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Florida ReviewFor Florida’s Human Resources Professionals

FEBRUARY 2005 Vol. 4, No.1

Just AnotherChallenge for HR!

PHOTO COURTESY OF NOAA.

INSIDE:

Providing EffectiveRecognition in Your Training Programs

Choosing the CorrectEmotional IntelligenceAssessment Tool

Lessons from the Hurricanes

ALSO:

2004-2005 State of Florida Salary, Wage and Benefits Survey

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contentsFlorida Review

FOR FLORIDA’S HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS

19

12

32

INSIDE HR FLORIDA

8 2005 State Council Officers/Directors/Chapter Presidents

9 A Message from the Outgoing HR Florida State Council Presidentby Kevin Hession, SPHR

11 A Message from the Incoming HR Florida State Council Presidentby Libby Anderson, SPHR

12 Recap of the 26th Annual HR Florida Conference & Expo

HR FOCUS

15 Providing Effective Recognition in Your Training ProgramEasy ways to use positive reinforcement in the workplaceby Robert W. Lucas

19 Choosing the Correct Emotional Intelligence Assessment ToolWhy is EI so confusing?by Greg Thompson

FEATURE ARTICLES

21 To Change the Company, Change the CultureHow to use corporate culture to your advantageby Michael Pocchiari

24 Complaint Received—Now What Do We Do?Seven steps for handling sexual harassment complaints in the workplaceby John Duvall and Antwoine Edwards

29 What’s Driving Dental?Understanding emerging trends in dental insuranceby Karen Gustin and Gary Raymond

32 Lessons from the HurricanesMore than 100 ways to make your workplace more humaneby Kelley Rexroad, SPHR

HR UPDATE

34 2004-2005 State of Florida Salary, Wage and Benefits Survey

41 Products & Services Showcase

42 Index of Advertisers

Published for:The HR Florida State CouncilWebsite: www.hrflorida.orgPublished by:Naylor Publications Inc.5950 NW 1st PlaceGainesville, Florida 32607Phone: (352) 332-1252(800) 369-6220Fax: (352) 331-3525Website: www.naylor.comPublisher:Steve StrammEditor:Thea GalenesMarketing and Research Associate:Kirsten CahillProject Manager:Ray GoodwinPublication Director:Mary JohnstonFor information about advertising, contact:Ray [email protected](800) 369-6220, ext. 3459

Account Representatives:Pamela Blasetti, Rya Boyce,Beth Britt, Shirley Lustan,Susan Maracle, Debbie Phillips,Beth Sheahan, Jamie Williams,Chris ZabelCover Design:Cal HardingLayout & Design:Tracey ShillingtonAdvertising Art:Gregg Parris©2005 Naylor Publications,Inc. All rights reserved. Thecontents of this publicationmay not be reproduced by anymeans, in whole or in part,without the prior written con-sent of the publisher.PUBLISHED FEBRUARY2005/HRF-B0105/9681

February 2005

EDITOR’S NOTEAs this is my last issue as editor, I offer my

thanks to all of the HR professionals who haveso graciously shared their insights. Our neweditor is Kim McCollam, SPHR, HR Managerfor Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. Shewill bring fresh insights into taking our maga-zine to the next level of professionalism. Pleasefeel free to share your future articles or idea toher: [email protected].

Best wishes,H. Tim Smith, Former Editor

February 2005, Vol. 4, No. 1 7

2005 HR Florida State CouncilEXECUTIVE BOARDState PresidentLibby Anderson, SPHR, EDA HumanResources ServicesState President-ElectSherell Hendrickson, PHR, University of WestFloridaSecretaryCarol Parks, PHR, YMCA of the SuncoastTreasurerBarry L. Brown, SPHR, CCP, EffectiveResources, Inc.Immediate Past PresidentKevin Hession, SPHR, RTR Associates

COUNCIL COMMITTEE CHAIRSCertification ChairDon Works, III, SPHR, Jackson LewisCollege Relations ChairSuzanne Weiss, PHR, Martin County Board ofCounty Comm.Diversity ChairAngela Rosario, PHR, US Postal ServiceEditor, HR MagazineKim McCollam, SPHR, Scripps Treasure CoastNewspapersLegislative Affairs ChairRich Samolewicz, PHR, Right ManagementConsultantsProfessional Development ChairTeresa Dudek, SPHR, Hope HospiceRevenue ChairRalph Emerson, Emerson & AssociatesSHRM Foundation CoordinatorMichelle Corse, SPHR, Johns & AssociatesSHRM SE Regional DirectorDorothy Hill, SPHR, SHRMSHRM SE Regional ManagerShelly Prochaska, SPHR, SHRMSpecial ProjectsPeggy Schiffers, SPHR, Schiffers Associates, LLC

Technology ChairAngela Rao-Brown, SPHR, EffectiveResources, Inc.2005 Conference ChairTBAWorkforce Development ChairKathy Davanzo, SPHR, Pelorus Leadership Group

DISTRICT DIRECTORS AND CHAPTER PRESIDENTSDISTRICT 1 – PANHANDLE DISTRICTDistrict DirectorCarole Cox, PHRSHRM Emerald Coast ChapterAmy Oswalt, PHR, HR ConsultantGreater Pensacola ChapterShannon Lands, PHR, Saltmarsh, Cleaveland,& Gund, P.A.DISTRICT 2 – NORTH FLORIDA DISTRICTDistrict DirectorQueenell Fox, SPHR, Florida State UniversityFoundation, Inc.HR Mgmt. Assoc. of Bay CountyMark McGruder, SPHR, Eastern Ship BuildingBig Bend SHRMGeorge Allen, SPHR, Carr, Riggs and IngramDISTRICT 3 – NORTHEAST DISTRICTDistrict DirectorPatrick McCormick, PHRJacksonville SHRMShelley M. Loughrey, PHR, Hiday & Ricke, P.A.Ocala HR Management AssociationCarol FrankerNorth Central Florida HR AssociationStephen Tanner, SPHR, Florida Farm BureauDISTRICT 4 – CENTRAL FLORIDA DISTRICTDistrict DirectorRobert Donovan, Computer Sciences RaytheonSHRM -Volusia/FlaglerLeslie Castillo, Kelly Services, Inc.

Central Florida HR AssociationAnn M. Robbins, Florida/Carribean, RightManagement ConsultantsLake Sumter SHRMKitty Fields, PHR, Board of Sumter CountyCommissionersSpace Coast HR AssociationKathleen O’Neil, Computer Sciences ResourcesDISTRICT 5 – TAMPA BAY AREA DISTRICTDistrict DirectorJeannie McCall, SPHR, TECO Energy, Inc.Suncoast HRMAJim Zufall, PHR, CPCU, ARM, ZufallConsulting ServicesHR TampaTodd York, SPHR, AdvanTech SolutionsMid-Florida SHRMMichael Malfitano, Constangy, Brooks, andSmithSarasota HR AssociationJeannie Hutchinson, Sarasota Family YMCA,Inc.DISTRICT 6 – GULF COAST DISTRICTDistrict DirectorJohn Brown, Edison CollegeCharlotte County SHRMPatricia Tobin, PHR, LCSW, Fawcett MemorialHospitalHRMA of Southwest FloridaBonnie Etheridge, Edison CollegeHR Association of Collier CountyVivian Seely-Troiano, MBA, SPHR, Consultingfor PerformanceDISTRICT 7 – TREASURE COAST DISTRICTDistrict DirectorPat Szczesny, PHR, Sandhill Cove PropertiesHR Mgmt. Assoc. of Martin CountyLinda Skelton, PHR, Martin County Board ofCommissionersTreasure Coast HR AssociationLynne Rhodewalt, Personnel PlusSt. Lucie County HR Association, Inc.Stephanie MorganSouth Brevard SHRMCatherine Mallozzi, SPHR, FloridaMetropolitan UniversityDISTRICT 8 – SOUTH FLORIDA DISTRICTDistrict DirectorSharlyn Lauby, SPHR, ITM GroupHR Association of Broward CountyBobbi Prager, SPHR, Radiology Assoc. ofHollywoodHR Association of Palm Beach CountyKaren Roberts, SPHR, My HR ConsultantEMA South Florida ChapterJanet Beets, PHR, Uniweld Products, Inc.DISTRICT 9 – SOUTH FLORIDA DISTRICTDistrict DirectorLynn Marguiles, Metro PCSGreater Miami SHRMDiana Perez, SPHR, GPHR, Oracle Latin AmericaKey West SHRMKay Miller, PHR, First State Bank

8 HR Florida Review

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YES!Performance appraisal and competencyevaluation have never been morecomplex or time-consuming.With the demands placed on youand your staff, how can youeffectively assess staff competence?

Wow, what a year 2004turned out to be! The “Yearof the Volunteer” turned

out to be truly prophetic. I couldembark on a seemingly endless thankyou list and still miss so many people.That’s what happens when fourhurricanes hit your state in a singleyear. As HR professionals, we steppedup BIG TIME and made a significantdifference in our companies and inthe lives of employees with whom weinteract each and every day. As wecontinue to put our lives backtogether, we should remember all wedid in 2004. If you ever wonder aboutthe importance of human resources inthe future, think back to this year!

There are two members whoreceived special recognition this yearas “Professional of the Year” and“Volunteer of the Year.” The“Professional of the Year” was awardedto Kal Mistry, SPHR, of VitasHealthcare Corporation. Kal’s historyhas been truly remarkable both as a

person and as a professional. She hasbeen on the cutting edge ofintroducing innovative ideas andconcepts that have tremendouslyhelped employees and employersalike. Our “Volunteer of the Year”award went to Suzi Lemen, SPHR, ofDynamic Corporate Solutions. Whennot running her own business withover 60 employees, she was serving onnumerous Boards of Directors inJacksonville—not just as an HRProfessional but also as abusinessperson. Both of theseselections exemplify the higheststandards of our profession.

The Conference Committee alsodeserves special recognition for theirefforts in 2004. Not only did they puton a fabulous conference, but they didit under incredibly tryingcircumstances (Charley, Frances, Ivanand Jeanne), requiring tremendousflexibility. The conference was alsoheld in a convention center for thefirst time. This led to a number oflearning opportunities that will aidconference committees for years tocome. All in all, we provided the bestconference in the history of our stateand served the professional interests of798 people. Thanks to Sharlyn Lauby,SPHR, Charlene Mixa and Jim Gallo,SPHR, for their leadership andcreativity throughout all the planningand implementation aspects of thisconference. Special thanks also goesto all the members of the committeethat worked so hard on this event.

There are two specificaccomplishments for the state thisyear I want to highlight:

• First, the establishment of anHR Seekers program designed toassist HR professionals whohave been displaced or under-employed. This has been atremendous success, with nearly

200 people registered fromvarious parts of the state (checkour website at www.hrflorida.orgfor more details).

• Second, the state has reasserteditself in legislative advocacyefforts. Rich Samolewicz, PHR,used a tremendous amount ofold-fashioned elbow greaseworking with chapters thatproduced nearly 3,000 letters ore-mails during the year. Thisnumber represented nearly 20percent of all letters to Congressor state legislators from SHRM.

Looking out to next year, your statecouncil is in great hands. LibbyAnderson, SPHR, will take over acouncil in tremendous shape. We arethe pre-eminent state council inSHRM, and Libby’s energy,enthusiasm and leadership will takeour state to an even higher level. Weare very fortunate to have her lead ourstate in 2005!

As for me, leading the HR FloridaState Council has been the greatestprivilege and honor of my life. I leavewith a sense of satisfaction andhumility. As David Hutchins,Chairperson of SHRM, said atNovember’s Leadership Conference,SHRM is like the image of the pyramidon the back of the one dollar bill:There is a strong foundation alreadybuilt, but it is a work that will never befinished. The same can be said of HRFlorida. I would encourage each of youto look into opportunities to put yourown stamp on our profession throughvolunteerism at the chapter, state ornational levels. There are positionsthat fit everyone’s schedule and thebenefits easily outweigh time sacrifices.Think about it. Better yet, make thecommitment in 2005.

Congratulations on a great 2004and best wishes for a fantastic 2005! ●


A Message from the Outgoing HR Florida State Council President

Kevin J. Hession, SPHR2004 HR Florida State Council Outgoing President

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Why do we do what wedo? Ask any HRprofessional and the

answer probably won’t be becausewe make big bucks. One of thereasons we do the work we do isbecause of how gratifying it feels.Whether it is providing advice to afrustrated manager, spending timewith an interested applicant orassisting an employee with acomplicated enrollment form, itall boils down to service. Andproviding service can be verygratifying.

Providing service to thecommunity of HR professionals inthe state of Florida is the focus thisyear of the HR Florida StateCouncil. Utilizing the resourcesCouncil members have availablethrough SHRM, we will beproviding information to chaptersthroughout the state that can helpyou be more successful as you serveyour organization’s employees, shareholders and external customers. Thesix core areas that will be providingsome of this service are:

• Legislative;• Certification;• College Relations;• Foundation (research);• Workforce Development; and• Diversity.Chapter presidents will be able

to access these resources and bringthem to you when you participateas a chapter member.

Another service we continue toprovide annually will be our stateconference. This year we are goingto Disney’s Contemporary Hotel inOrlando. As in previous years, youcan expect that this event will beexceptional in every way. Don’tforget to mark your calendar forSeptember 19-21.

I invite you to serve your HRcolleagues by getting involvedwith your local chapter. If you arenot currently affiliated, you canlocate chapters atwww.hrflorida.org.

Why do we do what we do?Because providing service toothers makes everything moreworthwhile! ●


A Message from the Incoming HR Florida State Council

Libby Anderson, SPHRHR Florida State Council IncomingPresident

12 HR Florida Review

Recap of the 26th Annual HR Florida Conference & Expo

Thank you for attending the 26th Annual HR Florida Conference & Expo, “TheArt of Human Resources.”

American artist George Bellows said, “The artist is the person who makes life more interestingor beautiful, more understandable or mysterious, or probably, in the best sense, more wonderful.”In looking at our profession, you can see our HR roles taking on those artist’s qualities.

As HR professionals, we have to make choices that benefit our workforce, formulateinformation for our organization and create strategies for continual improvement. Likepainters, composers, actresses and dancers, we make those judgments based on qualities thatunfold during the course of action.

Our activities are not dominated by routines but are influenced by behaviors and contin-gencies that are unpredictable. We work in an innovative way to cope with thesecontingencies. You see our best in the out-of-the-ordinary.

On behalf of this year’s conference team, we hope you used this conference to discoverthe artist in you, for leadership is a work of art and great masterpieces were once only pig-ments on a palette.

Once again, thanks for taking an artistic journey with us. We look forward to seeing youat next year’s event! ●

Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, Chair

Barry L. Brown, SPHR, CCP,Effective Resources, Inc.,Concurrent Session Presenter

Charles Jones, Wragg & Casas, Conference Emcee

Clyde Fessler, Harley-Davidson, Keynote Speaker

CHAPTER LEGISLATIVE LETTER-WRITING WINNERSEach of the following chapters will receive $350 for their out-standing efforts:

• Large – Central Florida HRA• Medium – Greater Pensacola SHRM• Small – HRMA of Martin County

$25 STATE CONFERENCE DOOR PRIZE WINNERS

• Louis Munnigh, Citrus Staffing Depot North• Beate Hughes-Brown, Norwegian Cruise Lines• Linda Thayer, Human Resources Consulting• Joan McCormick, PHR, Eastern Financial FLA Credit Union• Debra Fontaine, PHR, Silver Springs Citrus• Barbara Sheridan, PHR, Stiles Corp.• Kelley Wiseman, PHR, Data Management• Julie Dowler, Solid Waste Authority of PBC


Photos by David Decoteau, Downtown Photo/Ft. Lauderdale

Dave Barry, NationallySyndicated, Pulitzer Prizewinning columnist, Keynote Speaker

LeAnne Romesburg, PHR,Lowe’s Home Improvement,Concurrent Session Presenter

Liz Murray, “From Homeless to Harvard,” Keynote Speaker

Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, 2004 Conference Chair

Attendees gather in the Greater Ft.Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

Louis Munnigh, Vice President ofTitan Staffing, gets hisgroove on at the “OneStep Beyond” party.


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Like rewards, recognition can help motivate learnersto participate, share ideas and give input during asession. When you recognize people, you have

potentially demonstrated some degree of appreciation orapproval for their behavior. The major difference betweenrewards and recognition is that the latter comes in avariety of intangible forms. For example, someone raises ahand to ask a question or offer a response to something yousaid and you call on that person. In taking this simpleaction, you have potentially satisfied a need the participanthas for attention or to be acknowledged as significant.

The nice thing about recognition is that it cansometimes be accompanied by tangible rewards. Forexample, in addition to asking the group to give someone around of applause for a creative idea, you can also rewardthe learner with a piece of candy or small prize.

There are many ways in which you can recognizelearner performance and thus stimulate their intrinsicneeds. Here are few ideas to consider.

Use the names of learners. An old adage says that“there is nothing sweeter than the sound of one’s ownname.” Maybe this is why successful business people usetheir customers’ names often during interactions. Ifnothing else, using a person’s name cuts down on confusionwhen you refer to that person in a group.

Incorporate ceremony and ritual into your programs. Youcan add ceremony and ritual by doing simple things. Forexample, whenever someone offers a solution or a perspectiverelated to an issue or problem, have all participants join in around of applause for that person. You can also recognize animportant learner event such as an anniversary with theorganization or a birthday: You might bring in a small cupcakewith a candle or sparkler on it and have everyone sing.However, be cautious about celebrating birthdays unless youare sure that it is acceptable. Some individuals do not celebratesuch events because of religious or cultural beliefs. When indoubt, do not celebrate; find an alternative way to recognizethe person.

Decorate the room. Use colorful signs or posters to makelearners feel that they are appreciated and anticipated. Forexample, put up a “Welcome” sign in New Hire Orientationprograms. Personalize the sign by listing on it the names of new


Providing EffectiveRecognitionin Your Training Programsby Robert W. Lucas

employees. Perhaps even take a groupphoto and give each new hire a copy as amemento. The new employees can laterreview the picture on anniversary datesand remember who else started workingat the organization when they did.

Provide ongoing kudos. Throughoutyour session, give kudos forachievements by learners. These mightbe coupled with tangible rewards.

Give feedback. Whenever learners dosomething well, or perhaps whenexpectations or goals are not met, let

them know what you observed. Ifnecessary, let learners know how theymight improve their performance. Whengiving feedback, focus on the behaviorand not the individual. Give feedbackthat is sincere, specific and timely (assoon after the event as possible).

Note exceptional behavior. Taketime to point out examples ofexceptional behavior in your sessions.Compliment the participantdemonstrating the behavior. Doing thiscan encourage that participant and

others to repeat similar behavior. Forexample, during a break, you can use acolorful cutout shape to write a personalcompliment, then put it on the seat ofthe learner who exhibited the behavior.This person will find it and know thatwhat he or she did was noticed andappreciated. This type of recognitionwould be in addition to any publicacknowledgement he or she receivesfrom you with the group present (e.g. asticker on his or her name tent).

Photo wall of fame. As learnersenter the room, take Polaroid or digitalphotographs of them. Once theydevelop or are printed from a computer,have each person write his or her nameand a strength they have, related to thesession topic, on the bottom of theirpicture. Post these on the wall for all toview during the breaks. This is a goodway to help people put a name with aface and to learn what resources theyhave in the room should they needassistance in the future.

Get senior managementinvolvement. Request that a member ofsenior management come in at thebeginning or end of the session. Ask themanager to stress the importance of theprogram and thank attendees for theirinvolvement and investment of time.

Give “thank you” letters. If youcannot get a member of seniormanagement to attend your sessionclosing, ask that one of them (ideallythe president or CEO) at least provide aletter addressed personally to eachlearner. Have the senior manager stressto the employees the importance ofusing what was learned to improvethemselves and the organization andthank them for their participation. Youcan draft this letter for signature toincrease the likelihood of getting onedone and it saying what you need. Atthe end of the session, present the letterin an official organizational envelope,possibly along with a Certificate ofAchievement, diploma or small present.

Create a credit chart. Prepare aflip chart with the name of eachattendee on the left side of the page.Before beginning your session, haveeach person write down one creativeidea related to the accomplishment ofstated learning objectives. Next, have


Recognition continued

the techniques or tools that they arebeing taught. They also like to see howproblems similar to their own are beinghandled. Such trips can also enhancethe perception of program importanceand usefulness.

Establish a special award. An awardfor some special performance can beissued to enhance participant pride andspirit. The award does not even have tobe serious in nature. For example, youmight create a #1 Team Playercertificate. Have learners vote for the

winner at the end of the session. Thecertificate can be colorful with balloonsor can have a group of cartooncharacters on it along with thewording. I recently used somethingsimilar to this at a leadership retreat,and the learners loved it.

Have participants co-facilitate. Ifyou have people with special talent orknowledge related to your sessiontopic, ask them to share what theyknow with others. You might learnsome new things, also. They can share

each person in turn offer his or heridea and write it next to his or hername. Post this for reference andinstitute any ideas that are feasible.

Start a participant wish-list. Similarto the credit chart, have participantsoffer a list of ideas that they believe willenhance learning during the session.Flip-chart their ideas and incorporate asmany of the reasonable ones as possibleinto the session.

Schedule training offsite.Whenever possible, conduct yoursessions away from the workplace.

This prevents learners from goingback to their offices during breaks andreturning late, and it also keepssupervisors from sending someone toget learners or ask questions.Additionally, it makes participantsfeel special or important to go off to aprogram.

Use a traveling trophy or award.Create an award or buy a plastictrophy that you can use in class.Present it to the first person whocomes up with a solution, volunteersto assist or whatever else you decide.Tell learners that the recipient gets tohold the award until someone elseoffers a creative solution or takes someother designated action. If you usethese to designate group leaders, youmay want to have a trophy for eachgroup. The award provides visualconfirmation of positive performance.

Arrange site visits. There issomething about an effectively plannedsite visit that makes a program seemmore valuable. Most learners love theopportunity to see how others are using


When you recognize people, you have potentiallydemonstrated somedegree of appreciationor approval for their behavior.

a best practice, explain a process theyuse or otherwise share expertise.Recognize their efforts with groupapplause or ceremony and/or a reward.

Help learners succeed. Throughoutyour program, share experiences(positive and negative) along withtidbits of wisdom. Offer any informationthat will assist participants in growingprofessionally. This could be done bysharing research findings, giving contactinformation for future networking, oroffering your ideas on a particular issue.

Arrange for peers to say “thankyou.” Build in activities during and atthe end of your session where learnerscan give one another thanks or positivefeedback. For example, you can haveparticipants turn to one another to say“thank you” for offering information orhelping make the learning experiencebetter. You can also have everyone formgroups at the end of a session, then passout small strips of paper so that eachperson has one strip for every member oftheir group. Have each learner write the

names of their peers on the strips ofpaper so that they have one for eachteammate. Finally, have members ofeach team write one positive thing thatthey liked about their teammates on thestrips. Encourage them to sign the stripsso that people know who the commentswere from. Collect all the strips andseparate them, grouping the commentsfor each person together. You may wantto do this as participants fill out theirsession evaluations. Without reading thestrips yourself, distribute them to thecorrect people. Each learner now hasnice comments from their peers to endtheir day with.

Say “thank you.” In addition tohaving learners say “thank you,” takethe time at the end of your session tothank participants for helping makethe session a valuable learningexperience and for what you learnedfrom them. Follow this expression ofgratitude with a reminder that you areavailable as a resource in the future,then provide your contactinformation if you have not done so.

Point out successes. Too manyfacilitators look for things that learnersdo wrong. For example, mistakes ontests are typically highlighted with redink. Try highlighting “correct” andcreative answers with a neonhighlighter marker or giving positivestrokes in class regularly.

Have a “dress-down” day. If yourorganization does not already have“dress-down” days, get permission fortrainees to attend your session in businesscasual clothing. This will send a messagethat they are getting special treatmentand help relax the environment. Thislatter benefit can enhance learningopportunities, since psychologically, alevel of stress is eliminated or reduced. ●

Extracted from “The Creative Training Idea Book: Inspired Tips andTechniques for Engaging and EffectiveLearning” by Robert W. Lucas,AMACOM, NY, NY 2003. Bob Lucashas over 30 years’ experience instructingtrainers and training employees in varietyof topics and has authored and contributedto 15 books. He can be reached [email protected] or (407) 695-5535.


Recognition continued

technical skills that got you here nowseem to be getting in the way.

Now exchange the words“emotional” and “intelligent” for“Orange.” Emotional Intelligence (EI)has become an often-used buzzwordthat evokes a wide-ranging variety ofimages and feelings about what anemotionally intelligent person looksand acts like. The challenge for theOrange-deficient is to find whatemotional intelligence means withintheir own individual and organizationalcontext, either corporate, academic orany other setting, because thedefinitions used in those diverse arenasare quite different from each other.

Let’s go back to our scenario:Imagine that, as an HR professional,someone tells you that you need todevelop more Emotional Intelligence.This begs the following questions:How do they know what your EI levelis right now? What exactly are theydescribing? How did they measureyour EI? Why is their assessmentdifferent from your own assessment?Where do you go to find an objectiveassessment?

Thankfully, the original academicresearchers, as well as enterprisingauthors and commercial consultinggroups, have created three differentwell-researched and statisticallyvalidated tools to do just that.

1. One such tool, the EmotionalCompetency Inventory (ECI), isan informant or 360-feedbackprocess where a group of peoplewill tell you anonymously whatthey think of your emotionalcompetency. This leads to thesequestions: Can others accuratelydefine your level of EI throughtheir social interactions withyou, or does their feedback onlydefine your social competency?

Like the proverbial blind mentouching the elephant and eachperceiving very different things

(one man touches the trunk and saysit must be a snake, while another mantouches the leg and says it must be asturdy tree), people touching theconcept of Emotional Intelligence(EI) seem to see what they feel. Theemotions elicited by the term “EI” canbe as powerful as the concept itself.

Those emotions have led to someinteresting academic and commercialwrangling over the very definition ofEI. Some are saying that:

“It’s about ability.”“No, it’s about competency.”“No, it’s about preference or

personality.”“No, it’s Emotional Quotient (EQ).”“No, it’s Emotional Literacy.”“No, I have EI, and the rest of you

are EI challenged!”Why does it matter?Imagine that after completing high

school and college, you begin an entry-level management job and, over time,become proficient enough to bepromoted into a middle or even seniormanagement role. Now suddenly somepeople are saying that you lack a certainleadership quality necessary to besuccessful at this new level. You need tobe able to understand when your direct-reports and peers are Orange. Huh?What? Orange? Up to this point,everything you did as an emerging leaderseemed to work well, and you emulatedthe cultural behavior of several highlyregarded organizational role models. Nowat this new level, you are expected tounderstand and act upon Orange.

Welcome to the challenge faced bythe Orange deficient. This scenarioplays out every day in organizations: itseems like everyone else “gets it”except you, and the social and


by Greg Thompson

Choosing the Correct Emotional IntelligenceAssessment Tool

2. Another tool, the EmotionalQuotient Inventory (EQ-I), iscompleted by answering a list ofquestion with answers such as“Most like me” or “Least like me.”This raises the issue of whether ornot your personality preferencesdetermine you level of EI.

3. The tool most likely to avoid theinherent bias of a 360-feedbacktool or a personality preferencetest is an Ability model, such asthe Mayer Salovey CarusoEmotional Intelligence Test(MSCEIT), with right or not-right answers previouslydetermined by a group ofobjective EI experts, todetermine your level of EI ability.

Let’s assume you decide that youwant to know exactly what all thatOrange/Emotional Intelligence stuffmeans regarding you (after all, you are awell-developed HR professional!). Itmay be helpful to remember that allmeasures of EI, no matter where youfind these assessments— in books,magazines or on the Internet—fall intothree basic categories: 1) Competency;2) Personality Preference; and 3)Ability. The questions to ask about anyassessment are: What does this toolactually measure? Does it align withwhat I want to measure?

Let’s be very clear: For our purposes,we are focusing only on the three leadingtools that have been peer-reviewed andstatistically validated. Although there aremany others who make claims to EImeasurements, each of them falls intoone of the three categories listed above.

So, once again, do you get the 360-feedback version, take the Preference

test, or take the Ability test? The answeris…it depends. The best way to ensurethat you, or anyone who asks you to helpthem measure EI, obtain the best datapossible is to be clear about the expectedoutcomes of measuring EI.

To ensure you get the results you want,ask: What feedback processes are alreadyin place in my organization? Do we havean existing 360-feedback tool? If so, thenusing another 360-feedback measure basedon EI competency may not be productive,since the purpose of your existing 360-feedback tool is to help your staff tounderstand the specific competencies thatyour organization values.

Does your organization already doindividual and team personalityassessments, something similar to theMBTI? If so, then using anotherpersonality-based measure of EI may notadd value to their development. This lineof questioning would leave you with theAbility model of EI assessment as themost effective tool to bring newinformation about the person assessed.

If your organization does notcurrently employ any other

assessments, then your questionshould focus on exactly what you aretrying to achieve by measuring EI: Isthis a general developmental processfor an individual? Alternatively, is thisan effort to address behavioral issues?

For general development, each of thethree assessments will bring new data tothe discussion of individualperformance. The ability-basedMSCEIT will define exactly where anindividual places in EI compared to thegeneral USA population. Thecompetency-based ECI will describehow others, such as direct-reports, peersand the boss, view the individual’scompetency at negotiating the localsocial expectations of EI. Thepersonality-preference based EQ-i willdescribe the individual’s preference forinteraction styles.

If your purpose for doing an EIassessment is to shed light on veryspecific behavioral/performance issues,such as emerging leaders whosebehavior is derailing theirperformance in a new or developingrole, then it becomes critical to

measure the correct aspect of EI. Ifthere have been no other assessments,then the MSCEIT can determine ifthey simply do not have the ability torecognize the emotions of others.Then, by following up the ability-based MSCEIT test with the 360-feedback from the ECI, thesepotential leaders can begin to developinsight into how others perceive theirbehavior and can begin to work onthe social competencies expectedfrom organizational leaders. Yourintervention is to provide multipledata points for them to developinsight into understanding theirbehavior and the effect of theirbehavior on others.

If you define your purpose formeasuring EI and employ the correcttool(s), you will be on the road to theresults you want. For more information,look at the test publishers’ Web sites:

• Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso’sABILITY model, the MSCEIT,uses a test of right or wronganswers (www.emotionalintelligencemhs.com).

• Goleman & the HayGroup’sCOMPETENCY model, the ECI,uses a test of others’ perception ofyour behavior (http://ei.haygroup.com/default.asp).

• Bar-On’s PREFERENCE model,the EQ-I, uses a test of how youdescribe yourself(http://eqi.mhs.com). ●

Greg Thompson has 11 years’experience in leadership roles within socialservices agencies, eight years’ experienceleading corporate training and leadershipdevelopment programs and five years’experience in consulting in leadership andperformance feedback systems consulting.He has done EI assessments for lawyers,developed performance feedback systemsfor small and mid-sized organizations andhas worked with each of the EI toolsdescribed above. He can be reached bycalling (888) 296-6459.


If you want this Insight into an Feedback Understandexisting ability from personality

preference othersUse this tool

MSCEIT ✔

EQ-i ✔

ECI ✔

Emotional Intelligence continued

Diversify Your WorkforceBoost Your Bottom Line

Businesses succeed and fail basedpartly on their corporate cultures.By communicating or changing the

culture, an effective leader can influencecontinued success or new improvement.

In an organization, culture is importantbecause it leads directly to results throughbehavior. Even to be just an effectiveparticipant in an organization, you mustquickly learn the new culture, which mayconsist of a new language and protocols.

By using relationships and shapingassumptions, leaders can achieve differentresults by changing the culture. Thistypically takes time in a large organization.Leaders can speed this change by alteringboth the vocabulary and the actions of anorganization through motivation,communication and structure.

Look, and Listen, Before You LeapBefore leaders can effectively change

an organization’s culture, they mustunderstand it. Knowing an organization’shistory will paint a more complete muralof that culture.

Another way of defining anorganization’s culture is, “The way we dothings around here.” Certainly aninternational, privately heldentertainment corporation with 2,000employees generates and expects differentbehavior than a similarly sized “whitecollar” financial services firm.

Before leaping into change, leadersmust first look and listen. Observe thevisible symbols. What does the lobby orreception area communicate about anorganization? What do the employees sayand what values do they communicate?What’s observed perhaps will be at oddswith what’s in the company handbook.These observations will reveal the trueculture of the organization and give aleader clues on how to change it.

However, they have a direct correlation tothe culture within an organization.

Don’t Forget External InfluencesWhile leadership attempts to affect

culture through examination of internalrelationships and assumptions, externalforces also exert influence on anorganization’s culture. These influencesare evident by two factors in themarketplace:

1) The degree of risk associated withthe organization’s activities. Is theproduct or service created by theorganization one that is in highdemand or time-sensitive?

2) The speed at which organizationsand their employees get feedbackon whether decisions or strategiesare successful.

These external factors create fourgeneric cultural types:

1) High-speed culture – Worlds ofindividualists who regularly takehigh risks and get quick feedbackon whether their actions werecorrect.

2) Work hard/play hard culture – Fun and action are the rule here,and employees take few risks, allwith quick feedback. To succeed,the culture encourages people tomaintain a high level of relativelylow-risk activity.

3) Bet-the-farm culture – Cultureswith big-stakes decisions, whereyears pass before employees knowwhether decisions have paid off.This is a high-risk, slow-feedbackenvironment.

4) Process culture – A world of littleor no feedback, where employeesfind it hard to measure what theydo. Instead, they concentrate onhow it is done.

A culture’s perspective on time givesgreat insight into its values. Compare theAmerican Indian culture to the Japaneseculture. Compare the culture of atechnology company to that of a textile


by Michael Pocchiari

To Change the Company,Change the Culture

How can you can tell what’s reallyvalued in an organization? How is anorganizational culture built? What are themost important parts?

Individuals bring their own culture toan organization. But as they spend moretime with the collective group, theyoverlap aspects of their personal culturewith the organizational culture. By sharingpersonal values and assumptions, theyinfluence the collective culture. Thisshared organizational culture helpsemployees make sense of the work andgive it value.

Day-to-day behavior is both the resultof and the cause of organizational culture.Our actions not only represent ourculture, but they also perpetuate it.Decades ago, in many organizations, awhite shirt and dark suit was the onlyacceptable business attire. All visual aidswere done on overhead projectors in blackink. For years I thought my father was agovernment agent! Today, sports shirtsand khaki pants are becoming thestandard for business attire. And multi-colored, animated PowerPointpresentations are the norm.

Organizational cultures are built uponassumptions—commonly held beliefs thatmay or may not be true. For example, anew hire is told that the workday is from 8a.m. to 4 p.m. However, no colleagueleaves the office before 6 p.m. Mostorganizations allow for a lunch break, butsome still “assume” that employees willwork through lunch.

Influences perhaps are more subtleindicators of company culture. In somecafeterias, workers sit segregated bydepartment or by rank. Sometimes allsupervisors sit together. And in somecompanies, workers never see a seniormanger in the cafeteria.

These assumptions and influencesoften are unspoken, unconscious acts.

culture • The integrated pattern ofhuman behavior that includes thought,speech, action and artifacts and depends onman’s capacity for learning and transmittingknowledge to succeeding generations.

—Webster’s New American Dictionary

company. Organizations with a short-termfocus will have a different culture thanones with an eye toward the long-term.

Change the CultureLeaders can alter an organization’s

culture by changing assumptions andinfluences.

Successful organizations perpetuate theorganization’s culture by sharingassumptions and values with newmembers by using several tools:

a. Communicating mission andstrategy;

b. Creating goals based on the coremission;

c. Measuring goal fulfillment; andd. Implementing corrective strategies

if goals are not being met.Internal relationships form the basis

for the development and maintenance ofan organizational culture. Smart leaderscultivate those relationships that willstrengthen the organizational culture andwork on weak internal relationships.

Many methods exist to encouragedepartments or factions to become morefully integrated with the whole.

First, create a common language thatevery employee understands. Eachbusiness has a vocabulary specific to itsculture. Depending upon your culture, youmay or may not understand such terms as:SOW, LNote, VM, ASAP, Duky, RIF andfront of house.

Second, define group boundaries andcriteria for acceptance—a formal code ofconduct or guidelines that encouragesemployees to act in a certain, acceptableway.

Third, explain how power and statusare conferred. Tell employees who theleaders are and how they got there.(Cultures also sometimes developinformal leaders, without basis in anorganizational chart or officialacknowledgment.) Reveal the reward andpunishment process.

Culture Breeds SuccessNo doubt, the ability of an

organization’s culture to learn and grow isa key to its longevity. Individuals learnbecause they have brains; organizationslearn because they have cultures thatsupport knowledge acquisition.

Employees and leaders who embracechange will be more successful thanthose who resist it. Leaders andemployees need to learn to becontributing survivors regardless of thechanges. A culture of continuouslearning improves the chances of anorganization’s long-term survival.

Each person must make a commitmentto constant growth and development.Organizations that will survive are thosethat are agile and have members whosecapacity is constantly growing.

Empowered employees are more ableto succeed in different cultures becausethey tap into an organization’s sharedvalues. If learning and growth are valued,and reinforced with actions, then anorganization’s culture can live and growand help a company succeed. ●

Michael Pocchiari, SPHR, is the HumanResource Director for the Tampa BayBuccaneers. He has a Masters in HumanResources, and in addition to the NFL, he hasexperience working in financial services,international insurance brokerage,entertainment and technology industries.


Culture continued

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In 1998, a series of Supreme Courtcases simultaneously clarified andmuddied the legal waters about

what employers are required to do toprevent and address sexual harassmentin the workplace.

As employment defense attorneys,we’ve seen, first-hand, the resultingcorporate “gut check.” Almost all of ourclients began to review their sexualharassment policies, assess their abilityto effectively handle complaints and,most importantly, begin company-widetraining programs to prevent the needto even handle a sexual harassmentcomplaint. This article will shy awayfrom lecturing on how to prevent sexualharassment because invariably, a claim

will happen in even the most well-trained workforce. Rather, the questionis, “OK. We just received this complaintfrom Mary….What do we need to donow?” Our goal is to give you sevensteps to properly handle the majority ofsexual harassment complaints and avoidan ensuing lawsuit.

Have adequate written policiesand internal grievance proceduresalready in place.

Today, any employer that does nothave a written policy regarding sexualharassment and complaint investigationprocedures is taking its proverbial life inits own hands. If you don’t have a sexualharassment specific policy, get one, even

if you have to hire someone to do it foryou. Any HR consulting firm can offer ageneral policy or even one more tailoredto any unique needs of your company(i.e., male-dominated industry, etc.).Most policies, at a minimum, definesexual harassment and give typicalexamples of inappropriate behavior.This makes the employers’ expectationsas transparent and easily understandableas possible.

Any employee making a sexualharassment claim who has not gonethrough the company’s internalgrievance procedure first has a seriouslyflawed legal claim. The judiciary alwayshas and continues to be sympathetic toplaintiffs who do all they can to put theemployer on notice of the harassmentbefore getting lawyers involved. So asthe employer, one of your best defensesis a thorough grievance or open-doorpolicy that gives a complainant lots ofoptions to bring the harassment youyour attention.

Examples include: confidentialethics hot-lines (there are evenindependent companies that, for a fee,maintain round-the-clock ethicscomplaint hotlines on behalf ofemployers); giving employees thecontact information of people in theHR department or even the legaldepartment, therefore allowing apotential complainant to bypasssupervisors if he or she so chooses; or,at the very least, making sure thatyour policy expressly states that, inthe event the complainant is notsatisfied with the initial response, heor she should report the behavior to adesignated person in HR or evencompany executives, up to andincluding the president.

The policy should also make itcrystal clear, with no exception, thatyou will not allow or tolerate retaliationfrom employees or management towardsthe complainant. In this instance, thestronger the wording, the better. Betterto have employees and others “walkingon eggshells” around the complainantthan doing anything that could give riseto claims of retaliation. We’ll coverretaliation later in this article, however,


by John Duvall and Antwoine Edwards

Complaint Received—Now What Do We Do?

1.

as it deserves its own separatediscussion.

Equally important as well-craftedpolicies is having your supervisors andmanagement adequately trained. Casesand the best employment practicessuggest that anyone who is at amanagement or supervisor level shouldreceive anti-harassment training within90 days of hire or promotion and on anannual basis thereafter. To be on thesafe side, one to two hours per year persupervisor should suffice.

One caveat in developing anti-harassment policies: Be careful wheninstituting “no-tolerance” policies, asthere are two distinct schools ofthought on their effectiveness.

The first believes that such policiesare highly effective and are encouragedfor employers because they take anydiscretion from supervisors to weigh thedifference between possibly off-colorworkplace humor or comments andtrue, pervasive harassment. Thecommon example advanced by thosewho follow this line of thinking is thesupervisor who, upon hearing one ofthese comments, immediately thinks,“Gee, it was just one ‘Hey, baby.’ That’snot sexual harassment, is it?” A zero-tolerance policy, while not necessarilyrequiring termination for a “Hey, baby,”would require, at the very least, yourcounseling the employee anddocumenting the incident, regardless ofthe context of the comment.

The other school of thoughtbelieves that zero-tolerance sexualharassment policies are ineffective inthat they end up being overreachingand lead to knee-jerk reactions fromemployers that could actually end upstill opening them up to furtherlitigation. Take the above example.Some employers, in enforcing theirzero-tolerance policy, would go to theextreme of terminating the employeebecause they are terrified thatcounseling and documentation of thecomment would be deemed by thecourts as insufficient to stop the“harassment.” In reality, an isolated“Hey, baby” is not “harassment” thatshould lead to termination. Theterminated employee would probablyfeel vilified and might even seek legal

counsel for wrongful termination,intentional infliction of emotionaldistress or defamation, among othercauses of action.

Either way, apply any policy, zero-tolerance or otherwise, as consistentlyas possible. If not, you just might seethe accuser and the accused file acharge with your local EEOC.

Be sure to avoid conflicts ofinterest during the investigation.

Use disinterested members ofmanagement or even outside

investigators who have had little, oreven better, no day-to-day interactionwith the accuser or the accused. Thismay be difficult if you have a smallcompany where all of managementinteracts with lower-level employees ona daily basis. However, the benefit ofavoiding a conflict of interest, or eventhe appearance of one, is two-fold: 1)neither the accuser nor the accused will

feel as though they cannot becompletely honest because they aretalking to someone they see at workand interact with every day; and 2) inthe worst case scenario (the complaintleads to litigation), disinterestedinterviews and investigations upholdthe validity and integrity of yourdefenses. You don’t want your localEEOC investigator or even a judge, if itactually went to trial, to think thatbecause the investigation wasconducted by friends of either personthat somehow its results can bequestioned.

Remember that a thorough investigation takes time.

It’s amazing how many timesemployers fail to conduct thoroughinvestigations in addressing a sexualharassment complaint. First, both theaccused and the accuser will naturallyhave a very heavy “spin” on theirrecollection of events. Assuming theaccused doesn’t outright deny thatanything took place, it’s important toget as many facts as possible from bothparties and record them in the mostdetailed manner. Avoid shorthandnotes of an interview if possible, andadditionally, have the parties createand sign a written statement.

The extent an employer should go toin order to interview witnesses shoulddepend on the nature and length oftime of the alleged conduct. An off-color remark might only requireinterviews for those workers in theimmediate vicinity. But, if the accusercomplains that there has been a patternof behavior, then any co-worker whohas been in contact with either theaccuser or the accused should beinterviewed. Patterns of sexualmisconduct, and especially increasinglyaggressive patterns, lead to greateremployer liability in the end and shouldalways be thoroughly investigated.

Keep in mind that until the employerhas a clear picture of 1) what is beingaccused; 2) what, in all likelihood,actually happened; and 3) the accused’sreasoning for the incident, noinvestigation is complete. A thoroughinvestigation should give both partiesthe satisfaction that managementhandled the complaint in an impartialmanner and “left no stone unturned” todiscover what really happened.

Stay objective at all times.Many times, a thorough

investigation will lead to a muchdifferent perception of the incidentand parties than an employer expects.Don’t ever allow initial perceptionsand expectations to frame yourinvestigation. It is all too common foran employer who receives a sexualharassment complaint to discover,through careful and thoroughinvestigation, that the accuseractually played a huge role in creatinga sexually charged work environment.


If you don’t have asexual harassmentspecific policy, getone, even if you

have to hire someone to do it for you.

2.

3.

4.

For example, a female employeebrought a claim against her employer,a hazardous waste facility, allegingthat she had been sexually harassedand assaulted several times over thecourse of two years by her immediatesupervisor, who had actually been thetarget of a prior sexual harassmentcomplaint several years earlier. In theend, the company could notsubstantiate whether her claims weretrue or not. However, by allaccounts—both from male and femaleco-workers—this employee was thechief instigator.

Among other things, this worker hadbeen romantically involved with severalother co-workers during her time withthe company. She also told sexuallyexplicit stories to co-workers and woremicroscopic shorts that left little to theimagination. This woman even madeflippant references to her willingness toengage in certain sexual acts with bothmale and female co-workers.

What caused this employee to suefor sexual harassment? She claimedthat her supervisor forced himself onher twice in his office two years priorto her complaint, and this act made itnecessary for the employee to leavethe “hostile work environment” andsue for “constructive discharge.”

In his defense, the accused employee,who was married, reluctantly admittedthat he had carried on a consensualrelationship with the woman but thingshad gone sour once he broke it off yearsearlier. He said that she actually cameinto his office after the relationship hadended and lifted her dress, exposing herundergarments, and said something tothe effect of “You know you want this.”

Her lawyer had no idea of thethings his client had done to createthis sexually charged workenvironment. He also did not knowthat the company had learned,through its investigation, that hisclient told at least one of her femaleco-workers that she was going to “setup” the supervisor in question and tryto gather some “ammunition” so shecould file a sexual harassment suit. Itwas to the point where the companysuspected that she had actually worn atape recorder during several


Complaint continued

conversations with this supervisor andthen tried to steer the conversation inorder for him to make aninappropriate sexual comment.

Remember, the person whoengages in the most blatant sexualbehavior in the workplace is also theperson most likely to sue you downthe line for sexual harassment.

Carefully analyze ALL of thefacts.

Once the investigation iscomplete, review all the interviews,statements or relevant materials to gaininsight into the truth of the matter:What, if anything, really happened?Unless you’re fortunate enough to havean accused person who admits to themisconduct, step 5 can be rather tricky.As a rule of thumb, disinterestedwitnesses rank highest on thecredibility scale with juries and shoulddo so with you as well.

Logically, witnesses who can belinked to either party come next butare still very believable because if theyactually are lying for either party, theywould be risking their livelihoods. It ishard for most people, including judgesand juries, to imagine someone wouldrisk their job to lie for another co-worker about untrue harassment, evenif it is a friend.

If you’re unlucky enough to haveno witnesses other than the accusedand the accuser, then your companywill have to assess the character ofeach individual. Does either personhave a history of complaints of sexualharassment? Is either party known onthe job as being flirtatious orinappropriate? What are the personalor financial circumstances of eitherperson that could shed some light onpossible motives? This is a worst-casescenario, as any employer mustinitially view the compliant with theassumption that something occurred.However, weighing credibility iscrucial, as not all accusers havegenuine motivations for making acomplaint of sexual harassment.

Take appropriate action to stopthe harassment, up to and including termination.

This is the hard part. Deciding whatto do after you conclude that there hasbeen some harassment has kept many abusiness owner up at night. From theearlier example, you can see that notevery incident is worthy of giving a pinkslip to the offender. A recent example ofan employer who took appropriate stepscomes to mind.

The female HR manager of a privatesecurity firm received a complaint from afemale guard that a male supervisor hadrubbed her shoulder, made commentsabout how attractive she was and invitedher over to his home. The HR managerimmediately initiated an investigationand the female guard stated that she “didnot want him to lose his job, just tostop.” The manager confronted thesupervisor and, after he admitted tomaking the comments, immediatelydemoted him with a promise that anyfurther complaints would result intermination.

Approximately one year later, theformer supervisor, who was now a guard,made a thrusting gesture with a batonwhile the same female guard had herback to him. Upon hearing this, the HRmanager promptly fired him. This is aperfect example of where an employeewho had already been counseled oninappropriate behavior was terminatedimmediately for a seemingly lesserincident. In this scenario, the employerinsulated itself as much as possible fromliability by taking immediate,appropriate action to stop theharassment. As a general rule, employersshould apply the “one strike rule” tomost minor infractions that only appearto be the result of poor judgment.

Another example that comes tomind involved an employer faced witha particularly tricky situation. Afemale employee accused a male co-worker of sexual harassment when thetwo of then entered a storage room toretrieve several files. While in thestorage room, he suggested that thetwo of them should just “cut the lightsout and do it.” She refused. However,the persistent, if not foolish, male co-worker proceeded to turn off the lightsanyway. The woman promptly turnedthe lights back on and attempted toleave. At that point, the male actually

blocked her exit and tried to convinceher to give in to his advances. Heeventually got the idea that he wasgetting nowhere fast and backed off,allowing the woman to leave.

When confronted with thiscomplaint, the employer conducted aninvestigation and the man admitted tothe incident, saying that he was justjoking around. Initially, the employerviewed the complaint as just oneincident because it all happened overthe course of approximate 2-3 minutes.But on further examination, theemployer realized that the complaintactually referred to three differentinstances of harassment. Each one had abeginning and an end, and escalated innature, to the point where he actuallyblocked her exit, although not in athreatening manner. Of course, whenviewing the complaint in this light, theemployer had no choice but to fire themale co-worker, and rightfully so. Threeincidents of sexual harassment are morethan enough good cause for termination.But this underscores exactly howimportant it is carefully analyze all thefacts and even seek outside counsel ifyou are unsure of how to react.

Do whatever is necessary preventa retaliation claim.

If you asked any employmentdefense lawyer what are the two orthree most difficult employment lawclaims to defend, one in particularwould be on everyone’s list:retaliation. As we covered earlier, anygrievance or open-door policy shouldexpress your steadfast resolve toprevent retaliation towards anemployee making a complaint. This isbecause once an employee makes anytype of harassment complaint, anykind of negative employment actionafter that will allow the employee tomeet all the legal elements for acharge of retaliation. In short, thatemployee will force you and yourattorney to defend every employmentaction he or she doesn’t like (sub parevaluations, disciplinary actions, etc.)for as long as the employee is withyou.

The truth of the matter is thatretaliation is pervasive. It’s actually


5.

6.

7.

more common than real, true-to-lifediscrimination or harassment. It’sbecause, especially if the accusedemployee is a supervisor or manager,retaliation is almost instinctive,regardless of how well-trained themanager is. A sexual harassmentcomplaint hurts your reputation,probably on and off the job, and willbe a permanent black mark on yourpersonnel file. It really doesn’t matterif it’s true or not. A manager’s orsupervisor’s motives for retaliationare entirely understandable. It’s yourjob to make sure that supervisor, aswell as any other employee,understands that you will not tolerateany retaliatory conduct. In thisinstance, a zero-tolerance policy isvery appropriate.

Here is a perfect example of verysubtle, and entirely actionable,retaliation: A female employeeaccuses her male manager of sexualharassment and makes a complaintthrough the internal grievanceprocedure. The investigation reveals

that nothing actually happened andthe employer tells everyone to go backto work. The accused manager, to saythe least, now sees that employee in avery unflattering light. Beingsupremely well-trained on applicableanti-discrimination laws, he knowsthat he can’t do anything to herwithout having a legitimate businessreason for his actions.

What does he do? He goes out ofhis way to document every time sheviolates any company policy, nomatter how minor. Everything frombeing two minutes late to chewinggum while on the assembly line. Ofcourse, the manager doesn’t disciplineother employees this way, but hethinks he’s in the clear because hisaccuser is in fact in violation ofcompany policy every time he writesher up. That seems like a legitimatebusiness reason to him. This is, ofcourse, retaliation.

Once someone makes a complaintto management, be sure to keep youreye on that employee and all

employment actions. Review everyevaluation personally and compare itto other co-workers in thecomplainant’s department. Review allpay increases and make sure thecomplainant is receiving raisescomparable to others with her lengthof service, experience, etc. Review thecomplainant’s disciplinary record, oreven better yet, have HR “flag” thecomplainant’s personnel file so thatno disciplinary actions or write-upsare done without some kind ofmanagement oversight. These types ofchecks may appear to be overkill, butretaliation, no matter how subtle,happens, and it is one of the easiestemployment claims for a plaintiff toprevail on.

The best thing to do once someonehas made a complaint? Separating theaccused from the accuser in the dailyroutine of the workforce will go a longway toward preventing retaliation.Remember, even if the investigationreveals that there was actually noharassment at all and the accuser wasjust lying, you will still be on the hookif there was any retaliatory conductafter the complaint. So regardless ofhow the investigation is going or whatit reveals, be sure to stop retaliationbefore it starts.

ConclusionThere is no one way to handle

sexual harassment complaints. Eachcase is fact-sensitive and deservesrigorous legal analysis. However,whatever the circumstances, actswiftly, thoroughly, and decidedly tolet everyone in the workforce knowthat you are serious. The seven stepsabove give you a framework to do asmuch as possible to aid your defenseprior to turning it over to the lawyers.Take them to heart—and your defenselawyer, not to mention your boss, willthank you. ●

John Duvall and Antwoine Edwardsare with Ford Harrison LLP in theJacksonville office. They exclusivelypractice labor and employment lawrepresenting management. You mayreach them at [email protected] [email protected].


Complaint continued

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When something worksgreat, it’s easy to overlookit and take it for granted.

Historically, dental insurance hasbeen predictable, easy to administerand lower in premium costs thanmedical or pharmaceutical insurance.It’s been a popular value-addedinsurance option for employers to usein recruiting and retaining excellentworkers, especially since employeesrank dental among the top two orthree most important benefits.

The complexities and spiralingpremium increases associated withmedical and pharmaceutical benefitsdemand significant attention fromemployers, leaving little time to trackchanges and trends in the dentalinsurance industry. However, dentalinsurance plans have changedconsiderably, and human resourceprofessionals need to understand thesix emerging trends that are drivingthe reconfiguration of dental benefits:

• Deceleration of workforce growth;• Changes in insurance carriers’

goals for dental;• Focus on premium specials;• Popularity of PPO plans;• Interest in consumer-driven

health plans; and• Demand for online access to

benefit information.

1. Deceleration of Workforce GrowthThe United States Bureau of Labor

Statistics reports that by 2006, twoworkers will exit the workforce for

every one entering, and workforcegrowth will decelerate each year fromnow until 2020.

As the Baby Boomer generationages, employees in their 40s and 50sare starting to think about retirementbenefits. As a group, these individualshave taken good care of themselvesbecause of access to advanced healthbenefits over the years. They areespecially proud of their pearly whiteteeth and don’t want to give up theirdental insurance benefits. As theseemployees age, they will look foremployers of choice—companies thatoffer dental insurance options they cancarry over into their retirement years.

An increasing number ofcompanies are shying away fromemployer-funded dental insurance forretirees due to liability and exposureissues. However, a voluntary dentalplan is an excellent alternative.Employers can provide retirees accessto dental insurance without financialresponsibility for the premiums.However, benefits for retirees mayneed to be more limited to control theeffect of anti-selection.

2. Changes in Insurance Carriers’Goals for DentalInsurance carriers have a variety of

reasons for offering dental, affectingthe products they sell and the designof their plans. Based on currenttrends, carriers are offering dental forthree primary reasons:

1. Offset medical losses: Someinsurance companies that havetraditionally focused on medical andpharmaceutical plans have added dentalinsurance to their product portfolios tooffset escalating medical costs andstrengthen their bottom line. They mayalso view dental as a way to enhancetheir sales position with employers.

2. Dominate the market: Somecarriers are offering plans with super-

discounted premiums, with the goal ofdominating the dental market.

3. Primary business focus: There arealso carriers that have developed anexpertise in dental insurance andprovide customized plans, customerservice and administrative systems tosupport employers’ needs.

To find the carrier that best fitsyour company’s needs, carefullyevaluate the plan design, productfeatures, customer service andadministrative systems andreimbursement policies.

Outdated Usual and CustomaryProcedures. When talking to dentalcarriers, find out if they regularly updatetheir list of Usual and Customaryprocedures and reimburse at currentcosts. Otherwise, employees mayexperience a high percentage of deniedclaims and pay more out-of-pocket costs.

It’s also important to ask otheremployers currently contracting with thecarriers if they have experienced anychanges in the list of Usual andCustomary procedures or claimallowances indefinitely locked at specificlevels without prior notification.

Out-of-Network Policies. Check thecarriers’ reimbursement policies fordental services provided by out-of-network dentists. What is the percentileused to pay these claims? Typically,carriers should pay at the 90thpercentile, but some may take it down tothe 50th to save money. Carriers alsomay use average dental costs based on astate area instead of a smaller, moreappropriate zip code, making thereimbursement level more cost-efficientfor the insurance company.

Look for Carrier Fit. In the rush tosell dental plans, insurance companiesmay gloss over their lack of experiencewith dental benefits and the types ofemployer groups they’ve covered. It’simportant that the carriers consideredhave experience working withcompanies similar to yours in size andmarket scope. Otherwise, advice may begiven and plans designed that do not fityour needs and expectations.

As you review insurance carriers,ask several questions to determinetheir level of experience:

• What is their case makeup (e.g., size of employer groups)?


By Karen Gustin and Gary Raymond

What’s DrivingDental?

• What is the average lifetime ofcases on their books?

• How do other companies thatcontract with the carrier evaluatethe quality of the dental servicesprovided?

• What is the size and makeup of theprovider panel? What is thesatisfaction level of theparticipating dental offices with thecarrier?

3. Focus on Premium SpecialsA popular marketing trend with

insurance carriers is to announce largediscounts on dental plan premiums.Sometimes a carrier will offer anunbelievable price or an automaticdiscount on any competitor’s premiumcost. While the price looks great onpaper, at renewal time these samecarriers may hand out significantpremium increases to recover themoney lost during the past year.

Many times the discount specials onthe insurance premium are onlyavailable on a specific voluntary dentalplan, which are designed to minimizethe carrier’s administrative work. Theseplans typically include a few set features,and the carriers are often unwilling toaccommodate any special requests fordifferent components. Employers andemployees frequently complain aboutlimited design options and customersupport.

Bottom line: Avoid the tantalizingoffers of cheap rates or premiumdiscounts. Instead, work with a dentalinsurance carrier interested in beingyour long-term strategic benefitspartner.

4. Popularity of PPO plansParticipating Provider Organization

(PPO) plans have become an extremelypopular dental insurance option. Manycarriers negotiate deep discounts withdentists participating in their network. Inturn, dental offices have exposure to agroup of employees who may choose touse their services, which also helpsreduce their marketing expenses.

When reviewing dental carrieroptions, it’s important to evaluate thePPO network in two areas: depth(number of participants) and how that

affects discounts on services, and thequality of participating providers.

Panel depth and discounts. Employeeswant to have multiple choices for theiroral health providers. It’s critical that thedental network is sufficient in size toserve employees in convenient locations.It is just as important that the carriernegotiates a deep discount on proceduresand services to provide a cost-efficientpremium for the plan.

Quality of the participating dental offices.The quality of dental offices participatingin the carriers’ networks is alsoimportant. When reviewing carrieroptions, find out the process for regularlyreviewing and adding dental offices tothe network. Do carriers evaluate thequality of network participants, or are alldental offices automatically approved?

While dental benefits continue tochange, employer demand for PPOnetworks will encourage insurancecarriers to retain this popular option intheir spectrum of plans.

5. Interest in Consumer-Driven Health PlansAcross the country, employers and

employees are expressing interest inconsumer-driven health plans. While theprimary focus has been on medicalinsurance, companies have requestedsimilar options for dental insurance.However, as employers review theseplans, many find them complex and theadministrative work overwhelming.

Despite the plan design, employerscan experience success with consumer-driven dental benefits if they work withan insurance carrier that has efficientadministrative systems in place to handlethe paperwork and provide the necessaryreports. This information will assistemployers and employees in trackingplan utilization and claims processing.

6. Demand for Online Access to Benefit InformationToday’s employees are becoming

experts on their dental insurancebenefits. They carefully evaluate dentalplan options and choose the one thatbest matches their needs. Employeeswant online access to their benefitinformation so they can check their planfeatures and coverage amounts,

determine the annual maximum amount,find PPO dentists and submit questionsor problems to the carrier.

Employers are also becoming moreInternet savvy, with many requestingonline system options, such as electronicenrollment and billing—eEnroll andeBill—to streamline their work andincrease productivity.

With eEnroll, Human Resourceprofessionals can efficiently enrollemployees in dental plans and regularlymonitor employee records in real time.Employee benefit information may beretrieved at any time, and files areinstantly updated as changes are made.

eBill allows employers to reviewbilling and verify accuracy of computerrecords and then have the carrier processthe bill to match the company’s billingcycle.

As you consider dental carriers,evaluate the efficiency of existingInternet services and review their futureplans to meet the growing demand foronline access to benefit information.

Drive with a Quality Dental Insurance Partner

Increased competition in the dentalinsurance industry is resulting in changesto traditional plans and coverage levels,with many new carrier and planconfigurations on the horizon. It’simportant for employers to carefullyevaluate the dental insurance options.For the best long-term fit, look forcarriers with an excellent reputation forquality customer care and claimsprocessing, a spectrum of plan options tomatch long-term expectations and needsof employers and employees andfinancial accountability with cost-efficient premiums. ●

Karen M. Gustin, LLIF, is vicepresident-group marketing and managedcare for Ameritas Group Dental and EyeCare. She has been very involved with theNational Association of Dental Plans(NADP) and currently serves on the boardand chairs the NADP Statistical TaskForce. Gary R. Raymond, FSA, MAAA,is vice president and chief actuarial officerfor Ameritas Group Dental and Eye Care.He has been a Fellow in the Society ofActuaries since 1979.


Dental continued

It may be four or so months sinceour visitors were here, but we canremember the hurricanes that

made us crazy! With little effort, we“see” the gas stations with bags overthe pumps, the debris piled up on theroadsides, and even today we are alittle surprised when we open thefridge door to see all the food. Wealso have seen the best in people—neighbors we’ve never spoken to whowe now know by name; strangersshowing up with chainsaws,generators and bottles of water tohelp. Yep, it’s not too hard toremember getting to the edge—humid, hot, thirsty, tired andmentally worn out, frazzledFloridians.

All of this brought to mind thosetimes that we as HR pros, when wehave trying times in our companies,can be human with the usual feelingsof tiredness, confusion, happinessand anger, but we can’t always actout what we really feel. We are the“poster children” for our companies.We are the mood of ourmanagement. Here are somethoughts about helping each of usreach out to people every day—andwe need not wait until a crisis toreach out to each other.

As with most articles, this doesn’tlist a lot of new items. It will perhapsremind you of life when we didn’trespond to the email or phone. Ithelps us realize, as Stephen R. Coveysays in “The 7 Habits of HighlyEffective People,” that what is urgentis not necessarily important.

1. Park away from the door and talk to people on the way in.2. Hold the door for someone.3. Speak to someone/introduce yourself to someone in the elevator.4. Take the stairs; the more floors, the more people you have the chance to

meet and introduce yourself to (not to mention it’s good for you).5. Call the people you have met by name.6. Sit by someone new in a meeting.7. Take a moment to say, “Good morning.”8. Say “good night.”9. Say “thank you” when your staff leaves.

10. Take a moment and ask the janitor how he or she is.11. Give the receptionist flowers; he or she is having to call everyone to get theirs.12. Give a kind word to someone having a bad day.13. Walk back to your work area using a different path.14. Have birthdays posted (not years!).15. Celebrate the service dates—no matter the milestone.16. Put up a map and have everyone put a dot where they are from.17. Don’t read email while someone is talking to you.18. Call people by name more than once in a conversation.19. Don’t think of your response while someone else is still talking; focus on the

person speaking!20. Ask people how to make things better for them.21. Put together teams to help at the humane society or volunteer at a nursing home.22. Have a “wear a T-shirt” day (and keep it clean).23. Call up someone without asking for something.24. Ask someone how his or her day was and listen.25. Celebrate graduations of your employees.26. Ask to go into a cube before entering.27. Red/green the cubes. (They are doors: Red means “Stop! Do not enter.”

Green means “Ok to interrupt.”28. Praise publicly; discipline privately.29. Always remember: Never use words that generalize—be specific.30. Remember that if they gossip with you, they gossip about you.31. Every best friend has a best friend; keep private things private.32. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.33. Smile.34. Offer to help someone doing a thankless task.35. Treat your colleagues with the respect you want yourself.36. Watch controlling sentences, like “We will meet at 2 o’clock.” Say instead,

“Are you available at 2?”37. Don’t hover outside a cube or door.38. Have candy available.39. Be on time for meetings, especially when called by others.40. Ask: “What can I do to make your job easier?”41. Ask: “What can I quit doing to make your job easier?”42. Be clear about expectations.43. Be open to questions.44. Avoid “shoulda, woulda, coulda” types of conversations.45. Don’t interrupt.46. Encourage others.47. Say please.48. Offer to drive.49. Recognize (but not with a day off) international holidays.50. Enjoy the fun “holidays” like “National Clean Out Your Desk Day.”51. Do what you say you are going to do.52. Leave a candy bar on each desk for Halloween or a spiffy egg for Easter.53. Have a book-swap shelf.54. Act happy; even if you don’t feel like it, you will soon.


by Kelley Rexroad, SPHR

Lessons from theHurricanes

55. Have your department watch the employees’ children for a morning so parentscan go holiday shopping, or do it one Friday night.

56. Ask the question everyone is afraid to ask.57. Applaud accomplishments.58. Have the seniors from a local high school visit for a day.59. Be cheerful in your voicemail greeting.60. Tell people you are glad they called.61. When you call someone, ask, “Do you have time to speak now?”62. Don’t curse.63. Use balloons.64. Just walk around your employees—they will wonder what you are up to!65. Have coffee with someone who is sitting alone.66. Go find the new hire and say hello.67. Deliver the mail to another new hire.68. Ask people to share what they learned when they attended a conference or a meeting.69. Ask people to share what they did on vacation.70. Ask people to share their backgrounds (their lives before the company).71. Celebrate your veterans.72. Bring in voting machines and educate.73. Turn off your cell phone!74. Write one note each night to an employee thanking him or her for something

specific.75. Don’t yell, even over the cube or from your desk.76. Give a plant to someone with a blah cube.77. Bake a cake for no reason.78. Pick up bagels on a Friday.79. Put some questions in a cap and have each person pull one out and answer it.80. Eat fruit.81. Take a holiday photo of the department.82. Have a “decorate the cube” activity.83. Have the finance head explain profit and loss to employees.84. Collect for hurricane or other victims of a disaster situation.85. Do a year-end video of the progress and accomplishments and have the

employees be in it.86. Call the 800 benefits number with an employee and then excuse yourself so the

employee can have privacy once you have the benefits rep on the line.87. Introduce employees to your guests.88. Take off your jacket.89. Fill the copier.90. Don’t take the last cup of coffee—surprise them with flavor!91. Introduce customers.92. Give the marketing giveaways to all employees.93. Have T-shirts that say, “My mom or dad works at….”94. Put hand lotion in the bathrooms.95. Have a college recruitment bounce by sending alumni back to recruit.96. Give disposable cameras to people and ask them to take photos for the day and

return the cameras. Then put up the pictures.97. Hang artwork done by employees.98. Celebrate your employees’ children’s graduations by posting their photos and

names on a bulletin board.99. Send a letter home to an employee congratulating him/her on the completion

of a training class100. Have an email-free day when people get up and go out to talk with people.101. Have a fair with opportunities to volunteer.102. Pay for coffee for the person behind you in line. When asked why, say, “Just

because; no special reason. Seemed like a nice thing to do.”103. Brag about an employee in front of his or her family.104. Be gracious.

Now HR should tie it to thebottom line—I think these items onthis list tie to the world’s bottom line,and the bottom line is that we arepeople, the most intelligent and socialpeople on earth. Work solves manyproblems, but a friendly, respectfulwork place solves even more.

Each of these items gives a person achance to speak with another personand learn something about him or her.People are passionate when theyunderstand and when you have theirheads and their hearts. That is theculture, that is the bottom line, andthat is the differentiation.

HR pros touch the one resource thatappreciates in the workplace. We havebeen given the privilege of making ourbusinesses better by helping each of ouremployees reach his or her potential.Another HR pro is watching over ourfamily members—are we treating ourworkforce as we hope our families arebeing treated?

No one can be as humane ashumans. Let’s try it at work; then wewill try it at a tougher spot—like home.Maybe if we as individuals are happierat work, our employees will be too, andeveryone will go home happier!

Your comments and ideas arewelcomed to create an article to shareback with everyone. ●

Kelley Rexroad, SPHR, is the founder and principal consultant forkrexconsulting. She serves as a businessstrategist solving people issues for seniorexecutives, as a results-driven projectleader for time-starved HR leaders and asan interim HR leader during transitions.Visit her web site at krexconsulting.com.


Since 1992, Effective Resources,Inc. has been providing salary,wage, and benefit data for the

Tampa Bay Area. Expanding on that

success, the survey has been coveringthe entire State of Florida for the pastthree years. This survey is unlike anyother in that it’s put together by

compensation professionals with theactive support of the Society forHuman Resource Management’s(SHRM) HR Florida State Counciland its network of thousands ofHuman Resource professionals. Inother words, it’s developed byprofessionals for professionals.

The survey is an invaluable source ofinformation for employers of all sizes,business owners, Human Resourceprofessionals, and educationalinstitutions with graduating seniors.

The following Executive Summaryprovides an overview of this year’ssurvey results.

OverviewAlmost no business was left

unaffected by nature’s onslaught ofhurricanes in 2004. This year’s surveyis a tribute to those professionals whotook care of their families, theiremployees, and still made time torespond to the survey. The result: thisyear’s survey, while not quite as strongas the previous year, still reports greatinformation for Florida employers.

Data was collected by surveyquestionnaires from 362 participatingfirms representing 1,295,517 employeeswith 229,596 employees in the surveyarea. The wages reported are those ineffect as of August, 2004 for Bankingand Finance, Government/Education,Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturingand Distribution, Retail, Staffing, andother industry groups.

Wage and salary data is provided for300 jobs in a variety of easy-to-usebreakouts including Industry, CompanySize by Employees, and Company Size by


Executive Summary2004-2005 State of Florida Salary,Wage and Benefits SurveyA comprehensive survey of wages, benefits, and salaries for Florida with regional details

Sales/Assets (see Rates for Selected Jobs).The survey also contains comprehensivebenefits sections with details for medicalpremium increases, life insurance anddisability plans, medical out-of-pocketcosts, 401(k) matching, vacation andsick time, and other important issuesfacing today’s employers.

Monthly TurnoverEmployee turnover has increased

just slightly over the past year forFlorida employers. The average rate inFlorida is 2.9% … up from 2.7%reported last year (and 2.8% theprevious year). Monthly turnoverrates since last year vary amongindustry groups with the highest groupbeing Staffing and Employer Servicesat 9.9% followed by Banking, Finance& Insurance at 3.6% per month.

Turnover in the smallerorganizations (Under 50 employees)dropped from 3.2% last year to 2.7%this year. Employers with 200-299employees actually increased: 2.7%reported last year and 3.1% reportedthis year. And, monthly turnover inthe larger organizations ($500M –999M) nearly doubled: 1.5% reportedlast year and 2.7% this year.

Merit IncreasesContinuing the trend that started

last year, the planned average meritincrease is less than 4.0%. The reported3.6% planned merit increase is two-tenths lower than last year and remainsconservative as many employers are stilluncertain about the economy, politicalimpact on their business, and thepotential impact of Florida’s minimumwage bill (scheduled for vote onNovember 2, 2004).

Most employers are holding the lineon merit increases again this year. Allindustry groups are within a few tenthsof each other with the most commonmerit budget planned at 3.5%.

Based on Company Size(Employees), smaller organizations arestill forced to use base pay to attractand retain employees as benefit costsmake it nearly impossible to competewith their larger competitors.Companies with 50 or feweremployees are planning merit

increases of 3.8% while companieswith 750 or more employees areplanning 3.3%.

Salary RangeAdjustments

Good compensation practice suggestsreviewing market information annuallyand updating pay structures at least everyother year. (To go longer almostguarantees some serious payroll increasesin a short period of time. We recommendmore frequent changes to help minimizethe impact to the organization.)

This year’s planned Salary RangeAdjustments differ little from last year.Planned adjustments this year forexempt pay structures is 3.4%compared with 3.6% the previous year.Non-exempt pay structures this year areidentical at 3.4% planned this yearcompared with 3.5% the previous year.

BenefitsEmployers continue to struggle

against medical inflation rates averaging12-15% annually. As indicated last year,Florida employers continue toaggressively pursue effective costcontainment strategies for benefit costs.Last year showed some rather largeincreases in employee costs. This yearhas little change in that direction, andin fact, shows some small decreases inemployee costs.

Last year, 23.8% of Florida employersreceived an increase in medicalpremiums of 21% or more. This year,

that number has dropped dramatically to14.6%. Not much consolation forcompanies receiving the larger increases,but encouraging for the majority ofemployers nonetheless. Particularlyencouraging is the number of companieswith increases of more than 31%. Lastyear, 7.6% of all employers received arate increase of more than 31%. Thisyear that number has gone down to4.1%! Again, not much consolation forthose companies, but it’s still a good sign.

Out-of-pocket costs for medicalplans changed just slightly from lastyear. Employee Only out-of-pocketcosts decreased by 1.1% with anannual average of $1,933.82. Familyout-of-pocket costs also decreasedslightly (by 1.5%) with an average of$4,355.90 per year.

Medical premiums continue to be asignificant concern for both employersand employees. Trying to retain goodemployees and still keep medicalpremiums charged to employees as lowas possible has put pressure on otheraspects of benefit plan design.

Showing some positive effects of lastyear’s plan re-design, the employee’sportion of the medical premium actuallydecreased slightly for employee onlycoverage across the State compared withlast year. On average, the employee pays27.6% of the health plan premiumcompared with last year’s 28.3%. Fordependent coverage, the employee paysan average of 53.9% of the health planpremium compared with 54.9% last year.


Another interesting data pointdeals with Paid Holidays. Last year’sdata suggested that many employersconverted floating holidays toregularly scheduled, paid holidays.Data for this year suggest littlechange, but there is a perceptiblemovement towards the floatingholiday versus the scheduledholidays. The average number of paidholidays this year is 8.9 this yearcompared with 9.1 last year.

SummaryAs last year, this coming year will

prove very interesting. Economicrecovery seems to be leaning in theright direction, but with thepossibility of a new President, there isstill hesitancy in expansion andcapital investment. Compensationand Benefits will continue to receivecareful attention, especially sincethey comprise such a large portion ofthe business costs. Competition forskilled employees, especially thosewith technical skills … at all levelsand of all types … will continue to bea major battle in the labor market.The lack of skilled positions,especially in healthcare, is beginningto get the creative juices flowing inthe comp and benefits area.Organizations are giving hard looksat any labor cost increase that isautomatic, i.e., cost-of-livingadjustments, step increases, and thelike.


Paid Holidays Comparison2005 2004

Number of Paid Holidays Provided Per Year 8.9 9.1

Floating Holidays Determined by Employee 2.1 2.0

Floating Holidays Determined by Company 3.0 2.6

Summary continuedAlso following some of the plan re-designs from last year are Short-Term

Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) Plans. Both of thesebenefits showed a strong trend towards longer waiting periods last year. For2004-2005, there has been some plan refinement and movement has beenfrom coverages starting in less than two (2) months to coverage startingbetween three (3) and twelve (12) months. The chart below shows thespecific plan drifts.

It’s too early to tell if these are data anomalies caused by differences in the surveypopulation or if the changes are, in fact, plan design changes. We’ll continue to watchthis area, but in our opinion, it’s a subtle way to control come of the cost increasesfrom other benefits.

Also of note is the chart below showing similar changes for Long-TermDisability Waiting Periods. There has been a substantial shift from first dayeligibility to longer periods, i.e., 3 – 5 months.

The data for Receptionist/ Switchboard Operator forthe State of Florida follows this page. The same format anddata breakouts are included for all 300 jobs in the survey.

How to Obtain Survey Results

To review the surveys availableand/or purchase the results, clickthe SalarySurveyOnline.com linkon your local SHRM chapterwebsite, go directly towww.SalarySurveyOnline.com orcall us at (800) 288-6044 duringnormal business hours. Ourmanaging firm, EffectiveResources, Inc., also providesconsulting services in performancemanagement, incentive plandesign, market pricing, AffirmativeAction Plans, attitude surveys, andother analytically demandingprojects.


Accountant 35,231 38,908 10.4%Accounts Payable Clerk 25,898 27,486 6.1%Administrative Assistant 28,747 30,238 5.2%Benefits Administrator 42,370 43,606 2.9%Compensation Analyst 47,257 50,126 6.1%Controller 80,071 84,058 5.0%Cook 21,927 18,289 -16.6%Director of Engineering 103,494 100,327 -3.1%Executive Secretary 36,984 37,388 1.1%Human Resource Assistant 26,883 28,586 6.3%Human Resource Manager 54,009 60,289 11.6%HVAC Technician 34,224 32,199 -5.9%Loan Processor 28,487 27,685 -2.8%Network Analyst 51,314 49,799 -3.0%Operations Manager 64,176 82,227 28.1%Purchasing Manager 58,644 59,325 1.2%Receptionist/Switchboard Operator 21,649 22,589 4.3%Recruiter 38,378 42,500 10.7%Registered Nurse (RN) 46,395 50,559 9.0%Security Guard 19,950 20,201 1.3%Telephone Sales Representative 22,337 23,727 6.2%VP MIS 121,155 127,229 5.0%Web Designer 41,814 49,241 17.8%

Job Title State of Florida State of FloridaAverage Weighted Average Weighted PercentBase Pay—2004 Base Pay—2005 Change

Effective Resources, Inc.Developers of www.SalarySurveyOnline.com2803 Southfield Court, Holiday, FL 34691-2505800-288-6044727-944-2507727-944-2607 Faxhttp://www.EffectiveResources.com •http://[email protected]

The information in this work is providedas is, without warranty, expressed or implied,

including but not limited to warranties ofcorrectness and fitness for a particular purpose.Although every precaution has been taken to ensurethe accuracy and completeness of the informationpresented in this work, SalarySurveyOnline.com,Effective Resources, Inc., TiberTech Enterprises, Inc.or any employees or associates thereof will have noliability to any person or entity with respect to anyloss or damage caused or alleged to be causeddirectly or indirectly by the information contained inthis work. Copyright © 2004 SalarySurveyOnline.com

All Rights Reserved

Rates for Selected JobsA sampling of some jobs across the State are included

below. Note that the rates reflect average weighted basepay only and does not include differentials, premiums, orincentives:

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Equipping you for the front lines of organizational changeBe an agent of change within yourorganization as a human resource development professional. Help companies form strategies that will bestmeet their goals given their resources,and prepare people to meet the demandsof today while thinking forward to theneeds of tomorrow.

Barry University’s Human ResourceDevelopment programs offer ideal preparation. You learn advanced HRDskills that enable you to help employeesperform through learning and assist companies in gaining the maximum output from their resources. Barry alsooffers a joint HRD/MBA degree

program in HRD, a doctorate in HRD and a certificate in HRD for non-degree seekers. For more information [email protected]. Become an agent of change in your organization!

where you belong

ADRIAN DOMINICAN SCHOOL OF EDUCATION11300 NE Second AvenueMiami Shores, FL [email protected]

www.barry.edu/ed

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HUMAN RESOURCEINFORMATION SYSTEMS

Mangrove Software, Inc.4104 West Linebaugh AvenueTampa, FL 33624Tel: (888) 655-6474 / Fax: (813) 514-2901E-mail: [email protected] site: www.mangrovesoftware.comMangrove Software has the mostcomprehensive and affordable HR, Payroll,Benefits Management, Applicant Tracking,and Employee Self Service Solutionsavailable today. We offer payrollprocessing with check printing capabilities,tax filing services, compliance reporting,ACH, and a state-of-the-art customizationtoolset. You can license our full-serviceproduct or choose our hosted 100% web-based solution.

LABOR & EMPLOYMENTLAW COUNSELING

Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell, P.A. Lincoln Plaza, Suite 1400 300 South Orange Avenue Orlando, FL 32801 Tel: (407) 872-7300 / Fax: (407) 841-2133

Contact: Suzanne Hill Email: [email protected] site: www.rumberger.com Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell is anaggressive civil litigation firm with awide-range of practice areas. OurEmployment Law Section representsclients in a variety of employmentrelated disputes, both in and out of thecourtroom, and before federal and statecourts, the EEOC and othergovernmental agencies.

PAYROLL PROCESSING

Mangrove Software, Inc.4104 West Linebaugh AvenueTampa, FL 33624Tel: (888) 655-6474 / Fax: (813) 514-2901E-mail: [email protected] site: www.mangrovesoftware.comMangrove Software has the mostcomprehensive and affordable HR,Payroll, Benefits Management,Applicant Tracking, and Employee SelfService Solutions available today. Weoffer payroll processing with checkprinting capabilities, tax-filing services,compliance reporting, ACH, and astate-of-the-art customization toolset.You can license our full-service productor choose our hosted 100% web-basedsolution.


Classifieds

*Keep your most important assets.*Improve morale.*Increase productivity.*Promote safety.*Recognize your champions.

8030 SE Colony DriveStuart, FL 34997

Phone: 772-286-5303

Fax: 772-219-3706

Web: www.terryberry.com

e-mail: [email protected]

We’re here to help you...

Backed by more than 85 years of recognition experience,Terryberry’s award consultants can help you develop a success-ful custom award program that is both cost effective and easy tomanage.

Making your job easy is our job. Call your local Terryberry awards consultant today.

ADVERTISING &COMMUNICATIONTMP Worldwide .......................................6

COMPENSATIONTotal Compensation Services, Inc ...........8

EDUCATION/TRAININGBarry University .....................................40New York Institute of Technology .........14Nova Southeastern University .................3Webster University.................................17

EMPLOYEE BENEFITSGallagher Benefits ..................................22

EMPLOYEE HIRINGFLA Business Leadership........................20

EMPLOYMENT SERVICESWorkSource ............................................38

EXECUTIVE COACHINGMBJ Group .............................................41

EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT & SEARCH FIRMSSpherion.......................Inside Front Cover

FINANCIAL SERVICESMPS Credit Union .................................40

HEALTH BENEFITSBlue Cross Blue Shield

of Florida ....................Inside Back CoverThe Bailey Group ...................................38

HR OUTSOURCINGModern Business Associates, Inc............38

HUMAN RESOURCECERTIFICATIONHR Review LLC.............................OutsertHuman Resource

Certification Institute ............................5

HUMAN RESOURCE CONSULTING SERVICESBenefits Connection Group...........OutsertTotal Compensation Services, Inc ...........8

HUMAN RESOURCEINFORMATION SYSTEMSMangrove Software, Inc .........................41

HUMAN RESOURCE SOFTWARETotal Compensation Services, Inc ...........8VP Imaging .............................................18

INSURANCE, DENTAL & VISIONAllied Eyecare ................................OutsertRenaissance Life &

Health Insurance Co............................30SafeGuard Dental & Vision ...................39

IT STAFFING SPECIALISTSSpherion.......................Inside Front Cover

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAWCOUNSELINGBroad and Cassel ....................................42Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell..................41

OUTPLACEMENT SERVICESSpherion.......................Inside Front Cover

PAYROLL PROCESSINGMangrove Software, Inc .........................41

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENTTotal Compensation Services, Inc ...........8

PHARMACY BENEFITSMANAGEMENTBeneScript Services, Inc.........................16

RECOGNITION/AWARDSTerryberry................................................41

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISINGBernard Hodes Group...............................4Nicheboards.com....................................22Palm Beach Post .....................................26

RECRUITMENT, ONLINEMonster.com ..............Outside Back Cover

RELOCATION SERVICESOakwood Corporate Housing.................14

STAFFINGCORESTAFF Services ...........................28Incepture.................................................10Special Counsel ......................................39Spherion.......................Inside Front Cover

TRAINING/DEVELOPMENTIncepture.................................................10

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENTEmploy Florida........................................23


Index of Advertisers

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ALL THE ADVANTAGESOF A LARGE FIRM,

ALL THE ATTENTIONOF A LOCAL ONE.

Our Labor and Employment attorneys are available to handle your human resource needs throughout the State of Florida.

Our experience includes:

� Employment policies and procedures manuals

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� Whistleblower retaliations

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www.broadandcassel.com

THE HIRING OF A LAWYER IS AN IMPORTANT DECISION THAT SHOULD NOT BE BASED SOLELY UPON ADVERTISEMENTS.BEFORE YOU DECIDE, ASK US TO SEND YOU FREE WRITTEN INFORMATION ABOUT OUR QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE.

H O W C A N B L U E H E L P Y O U ? discover at newfromfloridablue.com

*These policies have exclusions and limitations. Dental and Life Insurance policies provided by Florida Combined Life InsuranceCompany, Inc., a subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. 62776-0404

Covering millions of Floridians.

Large companies. Small businesses. Individuals. They all put their trust in us. Why not? Blue Cross

and Blue Shield of Florida and its subsidiaries cover over 6.5 million Floridians. It’s easy to see why.

With a large suite of products, we can design a health benefit plan that works for your company’s

size, needs and budget. It’s not just health care coverage. We also can provide dental, vision and life

insurance policies all from one source.* Benefits administration just got easier.

Your company will be in good company.

resources departmentresources departmentAble to staff an entire department in a single afternoon

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SUPERHUMANSUPERHUMAN

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