Have you ever been faced with a situation where you would be cautioning a manager about how a compensation issue presented potential problems that you thought needed to be addressed? But the response you received from the manager was, “I’m ok with it?” In other words, when you would raise a red flag over an issue that you’re concerned about, one that in your view could cause immediate and/or lingering difficulties, and what you’re left with is a manager who says, “Meh?”
What does that mean? That perhaps the manager doesn’t care, or that they don’t understand the issue? You’re left with the impression that what you consider an important point hasn’t risen to that level with them.
Variations of Importance
As compensation practitioners, it is our responsibility to alert management about issues that concern us, whether it be policies or procedures, regarding strategies, tactics or even the treatment of a single employee. We know the importance of precedence, both good and bad. We know the fragility of employee morale, and how the quality of trust, once lost is very difficult to regain.
So, when a manager doesn’t react to a sensitive issue or problem and instead passes it off with a dismissive “I’m ok with it,” it tends to stop you in your tracks. First comes the self-doubt. Are you over-reacting? Have you misread the situation? Why do they fail to see that which is so obvious to you? Why don’t they care?
For some reason, your management doesn’t see the importance of the issue you’re raising. In the scheme of things, the situation doesn’t rate the attention that you think it does. No fire alarms are going off.
Second, comes the disbelief. What? What did they say? How can they not see the problem staring us in the face?
And finally, you ask yourself, “Now what do I do?”
Left Holding the Bag
Because you could well be left in the proverbial lurch. Who is left responsible to talk to the employee when the managers don’t seem to care? Who is left to answer to senior management when a small compensation issue has suddenly erupted into employee disengagement or even litigation?
Look into the mirror for your answer.
Of course, it’s also possible that when the situation ultimately blows up at the wrong time and in the face of the wrong people, that manager will have an immediate change of heart and will be asking you, “How did this occur? Why wasn’t this brought to my attention?”
Sometimes you just can’t win. Take two aspirin and have a seat.
What Are You Going to Do?
This sort of circumstance happens all the time. If for some reason it hasn’t happened to you yet, wait a while longer. It will.
What you’re dealing with is either; 1) the manager doesn’t understand or care, or 2) they have a different agenda, as there’s more to this issue than you’re aware of. I would worry about the ramifications of #1, so you need to make sure that you’ve properly explained the seriousness (likely impact) of your concerns.
Always look and see the issue from their perspective. Perhaps there are other factors at play (another agenda) that will trump your concerns. You’re looking at things from a compensation perspective, while other factors could be in play.
So the next time a manager shrugs their shoulders at your warning alerts, take a deep breath and look above and beyond your narrow focus. There could be broader issues at stake.
Or, the manager is an idiot. It’s usually either/or.
Chuck Csizmar CCP is founder and Principal of CMC Compensation Group, providing global compensation consulting services to a wide variety of industries and non-profit organizations. He is also associated with several HR Consulting firms as a contributing consultant. Chuck is a broad based subject matter expert with a specialty in international and expatriate compensation. He lives in Central Florida (near The Mouse) and enjoys growing fruit and managing (?) a clowder of cats.
Creative Commons image, "Thoughtful cat," by Nicolas Smale
Comments