Tanya Thomas

To understand the whole area of Compensation and Benefits (C&B) you really need to understand the evolution of administrative and passive “Personnel Management department” to a more dynamic and specialised “Human Resource Management” team. With increased free market competition at global level, the proliferation of technology and knowledge-based industries, Human Resource Management has become a critical function of most large organisations.The Human Resources team has evolved one stage further - If you review larger companies you will find that they are typically divided into three sub-divisions: HR business partners (HRBPs), HR centers of excellence, and HR shared services.C&B is one such center of excellence and is being given an increasing amount of attention and with good reason! And what exactly is C&B? As a sub division of HR, C&B it is focused on employee compensation and benefits policy-making. While compensation and benefits are tangible, there are intangible rewards such as recognition, work-life and development. Combined, these are referred to as total rewards. Employee compensation and benefits are divided into four basic categories: Guaranteed pay – a fixed monetary reward paid by an employer to an employee. The most common form of guaranteed pay is base salary. Guaranteed pay also includes cash allowances (housing allowance, transport allowance, etc.), differentials (shift differentials, holiday differentials) and premiums (overtime, night shift, etc.) Variable pay – a non-fixed monetary reward paid by an employer to an employee that is contingent on discretion, performance, or results achieved. The most common forms of variable pay are bonuses and incentives Benefits – programs an employer uses to supplement employees’ compensation, such as paid time-off, [...]

One morning last week, I sat drinking a coffee in a well-known County Dublin hotel preparing for a client meeting that I was attending around the corner. It was early, and the place was relatively empty, and I worked away on my preparation. Shortly after, two tables of two people arrived. I quickly worked out that one was an interview and the other was two colleagues from a nearby company having an early morning chat. Whilst you might think that voices do not travel – they most certainly do! Both conversations were fully audible! The first table of 2 was conducting a first round interview and I heard significant background and details of both parties and their employers. The second table was discussing an employee in detail – how inappropriately they dress coming into work every day and what should be done about it. As someone who regularly interviews off-site, I walked away that morning making a commitment to myself as follows: I would encourage people to come into our lovely, private offices as much as possible I would book a room for meetings if interviewing off-site, particularly if more than one meeting I would find an appropriate venue for off-site interviews and ask hotel staff to point me to a quiet, tucked away area where I cannot be overheard Keep my voice down and be cognizant of the fact that a lot of sensitive, private information is about to be discussed This all seems very basic, but as someone who has been interviewing for a long time, it [...]

The Facts… According to the ERSI, 68% of women aged 20-64 were in the labor force in 2015. This is likely to now be in the region of 71% Official statistics show that 86pc of childless women work, whereas that slumps to 57pc of those with children aged three or under You do not need to be a statistician to work out, that with almost unemployment at 6 % we are almost at full employment, these official statistics need to and are starting to change at an accelerated pace In 2018, the economic, social and practical reality is that a large proportion of women who have children want and need to return to their jobs/careers having had a baby The Problem… Recent research by DCU Talent Institute shows that while some companies are doing a great job at “minding and nurturing” their working mothers, many are not Women, whilst they are excited to be back to work after maternity, quickly become demotivated and disillusioned upon their return The consequences are such that these invaluable, well educated, ambitious women put their careers on hold, they start looking for work else-where or they give up work altogether More importantly, if you, as an employer sat down to work out the cost to your business of losing this person, you would soon see why it is so important to get the basics right The Basics…. Do not stick your head in the sand – ask your working mothers what you can do to make their jobs/lives more achievable. (This applies to working [...]

I was delighted to join Yseult, Lisa and David of DCU Leadership & Talent Institute on a panel discussion re “Re-engaging Talent Post Maternity Leave” DCU’s well-grounded evidence-based research, provided much food for thought around how companies are (or are not) looking after women returning to work after maternity leave. Whilst there have been some improvements, we have a long way to go to make sure that women feel as valued in their roles as they did before they headed off on leave in the first place! Yseult, Lisa and the team at DCU provided us with some simple measures to ensure that such valuable assets of the business do not simply walk out that door....and keep walking. Don't be short-sighted, think of the cost involved in replacing such important resources. It was great to hear how Bernie O’Connor in ESB goes about looking after their returning mothers and to hear the very positive experience that Ita Langton had with Deloitte. So, yes we do have positive new stories, but we now need to hear many, many more. My main takeaway from the day was a very simple message “ask returning mothers what you as an employer can do to make their lives easier upon return from maternity leave” Don’t stick your head in the sand and make assumptions. It is all about open communication and people “feeling safe” to have a chat re any concerns that they may have at this very important time of their lives.     Caoilinn and I would be delighted to hear from [...]

I was thrilled to see the introduction of paternity leave in Ireland back in September 2016. With effect from 1 September 2016, new parents (other than the mother of the child) are entitled to paternity leave from employment or self-employment following birth or adoption of a child. The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016 provides for statutory paternity leave of 2 weeks and applies to births and adoptions on or after 1 September 2016. The Department of Social Protection pays €235 per week to employed and self-employed fathers who satisfy certain PRSI conditions. Up to November 2017, according to the Journal.ie, over 27,000 dads had taken paternity leave since the scheme was introduced. According to the Department of Social Protection, the take-up rate for paternity benefit was always expected to be lower than maternity benefit and so far it is. I am interested in the reasons why this take up is lower and what we can do to ensure that Irish people and companies become more comfortable with the whole concept of taking paternity leave. Yes, in Ireland, this will take time but it needs to be encouraged from the top-down. Directors and Senior Managers across all industries and functions need to lead from the front! If men are expecting a new baby, then I fully recommend that they take their time off and this will really help to send out the correct message across the whole business. If there are any Dads out there willing to share their stories I would be delighted to hear how it is working out [...]

According to Chinese Horoscopes, 2018 is the Year of the Dog and it is about taking “ACTION” Today, I am encouraging you to take ACTION in your career. After 10 solid years of recession, Ireland is almost at full employment once again. Economic growth is set to remain stable at 3.6% in 2018 and unemployment is also expected to drop to 3.1% So, what does this news mean for you, the employee? For the first time in years employees have bargaining power! You the Employee.... You have been working with your employer for many years. You have ridden out the storm. You are a loyal, hard-working, results-driven employee who is a genuinely nice person to have around! While you really like your employer and ideally want to stay where you are, you are looking for some change in the form of one of the following: A promotion and/or new opportunities for advancement in your company More flexibility i.e. part-time work or an option to work from home one or two days per week. You want to learn again – you have been treading water for a few years and have a desire for new skills and/or development You have been on the same basic salary for many years and would like a salary review You have ideas that could make the business run more effectively and profitably but you do not have the platform to introduce them However, word of caution – with great power comes great responsibility....  Get yourself a trust worthy mentor in the business – someone that you can trust to [...]

It is said that three things in life are certain – Death, Taxes and Change. Change is a part of everyone’s life – whether it is at home, school, work or play! Change will continue around you – it is inevitable – your choice will be how you deal with it. When I was 28 and working in Sydney, my Manager came to me and asked me to take on a team leader role. My initial reaction was to say that I was only two years with the company, 4 months pregnant, the time was not right and I was not ready! Anne (thanks Anne) managed to convince me that there will always be a reason why the time is not right and plenty of reasons why there will never be a better time to embrace change, accept the challenge and take a risk! In summary, I believe that there are 5 main reasons why people resist change: Lack of clarity around the reason for change Fear of the unknown Fear of failure Climate of mistrust in the business You agree with the change but not the method of achieving it Armed with this insight, you can minimize this resistance to change through using the following basic strategies: Provide two-way communication that is clear, accurate and honest. Be sure to get employee involvement in the change and this will allow people to feel involved and take ownership of the results. Good leadership is important as it will help rally support for change and provide best practice in executing the plans. [...]

"Boomerang hires” according to Professor David Collings, at the recent HR Leadership Summit, are becoming increasingly common in the Irish market and forms part of TA strategies for companies thinking progressively about talent pipe-lining. What exactly is a Boomerang hire? Someone who leaves an organisation and re-joins that same organisation at a later date. Examples of high profile Boomerang hires include Steve Jobs (left Apple and returned to lead it to massive success) and LeBron James (left Cleveland in 2010 and returned in 2014, a success story that means now he one of the worlds top paid sports stars). Once upon a time, the saying that “the door is always open” simply wasn’t really true -In 2016, a worktrends survey details that over 50% had a policy against hiring previous employees. Now, things have really shifted whereby some companies are being proactive about planning for future potential boomerang hires, facilitated by social media and alumni groups. My opinion is that Boomerang hires are still not commonplace and it is clear that most people don’t consider it as an option from either the employer or employees perspective. The question is why not? Have you, as a business, had a Boomerang hire this year? If not, you may be overlooking a huge opportunity with benefits as follows:  A once strong performer will (typically) always be a strong performer – forecasting how they will work out is less of a guessing game A former employee, returning at a more senior level, are in a position to make change and have an impact far [...]

As a Manager, understanding and being able to define your “style of leadership” is very important. According to Goleman, there are 6 leadership styles as follows: The pacesetting leader expects and models excellence and self-direction The authoritative leader mobilizes the team toward a common vision and focuses on end goals, leaving the means up to each individual. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Come with me.” The affiliative leader works to create emotional bonds that bring a feeling of bonding and belonging to the organization. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “People come first.” The coaching leader develops people for the future. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Try this.” The coercive leader demands immediate compliance. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “Do what I tell you” The democratic leader builds consensus through participation. If this style were summed up in one phrase, it would be “What do you think?” Clearly most leaders have a mix of the above styles and over the “lost economic decade” leaders have had to make tough calls adapting their leadership styles to the challenges facing the organization and the requirements of the people involved. None more so than Richie Bouchier who after the 14 years with Bank of Ireland (8 years at the helm) is getting ready to step down - no fanfare required! Great leadership can be hard to come by and Richie seems to have the right mix of all the above – expects [...]