Assignment 3: Discussion Questions

1.) According to Lao-tzu, what must the ruler provide the people with if they are to be happy?

Weyerhaeuser uses a pay for performance system and utilizes a performance management process (PMP) to evaluate employee’s annual performance and that performance rating is used in calculating the individual’s merit pay increase. Over the years, Weyerhaeuser’s pay for performance compensation strategy has undergone several changes and improvements. The company utilizes merit increases where an individual’s yearly increase is based on how well they have performed against objectives. Performance management is directly tied to compensation in a pay for performance system and is based on how well an individual performs during the year against specific, measurable goals is tied to how much they will receive in a merit pay system. According to Milkovich, Newman and Gerhart (2014, p. 337), ‘a merit pay system links increases in base pay (called merit increases) to how highly employees are rated on a performance evaluation.” How well your merit pay system works and is seen by the employees as effective, fair, and a tool to increase motivation and retention is based on how well performance is actually measured and the ability to quantify performance. Though there are challenges with the merit pay system, Heathfield (n.d., par. 9) shares, “even with the limitations that exist in the awarding of merit pay, merit pay is your best opportunity to ensure that your outstanding performers remain with your company and continue to make their

The company uses a merit based pay structure to recognize employee performance. Yearly evaluations of performance are conducted to rate employee’s results of the year compared to previously set goals. Kraft Heinz recognizes employees at every level for outstanding performance. In 2014, over a thousand employees were promoted because of their high performance and the value they added to the organization (Kraft Heinz, "Careers", 2015). Merit-based pay is based on individual performance. This method of pay and raises creates a link between rewards and the employee’s performance throughout the year. A danger of merit based pay, in organizations like Kraft Heinz Co., is that management might give merit based raises/promotions on how they perceive the employee will perform, so they may over or under estimate pay decisions (Judge & Robbins, 2016, pp. 137). However, the end of the year assessments the company conducts to review performance and set goals for the next year would help to reduce this

No worry this quiz won't affect your grade it was just to see what we would get! I completely agree with you on how the questions were set up, they were very tricky to answers. Like for all of them I wanted to answer true or no but then I just went with undetermined because I fully didn't know. I thought maybe if it was worded differently than it wouldn't have been as hard to not assume that the information was this or that. I guess it shows that we can never assume that information is correct.

Discussion questions two each week: Should be responded to during the week class is in session Starting TUESDAY. (DO NOT wait till Monday the last day of any academic week to answer all the questions) P.S... Read ALL of the posts with IMPORTANT in the subject line first and follow the directions. Please put your name after the DQ in the subject line. When you respond directly to the DQ, 100 word count minimum on ALL posts.

The process helps to reward newer managers for their learning curve achievements and exemplary efforts. According to the Merit Pay increase grid, if your annual salary falls 1st quartile then the merit pay increase will be 12%. In contrast, when the annual salary

Answer each of the following as indicated. Unless the instructions say to “quote”, then you should explain in your own words.

Miller (2015) highlights several differences between men and women who suffer from addiction. For instance, women face more stigma than men. The stereotypical female addict is viewed as pathological (i.e., promiscuous, lazy and/or selfish) and powerless (i.e., weak, scared or trapped). Chemically dependent women are also stigmatized because they are viewed as immoral and are blamed for their addiction. They are also measured against higher moral standards than men and also experience sexual stigma in relation to their addiction which may put them at a higher risk for sexual assault.

The labor laws in Bangladesh indeed should be strengthened like those in the U.S. to prevent such incidences at work.

From a very young age, many Americans learned the concept that one will receive a reward, or a punishment based on how well the task is performed. For example, if a child does well on a homework assignment, they may receive a reward from their teacher by placing a smiley face sticker on their assignment. Similarly, many Americans believe that if they are determined to have a task completed in time and tried their very best, they will be rewarded with either a pay raise or a bonus. According to the United States Department of Labor, the merit pay system is defined as “a raise in pay based on a set of criteria set by the employer. This usually involves the employer conducting a review meeting with the employee to discuss the employee's work

7a. Merit pay would reward better teachers, it is the incentive to improve better quality of teaching for the students and this will bring in new skilled workers in to the

Seniority pay reimburses workers on the foundation of the length of time he/she has been with the company. Usually the individuals who have been with the company the longest would receive the highest pay. Employees who have been with the company for a long period of time and have earned the title of seniority are given special treatment such as promotions, vacation time and scheduling. Merit pay is more based on the performance of an employee. The individual that show effort in their work and show they want to achieve in their job are rewarded with an increase in wages and bonuses.

The merit increases given are typically based on a subjective appraisal of the employee’s performance (Martoochhia, 2011). Managers must be well trained to accurately assess an employee’s performance or results at the given job function. This responsibility also falls on the company. Companies must clearly outline job functions and responsibilities to make it possible to provide objective data to base an employee’s performance on. Evidence shows that despite the prevalence of merit pay programs, employees still react negatively to these plans. This goes against similar evidence that shows performance pay related programs are good indicators of strong employee performance (Duffy, 2008). If merit based pay is based on performance, why are they so ill-received by employees? The answer lies in the way these employees are evaluated. If evaluated too loosely and seen as automatic, employees are going to become complacent and view these programs as seniority based pay with the same predictable yearly raise, regardless of effort or results. If evaluated too strictly on unclear metrics or unrealistic expectations, employees won’t see it as feasible or worth their time to excel. These employees are also highly likely to not be loyal to the company and quick to seek more competitive employment elsewhere. Luckily, there are initiatives that drive successful merit pay

In your opinion, do you agree that the merit pay and incentive raise process is currently ineffective and if so what suggestions would you make to improve it?

1. Assess the advantages and disadvantages of using a Web-based compensation tool verses a client-server based or stand-alone PC based system and then give your opinion on which system would provide the most value to an organization’s stakeholders. Include three (3) facts to support your opinion.