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1) A medium sized company
of around 75 employees consulted EMDS to design and implement a compensation program from
scratch. They didn’t know how they were positioned in the job market in
terms of paying their employees, and most people who joined the company were
paid on the basis of their salary history and negotiating skills. Incorporating employee input, we began the
consulting engagement by writing job descriptions that described what each
staff member did in their jobs every day, and addressing all relevant legal
and compliance issues. We followed up by conducting a salary survey of jobs
in the same industry, matching occupations to the market based upon job
content, not just title. Using market data, we developed salary structures
that allowed us to level jobs across the organisation. We then slotted the
jobs into the new structures. We reviewed each person’s pay against the
salary survey results to determine appropriate pays levels for all
employees. To ease employees' anxiety about the process,
managers meet individually with their employees to clarify how they were
impacted by the project. Most employees received a copy of their updated job
description and had no change in their pay. Some employees received
increases to bring them in line with market rates, and others who were
already high in their salary range placement continued to enjoy the benefit
of receiving above market pay until others could catch up with them over
time. As a result of this compensation consulting
engagement, the company clearly understood their pay position in relation to
the market. They knew which jobs to keep at current pay levels, and which
jobs they should adjust to retain employees. Most importantly, the company
was able to better control its salary and merit pay budgets, normally the
largest expense for any company.
Is your compensation plan appropriate for your
company? Do you lose candidates and employees to competitors? Are your jobs
market priced? Too many HR professionals can't answer those basic questions.
2)
Non-Profit Organisation Builds New HR Staff and
Infrastructure from Ground Up - Once it had grown to 35 employees, a non-profit
sales and marketing association realized that many necessary HR processes
and functions were simply non-existent. The organisation had essentially
outgrown itself. The organisation hired EMDS to conduct an audit
of current staff, functions and processes to determine exactly what it would
have to do to establish a professional HR Department. EMDS HR would then
conduct a search to recruit a new Human Resources Manager for the firm.
Audit results were to be used to develop a first-year business plan for the
newly established HR Department. During the first phase of the consulting
engagement, we spent time on-site talking with staff and reviewing processes
and files to determine the current status of all aspects of Human Resources
Management. We examined everything HR-related: from recruiting processes, to
their benefits package, to internal employee communications. (One of our
quick wins: posting frequently used forms on the company intranet, giving
employees instant access.) No stone was left unturned in this comprehensive
review. Then, in a meeting with the CEO, EMDS delivered the audit
results and helped him in clarify his short-term priorities for the HR
function. Simultaneously, we began the recruiting process for
the new HR Manager. We talked with senior management about the technical
competencies they sought in this position, and explored what personal
attributes in a candidate would result in a “good fit” with the association.
We consulted closely with management until we sincerely understood what
qualities they wanted in an ideal candidate. We then wrote a job
description and created a position profile. EMDS advertised the job, received and reviewed
numerous resumes, and interviewed the most technically qualified candidates.
The CEO and additional staff then interviewed the final three candidates,
using questions we developed for them. All three final candidates
was so highly qualified that the management team had a difficult time
determining which applicant to hire. So EMDS brought the final candidate back in for a third interview
with a cross-section of the staff, just to make sure she was a good fit with
the people who already worked there. The organisation's
preferred candidate accepted the offer. Once she was in place in her new
position, EMDS supported her in
developing the business plan for the HR department, identifying and mapping
out deliverable projects for the next year.
Is your company relying on "improvisational" human
resources to muddle through? Are you 100% sure you're in legal compliance?
Do you have a qualified, professional HR staff in place?
3) An IT Company retained EMDS to perform an all-day management training class on how to interview
and select the best candidates for open jobs. Many of the managers had never
conducted interviews before. As a result they didn’t know how or where to
begin the entire interview and selection process. Elizabeth redesigned
key elements of the class curriculum into a one-day interactive presentation
she called "Interviewing & Selecting the Best." The HR training was
centred around the theory of
behavioural interviewing which, simply stated, means that previous behaviour
is the best indicator of future behaviour. In exploring this premise,
interview questions are layered to dig below the surface and elicit
information from the applicant that is meaningful and relevant to the job
they desire. Elizabeth used videos, interactive discussion, and individual and
group exercises to reinforce key elements of the training. To enhance the experiential learning, managers used
job descriptions to create questions for candidates, then role-played with
other managers to practice the techniques they learned in class. EMDS incorporated on-the-job interview tools and forms into the training for
managers to use. As a follow-up to the training, EMDS assembled twenty
pages of frequently asked interview questions for class participants to
study. Does your Human Resources team perform at peak
efficiency? Is your staff constantly updated about best practices in
recruiting, on boarding, professional development, evaluations and
terminations?
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