“He makes how much?” Discovering that a co-worker handsomely outearns you — even though you have the same job title and years of experience — leaves a … Read more
Uncomfortable Bedfellows: Compensation and Recognition
Employee recognition, at its core, exists to help people feel more connected to purpose, accomplishment, and each other. But regardless of good efforts and … Read more
Size Matters When Recognizing People (but Maybe Not the Way You Think It Does)
What’s the secret sauce to creating a culture rife with recognition, one that keeps employees feeling valued, seen, and heard? Many organizations believe … Read more
The Traditional Approach to Sales Motivation Is Broken
A strong sense of purpose creates more meaning in life, improves health and leads to greater satisfaction from work. Yet there’s a problem: At many … Read more
Getting Real About Corporate Homophobia
Companies are just collections of people, and people are imperfect. In some cases, our flaws are just the innocuous expressions of our human design. But in … Read more
Star Wars HR: What Darth Vader Demonstrates About Employee Engagement
Some of the most visionary minds in business over the last hundred years have worked in popular media like film and television. I draw a great deal of … Read more
Motivating Employees Is Not About You — It’s About Them
What is someone’s motivation to exercise? It could be to lose weight, or it could be for health reasons, or it could be to recover from an injury. If you … Read more
HR Famous: When Employees Pass Around Salary Worksheets
In episode 26 of The HR Famous Podcast, longtime HR leaders (and friends) Kris Dunn and Jessica Lee discuss their favorite real estate apps, the hottest … Read more
New DOL Guidance on Compensation Issues Related to Remote Work
The Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor recently published new guidance for employers, focusing on compliance under the Fair Labor Standards … Read more
5 Ways to Support Employees With Debt
“Leave your problems at the door” used to be a common expression in U.K work culture. However, the idea that it’s possible for employees to completely … Read more
HR Famous Podcast: Crocs and Compensation Strategy in a COVID World
In episode 17 of The HR Famous Podcast, long-time HR leaders (and friends) Kris Dunn and Tim Sackett come together to discuss Crocs, compensation strategy, … Read more
Transparency and Technology Can Help You Make Comp Fair
The best way to show employees you value their work and contributions is by compensating them in a fair and transparent way. While this may seem like the … Read more
The Skills Your Managers Need Are All Soft
Whether I was managing a five-person accounting firm or leading 500 professionals in a multi-office consulting corporation, one threat loomed that always … Read more
Not Every Career Path Should Lead to Manager
Why do so few companies provide opportunities for individual contributors to continue doing what they do best — or move sideways into some other direct … Read more
Make Sure the Next Person You Promote Is an ‘Asset Builder’
“You’re like a dictator dolling out tasks.” — Bill Campbell to Jonathan Rosenberg. “I was surprised when Jonathan Rosenberg, former senior executive … Read more
Lessons From the US Women’s Soccer Team Pay Dispute
The United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) deserves a right to pay equity, and after investigating all of the publicly available data … Read more
Incentive Systems Won’t Substitute For Good Management
For two decades I designed compensation and performance management systems for large and medium companies. I always had this nagging thought that after two … Read more
Management Lessons Learned On a Driving Range
Note: The following excerpt about celebrating wins is from the book Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize … Read more
Do You Really Need All Those Incentive Plans?
It’s a fact. Left on their own, with no boundaries or constraints, incentive plans will often multiply like rabbits. I once spoke with a … Read more
Study Finds Dynamic Rewards Trending and Non-Cash Awards are More Appreciated
Employee recognition and rewards have come a long way even in just the last 10 years. In a new Voice of the Market study by the Incentive Research … Read more