Total Compensation Trends of Top Employers in North America

Part 1: Organization Profiles

Learning outcome 4 in this course says that students will be able to “Discuss the importance of compensation strategy to an organization. For this final assignment you will work on your own s to research total compensation trends of some top employers in North America. 

You can start with some of the organizations below, but feel free to research and come up with some of your own. Just be sure that the organizations you choose have publicly available information on employee compensation. My preference is that this information be sourced from the company’s own website.

Research 3 organizations . Based on the information you gather, and your own personal business/career goals, you will produce a report with the following 3 Parts.

Part 1: Organization Profiles (1-2 pages single-spaced for each organization researched)
Organization Description: Describe each organization briefly including the size, industry, and range of positions available. Include the organization’s mission/vision/values information and indicate which employees, if any, are unionized. 
Organization Total Compensation Information: Summarize the publicly available information on their: 
Pay plans, 
Pay-for-performance and monetary incentive plans and 
Employee benefits (monetary and non-monetary)
Provide information on different compensation plans for different groups of employees if applicable (e.g. unionized/non-unionized, salary/hourly, full time/part time). 
Total Compensation Fit: Based on the organization’s industry, size etc., as well as their mission/vision/values, discuss how the total compensation system might support the organization’s goals. Discuss any aspects of the system that might work against the organization’s goals or cause unintended consequences.

Part 2: Comparing the Organizations (1-2 pages single-spaced)
Compare the total compensation packages of your organizations. What are the similarities and differences in terms of determining salaries, what financial incentives are offered, what benefits are offered? You can include a table or graphic representation to summarize some or all of this information. According to your own current needs and preferences, which organization offers the most attractive package?

Part 3: Reflections on Developing Total Compensation Plans (1-2 pages single-spaced)
Most of the organizations considered in this project are large multinationals, often in the technology or financial industries. Many of them can offer compensation packages that would not be possible for a small-medium business in Manitoba. Thinking about your career goals or a business idea you have; what would be the key features of your total compensation package? 

Try to keep it realistic. Discuss 
How would you go about establishing appropriate base salaries for the various positions you would likely have in the organization? 
What pay-for-performance or other monetary incentives would you consider critical for supporting your organization’s goals? Think about the incentives discussed in the Organization Profiles and the Comparison section, especially if you are considering a business in a similar industry, as you may be competing with some of these organizations for the best people.
What employee benefits would you consider critical for supporting your organization’s goals? Be sure to consider some of the creative “perks” and benefits you have researched in this project – not all benefits cost money.