Happy New Year and a Cafe Announcement!

Happy New Year Dear Readers!

As we ring in 2022, we are also closing a chapter in the life of the Compensation Café.  After serving up straight talk, original thinking, and caffeinated conversation on everything compensation since we opened for business in April 2009, this site has published its last batch of new posts.

The good news is that this site, with its treasure trove of great content, will remain here for you (at least for the foreseeable future).  Going forward, we will continue to publish Classic posts on a weekly basis.

Here’s the great news: there’s a new Café in the works!  Long-time regular contributor Dan Walter is putting the final pieces in place for a reboot of the Café at a new place and URL (www.TheCompCafe.com).  The Comp Café will work to pick up and expand on what the Compensation Café started. The format will change slightly for the video-oriented world we live in. The contributors will be mainly new (with some familiar voices like Dan and Reena Paul).  The hope is that this new resource will provide another decade or more of fresh thoughts, open conversation, new ideas and technical know-how for the next generation of total rewards professionals.

I want to thank everyone who has written for the Café over the years, particularly the regular contributors.  Few people can turn out on-target original content, laced with humor and attitude, day after day after month after year, the way this group has.

Special recognition to those who carried this site right to the end:

They include my dear friend Margaret O’Hanlon, who has been on this journey from Day 1 and who I have often described as the Café’s co-founder.  It would be difficult to imagine the Café apart from Dan Walter, whose unique voice, sense of humor and unmatched gift for reward analogies helped define our cheeky, in-your-face brand.  There is Chuck Csizmar, whose wisdom and insights (and cat pictures!) made him a cherished favorite of so many readers.  And a shout out to the newest regular, Reena Paul, who joined the Café team just this past May.

Many others did stints, long stints in some cases, as regular contributors over the past 12 years.  This esteemed group includes Jim Brennan, Stephanie Thomas, Derek Irvine, Jacque Vilet, Laura Schroeder, Darcy Dees, Becky Regan, Doug Sayed and Terri Albee.

We’ve been privileged to feature the writing of so many great guest contributors, way too many to list them all, but I want to send a special shout to just a few: the incomparable team of Pat Zingheim and Jay Schuster, Howard Risher, Gerry Ledford, Paul Weatherhead, Chris Dobyns and Joe Thompson.

And readers … how can we express what your readership, the comments and encouragement you’ve shared, and the great discussions you’ve started with us have meant?  What a wonderful thing it has been to meet and connect with you at this funny on-line coffee shop!  We are more grateful than you’ll ever know.

For me, I want to say that all of you who’ve written, who’ve read and who’ve shared our content have blessed my career and my life in more ways than I can count.  Thank you.

Please watch here for announcements on the reboot under Dan’s care – coming soon – and do continue to check in/subscribe for great Café Classic content!

Ann Bares  |  Founder/Editor

Comments

[E. James (jim) Brennan]

Thank YOU, Editorial Empress Ann, for founding the Cafe. Your seminal role as talent recruiter and stalwart supporter gave us simple writers a megaphone. Your consistently constructive critical judgment, keen eye for quality and your ability to simultaneously juggle a consulting business practice along with pro bono publications for the Total Rewards profession made our job easy. No one could have done it better!

The rest of your awesome leadership qualities should be added by others similarly honored to serve at your breakfast table. I personally am awed to be included among those great names you listed. Some I knew long ago and others became friends and co-collaborators via this remarkable Cafe.

Thanks a million!

[Chris Dobyns]

Sad news, but I guess all good things must come to an end eventually. I can't actually remember when I first became aware of the Compensation Cafe and became a committed "follower". I do recall that it was somewhere in 2014 when I got my big break - and made my debut as a content guest contributor.

About two dozen guest articles followed over the next 4-5 years - an experience which was quite rewarding and definitely helped me refine my professional writing skills.

The biggest lesson I learned was that entering the "rotation" as a regular contributor was not for me . . . because creative writing on a schedule - is hard work. Therefore, I salute the incredible work of all of the regular contributors over the years. Last (but not least) a huge standing ovation goes to Founder/Editor, Ann Bares. Keeping everything on-track, five days a week, for many, many years, with enviable content - is probably best personified by a mash-up of the two phrases, "doing yeoman's work" and "herding cats" (the latter of which applied particularly well to me). Well, nice work and thanks a million - to all.

[Heather]

This is such sad news but I understand that all good things eventually come to an end. I've been reading this blog since 2011. All of the contributors have provided helpful and relevant content which has helped me over the years. This year, as I created content for several manager trainings, I referred back to your content for inspiration. Thank you so much to all of the contributors. I am so glad the site will remain available. Best wishes to all.

[Brandi Morgan]

Creative writing on a schedule IS truly hard work. Especially for those with a focus on compensation type topics and work. That's heavy left and right side of the brain! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for keeping this going for so long, Ann (and all of the long-time contributors). The Café will be greatly missed but looking forward to what Dan and new team develop. All the best and happy 2022.