Compensation

More employers are going local when setting up reward and recognition programs in China.

A recent survey indicates an increasing fear among employees that a comfortable retirement may not be in the future. To help assuage that fear -- and the need for some predictability -- HR leaders need to step up their educational efforts and tools, as well as consider some creative benefit strategies.

Back in January, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer and Chairman James Gorman sat for an interview with Bloomberg Television, during which time the topic of recent company pay cuts for senior investment bankers and traders was broached.

The perceived pay gap between individuals at the top of the organizational chart and rank-and-file employees has never been wider, with a steadily increasing public outcry about executive compensation.

Bonuses and certain reward systems have little impact on long-term organizational performance.

This article accompanies The Feminization of HR.

Many employers are making tough decisions about benefits and compensation -- and keeping salaries flat, healthcare premiums up and bonuses small or nonexistent. The result, not surprisingly, is a dissatisfied workforce. Excess frugality by employers, however, could backfire in the long run.

Hoping to attract talent from a limited pool, Asian companies are now paying higher executive salaries than Western European businesses, and will catch up to U.S. levels by 2013, according to a recent report by Mercer.

The dismal worldwide economy is affecting compensation decisions, although there are some "hot spots," such as Brazil, Singapore, China and South Africa. Employers continue to focus on pay-for-performance and workforce segmentation in their rewards strategies.

A new law that requires foreign banks to report information on their U.S. account holders may create some difficulties for expat employees. Smaller banks not wishing to accept the administrative burden may refuse to allow Americans to have bank accounts. It may also impact company payroll processes.

A recent study finds that bonuses and certain types of reward systems have little effect on long-term organizational performance. Still, most experts say reward systems are necessary, and urge HR leaders to have a hand in developing -- and communicating -- a system that's appropriate for their organizations.

Federal workers have many positive things to say about their workplaces, but not about the merits of pay or promotions, according to a recent survey. While that attitude is mostly due to the tenure-based pay structure, HR leaders can also make a difference by better managing -- and making transparent -- pay and promotion decisions.

Regardless of the diverse composition of your workforce today, a solid understanding of what triggers top-flight individual contributions is essential to developing an effective pay-for-performance strategy

With more companies struggling with smaller budgets to reward productive employees, some are restricting travel to certain locales or limiting items eligible for expense reimbursements. Such an approach may be penny-wise and pound-foolish, however.

A recent study finds that many corporate executives can expect modest salary increases and tougher performance goals in 2012. Experts say this development is the continuation of an ongoing trend, and signifies a greater role for HR in the design and communication of incentive plans.

A recent Cornell University study, supported by the National Institute on Aging, asked more than 2,600 survey participants (including 633 Cornell students) to consider scenarios involving tradeoffs between pay and reasonable work hours.

Are we having fun yet? More important, are we having fun while we increase productivity or knowledge?