If you need the stats and scores of any of the
New York area teams, Astron Solutions'
Statistical Analyst, Michael Sohn is the person
to ask! A self-proclaimed ESPN Sportscenter
addict, Michael can tell you the latest news on
the Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants, Knicks, Nets,
Liberty, Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. Not
satisfied with merely observing sports, Michael
plays basketball throughout the year at NYU, and
softball in the summer at various city parks.
In fact, his softball team, VCF Team A, came in
second place in a tournament this past August!
An avid reader,
Michael also enjoys non-fiction, especially
business and economics, history, and
biographies.
Happy Birthday!
Last Monday, the Astron
team celebrated Automation Expert John Sazaklis’
birthday with dinner at the
Jekyll and Hyde Club in New York City. One
of the restaurant’s roving actors captured our
merriment on film. John’s special day was
Sunday, September 19th.
Happy Birthday, John!
Clockwise from top
left are Sharon Terry, Jason Mitchell, Michael
Sohn, Michael Maciekowich, John Sazaklis, and
Jennifer Loftus.
Welcome to the Family!
Banfi Vintners
Banfi
Vintners, an international wine marketer, has
ranked as the USA.'s leading wine importer for
more than three decades. It is an arm of the
privately held Banfi Products Corp., a
family-owned and operated firm founded in New
York in 1919.
Banfi Vintners is
the sole U.S. importer of Banfi's Italian wines
along with several other producers’ brand lines,
principally from Italy, Chile, and Australia.
The company is the exclusive importer for four
of the most popular brands imported to the
United States: Riunite and Placido from Italy as
well as Concha y Toro and Walnut Crest from
Chile.
Banfi
Vintners came to Astron Solutions looking for a
way to determine its employees’ feelings about
base pay, bonus, and benefits packages. We
created a Total Compensation Employee
Satisfaction Survey geared specifically to Banfi
Vintners’ needs. The process, a combination of
a paper survey and one-on-one interviews with
employees across the nation, commenced in August
2004.
Creative HR
Programs that Span Generations
Whether you are a member of
the Baby-Boomer, Gen X, or Gen Y generation,
chances are that your year of birth has a direct
impact on your work habits. The same goes for
your employees. The key to successful
recruitment and retention is learning how to tap
into these behavioral factors and customize your
HR programs accordingly.
Each generation has it’s
own priorities and have goals. Baby-Boomers’
(born between 1945 – 1965) are sending kids
through school and approaching retirement.
Their strong sense of loyalty, not to mention
their years of knowledge and experience make
them vital members of the workforce.
Generation X (born
between 1965 – 1980) are focused on their career
development, work/life balance and childcare.
They are drawn to opportunities that allow them
to learn, enjoy and be recognized. They are
known to be tech-savvy and independent.
Right behind Generation X
is Generation Y (born between 1980 –
1994), a group that is valued for its
individuality, efficiency and uniqueness. This
group is driven by a strong need for instant
gratification, and according to
Bruce Tulgan in “Managing Generation Y –
Part 2”, are even more tech-savvy than their
Generation X siblings.
According to Mike
Maciekowich, Astron Solutions’ National
Director, employers must first set the
groundwork. “It is important that organizations
have a structured compensation philosophy prior
to allowing for generational difference. The
compensation policy acts as a blueprint to
follow in the design and implementation of the
program,” says Maciekowich.
Once these key components
are put into place, HR practitioners can then
continue with their generational compensation
design.
As Maciekowich explained
during a BLR interview on the subject, “It’s
imperative to keep reward strategies flexible.
Generational benefits are all about
flexibility.” He also stressed that employers
must be aware of discrimination issues. “To
stay within the legal boundaries, try using
seniority as a factor in paying for healthcare
coverage. The idea is to reward seniority, but
not in pay, in order to avoid artificial
compression and problems with equity.”
Employers must understand
what rewards their employees more. “Pension
benefits are more important to Baby Boomers.
Generation X and Generation Y are more concerned
about their personal career development and
their personal wealth accumulation,” added
Maciekowich.
Rewarding the
generations
The city of
Claremont, California created an innovative
approach to giving each generation what it
desires, resulting in a positive work
environment for all. It created a culture that
connects the shared values among the groups,
while recognizing the unique characteristics of
each generation.
Baby Boomer employees were
interested in having the flexibility to manage
their time and workload in a way that allows
them to “do it all.” The Boomer programs
included:
• An
80-hour longevity bonus given on the employees’
10th anniversary, which can be used
in conjunction with vacation time as a sort of
“mini-sabbatical.”
• 40
extra hours of vacation time awarded at the 14th
year of service.
•
“Some-time worker”
program for recently retired Boomers to return
as consultants.
The city of Claremont found
that the same programs motivated its Generation
X and Y employees. These included:
•
Employee Leadership Academy – a
nine-month career development program
•
Mentoring and Access to
department heads, including the “A chance behind
the wheel” program where younger employees are
given opportunities not normally associated with
their job level.
•
Recognition and incentive
bonuses
•
Three weeks vacation
granted after one year of service
•
Alternative work schedule
•
Telecommuting
In addition to the desire
to retain the best workers, the statistical
reality is that as the Boomers approach
retirement age, there are fewer members of Gen X
and Gen Y to replace them. Therefore it is
vital that employers take the necessary steps to
keep their employees happy.
If you would like a copy of
Mike Maciekowich’s presentation, click on “Tailoring
Your Total Rewards Package to Meet Workforce
Needs”. If you are interested in having
Mike speak at your conference or organization on
this topic, please
click here.
To what degree
have you seen generational differences impacting
your benefits?
Be sure to vote in this week's on-line poll!
