Author: Stephen Bruce, PhD, PHR

Sales Comp and Unintended Consequences

Setting sales comp sounds simple, but it’s easy to get it wrong, and that can be costly. Carelessly designed programs can have disastrous, unintended consequences. For example: If salespeople don’t view your program as competitive, your best salespeople will seek greener pastures. If salespeople don’t view your program as fair, there will be morale issues. […]

Fail-Safe Fall Hazard Training

Whether employees trip and fall, slip and fall, or fall from a height, the risk of injury is high. And the higher they go, the harder they fall! So make sure you have all the fall hazards in your work areas covered. Stairs can be dangerous, especially if employees: Fail to hold on to handrails. […]

Should You Meet, Lead, or Lag the Market?

In yesterday’s Advisor, consultant Michael Strand began laying out his seven steps for market pricing. Today, steps 5, 6, and 7, plus news about a comprehensive wage/hour compliance tool for HR managers. Strand, owner of consultancy HR Dynamics Inc., offered his seven steps to successful market pricing at a recent webinar hosted by BLR/HRhero. [Go […]

Are You Slipping Up on Slips, Trips, and Falls Training?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, requires us to provide a safe workplace that is free of recognized hazards, including hazards that lead to slips, trips, and falls. Despite these factors, consider these disappointing statistics: According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 230,000 workers in the United States sustained […]

Compensating Tech Workers—Best Practices for Retention

It’s challenging to reward tech workers, says consultant David Wudyka, but you have to find a way to do it or you’ll lose them. Wudyka is the founder and managing principal of Westminster Associates, a Massachusetts-based human resource and compensation firm that specializes in pay, performance, and productivity issues. His tips came during a recent […]

Perks More Cost-Effective than Pay Raises for Tech Workers

For many employers, he says, perks and benefits—from healthcare to club membership to financial advising to concierge service— offer the greatest room for growth and the most flexibility for use as retention tools in 2012. The primary reason? They’re much more cost effective than straight-up pay raises, Wudyka says. Wudyka is the founder and managing […]

The 7 Steps to Meaningful Market Pricing

Reference to market is critical for every compensation program, says consultant Michael Strand. Without market pricing data, you’re likely to underpay (and lose your best workers) or overpay (and lose your profitability). Strand, owner of consultancy HR Dynamics Inc., offered his seven steps to successful market pricing at a recent webinar hosted by BLR/HRhero. 1. […]

Experts Describe Steps Needed to Begin Controlling Health Costs

Health costs have been growing much faster than the rate of inflation, and most observers agree that while health reform addresses the issue of access to insurance, it inadequately addresses the underlying problem: the cost of care itself. Unanswered questions surround reversing the unsustainable cost of health services. For example, would replacing the fee-for-service system […]

Designing a Workplace Drug Testing Policy in California

In a CER webinar titled “Drug and Alcohol Testing in California: Effective Strategies That Protect Your Company and Your Employees,” Marc L. Jacuzzi outlined some guidance for employers who are designing a workplace drug testing policy. The laws still have plenty of gray area, so Jacuzzi advised that be sure to consult with legal advisors […]

6 Tips for Inspiring Innovation Among Work Teams

The biggest roadblocks to organizational breakthroughs are a shortage of fresh thinking and too much red tape, according to executives interviewed for a recent Robert Half survey. More than one-third (35 percent) of the 1,400 chief financial officers surveyed said a lack of new ideas is the greatest barrier to their company being more innovative. […]