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2/22/04
COMPENSATION Employees who do not understand their employers' compensation policies are more likely to say that their organization's pay policy is unfair. That's one of the findings of a new study of compensation by the Society for Human Resource Management in Alexandria, Va. The study showed that 45 percent of 605 workers polled said employees were compensated fairly at their organizations. Additionally, 27 percent claimed that their base pay was unfair because it did not accurately represent the contributions that they had made in the workplace. Management often fails to adequately communicate its pay policies to workers, according to the study. As a result, some workers concluded that they were not ranked fairly by their employers because they did not understand how their performance was evaluated. The study also found HR professionals and the workers they serve have different perceptions of employee satisfaction with compensation. When 448 human resource professionals were asked whether employees at their organizations were happy with the compensation they were receiving, 70 percent said, ''yes.'' However, only 63 percent of the employees at those companies said they were happy with their compensation. The finding suggests human resource professionals need to spend more time explaining the ins and outs of compensation policy, according to the society. ''Communication is key,'' said SHRM spokeswoman Jen Jorgensen. She said at companies where human resource professionals explain how performance is measured, workers tend to be happier with their compensation packages and are less likely to assume that colleagues with less standing are earning more. Confusion arises when employees do not know what the corporate compensation entails or how it is applied, Jorgensen said. The survey also found that many workers seem less satisfied with their jobs. Several factors contribute to satisfaction, including job security, benefits, communication with management, work-life balance and flexibility, SHRM said. According to its report, 77 percent of the workers polled were satisfied with their jobs in September 2002. By February 2003, the number of satisfied workers had risen to 80 percent. It fell to 76 percent in August 2003, however. Only 72 percent of the employees polled in February 2004 were satisfied with their jobs. When the society asked human resource professionals about employee job satisfaction, the picture was rosier. In September 2002, for example, 79 percent of the HR professionals said workers were satisfied with their jobs. In February 2003, 81 percent said they thought workers were satisfied. By August 2003, 72 percent felt that workers were satisfied. In this month's survey, however, 82 percent of the HR professionals thought employee satisfaction was high. DIANE E. LEWIS
MEETINGS Some workers would rather meet via computer or phone than in person, reports Cisco Systems, the Internet networking company. In a survey of 1,057 people, the company found that 15 percent prefer meeting from the comfort of their own desk and nearly 60 percent said using the telephone or a computer to conduct a meeting saves time. Thirty-three percent said they can better focus their thoughts while attending a phone or web meeting. Other workers said they prefer web or teleconferences because they don't have to worry about their personal appearance. What bothers people most about a conventional meeting? Twenty-eight percent said office meetings and corporate gatherings made them nervous, and 27.4 percent said they were easily distracted by the side conversations that take place at big meetings. Additionally, 12.5 percent said they become too absorbed in what other meeting participants are doing. And 12.3 percent disliked office meetings because they tend to worry that they are not dressed correctly. Seventy percent said office meetings should be limited to no more than 30 minutes. DIANE E. LEWIS
LABOR The nation's future workforce will be smaller, more diverse, more mobile, and more vulnerable to global competition, according to a study conducted for the Labor Department. Shifting demographics, advances in technology, and increases in global trade are the strongest forces shaping the world of work, with big changes on the horizon for workers and employers, said the study by Rand Corp., a think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif. ''These trends have important implications for vital aspects of the future workplace and workforce and for the US economy,'' said Lynn Karoly, a Rand economist who led the study. American workers should brace for continued global outsourcing of manufacturing jobs and high-skilled, white-collar service jobs - a touchy political issue this election year. Outsourcing refers to the loss of American jobs to overseas markets. The inexpensive and rapid exchange of communication and information are breaking down trade barriers and hitting sectors of the economy that were once insulated from global competition. Economists concede that globalization will continue to have ''a favorable effect on income, prices, consumer choice, competition and innovation in the United States,'' the report said. The outsourcing of American jobs overseas is a growing economic reality that, according to the study, will lead to unemployment and permanent wage losses for some workers. ''The effect on the wage structure could become larger over time,'' the study said. But trade also will continue to generate new jobs at home. As of 1999, about 11.6 million jobs in the United States were supported directly or indirectly by exports, representing about 9 percent of employment, the study said. Expected job growth, however, will be concentrated in lower-paying industries such as retail, health and personal services. ''The prospects of continued or even accelerating job displacement'' means policies should be examined to help workers ''adjust to these shocks,'' the study said. As baby boomers retire in the coming decade, the annual growth rate of the nation's work force will slow to a near standstill despite a rise in participation from immigrants and women. Economists are concerned because future economic growth depends on an expanding labor force or worker productivity. Also, the rising financial burden of Medicare and Social Security will be largely funded by taxes on a smaller work force. Employers faced with a tight job market will be forced to adjust compensation, benefits, and work schedules to attract and keep employees - many of whom will be women and minorities, the study said. Older workers also may be enticed to work past retirement. Technological advances will allow workers to be more mobile and to work in decentralized offices, allowing for increased telecommuting and flexible schedules. But those advances also mean that workers with fewer skills will command much lower salaries and face competition nationally and globally. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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