Bus 409 Compensation Management

This paper will examine setting the stage for strategic compensation and bases for pay. There are three main goals of compensation departments: internal consistency, market competitiveness, and recognition of individual contributions. Internally consistent compensation systems define the relative value of each job among all jobs within a company. (Martocchio, pg. 22, 2011) With this system companies want employees to be paid more based on their qualifications and responsibilities. They believe someone with less experience should be paid differently. To determine such evaluation companies use job analysis in order to provide job descriptions. The job evaluation is to determine pay according to a particular position. Market-competitive pay systems attract and retain the most qualified employees. (Martocchio, pg. 22, 2011) By obtaining a strategic analysis and compensation surveys companies can determine who is most beneficial to the company based on the results. Strategic analysis examines long term growth and outlines the company’s profile to keep them in the market. Compensation surveys are collected and reviewed to determine different pay and which benefit packages are best needed. Compensation surveys are important because they enable compensation professionals to obtain realistic views of competitors’ pay practices. (Martocchio, pg. 22, 2011) Finally, recognizing individual contributions determines pay structures, pay grades, and pay ranges. The pay structures focuses on the difference in an employees’ contribution to company. With this structure it helps the company determine which employee has greater knowledge of the job their performing which leads to better pay. Companies with similar job groups use pay grades to determine compensation. Pay ranges start at the bottom and reach the maximum allowed depending on the job.
The contextual influence that may pose the greatest challenge to companies’ competiveness is the government. The government has laws