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| Key Note Speaker: Jennifer E. Sunderland |
Jennifer E. Sunderland has been an active Human Resources Professional for more than fifteen years. With a diverse employment background ranging from the retail to aerospace industries, Ms. Sunderland's presentation was informative and humorous, while her professional intelligence filled the room like the Sun rising over the light blue waters of the Lanikai Beach in Oahu, Hawaii.
Jennifer spoke as true leader. Utilizing her time effectively, she covered a range of subtopics, and offered several strategies for Human Resources Professionals to explore as means of Addressing Compensation Challenges in 2015.
- Lay of the Land
- What are the Challenges
- Explore Strategies to Address Challenges
- Compliance Issues
As any well informed Human Resource professional should know, one of the key aspects of HR personnel is to retain its workforce. According to Jennifer, "the employee demand retention rate is at risk as 46% of the workforce desires to leave their jobs. This is due to the decline of the recession." As it stands right now, the "Lay of the Land," is no longer a threat to employees. Companies are growing, thus producing a hiring need. Merit increases are back, making attracting and retaining talent a key concern of organizations. Today's workplace is learner-focused, while at the same time remain cost conscious (Sunderland, J., May 19, 2015).
"It's most likely that the people still employed with your organization are probably top performers."-Jennifer E. Sunderland-
As an active Human Resources Professional, it is our solemn duty to know the laws which impact our organizations, and departments operations. One of the most influential changes impacting Human Resources, and the organizations they act as a strategic partner to, is minimum wage increases. With 2016 vastly approaching, Human Resources professionals with operations in the state of California should already be working on their 2016 fiscal budget as it relates to compensation, knowing that California minimum wage will increase to $10 an hour as of January 2016.
Greetings from the PIHRA Inland Valley Chapter Board Members
(May 19, 2015)
Minimum wage increases are one cause of salary compression. Salary compression happens when salaries are frozen or reduced, salary structures are not moving, increase in new graduate salary rates, rapid changes in technology, and reactive hiring (Sunderland, 2015).
Countering these challenges, the rays of Jennifer's professional Sun light shines down on the audience, as she brings smiles to the faces of members when she provides the following information: ensure new hire salary averages other employees salary in their workforce. Increase variable, or incorporate variable pay (merit increases, bonus pools, pay structures), and ensure annual adjustment take place to meet market needs. Also, there is no reason HR professionals should be reactive to issues they have foreknowledge of. Having foreknowledge is always an opportunity for HR professionals to be ahead, as they are able to take a proactive approach to countering issues.
"When giving merit increases, look at where the employee is on the range, not where they are with performance. If they are high, slow them down. If they are slow, speed them up."
-Jennifer E. Sunderland-
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| PIHRA Inland Valley Chapter Luncheon Member Attendees Pomona Valley Mining Company Changes in compliance all Human Resources professionals should know about:
Implications - Increased cost, compression, pay ranges, and audits/corrections. The Department of Labor (DOL) has hired 2,000 investigators since 2008.
Complex Issues- No single factor determines the status, so ensure you are not calling independent contractors employees, providing meal breaks, or making any other gestures that are cause for an independent contractor to reasonably suggest that your organization implied they were an employee of your organization.
Refer to the Society for Human Resources Managements' checklist to ensure compliance, and use Independent Contract Agreements (IC agreements).
On March 13, 2014, President Obama sent a memo to the DOL requiring them to overhaul FLSA as it relates to "White Collar Exemptions." The initial target date was November of 2014.
On May 5, 2015, the DOL sent proposed rule to the Office of Management and Budget, which focused on the minimum salary level and primary duties test suggesting that the minimum exemption wage for qualification should be $42,000-$61,000 ($20 - $29 per hour).
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| Inland Empire PIHRA Chapter May 2015 Luncheon Wrapping up her well devised speech, Jennifer's closing was smooth as a fresh paved Beverly Hills neighborhood street, as she summed up the luncheon by asking the question: Where to We Go from Here? To reiterate the key points of her topic "Addressing Compensation Challenges in 2015," remember: dust off pay ranges, make adjustments, identify which strategies work best for your organization, get creative; make the business case for change by showing the numbers, and getting support. email: jsunderland@strategicpayresources.com for booking. For information on how to join the Professionals In Human Resources Association, visit www.pihra.org Visit Elaine Northington @ www.elainenorthington.com |
