The Globe and Mail contacted Cissy Pau, principal consultant of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, for human resources advice and expertise for an article about the strategies and pitfalls of employees requesting salary increases.

Some human resources expert advice that Cissy Pau shared on how to deal with employees requesting a raise included:

• Ask the employee why they want a raise and listen neutrally to the response;
• Review the employee’s salary against their colleagues in the company and against their equivalent counterparts in the industry to determine whether they are paid fairly;
• If a request for a raise is denied, then provide feedback on what the employee needs to do to qualify for one in the future.

For more information on what to do when your employees want a raise, and how to create effective pay for performance and compensation programs for your small business, please contact Clear HR Consulting for a complimentary initial consultation.

Clear HR Consulting was contacted by the Globe and Mail for human resources expertise for an article on small businesses outsourcing some of their human resources functions.

Cissy Pau, Clear HR Consulting’s principal consultant, was quoted extensively for her advice on the benefits and risks to entrepreneurs for outsourcing some or all of their HR functions.  Business owners should focus on generating the greatest return for their time and energy.  Crunching payroll numbers or administering benefits plans usually are not the best use of the owner’s time.  Outsourcing certain HR functions can cost much less and at the same time receive greater expertise than hiring a full-time person who specializes in the area.

However, if too much is outsourced or outsourced to the wrong providers, there is a risk of losing control of the company culture to outsiders who aren’t as committed as the owners to their business.

For more information on whether outsourcing some or all of your human resources functions makes sense for your small business, please contact Clear HR Consulting for a complimentary initial consultation.

Cissy Pau, Principal Consultant of Clear HR Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, BC, was contacted by Canadian Business magazine for human resources expertise for a recent article in how to coax your employees to share their ideas and encourage innovation.

Some tips that Cissy Pau shared included ensuring that management is willing to listen to ideas and providing rewards to those employees whose ideas are implemented.

Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting is a human resources consulting firm that provides HR services to small- to medium-sized businesses, and can help you encourage your staff to share their ideas and be innovative.

Most employees think nothing about checking their work email on their Blackberry after they leave the office for the day, but is this creating an overtime pay liability for their employer? According a recent article in Business in Vancouver (Issue 997, December 2-8, 2008), companies should have policies in place to address this matter.

According to Ian Cook, BC HRMA’s director of HR knowledge and research, companies need to make it clear when employees are and are not at work, and what the expectations are around that. Employers need to set parameters to keep from paying overtime.

Gwendoline Allison, a lawyer with Clark Wilson LLP, believes that companies without Blackberry policies may still be liable for claims by employees for additional compensation. She finds that employers need to be clear when employees are required to be available and how they will be compensated for being available.

Blackberry usage outside of normal hours of work is not only a possible overtime pay issue for employers, but also an employee wellness issue due to added stress and pressure, which is best addressed with company policy and guidelines.

Clear HR Consulting was recently contacted by BC Business Magazine for an article on “How to Establish Fair Compensation”. This article has just been published in the October 2008 issue of BC Business Magazine.

Cissy Pau, Clear HR Consulting’s Principal Consultant, provided advice and commentary on the factors to consider when setting the pay rate for a new staff member, including:

• determining whether the position should be permanent or fixed term;
• looking at the roles and responsibilities of the position; and
• conducting internal and external pay comparisons.

If you need assistance in how to establish fair compensation for your new or existing employees, or for other HR services, please contact Clear HR Consulting.

Statistics Canada’s annual Workplace and Employee Survey found that Canadian employers who offer their employees performance bonuses have higher productivity and customer satisfaction and keep their employees longer than those employers who don’t offer performance bonuses. 

Yet, the numbers of Canadian employers who offer performance bonuses decreased from 40.1 per cent in 1999 to 36.9 per cent in 2005.

So, if your company is looking to improve employee productivity, raise customer satisfaction and lower employee turnover, than consider adding or amending your reward and recognition system to realize these benefits.  Guess what? Clear HR Consulting can help you with that!

The internet is now making salary information more transparent and available, which can be useful for companies to know what the market is for similar positions, and what employees may potentially be looking for when negotiating a salary for a new position or getting a raise in an existing one.

But how open should your company be with the salaries of your staff?  The Christian Science Monitor, an internationally-recognized publication, recently looked at this question, and Cissy Pau, our Principal Consultant, was quoted in the article, which appears on our media page:

“Sharing specific information about employee salary and benefits is definitely something we do not recommend,” she says. “It raises issues of confidentiality and privacy, and the potential for office gossip and rumors around whose salaries are posted.”

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