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"Am I Paying My Employees Too Much?" You'd
be surprised how often we get asked that question. Some employers simply have
an employee with decades of tenure under his or her belt who has slowly but
steadily risen up the economic ranks. Other employers established pay scales
that made sense in 2007, when the economy was booming, but are far too high
now. Either way, employers want to know if what they are paying employees is
equitable.
Sarah Fogleman, with Kansas State University, says that "It's important to give a lot of consideration to your business's compensation structure because it ultimately reflects how employees are valued." A good compensation package will help you get--and keep the best employees.
One of Align HR’s most competitive service offerings is what we call compensation guidance. We work with clients to ensure that their compensation programs are externally competitive with the marketplace and internally equitable among employees while financially responsible and legally defensible. One of our first recommendations to clients is to always have a clear understanding of the employee's job. "You can't research a job's going rate unless you compare apples to apples. . . You need a clear-cut job description," Joanna Krotz argues. "The job title isn't enough. Let's say you decide to hire a marketing director. Salaries for jobs with that title can run from $50,000 to $500,000 or more. So the title alone is a nonstarter."
You also need to know what the competition is paying. Even if an online salary analysis website recommends to pay your Help Desk Manager $40,000, and every other competitor in the city is paying $50,000, then you may have an issue finding and keeping great people.
Now, what do you do if you find out that you are paying an employee too much?
What's Happening in the IT Job Market
We often get asked what the market is like for IT professionals. The demand for IT professionals has skyrocketed this year. It seems (at least in the Upstate South Carolina area) that companies are starting to turn loose some budgetary purse strings and bring on additional technical expertise as needed. We have seen a surge in hiring both for short-term contract and project roles and full-time roles as well. The companies looking for talent range from manufacturing to hi-tech and financial companies.
Companies and candidates always ask us what is “hot” on the market as far as skill sets are concerned. Because we are in this day in and day out we see trends that many others might not see (and sometimes before they hit mainstream as well). For us at FGP Technology, the hot skill sets are Microsoft .NET developers (C#), Microsoft SQL Server developers and DBA’s, Java/J2EE developers, and Business Intelligence professionals. Sprinkled throughout all this are Help Desk Technicians, Network Administrators, and the occasional IT Manager opening.
Read more here or check out the video below:
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Our ValuesWe firmly believe that our values comprise the core of who we are as a company. These values grounded us during the recession of the early 90s—and the economic struggles so many companies and people are going through now, in 2010. They are what determine how great we can be and the degree to which we can help you build a great company.
As a company, we commit to:
- Demonstrate a dedicated client focus by always exceeding expectations.
- Be entrepreneurial in spirit by taking risks and embracing change.
- Live with a passion for winning and never, ever give up.
- Build authentic relationships through respect for and honest communication with each other.
- Create opportunity and financial wealth through FGP profitability and growth.
- Consistently show integrity in all business dealings, building the unconditional trust of our clients.
Contact UsWe'd love to help you build a great company. If you have any questions or if we can help you in any way, please contact your account manager or Steve Hall, VP of Business Development, at 864-297-0000 or steve@fgp.com. |
Five Ways to Advance Your Career
by Steve Hall, VP of Business Development
As VP of Business Development and a 20-year veteran of Find Great People International, I’ve seen plenty of superbly qualified candidates. Yet I’ve also seen many of them sidestep some of the simplest, most straightforward methods of propelling themselves into higher positions.
The best progress, in fact, is gradual, perhaps even invisible. It’s the kind no one seems to notice––until one day they wake up and realize that their buddy Ben is now regarded as some sort of corporate celebrity. Don’t laugh. It can happen. So how do you become more valuable to your company while gathering the enduring respect of colleagues, and what’s more, do it without coming off as pompous or self-serving? Here are a few ideas.
Develop some longevity.
Too many professionals are still leapfrogging from job to job, sometimes as often as every six months. But earning higher salaries and lofty titles don’t begin to compensate for the poor professional images of those who apparently feel little or no company loyalty.
A past client evaluated the resume of a candidate I’d recruited for them and then fired back a note: “Wow, lots of job movement here! I’d like to know what the problem is.” Fortunately I was able to explain the mitigating factors: various company mergers, consulting assignments, etc. But it still left a sour taste in the client’s mouth, and the digging required for me to validate the circumstances cost both of us valuable time. How much better it would have been for us to have invested time discussing that executive’s stellar qualifications leading to the obvious request to set an interview.
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