Archived Publications Ebook: Using Goal Setting and Performance Manageme | Page 17

• That lens should position your organization in a
favorable light compared to other organizations. It
should align with the key themes of the communication
and show how your total compensation is different (in
level and type) than others.
The most important
conversations about pay
and career direction
happen around the
dinner table—where HR
departments, managers,
and colleagues are not
present. It is within these
private venues where the
Total Rewards message
undergoes the ultimate
test of effectiveness.
5. Show the “Why” Behind Rewards
• Showing employees why rewards are what they are is
critical. This is often the hardest part, and the part that
makes more HR professionals nervous. HR knows there
are reasons for why salaries are set at certain levels or
why the incentive plans are structured in a certain way.
Yet outside HR or the executive team, these reasons
are often unknown; employees perceive a “black box”
around how pay and rewards decisions are made.
• Show the organizational philosophy and how it
influences compensation decisions. It should be clear
how the organization is using pay and rewards to turn
its philosophy into action. Does the organization want
to be known for a certain specialty, and is it therefore
willing to pay more for talent in that department? Is the
incentive structure set up to reward teamwork instead
of individual contribution? Knowing these connections
help employees build a more complete understanding
of where they fit within the broader total rewards scene.
• Talk about credible sources whenever you can. Whether
it’s a salary survey or local benchmarks, decisions made
from data are generally more credible than open-
ended philosophies—and employees recognize and
appreciate when the organization is using data and logic
to make decisions, not hunches or guesses.
7. Remember the Spouse/Family
6. Adjust for Different Audiences • The most important conversations about pay and
career direction happen around the dinner table—
where HR departments, managers, and colleagues are
not present. It is within these private venues where the
Total Rewards message undergoes the ultimate test of
effectiveness.
• Although there should be one theme or purpose,
the message should be nuanced according to the
employee’s level and place in the organization. Clinical,
front-line employees should hear and see a different
spin on that message than a non-clinical, director-level
employee. • Craft materials and messages that are meant to be
shared around that dinner table with family members.
The employee should be able to articulate the messages
three most impactful elements that are easy to
understand for someone who isn’t in the organization
every day.
• The nuancing should emphasize specific pieces each
employee segment finds valuable and portray those
pieces against benchmarks. • We should assume the message is being taken home
and should therefore be careful of any potentially
negativity that could result from data and language in
the message.
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