    satisfaction guarantee. When 90 pairs were returned defective, he kept his promise

    and made the refunds. Bean borrowed $400 from his brother to perfect the design

    and went on to become a clothing consultant for the military during World War II,

    an author and, of course, the president and founder of a retail giant. As described by

    Yahoo finance online:

    “With L.L.Bean, you can tame the great outdoors—or just look as if you could.

    The outdoor apparel and gear maker mails more than 200 million catalogs per year.

    L.L.Bean’s library includes about 10 specialty catalogs offering products in categories

    such as children’s clothing, fly-fishing, outerwear, sportswear, housewares, footwear,

    camping and hiking gear, and the Maine hunting shoe upon which the company

    was built. L.L.Bean also operates about a dozen retail stores and some 15 factory

    outlets throughout the Northeast. In addition, it sells online through English- and

    Japanese-language Web sites.”

    L.L.Bean’s annual sales grew from $616.8 million in 1990 to $1.169 billion in

    2000, with an average annual growth rate of 6.8 percent. In 2000, L.L.Bean paid a

    10 percent company-wide bonus.

    More than 11,000 people worked for the company during the 2006 holiday

    season, and in 2007 the company reported $1.5 billion in sales, with approximately

    80 percent of those sales coming from Internet and catalog sales. The company

    continues to evolve into a multi-channel sales giant through mail order, telephone,

    Internet and in-store sales.

    the brand

     

    L.L.Bean has always been a marketing professionals’ dream of creating a brand into

    an institution. Strategists, marketing specialists and other business professionals

    (including the competition) have tried to duplicate the company’s achievements

    with varying degrees of success. A brand is built on perceptions about quality,

    service and status created by using a particular product or working with a specific

     

     

    8 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

     

    company. A brand can be built using marketing techniques such as visual imagery,

    wording that identifies what the organization does, and advertising campaigns

    targeted to a desired demographic. Strong brand identity can build a relationship

    with the consumer. In L.L.Bean’s case, this is a relationship with Maine and the

    great outdoors. The company operates on the belief that the brand should reflect

    Bean’s values, not just the products it sells. This case examines how L.L.Bean built

    the brand by using employees as the critical channel through which to accomplish

    strategic directives.

    When Leon Gorman, grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, assumed the presidency of

    the company in 1960, he sent a message to employees defining their stakeholders—

    those to whom L.L.Bean was ultimately accountable in a values-driven business.

    L.L.Bean’s stakeholders were its customers, employees, vendors, communities and

    the natural environment.

    In addition to a strong customer focus, the company sought to solidify the brand

    through social responsibility. Social responsibility is a business concept driven by

    the principles of ethically sound practices, awareness of the business imprint on the

    environment, and improvement of the quality of life of the company’s employees and

    the communities in which it operates. Social responsibility at L.L.Bean is divided

    into four categories:

    n The environment

     

    With company products geared for outdoor use, L.L.Bean focuses its

    philanthropic efforts on preserving the environment. Examples include green

    building, charitable giving and employee participation in preservation activities.

    n Paper procurement

     

    L.L. Bean is committed to sustainable, responsible paper procurement, an

    important consideration because the company mails more than 200 million

    catalogs each year. It uses recycled fiber, and suppliers are required to have

    programs in place to support sustainable management of natural resources.

    n Labor rights

     

    When the company decided to move some operations offshore, it made a

    commitment to labor rights, including human rights monitoring. In fact, the

    company terminated at least three offshore vendor relationships that did not meet

    its human rights standards. Included in Bean’s Vendor Code of Conduct are

    standards for safety, non-discriminatory practices, and fair compensation

    and benefits. This code of conduct includes processes for auditing and

    investigating complaints.

     

     

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 9

     

     

     

    n Charitable giving

    Charitable giving at L.L.Bean is based on Gorman’s concept of the stakeholder

    and the company’s heritage in the outdoors. The company has donated more than

    $5 million toward environmental conservation efforts to groups like The National

    Park Foundation and Ducks Unlimited. It sponsored the Peace Climb up Mt.

    Everest, during which more than three tons of trash was collected. In addition,

    quality of life of the Bean employee and customer is reflected in the company’s

    charitable giving efforts to groups such as United Way and the Portland Symphony

    Orchestra.

    the Problem

     

    The company spent the 1970s and 1980s developing the brand into an American

    institution. L.L.Bean operated on the premise that profits are an outcome of strong

    customer service. Profits, therefore, were a byproduct rather than a corporate

    focus. Growth was strong, particularly in mail order. By 1990, however, sales were

    stagnating, productivity was declining and the mailing list was not growing. The

    U.S. economy slipped into a recession, and as a result, 1990 was the worst year for

    L.L.Bean in a decade. Sales growth improved in 1992 when the company expanded

    into the Japanese market. In 1995, Bean launched their e-commerce web site.

    There was significant upper-management turnover, though, and Gorman believed

    that because of the rapidly changing external environment, the company had lost

    direction. In 1996, sales flattened again, and for the first time under Gorman’s

    leadership, the company reported a decline in sales. It was the first time the board of

    directors voted to not award annual bonuses to employees.

    the case at LL.bean

     

    L.L.Bean launched a strategic review. The 80+-year-old company had been through

    decades of change, yet its core business model had consistently provided excellent

    growth and profit. This was no longer the case by the 1990s when the competitive

    landscape reflected a more technically savvy and cost-conscious customer and global

    employee market. The need to reorganize became obvious to Gorman.

    The strategic review process began in 1996 and included analyses of both

    strategic and operational processes, including brand identity, target markets and

    operational competencies (employees). HR was one of the strategic business units

    (SBUs) developed as an outcome of the review process. The SBUs were part of

    a decentralization process in which each unit had responsibility for its profit and

    loss and was held accountable to a balanced scorecard approach in performance

    metrics. This designation for the HR department allowed it to develop operational

    tasks such as compensation and benefits into a strategic process with measurable

    outcomes—for example, linking pay to performance and increasing employee job

    satisfaction. In addition, total rewards were used as strategic solutions to many of the

     

     

    10 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

     

    issues identified in the review process, including global outsourcing, multi-channel

    marketing initiatives, employee recognition and the redefining of the brand.

    Multi-channel marketing was another outcome of L.L.Bean’s strategic review.

    Multi-channel marketing is the ability to offer customers more than one way to

    purchase a product. The company decided to expand their brick-and-mortar stores

    and capitalize on the opportunity presented by the Internet (Exhibit A). According

    to Gorman, Internet retail sales doubled each year since 1996.

    A weakness identified in the strategic review was that the company’s financial and

    human resources were geared to grow the catalog business but not retail expansion

    or Internet sales. The diversification initiative took staffing to another level. For

    example, the decentralization of the management team to other locations required

    concentrated efforts by the company to infuse the non-corporate facilities with

    L.L.Bean values. The development of new jobs required thorough market research,

    including a comprehensive job analysis process. The lack of technical skills such as

    data processing threatened to topple the organization if it didn’t acquire the staff

    with the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform in a highly competitive

    market at an organization that was used to setting the standards for quality.

    Developing job descriptions and conducting salary surveys allowed the company

    to develop a comprehensive compensation and benefits framework to manage this

    period of rapid growth and diversification.

    As a result of the strategic review process, total rewards at L.L.Bean became a core

    business practice critical to the accomplishment of organizational goals. Traditional

    benefits offered at L.L. Bean include performance-based bonuses and cafeteria-

    style health care. Non-traditional benefits include store discounts, on-site fitness

    programs and the use of company-owned outdoor gear such as tents and canoes.

    The company continues the tradition of outdoor adventure days and trips as a way

    to connect employees with the L.L.Bean values—the love of the outdoors. L. L.

    Bean himself believed in profit-sharing with employees long before it became a

    strategic compensation practice. Back in the days when pay was 18 cents an hour,

    paid in brown envelopes of cash, Bean surprised employees with bonuses calculated

    as a percentage of profits—Bean’s employees were paid when the company

    performed. These practices reflect the L.L.Bean philosophy that the employees’

    passion for the company and its products will translate to the customer. As far as

    Bean was concerned, the company had an obligation to stakeholders, and it began

    with employee satisfaction. As Leon Gorman put it:

    “Our stakeholders have invested their patronage, careers, finances, social services

    and outdoor values in our enterprise. They trust us to tell the truth, to sell quality

    products, to guarantee satisfaction, to pay fair wages and provide opportunities

    for growth, to secure their investment, to participate in society, and to sustain our

    natural environment. They trust us to grow to the extent that we can enhance our

    benefits to them. They trust us to go the extra mile in everything we do.”4

     

     

    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 11

     

     

     

    Global outsourcing of operations brought intense scrutiny to the function of

    compensation and benefits. This resulted in Gorman leading the challenge for fair

    wages at the company’s global subsidiaries and vendors and, in some cases, firing

    those who failed to comply.5 In addition, global benefits were markedly different

    from U.S. benefits because they were infused with cultural purpose. For example,

    among Japan’s official holidays are Respect for the Aged Day, a Cultural Day,

    the Emperor’s Birthday and Physical Fitness Day. In addition, although Japan’s

    retirement system was similar to the United States (a combination of Social Security

    and employer-sponsored plans), Japanese employees typically collect one lump-sum

    severance payment at the time of retirement based on years of service. Commuter

    costs and housing subsidies are also common fringe employment benefits in Japan.6

    Did the 1996 strategic review work? Were employees rewarded for their continued

    excellence, loyalty and dedication to the corporate objectives? Let’s look at

    L.L.Bean’s 2006 Year in Review press release, as reported by PR Newswire:

    LL Bean Inc. reports 2006 net sales results

     

    “For the 2006 fiscal year ending February 25, 2007, L.L.Bean reported record

    annual net sales of $1.54 billion, a 4.6 % increase over 2005. The company also

    announced that its Board of Directors approved a cash award of 7.5% of annual pay

    to eligible employees, a payout of approximately $25.5 million. An additional $8.8

    million will be allocated to the pension plan, keeping the plan fully funded.

    “It’s a well-deserved bonus,” said Leon Gorman, L.L.Bean’s Chairman of the Board.

    “2006 was a year in which we made excellent progress on a variety of strategic

    initiatives important to the future of our business. We are pleased to be in the

    position of rewarding Bean employees for their achievements.”

    Chris McCormick, L.L.Bean’s President and CEO, expanded on the year-end

    results for 2006. “We had a strong start and strong finish to the fall and winter

    selling season,” he said. “Although unseasonably warm weather had an impact

    on sales in December and early January, our business performed very well and

    the product line continues to hit the right mark with our customers. I am very

    proud of all that we accomplished in 2006 through our employees’ hard work

    and dedication,” he continued. “It was an exciting year with a lot of energy and

    growth, including the opening of three additional stores, launching $90 million

    in investments in our hometown of Freeport, and making further progress on the

    international side of our business.”

     

     

    12 © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR

     

     

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    exhibit a: LL bean-bureau of labor statistics for electronic

    shopping & mail-order houses, establishments Primarily

    engaged In retailing all types of merchandise using non-store

    means such as catalogs or electronic media

    The eight industries with the highest productivity growth rates over the

    1990–2000 period, each experienced growth in output per hour of more

    than 12 percent per year, on average.

     

    Industries with highest labor productivity growth rates, 1990-2000

    35%

     

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    © 2009 society for Human Resource Management. sandra M. Reed, sPHR 13

     

     

     

    1. Society for Human Resource Management. (2008). 2008 job satisfaction: A survey report by SHR M.

    Alexandria, VA: Author.

    The Conference Board. (2005, February 28). U.S. job satisfaction keeps falling [press release]. Retrieved from

    www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2582.

    2. The Hay Group (1996). Dynamic compensation for changing organizations: People, Performance & Pay. New

    York: The Free Press.

    3. Heneman, R. L. (2007). Implementing total rewards strategies. Alexandria, VA: SHR M Foundation. Retrieved

    from www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Documents/07RewardsStratReport.pdf.

    4. Gorman, L. (2006). L. L. Bean: The making of an American icon. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School

    Press.

    5. Gorman, L. (2006). L. L. Bean: The making of an American icon. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School

    Press.

    6. The Japan External Trade Organization. Human Resources and Payroll [fact sheet]. Retrieved from www.jetro.

    org/documents/fact_sheets/f_hr.pdf.

     

    http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=2582
    http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Documents/07RewardsStratReport.pdf

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    1800 Duke Street

    Alexandria, VA 22314-3499

Staffing System and Retention Management

Part 4
Staffing Activities: Selection

Chapter 7: Measurement

Chapter 8: External Selection I

Chapter 9: External Selection II

Chapter 10: Internal Selection

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Part 4
Staffing Activities: Selection

Chapter 7:

Measurement

 

Staffing Policies and Programs

Staffing System and Retention Management

Support Activities

Legal compliance

Planning

Job analysis

Core Staffing Activities

Recruitment: External, internal

Selection:
Measurement, external, internal

Employment:
Decision making, final match

Staffing Organizations Model

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Chapter Outline

  • Importance and Use of Measures
  • Key Concepts
  • Measurement
  • Scores
  • Correlation Between Scores
  • Quality of Measures
  • Reliability of Measures
  • Validity of Measures
  • Validation of Measures in Staffing
  • Validity Generalization
  • Staffing Metrics and Benchmarks
  • Collection of Assessment Data
  • Testing Procedures
  • Acquisition of Tests and Test Manuals
  • Professional Standards
  • Legal Issues
  • Determining Adverse Impact
  • Standardization
  • Best Practices

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Learning Objectives for This Chapter

  • Define measurement and understand its use and importance in staffing decisions
  • Understand the concept of reliability and review the different ways reliability of measures can be assessed
  • Define validity and consider the relationship between reliability and validity
  • Compare and contrast the two types of validation studies typically conducted
  • Consider how validity generalization affects and informs validation of measures in staffing
  • Review the primary ways assessment data can be collected

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Discussion Questions for This Chapter

  • Imagine and describe a staffing system for a job in which there are no measures used.
  • Describe how you might go about determining scores for applicants’ responses to (a) interview questions, (b) letters of recommendation, and (c) questions about previous work experience.
  • Give examples of when you would want the following for a written job knowledge test
  • a low coefficient alpha (e.g., α = .35)
  • a low test–retest reliability.
  • Assume you gave a general ability test, measuring both verbal and computational skills, to a group of applicants for a specific job. Also assume that because of severe hiring pressures, you hired all of the applicants, regardless of their test scores.
  • How would you investigate the criterion-related validity of the test?
  • How would you go about investigating the content validity of the test?
  • What information does a selection decision maker need to collect in making staffing decisions? What are the ways in which this information can be collected?

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Key Concepts

  • Measurement
  • the process of assigning numbers to objects to represent quantities of an attribute of the objects
  • Scores
  • the amount of the attribute being assessed
  • Correlation between scores
  • a statistical measure of the relation between the two sets of scores

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Importance and Use of Measures

  • Measures
  • Methods or techniques for describing and assessing attributes of objects
  • Examples
  • Tests of applicant KSAOs
  • Job performance ratings
    of employees
  • Applicants’ ratings of their
    preferences for various types
    of job rewards

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Importance and Use of Measures
(continued)

  • Summary of measurement process
  • (a) Choose an attribute of interest
  • (b) Develop operational definition of attribute
  • (c) Construct a measure of attribute as operationally
    defined
  • (d) Use measure to actually gauge attribute
  • Results of measurement process
  • Scores become indicators of attribute
  • Initial attribute and its operational definition are transformed into a numerical expression of attribute

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Measurement: Definition

  • Process of assigning numbers to objects to represent quantities of an attribute of the objects
  • Attribute/Construct – Knowledge of mechanical principles
  • Objects – Job applicants

Ex. 7.1 Use of Measures in Staffing

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Measurement: Standardization

  • Involves
  • Controlling influence of extraneous factors
    on scores generated by a measure and
  • Ensuring scores obtained reflect the attribute measured
  • Properties of a standardized measure
  • Content is identical for all objects measured
  • Administration of measure is identical for all objects
  • Rules for assigning numbers are clearly specified and agreed on in advance

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Measurement: Levels

  • Nominal
  • A given attribute is categorized and numbers are assigned to categories
  • No order or level implied among categories
  • Ordinal
  • Objects are rank-ordered according to how much of attribute they possess
  • Represents relative differences among objects
  • Interval
  • Objects are rank-ordered
  • Differences between adjacent points on measurement scale are equal in terms of attribute
  • Ratio
  • Similar to interval scales – equal differences between scale points for attribute being measured
  • Have a logical or absolute zero point

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Measurement: Differences in
Objective and Subjective Measures

  • Objective measures
  • Rules used to assign numbers to attribute are predetermined, communicated, and applied
    through a system
  • Subjective measures
  • Scoring system is more elusive, often involving a rater who assigns the numbers
  • Research shows these may not be strongly related, but purely objective measures can miss important parts of job performance

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Scores

  • Definition
  • Measures provide scores to represent
    amount of attribute being assessed
  • Scores are the numerical indicator of attribute
  • Central tendency and variability
  • Exh. 7.2: Central Tendency and Variability: Summary Statistics
  • Percentiles
  • Percentage of people scoring below an individual in a distribution of scores
  • Standard scores

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Discussion questions

  • Imagine and describe a staffing system for a job in which there are no measures used.
  • Describe how you might go about determining scores for applicants’ responses to (a) interview questions, (b) letters of recommendation, and (c) questions about previous work experience.

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Correlation Between Scores

  • Scatter diagrams
  • Used to plot the joint distribution of the two sets of scores
  • Exh. 7.3: Scatter Diagrams and Corresponding Correlations
  • Correlation coefficient
  • Value of r summarizes both
  • Strength of relationship between two sets of scores and
  • Direction of relationship
  • Values can range from r = -1.0 to r = 1.0
  • Interpretation – Correlation between two variables does not imply causation between them
  • Exh. 7.4: Calculation of Product-Movement Correlation Coefficient

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Exh. 7.3: Scatter Diagrams and
Corresponding Correlations

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Exh. 7.3: Scatter Diagrams and
Corresponding Correlations

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Exh. 7.3: Scatter Diagrams and
Corresponding Correlations

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Significance of the Correlation Coefficient

  • Practical significance
  • Refers to size of correlation coefficient
  • The greater the degree of common variation
    between two variables, the more one variable
    can be used to understand another variable
  • Statistical significance
  • Refers to likelihood a correlation exists in a population, based on knowledge of the actual value of r in a sample from that population
  • Significance level is expressed as p < value
  • Interpretation — If p < .05, there are fewer than 5 chances in 100 of concluding there is a relationship in the population when, in fact, there is not

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Quality of Measures

  • Reliability of measures
  • Validity of measures
  • Validity of measures in staffing
  • Validity generalization

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Quality of Measures: Reliability

  • Definition: Consistency of measurement of an attribute
  • A measure is reliable to the extent it provides a consistent set of scores to represent an attribute
  • Reliability of measurement is of concern
  • Both within a single time period and between time periods
  • For both objective and subjective measures
  • Exh. 7.6: Summary of Types of Reliability

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Ex. 7.6: Summary of Types of Reliability

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Quality of Measures: Reliability

  • Measurement error
  • Actual score = true score + error
  • Deficiency error
  • Failure to measure some aspect of attribute assessed
  • Contamination error
  • Occurrence of unwanted or undesirable influence on the measure and on individuals being measured

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Ex. 7.7 – Sources of Contamination Error and Suggestions for Control

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Quality of Measures: Reliability

  • Procedures to calculate reliability estimates
  • Coefficient alpha
  • Should be least .80 for a measure to have an acceptable degree of reliability
  • Interrater agreement
  • Minimum level of interrater agreement – 75% or higher
  • Test-Retest reliability
  • Concerned with stability of measurement
  • Level of r should range between r = .50 to r = .90
  • Intrarater agreement
  • For short time intervals between measures, a fairly high relationship is expected – r = .80 or 90%

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Quality of Measures: Reliability

  • Implications of reliability
  • Standard error of measurement
  • Since only one score is obtained from an applicant, the critical issue is how accurate the score is as an indicator of an applicant’s true level of knowledge
  • Relationship to validity
  • Reliability of a measure places an upper limit on the possible validity of a measure
  • A highly reliable measure is not necessarily valid
  • Reliability does not guarantee validity – it only makes it possible

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Quality of Measures: Validity

  • Definition: Degree to which a measure truly measures the attribute it is intended to measure
  • Accuracy of measurement
  • Exh. 7.9: Accuracy of Measurement
  • Accuracy of prediction
  • Exh. 7.10: Accuracy of Prediction

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Ex. 7.9: Accuracy of Measurement

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Discussion questions

  • Give examples of when you would want the following for a written job knowledge test
  • a low coefficient alpha (e.g., α = .35)
  • a low test–retest reliability.

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Exh. 7.12: Accuracy of Prediction

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Exh. 7.12: Accuracy of Prediction

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Validity of Measures in Staffing

  • Importance of validity to staffing process
  • Predictors must be accurate representations of KSAOs to be measured
  • Predictors must be accurate in predicting job success
  • Validity of predictors explored through validation studies
  • Two types of validation studies
  • Criterion-related validation
  • Content validation

Ex. 7.13: Criterion-Related Validation

Criterion Measures: measures of performance on tasks and task dimensions

Predictor Measure: it taps into one or more of the KSAOs identified in job analysis

Predictor–Criterion Scores: must be gathered from a sample of current employees or job applicants

Predictor–Criterion Relationship: the correlation must be calculated.

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Ex. 7.14: Concurrent and Predictive
Validation Designs

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Ex. 7.14: Concurrent and Predictive
Validation Designs

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Content Validation

  • Content validation involves
  • Demonstrating the questions/problems (predictor scores) are a representative sample of the kinds of situations occurring on the job
  • Criterion measures are not used
  • A judgment is made about the probable correlation between predictors and criterion measures
  • Used in two situations
  • When there are too few people to form a sample for criterion-related validation
  • When criterion measures are not available
  • Exh. 7.16: Content Validation

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Validity Generalization

  • Degree to which validity can be extended to other contexts
  • Contexts include different situations, samples of people and time periods
  • Situation-specific validity vs. validity generalization
  • Exh. 7.18: Hypothetical Validity Generalization Example
  • Distinction is important because
  • Validity generalization allows greater latitude than situation specificity
  • More convenient and less costly not to have to conduct a separate validation study for every situation

Exhibit 7.18 Hypothetical Validity Generalization Example

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Discussion questions

  • Assume you gave a general ability test, measuring both verbal and computational skills, to a group of applicants for a specific job. Also assume that because of severe hiring pressures, you hired all of the applicants, regardless of their test scores.
  • How would you investigate the criterion-related validity of the test?
  • How would you go about investigating the content validity of the test?
  • What information does a selection decision maker need to collect in making staffing decisions? What are the ways in which this information can be collected?

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Staffing Metrics and Benchmarks

  • Metrics
  • quantifiable measures that demonstrate the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of a particular practice or procedure
  • Staffing metrics
  • job analysis
  • validation
  • Measurement
  • Benchmarking as a means of developing metrics

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Collection of Assessment Data

  • Testing procedures
  • Paper and pencil measures
  • PC- and Web-based approaches
  • Applicant reactions
  • Acquisition of tests and test manuals
  • Paper and pencil measures
  • PC- and Web-based approaches
  • Professional standards

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Legal Issues

  • Disparate impact statistics
  • Applicant flow statistics
  • Applicant stock statistics
  • Standardization
  • Lack of consistency in treatment of applicants is
    a major factor contributing to discrimination
  • Example: Gathering different types of background information from protected vs. non-protected groups
  • Example: Different evaluations of information for protected vs. non-protected groups
  • Validation
  • If adverse impact exists, a company must either eliminate it or justify it exists for job-related reasons (validity evidence)

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Ethical Issues

  • Issue 1
  • Do individuals making staffing decisions have an ethical responsibility to know measurement issues? Why or why not?
  • Issue 2
  • Is it unethical for an employer to use a selection measure that has high empirical validity but lacks content validity? Explain.

Human Resource Management

Resources: Ch. 11 & 12 of Managing Human Resources, Ch. 9 & 10 of Human Resource Management, the InterClean Scenario, and Employee Profiles

Consider the following scenario:

Benefits, Nonfinancial Compensation, and Other Compensation Issues

Chapter Objectives

After completing this chapter, students should be able to:

1. Define benefits.

2. Describe mandated (legally required) benefits.

3. Explain the various discretionary benefits.

4. Describe customized benefit plans.

5. Explain premium pay.

6. Explain health care legislation.

7. Describe the components of nonfinancial compensation.

8. Describe the job itself as a nonfinancial compensation factor and job characteristics theory.

9. Describe the job environment as a nonfinancial compensation factor.

10. Describe workplace flexibility (work-life balance) factors.

11. Describe the concepts of severance pay, comparable worth, pay secrecy, and pay compression.

HRM in Action: Nontraditional Benefits

Regardless of economic conditions, it seems organizations are continually competing for top caliber employees. Although benefits may not serve as strong motivators of performance, they are obviously important in attracting and retaining these desired individuals. Among numerous unique benefits offered by some firms are the following:

· Lake Zurich–based New Age Transportation, Distribution and Warehousing Inc., handed out pedometers and promised to pay a dollar for every mile employees walked, plus more for losing weight. One employee received a check for $1,200. 1

· Chicago branding agency Bamboo Worldwide Inc., gives employees working vacation days, when they can be out of the office but must check e-mail and voice mail twice during the day. 2

· At Goldman Sachs, employees get 52 hours of paid volunteer time each year.

· At Fannie Mae, employees receive a healthy-living day off and a day of home-purchase leave.

· At Starbucks, even part-timers get health insurance, stock options, and tuition reimbursement as well as a free pound of coffee weekly.

· At AFLAC, the firm’s 32-acre campus has a YMCA fitness center, acute-care clinic, walking trails, child-care center, and a duck pond. Twelve weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave are available for eligible staff.

· At Colgate-Palmolive, new parents get a three-week paid leave on top of regular disability time off. On-site banking, a travel agent, and a film-processing center make errands easier and intramural sports leagues contribute to the fun.

· At Ernst & Young, the company provides a concierge service. 3

· At Communicorp, in Columbus, Georgia, the company has two on-site child-care centers offering infant care, kindergarten programs, after-school programs, and evening services on Saturdays. 4

· At SRP in Arizona, the nation’s third-largest public power and water utility, the company offers its employees identity theft services to educate them about protecting their identity and help them restore their identity and credit after a theft. SRP recently began offering services to its 4,500 employees after noticing workers were contacting its security services weekly for help in dealing with stolen credit cards and lost wallets. Identity theft services cut down on lost productivity and gave employees peace of mind. 5

This chapter begins  by describing some nontraditional benefits, and benefits as indirect financial compensation. A discussion of mandated and voluntary benefits follows. Topics related to health care, life insurance, retirement plans, disability protection, employee stock option plans, supplemental unemployment benefits, and employee services are then discussed. Premium pay and legislation concerning benefits are presented next, and the factors involved in nonfinancial compensation are then described. Topics related to the job itself as a total compensation factor, job characteristics theory, and the job environment as a total compensation factor are then presented, followed by a discussion of factors that are involved in workplace flexibility (work-life balance) and concepts regarding severance pay, comparable worth, pay secrecy, and pay compression. This chapter concludes with a Global Perspective entitled “China’s Work Week.”

Benefits (Indirect Financial Compensation)

1 Objective

1. Define benefits.

Most organizations recognize that they have a responsibility to their employees to provide insurance and other programs for their health, safety, security, and general welfare (see Figure 10-1). These programs, called benefits, include all financial rewards not included in direct financial compensation. Benefits generally cost the firm money, but employees usually receive them indirectly. For example, an organization may spend several thousand dollars a year as a contribution to the health insurance premiums for each employee. The employee does not receive the money but does obtain the benefit of health insurance coverage. This type of compensation has two distinct advantages: (1) it is generally nontaxable to the employee and (2) the cost of some benefits may be much less for large groups of employees than for individuals.

Figure 10-1 Benefits in a Total Compensation Program

https://portal.phoenix.edu/content/ebooks/9780132225953-human-resource-management-tenth-edition/jcr:content/images/fg10_001_0132225956_alt.gif

As a rule, employees receive benefits because of their membership in the organization. Benefits are typically unrelated to employee productivity; therefore, although they may be valuable in recruiting and retaining employees, they do not generally serve as motivation for improved performance. Legislation mandates some benefits, and employers voluntarily provide others.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, benefits account for nearly 30 percent of employers’ total compensation costs, but over the past decade, the change in benefits costs has outpaced the change in the cost of wages and salaries. 6 U.S. businesses are paying an average of $7.40 in benefits for each hour their employees work. 7 The cost of the health care benefit alone is estimated at $8,424 annually per person. 8 The magnitude of this expenditure no doubt accounts for the less frequent use of the term fringe benefits. In fact, the benefits that employees receive today are significantly different from those of just a few years ago. As benefit dollars compete with financial compensation, some employers are moving away from paternalistic benefits programs. They are shifting more responsibilities to employees as with 401(k) retirement plans (discussed later). However, in a competitive labor market, many firms are careful to provide desired benefits to attract and retain employees with critical skills.

Mandated (Legally Required) Benefits

2 Objective

1. Describe mandated (legally required) benefits.

Employers provide most benefits voluntarily, but the law requires others. These required benefits currently account for about 10 percent of total compensation costs. They include Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and family and medical leave. The future comparative importance of these benefits will depend on how the United States deals with rising health care costs and with long-term custodial care for elderly citizens.

Ethical Dilemma: A Poor Bid

You are vice president of human resources for a large construction company, and your company is bidding on an estimated $2.5 million public housing project. A local electrical subcontractor submitted a bid that you realize is 20 percent too low because labor costs have been incorrectly calculated. It is obvious to you that compensation benefits amounting to over 30 percent of labor costs have not been included. In fact, the bid was some $30,000 below those of the other four subcontractors. But, accepting it will improve your chance of winning the contract for the big housing project.

What would you do?

Social Security

The Social Security Act of 1935 created a system of retirement benefits. The Act established a federal payroll tax to fund unemployment and retirement benefits. It also established the Social Security Administration. Employers are required to share equally with employees the cost of old age, survivors’, and disability insurance. Employers are required to pay the full cost of unemployment insurance.

Subsequent amendments to the Act added other forms of protection, such as disability insurance, survivors’ benefits, and, more recently, Medicare. Medicare spending per beneficiary has doubled in real terms in the past two decades and as baby boomers become eligible, the costs will really escalate. Increased costs have resulted from greater use of post–acute care services such as skilled nursing, home health care, and rehabilitation facilities. Medicare’s financial outlook has deteriorated dramatically over the past five years and is now much worse than Social Security’s. 9

Disability insurance protects employees against loss of earnings resulting from total incapacity. Survivors’ benefits are provided to certain members of an employee’s family when the employee dies. These benefits are paid to the widow or widower and unmarried children. Unmarried children may be eligible for survivors’ benefits until they are 18 years old. In some cases, students retain eligibility until they are 19. Medicare provides hospital and medical insurance protection for individuals 65 years of age and older and for those who have become disabled.

Although employees must pay a portion of the cost of Social Security coverage, the employer makes an equal contribution and considers this cost to be a benefit. The present tax rate is 6.2 percent for the Social Security portion and 1.45 percent for Medicare. The total tax rate of 7.65 percent is applied to a maximum taxable wage of $90,000. The rate for Medicare applies to all earnings. Approximately 95 percent of the workers in this country pay into and may draw Social Security benefits. The Social Security program currently is running a surplus but the retirement of the 77-million-member baby-boom generation is looming. Unless Congress makes changes by 2041, the program will have used up its surplus and will no longer be able to pay full benefits. 10

Beginning with employees who reached age 62 in 2000, the retirement age increases gradually until 2009, when it reaches age 66. After stabilizing at this age for a time, it will again increase in 2027, when it reaches age 67. These changes will not affect Medicare, with full eligibility under this program holding at age 65.

Unemployment Compensation

Unemployment insurance provides workers whose jobs have been terminated through no fault of their own monetary payments for up to 26 weeks or until they find a new job. The intent of unemployment payments is to provide an unemployed worker time to find a new job equivalent to the one lost without suffering financial distress. Without this benefit, workers might have to take jobs for which they are overqualified or end up on welfare. Unemployment compensation also serves to sustain consumer spending during periods of economic adjustment. In the United States, unemployment insurance is based on both federal and state statutes and, although the federal government provides guidelines, the programs are administered by the states and therefore benefits vary by state. A payroll tax paid solely by employers funds the unemployment compensation program.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation benefits provide a degree of financial protection for employees who incur expenses resulting from job-related accidents or illnesses. As with unemployment compensation, the various states administer individual programs, which are subject to federal regulations. Employers pay the entire cost of workers’ compensation insurance, and their past experience with job-related accidents and illnesses largely determines their premium expense. These circumstances should provide further encouragement to employers to be proactive with health and safety programs, topics discussed in Chapter 11.

Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA)

The Family and Medical Leave Act applies to private employers with 50 or more employees and to all governmental employers regardless of number. The FMLA provides employees up to 12 weeks a year of unpaid leave in specified situations. The overall intent of the Act was to help employees balance work demands without hindering their ability to attend to personal and family needs. FMLA rights apply only to employees who have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and who have at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12 months immediately preceding the start of the leave. The FMLA guarantees that health insurance coverage is maintained during the leave and also that the employee has the right to return to the same or an equivalent position after a leave.

Discretionary (Voluntary) Benefits

3 Objective

1. Explain the various discretionary benefits.

Although the law requires some benefits, organizations voluntarily provide numerous other benefits. 11 These benefits usually result from unilateral management decisions in some firms and from labor/management negotiations in others. Further, an employee’s desire for a specific benefit may change. For instance, with the soaring gas prices has come a desire for commuter benefits, such as employers paying for employees to use public transit and van pools. 12 Major categories of discretionary benefits include payment for time not worked, health care, life insurance, retirement plans, employee stock option plans, supplemental unemployment benefits, and employee services. An example of the wide range of discretionary corporate benefits may be seen inFigure 10-2.

Figure 10-2 An Example of a Corporation’s Benefit Program

Personal Benefits:
  Medical Plans: Two options as well as various HMOs are available.
  Dental Plans: Two options as well as various Dental Maintenance Alternatives (DMAs) and the MetLife Preferred Dentist Program (PDP) are available.
Work and Personal Life Balancing:
  Vacation: 1 to 4 years service—10 days per year
      5 to 9 years service (or age 50–59)—15 days
      10 to 19 years service or age 60 and over—20 days
      20 years or more—25 days
  Holidays: 12 days per year (6 observed nationally; other 6 vary with at least one personal choice).
  Life Planning Account: $250 of taxable financial assistance each year, with certain conditions.
  Flexible Work Schedules, Telecommuting, and Work Week Balancing: (with local management approval).
Capital Accumulation, Stock Purchase, and Retirement:
  401(k) Plan: Employees may contribute up to 12 percent of eligible compensation, which is matched 50 percent on the first 6 percent.
  Stock Purchase Plan: Employees may contribute up to 10 percent of eligible compensation each pay period for the purchase of company stock (pay 85 percent of average market price per share on date of purchase).
  Retirement Plan: Competitive, company-paid retirement benefit plan with vesting after 5 years of continuous service.
Income and Asset Protection: Some of the plans offered include:
  Sickness and Accident Income Plans
  Long-Term Disability Plan
  Group Life Insurance
  Travel Accident Insurance
  Long-Term Care Insurance
Skills Development:
  Tuition Refund: If aligned with business needs and approved.
  Educational Leaves of Absence: Under appropriate circumstance and approved by management.
Additional Employee Programs:
  Site Offerings: Many sites offer programs including:
    Fitness Centers
    Educational Courses
    Award Programs
    Career Planning Centers
  Clubs: These clubs organize recreational leagues, company-sponsored trips, and a variety of classes and programs.

Payment for Time Not Worked

In providing payment for time not worked, employers recognize that employees need time away from the job for many purposes. Discussed below are paid vacations, sick pay and paid time off, sabbaticals, and other forms of payment for time not worked.

Paid Vacations

In a recent Employee Benefits Trend Study, 64 percent of full-time employees identified paid vacation days as the most important benefit they receive. 13 Payment for time not worked serves important compensation goals. For instance, paid vacations provide workers with an opportunity to rest, become rejuvenated, and thus more productive. They may also encourage employees to remain with the firm. Paid vacation time typically increases with seniority. For example, employees with six months’ service might receive one week of vacation; employees with one year of service, two weeks; ten years’ service, three weeks; and fifteen years’ service, four weeks.

But, some workers are apparently choosing to not take all their vacation. According to a recent survey, American workers are giving back 415 million vacation days a year. 14 In a climate of increased outsourcing and job insecurity, it is not surprising that many Americans do not take full advantage of their vacation benefits. Further, 35 percent of U.S. workers feel stressed about work even while on vacation; CareerBuilder.com found that 39 percent return to work as stressed or more stressed than when they left.15

Vacation time may vary with organizational rank. For instance, an executive, regardless of time with the firm, may be given a month of vacation. With an annual salary of $120,000, this manager would receive a benefit worth approximately $10,000 each year while not working. A junior accountant earning $36,000 a year might receive two weeks of vacation time worth about $1,500.

Sick Pay and Paid Time Off

Each year many firms allocate to each employee a certain number of days of sick leave that they may use when ill. Employees who are too sick to report to work continue to receive their pay up to the maximum number of days accumulated. As with vacation pay, the number of sick leave days often depends on seniority.

Some managers are very critical of sick leave programs. At times, individuals have abused the system by calling in sick when all they really wanted was additional paid vacation. One approach in dealing with the problem of unscheduled absences is to provide more flexibility. In lieu of sick leave, vacation time, and a personal day or two, a growing number of companies are providing paid time off (PTO), a certain number of days off provided each year that employees can use for any purpose. With a PTO plan, all the reasons for time off—sick, vacation, and personal days—are grouped together and no one has to lie. 16 “We had four different time-off programs,” said Paula Mutch, manager of compensation and benefits with Mount Clemens General Hospital in Michigan. “The PTO bank folded them together, and it’s not only much easier for us to administer, it’s easier for employees to understand.”17

According to one survey, up to 27 percent of American firms now have such plans. Maureen Brookband, benefits vice president at Marriott, which has such a plan, says that employees tell her, “It’s very nice, there’s no guilt. You don’t have to use a sick day when you aren’t really sick.” 18 Some critics of the plan feel there is still a need for sick leave. But, as one expert pointed out, a prominent reason for taking sick days is stress, and this factor is not really dealt with. The impact of stress will be discussed in the next chapter.

Sabbaticals

Sabbaticals are temporary leaves of absence from an organization, usually at reduced pay. Although sabbaticals have been used for years in the academic community, they have only recently entered the private sector. According to a recent survey, only 5 percent of companies provide paid sabbaticals but another 18 percent provide unpaid sabbaticals. 19 Often sabbaticals help to reduce turnover and keep workers from burning out; hopefully they will return revitalized and more committed to their work. 20UPS and Xerox are among the growing number of companies who pay employees’ expenses to participate in extended volunteer sabbaticals. Since 1971, Xerox has maintained its Social Service Leave program, which allows employees to take fully paid leaves from their jobs, ranging from three months to a year, to work full-time on volunteer projects of their own design and choosing. Their jobs are waiting for them upon return. 21 Remember the concept of sequencing moms discussed in Chapter 3.

At Fleishman-Hillard, a global public relations firm, employees with four or more years of service can take a six-week sabbatical. Benefits, such as health insurance, continue throughout. The firm pays for two weeks; the employee uses two weeks of vacation, and then takes more weeks without pay. Or employees can take up to one year of unpaid leave and can pay their share of health insurance. They retain the benefit of lower rates from being in the company’s pool. “We were looking for ways to attract and retain employees,” said Agnes Gioconda, Fleishman-Hillard’s chief talent officer. “We find that it reduces employee burnout. They need new ideas for their clients. And it gives us cross-training and career development for others who are out (on leave).” 22

As another example, every employee who has worked at Arrow Electronics, a New York–based distributor of computer products and electronic components, for seven years is eligible for an 8- to 10-week sabbatical. “Employees can use the time off as they wish,” says Kathy Bernhard, director of management development. “We tend to run people really hard,” she explains. “There’s a lot of travel associated with many of these jobs, and it’s a high-stress, high-change industry, so it’s really just a chance for people to get recharged.” Another benefit of the sabbatical program is that of employee development. Employees showing promise and a willingness to learn are assigned to the vacant positions. The opportunity enhances their careers and increases their understanding of the business. 23

Sabbaticals also help to accommodate workplace needs of the baby boomers. According to a recent survey, boomers are likely to continue working, either part-time or full-time, as consultants or by setting up their own companies. They want a flexibleworkplace that lets them take extended sabbaticals and then work intensely for shorter periods of time. They want to phase-inretirement by working fewer hours as they near 65, or after.

Other Types of Payment for Time Not Worked

Although paid vacations and sick pay comprise the largest portion of payment for time not worked, there are numerous other types that companies use. It is common for organizations to provide payments to assist employees in performing civic duties. For example, companies often give workers time off to work with the United Way. At times an executive may be on loan to work virtually full-time on such an endeavor.

Some companies routinely permit employees to take off during work hours to handle personal affairs without taking vacation time. When a worker is called for jury duty, some organizations continue to pay their salary; others pay the difference between jury pay and their salary. When the National Guard or military reserve are called to duty, as has been the case in Afghanistan and Iraq, some companies pay their employees a portion of their salary while on active duty. Further, during an election, many companies permit employees voting time. Still other firms permit bereavement time for the death of a close relative. Finally, there is the payment for time not worked while at the company such as rest periods, coffee breaks, lunch periods, cleanup time, and travel time.

Health Care

Benefits for health care represent the most expensive item in the area of indirect financial compensation. In a recent survey of HR professionals, rising health care costs were listed as number one. 24 Currently, employers spend $300 billion annually on health insurance for employees, dependents, and retirees. When provided, health insurance typically constitutes 25 percent of an employer’s benefit costs. Health insurance premiums have outpaced inflation and wage growth by wide margins. According to a recent study issued by The Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums in the past five years have grown by 73 percent, compared with cumulative inflation (14 percent) and wage rates (up 15 percent) during that same time. Premiums for an average family of four now cost about $11,000 a year. 25

A number of factors have combined to create the high cost of health care:

· An aging population

· A growing demand for medical care

· Increasingly expensive medical technology

· Inefficient administrative processes

In 2004, the Canadian province of Ontario surpassed Michigan in car production. However, most of the cars made in Ontario are manufactured by General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler. These companies are shifting production out of the United States because of enormous health care costs. In Canada, which has a government-funded and government-run health care system, the cost to the employer per worker is just $800. 26 Recently, General Motors and the United Auto Workers agreed to a substantial cut in the medical benefits GM gives its UAW retirees. That deal saves the company an estimated $1 billion a year after taxes and reduces its total medical cost liability by about $15 billion, which is about GM’s total market value. 27

Managed-Care Health Organizations

In addition to self-insurance (in which firms provide benefits directly from their own assets) and traditional commercial insurers (which supply indemnity insurance covering bills from any health care provider), employers may utilize one of several managed-care options. Managed-care systems have been the general response to increased medical costs. These networks are comprised of doctors and hospitals that agree to accept negotiated prices for treating patients. Employees receive financial incentives to use the facilities within the network. Today, many insured American employees participate in some kind of managed-care plan. Approximately 90 percent of the 178 million Americans insured are covered by group plans from employers. 28 However, some believe that health savings accounts (discussed later) will eventually replace managed-care plans. 29 The following are various forms of managed-care health organizations:

· Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) cover all services for a fixed fee but control is exercised over which doctors and health facilities a member may use.

· Preferred provider organizations (PPO) are managed-care health organizations in which incentives are provided to members to use services within the system; out-of-network providers may be utilized at greater cost. Recent HMO data indicate an enrollment shift to PPOs. 30

· Point-of-service (POS) requires a primary care physician and referrals to see specialists, as with HMOs, but permits out-of-network health care access.

· Exclusive provider organizations (EPOs) offer a smaller PPO provider network and usually provides little, if any, benefits when an out-of-network provider is used.

Each of these managed-care systems appears to be losing its uniqueness. For example, HMOs are developing products that are more flexible and many offer POS and PPOs. Large, independent PPO companies are providing programs that resemble HMOs. Regardless of the precise form, managed-care systems strive to control health care costs.

Consumer-Driven Health Care Plans

Companies are increasingly placing the responsibility for health care on employees. A recent study revealed that consumer-driven plans also reduce total health care costs. 31 The assumption is made that they are in the best position to know what is best for their families. Some of these will be discussed next.

Defined Contribution Health Care Plan

In a defined contribution health care plan, companies give each employee a set amount of money annually with which to purchase health care coverage. In this health care system, employees could shop around, probably using online services, for plans that meet their individual needs. Employees may spend the funds on any medical expense they choose and on any doctor they choose. That is why the plan is often referred to as consumer-driven. 32 The defined contribution health care plan is based on the belief that consumers are in the best position to know what kind of health care they need and how much they want to spend for it. They could also add personal funds to the employers’ contribution and purchase more deluxe coverage.

Health Savings Account

Congress authorized health savings accounts to replace medical savings accounts in 2004. At least 3 million consumers were covered by an HSA in 2006, up from 1 million in 2005. 33 Created by a provision of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, the health savings account (HSA) is a tax-sheltered savings account similar to an IRA, but earmarked for medical expenses with high-deductible health plans that have annual deductibles of at least $1,050 for individuals and $2,100 for families.

Individuals can save up to $2,650 a year ($5,250 for families) and withdraw the money tax free for health care expenses, or let it keep growing. Workers do not owe taxes on contributions and if they leave their job, the HSA goes with them. Tax-free money may be used for expected medical costs, such as buying new eyeglasses once a year. 34 Money deposited into HSAs is not owned by an employer and can roll over into the next year. A HSA offers attractive tax breaks, but the HSA program law requires employers who want to offer HSAs to buy high-deductible health insurance and give employees control over the assets in their HSAs. A family’s insurance plan would be used for major medical expenses, whereas the cash in their HSA would go toward out-of-pocket costs, such as prescriptions, co-payments, or special treatments like a CAT scan.

Ted Shannon, equity research analyst for Janus Capital Management, predicts that HSAs will dominate the health care market within 5 to 10 years, eventually replacing managed-care plans. He says HSAs will be 40 percent to 50 percent of the private insurance market by 2010. The reason HSAs will catch on so strongly is that employers will seek to give workers more power over health care choices as they continue to try to lower their costs. The number of employers offering health savings accounts (HSAs) was expected to more than quadruple in 2006, says a Mellon Human Resources & Investor Solutions (HR&IS) survey. 35

Flexible Spending Account

flexible spending account (FSA) is a benefit plan established by employers that allows employees to deposit a certain portion of their salary into an account (before paying income taxes) to be used for eligible expenses. The employee consents to a reduced salary by allowing the employer to contribute a salary portion to an FSA. There are two categories of FSAs. The first is a medical FSA for expenses not reimbursed by a medical, dental, or vision care plan. The second is a dependent care FSA for dependent care expenses for necessary child or adult day-care services. Until recently, employees who funded the plans faced the possibility that they might lose their share of plan assets at the end of the year. However, the IRS now allows companies to amend their plans to permit a grace period of up to two-and-one-half months immediately following the end of each plan year. Unused benefits or contributions may be paid or reimbursed to plan participants for qualified benefit expenses incurred during the grace period. 36

Now that you have created an appraisal system for employees on your new team and a career development plan for each member, you need a compensation plan for your employees. Because InterClean is embarking on a new strategic direction, upper management has asked you to suggest a new compensation plan specifically for your Puerto Rican team. You must propose the plan and a rationale to the Human Resources Department for approval.

Write a proposal of no more than 1,050 words that includes the following:

  • A description of a compensation package for your new employment team
  • An explanation of why your pay system will work
  • A description of three components of a total rewards package that would motivate employees to reach peak performance
  • A description of your compensation plan’s benefits to the individual as well as to the company
  • An explanation of how the Puerto Rican compensation plan differs from the parent company’s compensation plan, including a rationale for the differences.