Concepts of Compensation and Compensation Management

Concept of Compensation The literal meaning of compensation is to counter-balance. In the case of  human resource management, compensation is referred to as money and other  benefits received by an employee for providing services to his employer. Money  and benefits received may be in different forms-base compensation in money  form and various benefits, which may be associated with employee’s service to  the employer like provident fund, gratuity, insurance scheme and any other  payment which the employee receives or benefits he enjoys in lieu of such  payment. Cascio has defined compensation as follows: “Compensation includes direct cash payments, indirect payments in the  form of employee benefits and incentives to motivate employees to strive  for higher levels of productivity” Based on above description of compensation, we may identify its various  components as follows: Wage and Salary: Wage and salary are the most important component of  compensation and these are essential irrespective of Continue reading

Prerequisites for a Good Incentive Scheme

‘Incentive’ may be defined as any reward of benefit given to the  employee over and above his wage or salary with a view to motivating him to  excel in his work. Incentives include both monetary as well as non-monetary  rewards. A scheme of incentive is a plan to motivate individual or group  performance. It is true that monetary compensation does constitute very important  reason for the working of an employee. But this compensation alone cannot  bring job satisfaction to the workers. One cannot expect effective performance  from a worker who is dissatisfied with its job, even if he is well paid.  Sociologists and industrial psychologists also view that the financial aspect is  not the only dominant motivating force. Confidence in the management, pride  in the job and in firm and concern for the overall good cannot be brought by a  bonus. Hence the modern authorities on management science have recognized Continue reading

Executive Compensation – Salaries and Compensation for Management

Executive employees, such as chief executive officers (CEOs), chief financial officers (CFOs), company presidents, and other upper level managers are often compensated differently than those at lower levels of an organization. Executive compensation consists of base salary, bonuses, long-term incentives, benefits, and perquisites. For the higher management, salaries are influenced by the size of a company, performance of the company, by the specific industry, and in party by the contribution of the incumbent to the process of decision-making. The more profitable the organization is the firm, the better is the compensation paid to the executives. Executive Compensation An executive is a person who  is a member of the highest decision-making group in an organization. Chief  executive officer (CEO), full-time directors and other senior managers fall in  this category. Executive compensation includes base salary, bonus long-term  incentives, and perquisites (perks) payable to executive. Executive  compensation has become a hot topic in Continue reading

Wage Issues under Collective Bargaining

Almost all contract negotiations pivot upon, and most grievances and  arbitration procedures thus ultimately deal with, four major areas : (1) wages  and issues that can be directly related to wages; (2) employee benefits or  economic “fringe” supplements to the basic wage rate; (3) “institutional” issues  that deal with the rights and duties of employers and trade unions; and (4)  “administrative” clauses that treat such subjects as work rules and job tenure. Probably no issues under collective bargaining continue to give rise to  more difficult problems than do wages and wage-related subjects. When  negotiations reach a stalemate, they frequently do so because management and trade union representatives are not able to find a formula to resolve wage disputes.  And wage controversies are, for that matter, by far the leading overt cause of  strikes; Over the past decade, for example, they have accounted for over 40  percent of all such work Continue reading

Factors of Job Evaluation

The criteria for job evaluation is the consideration of various factors,  which analyse a position in relation to the skills and experience  required for competent performance, the demands made on the job  and the overall structure and responsibility/accountability involved. In some cases minor changes to the wording are used to  define factors and levels made in order to better align the job evaluation methodology  with the client’s culture and environment. Where this is done, great care  is taken to ensure inter-organisation consistency is not compromised. The  primary factor in determining compensation is an evaluation of work performed.  The internal worth of a job is evaluated based upon factors like – Know-How,  Problem Solving,  Accountability, Education, Experience, Complexity  involved in the job, Scope of job, Supervision received and Authority  Exercised. Know-How — The knowledge, skill and experience required for  standard acceptable performance. It considers the requirement for  technical and professional skills, Continue reading

Competitive Imperatives of Compensation

Compensation is what employees receive in exchange for their contribution to the organisation. Generally, employees offer their services for three types of rewards. Pay refers to the base wages and salaries employees normally receive. Compensation forms such as bonuses, commissions and profit sharing plans are incentives designed to encourage employees to produce results beyond normal expectation. Benefits such as insurance, medical, recreational, retirement, etc., represent a more indirect type of compensation. So, the term compensation is a comprehensive one including pay, incentives, and benefits offered by employers for hiring the services of employees. In addition to these, managers have to observe legal formalities that offer physical as well as financial security to employees. All these issues play an important role in any HR departments efforts to obtain, maintain and retain an effective work force. So, the employers are, therefore are required to know that what are competitive imperatives which can Continue reading