Equal pay for equal work is a hot business, political and social issue. While we have much work to do, it would be irresponsible not to point out that tremendous progress has been made. According to Pew Research, the estimated dollar gap in pay has narrowed from 36 cents in 1980 to 16 cents.

The gap remains too large, but we can not make a change based on moral grounds alone. Business leaders need to be aware that equal pay for equal work will boost their own organization’s bottom line.
As the father and grandfather of girls, I care deeply about this matter. I understand that there are great complexities involved with this issue. A CEO is measured by gains versus losses, and not on sentiment, particularly for public corporations where a CEO must answer to shareholders. It is critical to understand, however, that paying women equally does not have to come at the expense of profits.
It’s Not a Simple Problem 
Equal pay is a complex issue without a one-size-fits-all solution. By looking at the kinds of jobs women often go into – older women in lower-paying, part-time service jobs for example, compared to young women entering STEM fields – can give insights on where to stress advances. In fact, women, ages 16-34 who currently experience an 87.5 percent earnings ratio, are the most promising in closing the wage gap.
 Recent Studies Demonstrate Benefits
Here are three studies demonstrating why:
  1. An MIT professor reported in the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy that shifting from an all-male or all-female office to one split evenly along gender lines would increase revenue by 41 percent.
  2. A McKinsey & Company study found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15 percent more likely to generate financial performance above the national industry median.
  3. A Gallup Study of different business units of two companies in the retail and hospitality industries shows significant differences in revenues up 14 percent and net profit up 19 percent, based on the level of gender diversity in each business unit.
Beyond Numbers, Three Reasons
  1. Elicit varying viewpoints – When you diversify, you stimulate debate and receive fresh ideas and different perspectives.
  2. Tap into $20 trillion in worldwide spending by women – Women control a huge $20 trillion in global spending power. It would make sense for a business to court women’s buying habits. What better way to reach potential consumers than by having women employees who understand their spending habits.
  3. Attract top male and female talent – Employers of choice understand paying women equally fosters and promotes a healthy business environment. When businesses maintain an inclusive culture and pay structure that recognizes women’s workplace contributions, high performers are more likely to want to join the team. Millennials, who are expected to make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, are keen to work in an environment that embraces diversity.
Additional Pay Disclosures Proposed
Under a recent proposal by the Obama Administration, employers with over 100 employees may have to send the government more information about what they pay. The proposal is aimed at eliminating the gender pay gap. The 60-day notice period ends April 1, 2016.
Where Do We Go From Here
At the recent Davos Conference, CEOs from companies including Barclays, Cisco, eBay, and Marriott weighed in on men’s roles in increasing greater gender diversity in the workplace. As men make up 80 percent of executive ranks and even more than that at the CEO level, men have a unique role in growing women in the workplace. Hiring and paying women is not only the right course, but data and common sense reasoning suggest that it’s simply good for business.
Contact Us
We welcome your feedback on our Compensation Alert eNewsletters. Please contact me at (847) 864-8979 or nlappley@lappley.com to discuss gender equality or other topics of interest.

With 2016 upon us, odds are that you have introduced a new sales compensation plan. Reportedly, 80 percent of companies make a change, minor or major, to their sales compensation plan annually. A new client recently shared with us that their last compensation plan was viewed by Human Resources “…as far adrift.” They were concerned as it also paid out incentive earnings viewed as excessive and unanticipated.

To avoid a similar concerning situation, here are three key performance indicators, with helpful questions, along with a qualitative tool to assist you in your sales compensation planning efforts.

Incentive Leverage

Analyze the ratio of the average earnings of the top 10 percent of your salesforce compared to the bottom 10 percent. The ratio should tell you something about the type of selling. The less impact and influence the sales role has on the selling process, the smaller the ratio should be. Two questions to ask are:

  • How does the ratio compare to historical pay data?
  • To what extent do sales support and technicians participate in the selling process? Is this support available evenly across the entire salesforce?

Motivation

Compare the actual distribution of performance across the entire salesforce with the expected performance distribution.  It is valuable to conduct this type of analysis midway into the year.

Sales leadership is responsible for the achievement of corporate sales goals and objectives.  Yet it is understood that not all members of the salesforce will meet their individual targets.  You may question, for example, whether your targets are being set appropriately if far too many salesforce members exceed expectations.  According to recent Korn Ferry / Hay Group findings, only 5 percent of sales people achieved the maximum amount of incentive earnings.

Pay Mix for Different Roles 

Financial budgets and operating schedules are designed around expected levels of performance and pay mix. With all the merger and acquisition activity that occurred in 2015 and with 2016 expecting similar activity, sales role clarity and internal logic may need to be examined closely.

When you take into account that the pay mix will vary by role, e.g., sales representative vs. national accounts manager, then the actual mix should reflect the impact the role specifically plays in the selling process.

  • Is the appropriate market data being used to establish or confirm the proper competitive pay mix for the various sales roles?

Salesforce Survey  

An online survey conducted with both the salesforce and headquarters’ management can yield useful information by trying to measure factors that have an influence on the effectiveness of the company’s total sales effort.  Topics such as sales targets, marketing and advertising activities, sales manager’s role, time allocation, competitiveness of the sales compensation program are among the topics that should be included in the survey.
Survey results will give a broader and more holistic understanding of the incentive plan’s environment.  Also, in a number of past surveys conducted for clients, a wide (and surprising) disparity was evidenced between the salesforce’s views and those of headquarters’ management. This disparity indicated other factors needed attention in order to get the desired “bang for your incentive buck.”
 

Contact Us

We welcome your feedback on our Salesforce Alert eNewsletters and would like to talk with you further regarding your salesforce experience and input. Please feel free to contact Tim Weizer at (312) 479-6411 or tim@salescne.com or Neil Lappley at (847) 864-8979 or nlappley@lappley.com.