Introduction

Compensation is a systematic approach to providing monetary & non-monetary value to employees

in exchange for performing tasks to achieve organizational objectives. It is sum of all forms of
payments and rewards provided to employees which includes pay, incentives and other benefits
offered to the employees for the work they do for the business.

Compensation Management, also known as wage and salary administration, remuneration

management, or reward management, is concerned with designing and implementing total
compensation package. It refers to the establishment and implementation of sound policies and
practices of employee compensation.

Components of Compensation
From book

Features of Effective Compensation Management System

An effective compensation system should fulfil the following criteria:

1. Adequate: Minimum governmental, union, and managerial pay level positions must be met
by the compensation system. Compensation must be sufficient so that the needs of the
employee are fulfilled substantially.

2. Equitable: Each employee should be paid fairly, in line with his/her abilities, efforts,
education, training, experiences and competencies. Effective Compensation Management
System strives for internal and external equity.
 Internal equity requires that pay be related to the relative worth of a job so that similar jobs
get similar pay.

External equity means paying workers what comparable workers are paid by other firms in
the labour market.

3. Balanced and Cost-Effective: A rational compensation system helps the organization obtain
and retain workers at reasonable cost. The pay of an employee should neither be excessive
nor inadequate, considering what an organisation can afford to pay.

4. Motivating: The compensation package should be such that it generates motivation for

effective and productive work. It aims at motivating personnel for higher productivity.
Besides money people want praise, promotion, recognition, acceptance and status for
motivation to work.

5. Acceptable: Employees should be able to understand the pay system well and feel it is
reasonable for the enterprise and the individual.

6. Comply with Legal Regulations: It should comply with the legal system of the government of
the nation where the compensation is given.

Objectives of Compensation Management

Following are the major objectives of an effective compensation management system:

1. Acquire Qualified Personnel: Compensation needs to be high enough to attract applicants.

Pay levels must respond to the supply and demand of workers in the labour market.
Premium wages are sometimes needed to attract highly qualified applicants.

2. Retain Current Employees: Employees serve organizations in exchange for a reward.

Employees may quit when compensation levels are not competitive, resulting in higher
turnover. To retain these employees, pay levels must be competitive with that of other
employers or companies.

3. Reward Desired Behaviour: Pay should reinforce desired behaviors and act as an incentive
for those behaviors to occur in the future. Effective compensation plans reward
performance, loyalty, experience, responsibility, and other behaviors.
Factors Influencing Employee Compensation
From Book

Compensation Plan and Business Strategy

From Book

Devising a Compensation Plan

From Book

Challenges or Problems of Compensation Management

1. Strategic Objectives: Compensation management is not limited to internal and external equity. It
also can be used to further an employer’s strategy. Employee compensation might have been
initially anchored by the relative worth of jobs and the prevailing wage rates in the local market.

2. Prevailing Wage Rates: Market forces may cause some jobs to be paid more than their relative
worth. Demographic shifts and relative supply and demand relationships affect compensation.

3. Union Power: When unions represent a portion of the workforce, they may limit management’s
flexibility in administering merit increases since unions often argue for raises that are based on
seniority and are applied across the board equally.

4. Government Constraints: Government sets minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, child labor,
and record-keeping requirements. The minimum-wage and overtime provisions require employers
to pay at least a minimum hourly rate regardless of the worth of the job.

5. Comparable Worth and Equal Pay: Beyond “equal pay for equal work” is the idea of “comparable
pay for comparable work” called comparable worth. It requires employers to pay equal wages for
jobs of comparable values.

6. International Compensation Challenges: The globalization of business affects compensation

management. The growing globalization of business also means a greater movement of employee
among countries. As employees are relocated, compensation specialists are challenged to make
adjustments that are fair to the employee and the company while keeping competitiveness in mind.

7. Productivity and Costs: Regardless of the company or social policies, employers must make a
profit to survive. Therefore, a company cannot pay its workers more than the workers give back to
the firm through their productivity.
Examples of Top Companies for Employee Compensation and
Benefits
Below mentioned is a closer look at the compensation management of some of the top companies:

1) Google: Perks include free food, flexible work schedule, offsite trips to places like Vegas and
Hawaii and many more. According to some of its employees, the company environment is so
outstanding that one doesn’t really want to leave the campus.

2) Facebook: A job offer at Facebook comes with access to an onsite healthcare, chiropractor and
acupuncture. Additional benefits include three free meals a day, snacks and regular team happy
hours. "The list goes on and on," writes one of its employees on a job review platform.

3) Adobe: The pay is equitable as compared to that of its peer companies and it offers pet insurance
in addition. Facilities at Adobe get rave reviews. One noted benefit is in its vacation policy which
includes a sabbatical every 5 years for its employees.   

Conclusion
 A sustainable compensation management system is important to motivate the employees to
increase their organizational productivity.
 An effective compensation management helps in making an organization accomplishing its
goals much faster and seamlessly.
 Salary is just a part of the compensation system, the employees have other psychological
and self-actualization needs to fulfil. Thus, a compensation management system serves
many purposes.
 The most competitive compensation will help the organization to attract and sustain the
best talent.
 The compensation package should be as per industry standards.