Tag: INCENTIVE

Key Questions for Compensation Audits

What Is Written? Start with the written documents, says Kleinman. What written documents relate to compensation? Who has them? Who wrote what and when?  What do they say? For example: Plan documents Structures Policies Pay parameters Hiring/Bonus boundaries (approval levels, etc.) How’s Turnover? What turnover levels is the organization experiencing? Functional turnover is created “intentionally,” […]

Compensation Audits: Align Philosophy with Strategy

Why Do an Audit? For the same reason we do financial audits—to fulfill a fundamental obligation, that is, to discover vulnerability. Remember, says Kleinman, who is principal of California-based Dan Kleinman Consulting, someone is always watching, internal and external, and they are evaluating what is going on. Five Reasons for a Compensation Audit There are […]

Great Incentive Plan + Poor Communication = Poor Incentive Plan

Communicating the Sales Incentive Plan Sometimes Pasteris sees the situation in which there was a great sales plan design but it failed because it was not well understood and appreciated by the salespeople. To avoid that situation, make sure that you: Send an announcement letter, particularly with the new plan that spells out its features. […]

Incentive Schemes May Mean Transparency of Data

An incentive program can be a great way to motivate employees and help the organization achieve their goals. But it doesn’t come without potential pitfalls. For example, tying an incentive to reaching specific sales or profit goals means that the company will have to be candid with employees about those figures—which may be uncomfortable if […]

Incentives End-of-the-Year Checkup

Incentive Compensation Checklist General Questions       Do you have an incentive compensation plan? Yes□  No□ Is it in writing? Yes□  No□ Does your incentive plan support the company’s mission and long-term goals/objectives? Yes□  No□ What levels of the organization will participate in the incentive compensation plan, e.g., top management, salespeople, entire organization? Yes□  […]

What Did You Learn About Exec Comp to Apply to 2014?

Executive Compensation Checklist General       Do you have a plan for executive compensation? Yes□  No□ Is it in writing? Yes□  No□ Does it have stated goals? Yes□  No□ Do those goals include:   Increasing productivity? Yes□  No□ Increasing quality? Yes□  No□ Retaining good employees? Yes□  No□ Attracting good employees? Yes□  No□ Rewarding good […]

Why the Trend Toward Variable Performance Pay?

Increasingly, employers are less averse to withholding merit increases for poor performers so they can afford to grant meaningful increases to better performers, says Morning, who is president of Teri Morning Enterprises in Carmel, Indiana. Morning made her suggestions during a recent webinar sponsored by BLR®. What is Variable Performance Pay? Variable performance pay aligns […]

‘Strike Zone’ Payout Curve for Executive Incentives

Goal Setting Goal setting is the most important and challenging aspect of annual and long-term incentive design, says Harris, who is Managing Director at Frederic W. Cook & Co. Harris was joined by Ron Miller, Head of Global Rewards, Mobility, M&A, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, in a presentation at the WorldatWork Total […]

Exec Comp 101—Philosophy, Base, Annual, LTI, Benefits

Harris, who is Managing Director at Frederic W. Cook & Co., was joined by Ron Miller, Head of Global Rewards, Mobility, M&A, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, in a presentation at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia. Elements of an Executive Compensation Program Element Importance Comment Compensation Strategy Medium Reflects […]

Incentive Pay Isn’t for Nonexempts—Or Is It?

Variable pay is a powerful communicator of values and directions and changing business needs. However, with nonexempt employees, it is particularly important that: The amount of the incentive be market competitive and significant enough to reward in a meaningful way. The amount of incentive (aka pay at risk) is not so large that missing the […]