Cafe Classic: Compensation Communication Professionals? Who Are Those Guys, Anyway?

Editor's Note: "They don't get it." It's the eternal worry when you ask professional communicators to write compensation communications. The same could be said for many compensation specialists according to our founding writer, Margaret O'Hanlon, who wrote this article to help us work together more effectively. It's the time of year when many of us find ourselves on end-of-year implementation teams. Check out what you can learn about the communicator sitting next to you in all those meetings -- and make your own work easier this year.

I got thinking this week, with all of the hoopla I make about compensation communication, have I ever talked about the profession with you? You may or may not work with communication professionals regularly. It's been my specialty for over 20 years. Maybe I can help you learn how to partner more effectively with communicators in your organization.

I think it would help to look at what "communication professional" means, because people with that title have all sorts of backgrounds. We are not interchangeable.

At different points in your work, one type of communicator may be more helpful to you than another. Knowing the distinctions between us might also help you avoid the kinds of frustrations that compensation practitioners often talk about when it comes to communications and communicators.

Communication Professionals Have Many Specialities

People come to the profession with all sorts of degrees, and those degrees plus a person's experience teach them to be good at different things.

Public relations is a specialty that addresses the relationships between the organization and their public. People with this specialty understand how to address public opinion, attitudes and issues with people who have no automatic allegiance to the organization. Crisis communications is a subspecialty of PR. These practitioners protect and defend the reputations of organizations and individuals.

Marketing prepares communicators to encourage sales through advertising, branding and promotion. Journalism prepares communicators to investigate and report events, issues and trends to broad audiences without injecting opinion. Plus there are other, less specialized career routes like communications, literature and fine arts.

Growing from Writer to Communicator

All practitioners share one thing. We are trained to be clear, acute writers who can help you put your point across. And, just like you, we acquire more diverse skills as we move up in our careers.

Compensation analysts may eventually acquire insights into executive compensation and benefits. Writers may learn how to market and promote ideas and programs. Marketers may learn how to help build a consistent culture within an organization by applying their understanding of branding methodologies.

Change Starts with Communications

Not all communicators can help you change employee's behaviors and habits. That's where communicators with change management background come in.

Through their training and/or experience, these communicators learn how to apply psychological models and research to plan how to help people relinquish views, thoughts and behaviors (that get in the way of achieving business strategies) and accept replacements. These communicators will work with you to develop not just campaigns but strategies that help transform employees' and managers' resistance or confusion about things like performance measures and ongoing feedback into "the way we do things around here."

Be Realistic about Collaborating with Communicators

Words are powerful. They help us see things differently and understand how things work. But words alone do not shift people's opinions or influence their actions. It takes a certain kind of experience to understand how to achieve the change that compensation involves and make it stick.

Don't just assume your communicators are experienced in achieving organizational change. If they are new to transforming behaviors, realize that your working relationship will need to be far more collaborative than usual.

Take the lead and guide them away from overemphasis on words. Instead of belaboring drafts of emails or intranet features, work together on a strategy that involves building manager skills, maintaining executive visibility and getting employees talking about how their work influences business results.

Margaret O'Hanlon, CCP is founder and principal of re:Think Consulting. She has decades of experience teaming up with clients to ensure great Human Resource ideas deliver valuable business results. Margaret brings deep expertise in compensation, communications and leadership to topics like the CEO Pay Ratio, performance management and compensation implementation discussions at the Café. Margaret is a Board member of the Bay Area Compensation Association (BACA). Before founding re:Think Consulting, she was a Principal at Willis Towers Watson. 

Comments

[Jacque Vilet]

I've never had the luxury of having a professional "communications" person help me on drafting compensation matters to be sent to all employees. The majority of comp people tend to be like the people that write instruction manuals ---- not clear at all to the average person.

Comp people, like many other professions, understand all the terminology and assume or are even unaware that employees will too.

Whenever I have to draft communications I have always had someone from outside the HR department read it and see if they think it is clear and understandable. Sometimes I have several people read it.

Nothing is worse than crafting a brilliant commuication piece . . . that no one understands!

[Margaret O'Hanlon]

Having another set of eyes review draft communications is always a great idea. It's also a great idea to have someone check your math on salary ranges or sales commissions.

But the blog was about more than accuracy or clarity. It's about having a more strategic approach to compensation communications.

Why focus on tactics when strategy is the best thing for your company? Research is clear -- effective communications is associated with higher Total Shareholder Return. Even small, private companies can achieve financial improvements.

If HR wants to play a role in achieving business results, communications support is no luxury. For the price of a salary survey, our readers can work with a trusted advisor who has faced problems just like theirs. They can easily learn about communications strategies that are effective -- spending their time and money with a clear return on investment.

[remote spy]

I found so many interesting stuff in your blog, especially its discussion. I guess I am not the only one having all the enjoyment here keep up the good work.

[Margaret O'Hanlon]

Who was that masked (wo)man?

[Juliana]

I wish more companies put more emphasize on HR communication. What is the point of providing great employee resources and benefits if no one understand or knows about it. Just a little bit more cost but so worth it.

[Margaret O'Hanlon]

Thanks, Juliana, that it in a nutshell!

[Platinum Technology Group]

I do really would like to to thank you for your great thought just about this topic. I guess that you require the help of a professional article submit service or the different article submission to do your article impelling.

[The Shumway Twins--Barb & Alison]

Sometimes it is wise not to over-sell your company. There are usually companies that offer more and what you offer may exclude a group of employees from your "great brand."