Organisations that consider the way they evaluate the ‘value’ of their jobs, can be more confident that the wages they pay meet these criteria. In this article, we look at the options available to you when considering pay.

It is perfectly reasonable for a small organisation or even a large organisation, where there are not many complex differences between jobs, to evaluate their roles by looking at what similar organisations are paying and making a decision from that information.

However, where it becomes more difficult to describe the differences between jobs in a way that it is clear and transparent, a points-factor based job evaluation system is very useful. Such a scheme, clearly designed on the basis of non-discriminatory factors and weightings, is accepted as a defence to any claim under the Equal Pay Act, whereas a non-analytical scheme is not.

As well as this, a clear and objective system for describing the differences between jobs can give you the confidence that you are paying fairly across your organisation.

Job Description Review
When deciding what to pay your staff, it is always best to start by reviewing your Job Descriptions to ensure that the roles are an accurate reflection of employee’s current and actual responsibilities.

Evaluating Jobs
Once you are happy that your Job Descriptions accurately reflect the roles, we would advise evaluating each job against a set of objective factors (i.e. knowledge and skills required). This exercise helps you to understand where each job sits within the hierarchy of your organisation.

If you decide to adopt a formal job evaluation scheme, it is important that you maintain the system to ensure that every new job (or significant change to existing jobs) is evaluated; otherwise it will become out of date. 

If used properly, a job evaluation scheme can be:

• Easy and quick to use;
• Transparent;
• A means of  protection against Equal Pay claims.

Market Testing
The alternative to evaluating your jobs is to determine different values for different roles solely by benchmarking on the basis of market data. This means that you ask an external market tester to test each new job or change of job role.

Which Approach?
In summary, when deciding on pay, the broad options open to you are to:

1. Evaluate your roles by looking at what similar organisations are paying and making a decision from that information;
2. Implement an analytical (points-factor rated) job evaluation scheme;
3. Do away with job classification or evaluation altogether, and get every role market tested if there is a change to the role or a new role is created.

Both evaluating jobs and market testing have their pros and cons, and in our experience a combined approach is best. Using both enables you to evaluate your jobs within existing grade values which can then be market tested from time to time (every two to three years). Although this approach can involve an initial investment to get it right, it is arguably cheaper in the long run and allows the organisation more control and flexibility in exercising judgement on pay.

Use these top tips to plan and control your conversation and make it seem a lot less daunting.

Preparation is vital
Think in advance about what you want to achieve. Plan how to get there and use these steps to devise a strategy. Consider how, when and where you are going to implement it. Planning and rehearsing will enhance your confidence in tackling unwelcome behaviour.

Look for past successes
Have there been times when you’ve successfully interacted with the person or others in a similar situation? Reflect on why it was successful. Are there other members of the team who have successfully handled the person or a similar situation that you could learn from?

Remain objective
Losing your temper or otherwise becoming emotionally involved will prevent you from effectively managing the situation. Know when to end the conversation and, if you feel you are getting emotional or you aren’t getting anywhere, step back. This will give you the chance to calm down, re-evaluate the situation from the outside and retain your objectivity.

Speak clearly
We often assume that because we know what we are trying to communicate, the person we are speaking to will understand the message. This is not always the case. As well as causing confusion, ineffective communication can inflame the problem that you set out to resolve. Tell the colleague what you need and expect in a calm, clear, reasonable and respectful way. 

Listen to understand
In the same way as your message could be misunderstood, you could also be interpreting the messages you’re receiving incorrectly. Good listening involves hearing what’s been said, checking what you heard, understanding the message, and indicating that the message has been received.  How well we do this is dependent on a number of factors, not least our relationship with the person we’re talking to.  These factors can cause us to unwittingly apply ‘filters’ to the communication we’re having with the other person. 

Know where to end
It could be obvious when you no longer need to continue with your tactics, e.g. if the other person has changed their behaviour. On the other hand, if nothing changes, it would only be harmful to continue banging away at it. This is the time to step back and review your stance. Also, remember the importance of ‘face-saving’. Most people dislike feeling shown up or being argued with, in which case carrying on trying to change their behaviour will not work. Leaving them to think about it may be more effective than continuing to point out their flaws. Putting an end to the conversation also prevents them from displaying negative behaviour towards you, thus reducing your stress level.

For more advice contact Real People.

Above and beyond this, working within a competency framework is shown to dramatically increase the success of culture change within an organisation. Designing competencies that reflect and underpin the desired values and culture of an organisation lead to smoother transition of change and increased employee commitment and acceptance of new ways of working.

The key to a successful competency based approach is the design of the framework and the manner in which it is constructed.
To maximise the benefits and mitigate against the potential pitfalls of using competencies, there are a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration:

• The involvement of staff and/at all levels of management
• Communication of the purpose early on
• The identification of key themes
• Creation of the right conditions
• Integration rather than isolation of the framework
• Keeping the framework simple and relevant
• Expecting and encouraging staff involvement beyond development
• Tackling the root cause
• Provision of support and training, rather than attributing blame

Summary Points to Remember
• When the framework is first introduced, set clear expectations and reasonable support for development should be offered.

• The framework should apply to everyone in the organisation without exception.  If the most senior level staff do not operate within the framework the initiative will fail.

• If staff feel that particular competencies do not relate to their job they should be encouraged to discuss it with their line manager, and to think creatively to understand how their behaviour impacts on the wider organisation regardless of what their job is.

• All new staff and existing staff moving to a new level of role should be recruited to and inducted into the competencies for that role in their first 2 months of working in that role.

If your budget is tight this year then why not consider other development methods? Many people fall into the trap of thinking that a training course is the answer. There are so many other learning methods (both on and off job) available which may be better suited to learners’ needs, many of which can be delivered at virtually no cost.

For example: On the job coaching, project groups, work shadowing, secondments, mentoring, research on the Internet, networking and action learning sets.

Here are some of our top tips for providing high quality learning and development in a tough economic climate:
1. Encourage staff to network – Seek out the creative and like minded
Exposure to new ways of doing things and different people is crucial to our learning. Creativity and innovation are essential skills for all staff if we are to survive the recession. Don’t be afraid to take other people’s ideas and make them work for you. Be bold and experiment with new ways of doing things. 
 
2. Maintain enthusiasm for training – create a hook
When drafting course advertisements or joining instructions, raise curiosity by saying something a little different. This may involve changing the course title or adding a strap line. For example: “Time management – work smarter, not harder” may be more appealing than simply calling it “Time management”. Be careful not to get too carried away with glamorizing the title itself though. It’s much more important that the content achieves what it is intended to. 
 
3. KISS
The key is Keeping It Short and Simple! We’re all busy and under pressure to deliver on our targets and in these circumstances it is all too easy to think, “I don’t have time for training”. Don’t give them a reason not to attend, give them a reason to attend.
Consider a bite size approach to learning. Sometimes a training course can be broken down into smaller bite sized chunks so that learning can be delivered in half day or two-hourly sessions. This provides much more flexibility for the learner and often means that the learner is more focused during the session.

Real People can run many of our training courses in bite sized format. Why not speak to a Real People consultant to find out more about how this could work for you?

4. Adapt a person centered approach to learning
For many people training is something that is ‘done to them’. This should never be the case! It is important that you take the time to consider and agree the course aims and objectives.
Is the content and style of the session able to be adapted to meet individuals’ learning needs/preferences? Getting this right can help to ensure people’s buy in right from the start.
At the beginning of your session run through the published objectives and ask participants to discuss and write down their “take out items” – what they want to take away from the training. Ask them to reflect on this half way through and at the end of the day to ensure the learning is meeting their needs.

5. Know your audience/environment
The most effective training is when there is a clear rationale for the training to take place. It’s vital that development opportunities are linked to a clear business need. When money is tight it’s even more important that we do not waste our training budgets – it’s a precious resource!
Instruct a course sponsor – a senior member of staff who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the training meets the operational needs of the organisation. Consider the learning outcomes and ensure there are adequate opportunities to put the learning into practice. Measure whether the learning intervention has been successful. What difference has it made? What was the added value? Was it really worth the investment?
Ensure line manager buy in – they are responsible for monitoring their staff member’s progress and for providing follow up coaching.

6. Find a provider that understands your market, sector and the challenges that your staff face
This is a sure fire way of getting bespoke training at a lower cost.  If the trainer already knows the climate and culture that you operate in, their courses will need less tailoring and tinkering time (and cost!) and your staff will get the full benefit of an expert that can apply textbook theory in a real life and relevant work environment.  Targeted training ensures that learners are more engaged, resulting in a higher level of learner engagement.  In turn engaged learners learn and retain more information and are more equipped to apply it as soon as they are back at work.  This is a top tip that keeps your direct costs down and maximizes your return on investment!

7. What are the real hidden costs of training?
Resource wastage is the biggest cost to our budgets. This includes all the direct and indirect financial costs of training.
If training is perceived to have a negative effect then morale costs may also arise. Delegates may have their expectations raised during a workshop and then whisked away when they go back to the workplace and find they do not have the resources or opportunities to apply their learning.

A poor perception of training is a further result of wasting resources. If training is perceived as wasteful and fails to produce satisfactory outcomes, the training function will lose its credibility and relinquish its ability to influence future developments within the organisation.

To find out more call Real People on 0207 710 0626