Compensation Benchmarking Whitepaper

Tips for an Effective Employee Performance Review Process

<h1 class="subhead"><a href="http://blogs.payscale.com/compensation/2009/06/tips-for-employee-review-effectiveness.html"><img alt="Employee Review Process" border="0" class="at-xid-6a00d8341bf85853ef01157034539e970c " src="http://www.payscale.com/content/blog/images/a6a00d8341bf85853ef01157034539e970c-800wi.png" title="Employee Review Process" /></a> Employee Performance Review Process Part 2: Tips for Giving Effective Employee Reviews</h1> <p>Despite all the debate about whether annual performance reviews ought to happen, the fact is that they still usually do. And, if you’re going to make time for them, you may as well make them valuable for both the manager and employee.</p> <p>Here are some tips to help ensure employee review effectiveness, even if you already have a performance review process that you like. This advice is directed at both managers and HR professionals and gives you the opportunity to reconsider your annual performance review objectives. </p>

Pay Incentive Programs

<h1 class="subhead">Incentive Pay and Cautions for Non-Exempt Employees</h1> <p>Above and beyond base pay is the option of incentive pay. The critical point to make about any plan for a pay incentive program is to watch your messaging. Your communication should focus on the notion that incentive pay is for results above and beyond normal expectations. You want to avoid any one thinking their incentive pay is an entitlement. Look what that thinking has done in the financial industry.</p>

How does the changing minimum wage affect your compensation strategy?

<img width="610" height="175" src="http://www.payscale.com/cms-images/default-source/b2b/header_hotwater.png" alt="header_HotWater"><p><a href="https://plus.google.com/111113068527266071578? rel=author">Mykkah Herner, </a>M.A., CCP, PayScale </p><p>There has been a lot of talk about increasing the minimum wage, at the federal, state, and city levels. In Seattle, headquarters of PayScale, we just <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us/seattle-approves-15-minimum-wage-setting-a-new-standard-for-big-cities.html?_r=0" title=" class=" target=" rel="noopener">passed an ordinance increasing the minimum wage</a> to $15/hour within 3-7 years depending on employer size. Of course there has been debate on both sides of the law. Can small business owners afford to absorb the increase? What will happen to the people we used to pay at $15/hour? But also, how can Seattle call itself a forward-thinking city if the minimum wage is not a livable wage? I probably should have been born a Libra because I fundamentally understand both sides.</p>

5 tips for justifying budget increases

<img width="610" height="175" src="http://www.payscale.com/cms-images/default-source/b2b/header_budgetincrease.gif" alt="header_BudgetIncrease"><p><a href="https://plus.google.com/102099066436032147105? rel=author">Jessica Miller-Merrell,</a> blogging4jobs </p><p>Money is a touchy subject, even in business. And asking for more of it, well that can feel like you may as well be walking a tight rope across Niagara Falls. Sometimes, though, it’s a necessary part of developing your department and can even be a sign of success that you need more in order to continue to grow. But before you request more money for your department, it’s a smart move to sit down and analyze whether or not your department actually needs more money.</p>

A Crash Course In Key Compensation Metrics

New Guidelines for Restrictive Covenants in Canada

<p> <a class="asset-img-link" href="https://www.payscale.com/content/blog/images/a6a00d8341bf85853ef017d412a62ba970c-pi.png" style="display: inline;"><img alt="Header_RestrictiveCovenantsCanada" border="0" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d8341bf85853ef017d412a62ba970c image-full" src="http://www.payscale.com/content/blog/images/a6a00d8341bf85853ef017d412a62ba970c-800wi.png" title="Header_RestrictiveCovenantsCanada" /></a><br />Amy Knapp</p> <p><strong>Implications of recent decision<em> Martin v. ConCreate USL Limited Partnership</em></strong></p> <p>Restrictive covenants are a tricky business. While fundamentally important in some circumstances, they’re notoriously ineffective in others. With the recent rulings on enforcement of restrictive covenants, it&#39;s becoming even more apparent that Canadian companies need to develop <a href="http://blogs.payscale.com/compensation/2012/04/vertical-response.html" target="_self" rel="noopener">more compelling strategies to keep talent</a> from going to the competitors. </p>