It seems only natural from one year to the next to take a quick glance in the rearview mirror even as we focus on the road ahead. For me, personally, and the entire team at Total Reward Solutions, 2018 was a pivotal year in our escalating success. We accomplished much, served many, and feel...
Blog
So much to learn, so little time...
Committed to keeping you informed with topics you care about. Other Key ResourcesContact UsCheck out our dozens of informative articles on employee compensation and total rewards. Then, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page where you can sign up for our newsletter and be the first to know when a new article is posted.
Recent Selections From Our Blog:
Compensation Sense: Looking Back and Looking Forward at Total Reward Solutions
read more
Compensation ROI Shows Employees are an Investment, not an Expense
Compensation ROI (the Return on Investment of your company’s compensation and total rewards policies, programs, and practices) is often misunderstood and underappreciated. In fact, most employers and Human Resources professionals tend to view employees as an expense – a necessary evil, if you will...
Compensation Sense 101 is Here. New Book Provides Answers to Questions About Compensation and Total Rewards.
“Understanding how to use compensation and total rewards as a competitive advantage has never been more important!” This statement, from the Foreword by United Way of Central Indiana’s Chief Talent Officer Nancy Ahlrichs, helps explain why I wrote my new book: Compensation Sense 101 – Common Sense...
Compensation Sense: Job Seekers Want Key Information … and Transparency
It may be no surprise that job seekers want essential information – including salary, benefits, and location – when they research job ads. What may be more surprising is that when assessing long-term potential with an organization, job seekers want transparency, too. I address these issues in my...
Employee retention demands merit increases, promotions
This article first appeared in Louisville Business First. Employee retention is essential to workforce stability and prudent compensation management regardless of labor market conditions. But when the labor market is tight in a robust economy – when employees are more likely to look for better...
Compensation Sense: Employee Retention in Tight Labor Market Demands Merit Increases and Promotions
Employee retention is essential to workforce stability and prudent compensation management regardless of labor market conditions. But when the labor market is tight in a robust economy – when employees are more likely to look for better paying or more satisfying employment elsewhere – employee...
As ‘Quits’ Rise, Fair Pay Practices Become More Important
This article first appeared in Inside INdiana Business Call it a perfect storm: As employee “quits” reach high levels in a strong economy while gender pay equity issues come to the forefront, employers are finally getting serious about their fair pay practices. Here’s how these...
Compensation Sense: As “Quits” Rise, Fair Pay Practices Become More Important
Call it a perfect storm: As employee “quits” reach high levels in a strong economy while gender pay equity issues come to the forefront, employers are finally getting serious about their fair pay practices. Here’s how these factors are converging and what that convergence means for employee...
Compensation Sense: Entry-Level Wages Rise in Tight Labor Market
When demand for workers goes up (in a tight labor market due to low unemployment), entry-level wages rise. Perhaps that’s no surprise. What might be surprising, however, is that many employers are aggressively vying for workers by offering more than double the federally-mandated minimum wage. Add...
City salary increases pass first hurdle
This article first appeared in The Republic City officials have taken the first step to increase the pay of 11 city workers to the minimum level of a proposed new salary scale. Driving this plan is the city’s hope to be more competitive with other similar-sized municipalities in the hiring of...
Compensation Sense: Why Compensation Communication is So Important in a Tight Labor Market
Compensation communication is too often an afterthought in many organizations. The resulting mystery surrounding compensation and total rewards can lead employees to perceive that your compensation practices are unfair, not industry-competitive, nor in their best interests. Of course, it doesn’t...
Compensation Sense: What is a Compensation Scorecard (and Why Does Your Company Need One)?
In business, keeping score is important (think earnings reports, balance sheets, market share, etc.) – and yet not many companies know what a compensation scorecard is, or why it matters. Simply put, a well-crafted and comprehensive compensation scorecard not only describes your company’s various...
Most city salaries less than midpoint
This article first appeared in The Republic Gender pay equality remains elusive more than 50 years since passage of the Equal Pay Act, and nearly 10 years since the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became law. And despite widespread awareness of the “gender pay gap”, many companies continue to do...
Compensation Sense: The Employee Incentive Plan – A Closer Look at Goal Setting and Success
An employee incentive plan can motivate and empower both employees and management. It can nurture teamwork. And most important, perhaps, at least for the company’s bottom line, is that it can boost productivity and profits. Yes, an employee incentive plan can accomplish all this and more IF it is...
Managing Different Generations in The Workforce
With five generations in today’s workforce, it can be challenging to manage them fairly and effectively. To address their work/life, compensation, and total employee rewards expectations, you must first define their differences and understand their divergent needs. Traditionalists (aka...
Compensation Sense: How to Balance Total Rewards Expectations for Different Generations in the Workforce
With five different generations in the workforce, it can be challenging to understand and balance their diverse expectations when it comes to total rewards. These rewards include everything an employee values in the work relationship, including compensation, benefits, work/life balance,...
Compensation Sense: Workplace Harassment Can Impact Corporate Culture AND Compensation
Workplace harassment – which is not necessarily limited to sexual harassment – is being recognized as far too commonplace. It seems like every day, another high-profile person admits, or is accused of, improper behavior, misconduct, or worse. Now, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have given voice...
Gender Pay Equality: Isn’t it Time to Make Things Right?
Gender pay equality remains elusive more than 50 years since passage of the Equal Pay Act, and nearly 10 years since the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became law. And despite widespread awareness of the “gender pay gap”, many companies continue to do little to resolve the inequity. This inaction...
Revised Overtime Rule Struck Down – What It Means For Employers
This article first appeared in Inside INdiana Business’ “Perspectives” The revised overtime rule proposed by the Department of Labor under the Obama administration was recently struck down by the same U.S. District Judge who put its implementation on hold in November last year....
Compensation Sense: Generation Z Employees – A Snapshot for Effective Compensation and Motivation
Ready or not, Generation Z employees are entering the workforce; and they bring unique skills and characteristics that will impact productivity, compensation, and total rewards. Let’s look at what sets Generation Z employees apart from other workers, and how these differences can help you attract,...
Compensation Sense: 2018 Employee Compensation and Total Rewards Outlook
When it comes to managing employee rewards, every year has unique forces, factors and strategies for success; 2018 employee compensation and total rewards are no different. But let’s imagine we are 10 years into the future, or 20 or 25. What will we see as the characteristics that defined and...