Assignment 4: Compensation and Recognition

Required Text and Materials

Dessler, G., Chhinzer, N., & Cole, N. D. Management of Human Resources: The Essentials plus MyManagementLab w/ Pearson eText. 4th Cdn ed. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada, 2015.

Type: ISBN: 0-13-380733-9 / 978-0-13-380733-2

Introduction

Now that you have worked your way through Module 4, you are ready to complete Assignment 4. This assignment is organized into three parts. Parts A, B, and C are marked out of 100 and will count for 15 per cent of your final course grade.

The mark distribution is as follows:

Part A: Employee Satisfaction (50 marks)

In this part of the assignment, you will design an employee satisfaction questionnaire in order to assess the benefits package offered by your organization or an organization you are familiar with. You will follow a three-step process in completing this task.

Step 1: Research

The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) are two widely-used and validated tools for evaluating employee satisfaction.

Go online to research these tools and other measures that can be used to evaluate employees’ satisfaction with their jobs and the benefits they receive.

Using the information you find, design an employee satisfaction questionnaire that could help you gauge how satisfied employees in your organization are with their jobs and the benefits they receive as part of their compensation. The questionnaire should not have more than 12 questions.

You may wish to address new and innovative rewards or benefits systems that are gaining acceptance in the changing workforce, such as on-site daycare or eldercare provisions as part of a benefits package.

Be sure to use a rating scale or similar method to make your results easier to interpret. For example, a “Likert scale” is a commonly used method. Resources can be found by visiting the http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/scallik.php

Step 2: Reflection

Think about your current or past workplace, and reflect on your experiences in that particular work setting. What benefits were you offered as part of your compensation? If you do not have a current or past workplace suitable for this part of the assignment, consider an alternative setting, such as a place where you have volunteered or have been involved in an employee-like capacity.

Choose a workplace, and describe it in no more than 150 words, keeping your employer’s name confidential if you wish.

Use the questionnaire that you created in Step 1 of this assignment, and answer the questions using the context of the work setting of your choice.

Step 3: Evaluation of company benefits packages and your suggestions

Write a critique of how well you think the rewards and benefits packages offered at your workplace served to keep employees satisfied and what suggestions you would offer.

Submission Criteria

In your submission for this part of the assignment, include the following:

• The questionnaire you designed
• Your reflection, which will include a description of a work setting and completed questionnaire
• Your evaluation of the benefits packages offered at your organization and your suggestions for improvement

Part B: Salary Survey (25 marks)

Consider the Job Description that you developed in Assignment 2. Using other sources, determine what a suitable compensation or salary level you should assign. Your answer should incorporate the following:

• You will need to research salaries for similar positions. This can be accomplished by determining what other similar organizations are paying for a similar role. Ensure that you reference the sources of your salary information.
• Does your organization want to pay at the low, midpoint, or high end of the salary range, which in the compensation industry is often represented as a percentile? For example, the organization may choose to pay at the midpoint or the 50th percentile.
• Are there any special aspects of the position that require you to adjust the salary level?

Part C: Benefits Package (25 marks)

Using material from the textbook and other sources, design a suitable benefits package for the position. Your answer should incorporate the following:

• What other benefits and rewards would you offer this person?
• Will benefits be optional or mandatory?
• What is your budget for employee benefits?