Lilly France is working on the same project

Even if they are not very surprising, some figures leave perplexed. According to the annual survey of Cegos (), more than 70 of executives are not satisfied with their pay system. More worryingly, only 25 to 35 of them believe that their company recognizes enough individual performance or their skills and maintain their purchasing power (see chart). Why this disallowance The fixed salary increase budgets are stable compared to 2005, 3.6. Stability also variable remuneration and engagement. Young professionals are even scales of hiring an increase (of the order of 2.9 in 2006) and most important individual increases. It is that the malaise is not there. What managers allege that their business, it is a lack of transparency, fairness and communication in the allocation of the increases.

This resentment is purely subjective: 41 of the HRD believe that managers know not enough rules and the criteria for individual awards. Managers are, always according to the HRD, the same ignorance. A situation ludicrous because they are, precisely, to assess the performance of their teams and assign premiums and increases based on these assessments. Less than half of managers believe that their supervisors develop their proposals to increase with rigour (41) and equity (30). More striking still: two-thirds reproach them of not providing enough explanations for their decisions. "Managers are sometimes struggling to comply with the policy of remuneration of the management because they do not want to disavow their collaborators by not giving them any increase in individual," notes Patrick Tcheng, responsible for compensation and benefits for Ingenico, world leader in solutions of transactions and payments secure.

Maintain the opacity

For Eric Wuithier, Director associate within the firm Towers Perrin, the problem lies rather in the lack of training: "the management is often not sufficiently prepared to master these tools of evaluation of the performance." It is not enough to give a two day training, this requires a real support.

With this observation, some companies take things in hand. This is the case of Manpower, where an internal investigation revealed that only 35 of employees were satisfied with the compensation policy. To make the attribution of individual increases and more transparent Rewards rules, the specialist of temporary work has implemented an Intranet in which the process is explained in detail: what criteria is evaluated the collaborator Should how evolution have done to benefit from increased

In Auchan, same concern to avoid the to little-almost. The "activity talks" between framework and hierarchical responsible occur according to a standardized process. The company is studying even if asked managers to set themselves goals related to their variable remuneration. A way to reconcile the collaborators with assessment tools Not only. "This could make them more and there are chances that, by reflex of pride, they define more ambitious targets than their manager would have done," explains Olivier Fache, responsible for compensation of the group.

These codes of conduct would be the tree that hides the forest In effect, only 57 of the HRD recognize that their remuneration policy is transparent and fair. "Sometimes, on a part of compensation systems, companies do voluntarily not communicate all the information." "They do not want to be forced to justify systematically and on everything", note Georges Pentray, consultant senior Cegos, Director of the study. It is what confirms Jean-Marc Wieczorek, HRD group Valois, 1,600 employees in France specializes in the manufacture of pharmaceutical sector spray systems business and Perfumery: "some executives judged deserving receive stock options but it does not want to let this know." This would require no doubt to us in a process of negotiations. However, we do not want for this type of compensation.

High expectations

In this context, the moral contract databases that link executives to their business seem fragile. But the expectations are many. Managers want to that the company provides a good level of social protection, it develops their savings, that it contributes to retire but especially as it offers them a motivating career. This last item is priority, well before an attractive remuneration. "Recognizing that the business can no longer meet in the evolution of wages, that is, in terms of training, skills development and".

"career management, that they express new expectations and that there are elements to complete contract", notes Michel Fourmy, responsible for the HR to Cegos pole.

Another expectation: the company should improve the balance between work and private life, and the quality of management. "It is noticeable in the younger generations, says Hélène Grignon-bolt, HRD of Lyonnaise des Eaux, Suez Group, which recognizes to be sensitive to this expectation." They want that the enterprise provides the flexibility so they can take their RTT and reconcile private and professional life. "The gap is widening, on the other hand, when it comes to the values of the company or be solidarity Directorate: only 44 frames are ready to engage in this way (see chart). This reflects a disengagement of the employee that the company cannot ignore if it wants to implement a sustainable and effective contract.

Individualized treatment...

Whether their direct pay or other forms of compensation, the watchword of the frameworks is clear: more than individual recognition. How to respond "It must evolve how we use the so-called collective instruments to make them more flexible and more responsive," Note Jean-Marie Vieille, HRD of Ahlstrom, a leading global supplier of specialty papers. Some HRD is considering, others are already working. This is the case of Ingenico. "We are in full redesign of our mutual to implement a basic agreement that would be supported by all and options that employees could take in more," says Patrick Tcheng. The objective: avoid that a single person pays the same dues as a father that benefit her husband and three children of his mutual... Lilly France is working on the same project. A direction that does however not Hélène Grignon-bolt of the Lyonnaise des Eaux: "I am not sure that should be individualize mutual plans based on the family situation of the employees." It is important to keep the tools to maintain solidarity and cohesion. Mutual is few.

The EEP and engagement, the dilemma is the same. Already, the employee can choose whether or not to place his engagement in its savings plan company, opt for secure investment or, on the contrary, more lucrative but more risky. In its distribution, engagement can also introduce more individualization. To avoid that all categories of frameworks affect the same amount, it can be distributed in proportion to the wages. But often, as they want to evolve these collective compensation tools, the HRD faced disapproval from the trade unions. "They want that I forfaitise the award overall results, the name, they say, of social equity." "Social equity is precisely not equal for all, but to take into account the individual contribution of each", exclaims Jean-Marc Wieczorek, HRD group of Valois.

... and part of the collective

So far, the company must also avoid falling into the opposite excess: a customisation consumerism. "This could generate behaviors of missionary, with employees who wish to optimize maximum individual remuneration over the collective results, which would ultimately be counterproductive", note Vincent Cornet, Associate Director at Altedia, group specializing in human resources management.

With some HRD as Jean-Marie Vieille managers over the long term management requires preserving this part of collective, even for direct compensation. As a third of companies surveyed, Ahlstrom in part compensates its frameworks in general increases. A practice which continues (the number of enterprises having recourse was even slightly increased in one year). "It is a way to satisfy the largest number because it guarantees an increase, even slight." "Finally, it facilitates the work of managers who have more free hand then to assign individual increases actually differentiated one framework to another, instead of the dusting", note Georges Pentray.

Between collective and individual treatment, everything is, ultimately, question of determination. For Jean-Baptiste Labrusse, HRD to Lilly France, one thing is certain: "from a time when compensation was chosen by the company and imposed on the collaborator in an era where the employee wishes to arbitrate more different elements of remuneration.". And this simple arbitration also allows individualized reply, even from collective tools.

Meet the need for recognition of managers, while ensuring that they remain solidarity of the company and other collaborators, that is the issue of the contract to implement. The HRD have the tools in hand. At them the role of arbitrator.