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Great customer experiences depend heavily on companies creating a great experience for their employees. Executive VP Jim Bush acknowledged this relationship from the outset of his quest to ramp up customer satisfaction at American Express. The company polled existing customer care agents to find what would boost the quality of their service. Among their answers were improved incentives, more career mobility, more flexible hours, and streamlined processes.

In response, American Express increased job flexibility and created new job categories so agents could progress through four levels rather than remaining stuck in one. The company also changed its compensation plan, allowing agents to more easily earn bonuses based on customer service scores.

In addition, the company changed the job title from customer care representative to customer care professional. Agents got business cards for the first time.

These were more than symbolic gestures. Agents no longer merely recite company scripts, but use their discretion to figure out how American Express products can help customers solve problems. That’s made the job harder in a way. Agents like Teresa Tate, who works out of an American Express service center in Phoenix, now have to think on their feet. But Tate wouldn’t have it any other way. “We are getting more and more power to make the decisions at our level,” she says.

Tate, who used to run a restaurant, takes calls from AmEx cardholders who operate small businesses. She is now freer to share her wisdom and her concern for these customers. “I genuinely feel like I’m in this company’s finance department,” she says of her callers. “Having been in small business myself, you need that support.”

This sort of passion and compassion for customers translates into high levels of service, into reciprocal relationships. keep reading…

I am worth $1.83 million.

No, seriously, I am — at least, that’s what www.humanforsale.com told me. I took their survey and the resulting value on my person was nearly $2 million. Of course, I’d like to think that I am priceless. (Waiting while you all vomit…) Try it for yourself and see what you’d go for on eBay…

But getting serious (and because that site doesn’t take into account the fact that I’m a sourcer) — let’s talk about what sourcing is worth. What are you, as a professional people-hunter/sourcer/search ninja actually worth? keep reading…

You’ve heard quite a few different suggestions as how to take a dent out of the hefty U.S. unemployment rate, but here’s one you may not have heard: pay people less, and more. Kevin Kruse says paying people a lower base salary and a bigger performance bonus would do wonders for the job market.

Kruse is the co-author of We: How to Increase Performance and Profit Through Full Engagement. Our conversation lasts about seven minutes, below. keep reading…

Apple in Sydney

In Part 2 of this case study on Apple’s talent management practices, I look at its approach to innovation, compensation, and benefits, careerpathing, and online recruitment (its career site). Some approaches discussed are unique to sub-factions within Apple, as would be expected in any organization of significant size. It’s also quite rare for organizations that design, manufacture, and sell through direct retail to have consistent approaches across all units.

Talent Management Lessons To Learn and Copy (continued)

You should not be surprised to learn that the firm that made the term “think different” a brand uses talent management approaches that are well outside the norm. In addition to the lessons presented in Part 1, some approaches other firms can learn from Apple include: keep reading…

“‘Niceness’ — in the form of the trait of agreeableness –does not appear to pay.”

Not at all. In fact, it costs to be agreeable, especially if you’re a man. How much? On average, $9,772 annually, says a study presented today to the Academy of Management, meeting in Texas.

Three researchers analyzed 20 years of data collected in three different surveys of some 10,000 workers to find that men, and to a lesser extent, women rated as agreeable earned less than their more disagreeable colleagues.

A fourth survey, conducted by the researchers themselves using students acting as HR managers, found that, with the only difference among candidates for an entry-level, fast-track position into management being their agreeableness, “agreeable candidates were less likely to be recommended for advancement.”

Gender plays a role in this, note the researchers in their aptly titled paper, Do Nice Guys – and Gals – Really Finish Last? The Joint Effects of Sex and Agreeableness on Income. However, the income gap between agreeable and disagreeable women, at $1,828, is far less than it is for men. keep reading…

Doctor pay is about flat, but psychiatrists’ compensation is up 11.5%.

That’s from a new Medicus Firm survey of 2,339 physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in the U.S, about two-thirds of whom are in a practice, with about a third in a residency or fellowship.

Tampa General Hospital

More on doctor pay follows in the chart at the bottom of this post. Before that, these other tidbits from Medicus, a medical-recruiting firm with 25 recruiters.

• 75% of respondents say they get inquiries about three times weekly about jobs.
• Networking with colleagues (36%) was cited as the best resources for hearing of new opportunities, with recruiting agencies second at 29%. Physician job boards were just behind recruiting agencies, with journal advertisements cited the least.
• Doctors, by far, want to be contacted by email, not by phone or text.

The chart below shows pay, not including benefits, and not including resident or fellow income. keep reading…

Two good news developments for colleges and their students: starting salary offers are up , and a new Facebook app to help career centers promote jobs officially launches.

First, the salary news.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers reported Wednesday that the average starting salary for newly minted college graduates is $51,018. That’s up 4.8 percent from last year’s $48,661.

It’s the third time the quarterly NACE salary survey has reported an increase. It contrasts with 2010, when average starting offers were below those in 2009.

“The steady increases in starting salary offers we’re seeing this year is a good indication that the job market for new college graduates is gathering strength,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

Engineering graduates saw some of the biggest increases — and biggest salaries generally. Petroleum engineering graduates got average offers of $80,849, up 8.1 percent over the summer 2010 survey. The average offer to computer engineering graduates rose 7.6 percent to $64,499.

While their starting salaries were much lower, even students in humanities and social science programs saw increases. keep reading…

Several years ago, as I was preparing to head off for a long weekend hiking in the Yosemite backcountry, I got a call from the CEO.

“Why won’t you be reachable?” he wanted to know.  He just read the email about my being out of touch with the office.

Because, I started to explain, there are no cell towers or service in the middle of the wilderness. He cut me off with a curt, “Maybe you should vacation somewhere else.”

An isolated incident? Not anymore. Today, says a Manpower survey, nearly two-thirds of the responding workers at least sometimes get emails in their off-hours from bosses who expect a reply.

“It’s now taken for granted that everyone has to check their work email during the weekend,” says Monika Morrow, SVP for Manpower’s Right Management unit.

That’s most true for exempt workers, who likely made up the bulk of the 569 survey respondents. Non-exempt workers, however, have to be paid. Maybe not for every contact, but, as we’ll see in a moment, more often than not. keep reading…

Even though we are in an economic down cycle and unemployment in the U.S. is hovering around 10%, recruiters are still struggling to find people with the skills and experience their hiring managers are looking for.

Partly this is driven by the commonly held assumption that these skilled and experienced people have been affected by the recession and are actually in the job market. Recruiters know this is not the case and that many candidates have become even more difficult to find and entice away from a secure position.

While demand for lesser-experienced, educated, and skilled candidates has slacked, it has risen for those with higher-level skills. Many firms are trying to replace the employees they had with moderate skills or who were in learning roles, with people already accomplished in their profession. keep reading…

eFinancialCareers reports that half the bankers and finance professionals it surveyed expect bonuses this year will be the same or less than they got last year.

Of course that means that half of Wall Street is expecting a bigger year-end bonus; better than 70 percent bigger, say 7 percent.

Market conditions, the Dodd-Frank financial industry regulation overhaul, and restraint by the firms themselves, were cited by the survey respondents as responsible for limiting bonuses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has been up and down, though it has been climbing steadily since late September. And after the public reaction to the bonus disclosure of the last couple years, it’s not a surprise that firms are tightening up.

Those most optimistic about their bonuses are younger Street workers. Of those with 15 or more years experience, 38 percent are bracing for no or lower bonuses this year.

In reporting the results of the global survey, eFinancialCareers says compensation is a particular challenge for Wall Street firms. “It’s never an easy balance when retention continues to be an issue,” says Constance Melrose, eFinancialCareers North America managing director. “In fact, nine percent of those expecting fatter payouts said the primary factor was switching employers.”

Since May, almost a third of IT recruiters have had to sweeten their offers to tech professionals in order to get them to sign on with a new company.

The No. 1 sweetener, as might be expected, is more money. But flexible working arrangements, including telecommuting, and commitments to new technologies, also rank high as talent attractors.

“Money is important,” says Tom Silver, senior VP/North America for Dice. But other incentives can be compelling, he adds, especially to those candidates who live in metro areas, where telecommuting might be worth more than a few extra dollars.

Workplace flexibility “is a big deal,” says Silver.

Dice released the results of a late August survey of 1,357 recruiters, consultants, and staffing firms who look for IT professionals on Dice.com.

keep reading…

Kenexa CEO Rudy Karsan

HR software maker Kenexa will have a lot to talk about at its annual Kenexa World Conference later this month in Philadelphia.

That’s because Kenexa announced today that it has agreed to acquire compensation specialist Salary.com in an all cash offer for $80 million, or $4.07 per share.

According to a press release from Kenexa, “The agreement has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of both companies, and Salary.com’s board intends to recommend that the Salary.com stockholders tender their shares in the offer.”

Salary.com, based in Massachusetts, makes software that helps businesses and individuals manage pay and performance, and, is very well-known in the HR space. Kenexa says that it expects to close the transaction for Salary.com in the fourth quarter of 2010. keep reading…

I seldom use the word hate. As a kid I was scolded by my father if he heard me or my brothers use it. While I may dislike the Dodgers, tea baggers, and Simon Cowell, I wouldn’t say I “hate” them. There is one exception, one I share with many recruiters: I hate the compensation department. While there are a few departments in a few corporations I respect and the people in most compensation functions are nice, way too many seem to be oblivious of the many ways that they negatively impact recruiting performance.

I just returned from ERE’s Spring Expo in San Diego, California, where hundreds of recruiters were upbeat and positive (quite possibly the most upbeat in several years.) Regardless of the subject being discussed, the outlook by nearly all was optimistic; that is, until the compensation department was mentioned. Anytime the conversation touched on the working relationship between compensation and recruiting, the tone of the conversation turned darker. keep reading…

Up at 6am. 15 points. Hit the snoozebar once. Minus 5 points. Brush your teeth for three full minutes. 50 points (with a bonus from the toothpaste maker). Right-sized healthy breakfast. 25 points.

Arrive at work on time. 25 points. Attend all meetings on time. 75 points. Make meeting contributions recognized by peers. 100 points. Return all emails and phone calls. 25 points. Healthy lunch. 30 points. Walk after lunch. 50 points. Make five calls (or widgets or requisitions or whatever) as described in objectives. 40 points. Stay 1/2 hour later than usual. 25 points.

Take public transit home. 70 points. Watch TV (an enormous point bonanza). Bush teeth for three full minutes. 50 points (with a bonus from the toothpaste maker). Get in bed early enough to earn the well-rested points bonus in the morning. – Adapted from Design Outside The Box

It’s the logical extension of performance management programs. By coupling frequent-flyer style points systems, game design, and performance management, the world has become points crazed. Work performance is ranked along with every other aspect of life.

The points system allows companies to identify and harvest their true fans. They compete in every aspect of life for the opportunity to build an “authentic” relationship calibrated by measurement. Payment for the consumption of advertising, which in 2010 is already somewhat expected, has exploded into a global preoccupation. keep reading…

The global recession has taken a toll on workers everywhere, but except for a few high-profile departures and bonus forfeitures, CEOs have seemed mostly immune. Now comes a report from Compdata Surveys that says CEO base pay declined an average of 9.3 percent since 2008.

In fact, most of the C-suite has seen their base take a hit, says Compdata, which surveyed some 5,000 organizations across the country to compile its proprietary report Executive Compensation. CIO pay is down 2.1 percent while COOs are down 11 percent.

But unless you happen to hold one of those titles, don’t get all weepy over the news. The average CEO is still earning $346,000 in base pay a year. COOs average $214,000 and CIOs average $175,300. keep reading…

Find the right candidate and close the deal. When asked about their value-add to an organization, most recruiters will respond with the previous statement. However, the recent passing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 has fundamentally changed the way the recruiting profession must view compensation. Now, not only must recruiters focus on finding candidates and closing deals, but we must more closely partner with compensation professionals to put the right deal together that will protect our clients from future litigation. keep reading…

Some old standbys used to attract and keep execs are not being relied upon as frequently, according to an ExecuNet survey of 476 search firm consultants and corporate human resources professionals.

Here’s the data comparing this year and last. keep reading…

Companies are increasing pay 2.8% this year, down from a projected 4%, according to the Hay Group.

That’s according to a survey released today, taken in March, of top HR and reward executives in medium- to large-size organizations across a range of industries.

Here’s what else is being done to hold down compensation costs: keep reading…

U.S. employees will get pay raises averaging 3 percent this year, dismal by historical standards. Around the world, pay’s getting chopped hard, but increases are still bigger than in the U.S. In the Asia-Pacific region, for example, raises will be reduced by an average of 1.7 percent, but that still leaves them at 5.2 percent. They’re being cut in Latin America, but people are still going to get double-digit raises, on average.

Hewitt Associates studied more than 2,000 companies representing more than 25 million employees in 40 countries at the end of 2008, and found them responding the following way to the weak economy:

Hewitt reports that “two-thirds of companies (66 percent) in Latin America, 62 percent of companies in Europe, and more than half (59 percent) of companies in Asia-Pacific are setting aside a separate pool of money to reward high performers.” In the U.S., 18 percent are offering retention bonuses to high performers, and in Latin America, 16 percent are.