Board & Management Compensation – Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Representative Engagements

Management counsel on compensation arrangements for college employees engaged in international contracts financed by international development institutions and the Canadian International Development Agency.
The compensation issues concerned equity, reward for risk and contribution above and beyond regular teaching and management assignments in Canada, the ability of the recipient organization to pay and consistency with provisions of the collective agreement.

A strategic and operational analysis of the management and overall effectiveness of the human resources function, with change management undertaken on the basis of knowledge and skill transfers in preference to authoritative decisions.
This engagement required an exceedingly high degree of communication, conflict resolution, facilitation and understanding of the public policy process as expressed internally within a service agency.
The agency’s organizational culture was characterized by cultural and physical conflict, personal antagonisms, gender differences and demographic diversity.

Development of planning and facilitation processes to manage serious debilitating conflicts within the organization between governance levels, senior management, two collective bargaining units and the membership at large.
This engagement required a commitment of close to twenty-four months with regular contact points depending upon organizational schedules. Success was attained on the basis of significant content being included in the planning processes.

Compensation analysis for head office personnel – executive, mid-management, technical and warehouse.

Compensation analysis for a specialized institute employing 135 micro-economists worldwide engaged in food security design.
Matters of fairness, family interests, competing employers and hazardous working conditions were key elements in the design and administration of a comprehensive compensation program where retention and long-term stability of the organization were the most important objectives.

Design of the compensation program for medical professional employees (family practice physicians, pharmacists, dentists), technical support personnel including and especially diagnostic equipment technicians, kidney dialysis technicians, management, and support staff.

Analytical review and design of a sensible compensation program for Tribal Members and externally engaged employees performing governance and management functions within the First Nation.

Conflict resolution and mediation services following dismissal of the University President for cause, wherein professional services were provided on strategic counsel related to matters of university governance, academic freedom and the recruitment and selection processes needed to replace the President, all at a time of great organizational stress.

As part of a detailed feasibility study to design and construct a fully integrated hazardous waste treatment facility in Western Canada, design of compensation programs for management, technical, professional, and operating personnel.
There was no useful, comparable industry data; compensation design was based on first principles.

Management counsel on compensation for professional and technical personnel engaged in the manufacture of air movement equipment at the head office plant.

For Canada’s largest media co-operative, on-going analysis and design of management compensation programs during a period of significant growth and large operating surpluses.
Co-operative Member interests, fairness and equity, location, technological change and management workloads were key factors. Since comparative industry data were unavailable or inappropriate, compensation design was based on first principles.

Design of a compensation program for technical and professional employees to be engaged in a wholly owned district heating subsidiary city corporation.
In a unionized environment, this design accommodated differences between and between departmental employees and corporation employees, considering the collective agreement, and risk and reward in each of the two jurisdictions. All classes of employees were included.

Design and analysis of a comprehensive compensation program for corporation employees at management and technical levels.
The compensation program needed to account for differences and similarities amongst and between similar programs within the private sector, the national government, municipal government and international development organizations. Portability of benefits and job security were key elements.

Analysis of compensation programs for municipal employees engaged in the management of hazardous industrial waste, including resource recovery – metals, rubber, glass, oils and lubricants where incentives were deemed to be of importance.

An assessment of compensation practices in a Latin American/Caribbean national airports authority where about 75% of organizational revenue was generated from international customers, while the compensation levels of the country were significantly below national and international standards.
The outcome was a compensation program which provided recognition of long-term service, job stability, respect within the national community and a reasonable standard of living for employees at management, technical, professional and support staff levels.

Design of a comprehensive compensation program for all employees, including management, which was coordinated at the implementation stage with training and recruitment initiatives.