The Integrity News
Vol. XI No. 33 ISSN 1081-2717 December 16, 2002
December 16, 2002 (pgs. 90-92)
"One size fits all compensation schemes
are dead --- now, companies drill down
into their employee data to zero in on the
perks that will most spur your personal
productivity."
CUSTOMIZING COMPENSATION
The OLD Human Resources Approach
vs.
The NEW Human Capital Management
Approach
The OLD Way
Pay is based on salary
grades or hourly rates
Bonuses are tied to Unit
and Company performance
Benefits are standard
throughout the company
Management strategies
are modeled after the best
practices at high-
performing companies
Career structures are
predetermined
The NEW Way
Pay is based on
achieving goals
Bonuses are tied to
Individual Performance
Benefits are tailored to
employee groups
Management strategies
are based on an
internal analysis of
current employees
Career structures are
sculpted to individuals
"This is the new thinking in the new HR."
"With the new technologies, companies
can now accurately measure the ROI on
their employees."
"Get ready for the next wave of pay-for-
performance. Think of the whole process
as piece-rate pay updated for the 21st
century."
"The new compensation schemes enable
companies to: blow the cover off dead-wood,
transform payroll from a fixed to a more
flexible cost, and let stellar producers reap
outsized rewards."
"Companies are slicing and dicing employee
data --- considering things such as tenure,
commute time, education, and the office
conditions that you are willing to tolerate ---
to predict your behavior when they customize
your individual compensation package."
"Instead of a relatively collective workplace,
a new era is approaching in which people
working alongside one another, doing the
same jobs, could have wildly different deals."
Does this remind you of airline fares ?
Of course, all of this has to be done without
sabotaging morale. Teamwork can implode.
Some experts worry that this approach will
make everyone a free agent. Other experts
worry that this could all lead to legal
objections, especially when it comes to
rewarding or penalizing employees differently.
As an HR professional, you should read the
Business Week article. This is all about the
"bottom line". Companies are in a profit
crunch, growth is anemic, and they are
desperate to energize earnings --- to which
their compensation is tied.
|
|