WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2007
8:30am - 9:50am
Speaker: Rick Olivieri, Merit HR, San Francisco, CA
Compensation Strategies that Maximize Performance
Compensation is a key driver of performance. But – and this is a big “but” – there are lots of things you can do to make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot. We asked compensation expert Rick Olivieri to assemble a list of the top seven mistakes companies (and individual managers) make when compensating employees. At the end of this conference session, participants will be able to:
- Explain the importance of creating accurate job titles and designing effective job classification systems that reduce discord of pay decisions
- Accurately identify the competitive labor market, enabling your company to offer truly competitive salaries and improve your hiring acceptance rate, boost your people’s performance, and increase your retention
- Describe the link between compensation and performance appraisal, including why performance appraisals can become your worst enemy when trying to pay people what they deserve
- Outline the reasons why effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful compensation program (and why poor communication often torpedoes otherwise excellent plans)
- Discuss the key ingredients of an effective incentive program built to maximize performance
- Implement low-cost/high return non-monetary rewards that can have a significant impact on performance, morale and retention
- Explain the key role managers play in compensation systems and devise training programs that give managers the tools they need
10:00am - 11:20am
Speaker: Amy Henderson, Henderson Training, Inc., Santa Clarita, CA
How to Navigate Difficult Conversations Around Performance
Every manager on your team must be prepared to have difficult, even uncomfortable conversations with employees around performance issues. It goes with the territory. But when it comes to discussing performance, too many managers practice avoidance, usually because they lack the skills to handle confrontation. The result: performance problems fester and the manager’s credibility suffers.
If your organization’s managers haven’t been trained to handle challenging situations, it’s no doubt hurting your productivity, morale and overall financial results. It doesn’t have to be this way. Tools exist that can make these performance conversations happen sooner, go more smoothly, and produce better outcomes. And the good news is that they’re easy to learn and can be deployed immediately.
Participants at this session will learn:
- The three biggest mistakes managers make when engaged in a difficult conversation around performance
- What beliefs and assumptions get in the way when managers conduct difficult conversations
- How to handle predictable objections from employees
- How to deal with “hotheads” who respond emotionally
- How to communicate more clearly and dramatically reduce misinterpretations
- Active listening skills that pave the way for dialogue rather than disagreement
- Assertiveness skills that help us express our thoughts and requests honestly and directly
11:30am-12:50pm
Speaker: Glenn Shepard, Glenn Shepard Seminars, Nashville, TN
Why Performers Underperform – And What to Do About It
Every good employee starts a new job with enthusiasm. But what happens when performers lose their motivation and begin underperforming?
It’s management’s job to get employees back on track when their performance starts to languish, but even the most talented manager can’t do that until he or she knows what the source of the problem is. We asked our speaker, veteran management expert Glenn Shepard, to identify the most common reasons performers don’t live up to their abilities. He divides the reasons into three categories: (1) personal problems the employee is facing, (2) company policies or changes, or (3) management.
In this session, Glenn will teach HR executives and managers how to pin down the exact cause and get the worker re-energized. He'll also discuss how far managers should go in trying to fix the problem, the best way to motivate employees when the problem can't be fixed, and when it might be time to just "pull the plug." By the end of Glenn’s high-energy session, participants will be able to:
- Keep employees motivated even when they’re underpaid or haven’t had a raise in years
- Motivate employees who are discouraged by across-the-board pay raises
- Realign job responsibilities for employees who have been promoted beyond their skill level
- Reinvigorate long-term employees who have gotten too comfortable and are coasting, or new employees who are just plain bored with their job duties
- Spot when poor management practices or allowing bad apples to get away with too much are causing performance problems
- Help employees who are battling with personal issues to recommit to ongoing performance excellence
12:50pm 1:00pm
Closing Remarks from Forum Chair David Newman
Performance Management Forum Close
POST-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
1:00pm - 1:30pm
Post-Conference Workshop Attendees Lunch
Lunch, B21 Bookstore Open
1:40pm-4:40pm
Speaker: Karol Rose, Flexpaths, Martha's Vineyard, MA
Post-Conference Workshop — Work Life Effectiveness: How Flexibility can Boost Performance and Retention
Old school thinking says that flexible work options (flex-time, telecommuting, job-sharing, etc.) are a LOSE/WIN for companies. The thinking goes “employees win” because they control their schedules. “Companies lose” because employees on flexible schedules are internally disruptive, hard to manage and less productive.
New school thinking says that given projected shifts in the workforce – including an expected 60% boost in telecommuting by 2010 – and the demand by all segments for flexibility, companies absolutely MUST figure out how to make flexibility a WIN/WIN. It’s entirely doable, and those that crack the code will have a huge competitive advantage in coming years. They’ll hire better people, retain more top performers, and maximize the performance of both conventional and ’flexible’ workers.
So how do you make flexibility a WIN/WIN? We asked one of the country’s leading Work-Life experts, author and Fortune magazine contributor Karol Rose, to reveal what it takes to develop this critical core competency at your company.
Participants in this special post-conference workshop will learn:
- Why developing flexibility is no longer an HR initiative but a business imperative in today’s workplace
- The complete menu of work-life initiatives that can enhance hiring, retention and performance at your company
- Flexibility best practices at companies that are already way ahead of the curve
- Why work-life effectiveness isn’t just a “big company issue”; small and medium-size companies are also making it work
- How to confront the complex workplace culture issues that can derail the adoption of a workplace flexibility program
- How to educate line managers who implement flexible work arrangements (and overcome one of the biggest potential obstacles to success)
- Tools to communicate effectively with rank-and-file employees about flexibility options
- Strategies to “improve the match” – that is, select a flexible arrangement that’s right for the employee and the company
- How a flexible work program can enhance recruiting and on-boarding efforts
- Metrics to measure the business effectiveness of your workplace flexibility initiative.