WorldatWork Periodic Grant Sponsorship Projects

Thank you to all of those who have submitted proposals for grant sponsorships over the past few years. The next call for proposals has not been announced, but watch this page for more information about upcoming research sponsorship opportunities.

In addition to the grant funding, WorldatWork has numerous opportunities for academics and others to promote their research, or gain visibility with the total rewards audience, such as:

• Being published in our monthly member magazine workspan, our quarterly scholarly journal, the WorldatWork Journal, or submitting a proposal to our book publishing group;
• Submitting a proposal to speak at one of the WorldatWork events – including the world’s largest annual conference of compensation and total rewards professionals.
• Getting involved with one of our volunteer leadership opportunities, as a member of one of our advisory boards, or as an article reviewer for publications.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about our sponsored research funding, or any of the items listed above. As always, thank you for helping us advance the profession.

Regards,
Ryan Johnson, CCP
Director of Information Development and Public Affairs
rjohnson@worldatwork.org

Published Reports

Employee Equity Plans: Do They Have a Future?
PARC, WorldatWork and Hewitt New Bridge Street
November 2009

Broad-based equity plans have been a feature of organizational life for many companies over the past several decades. But how relevant are these plans today, in the aftermath of a major equity market downturn and the expensing of options? Do they still represent good value – either for the employee or the company? Do these plans help align employee and shareholder interests?

This report draws on research conducted during the summer of 2009, including a survey of 800 companies, case study interviews, and a review of academic literature. The report also contains a schedule of the current tax treatment around the world.

Watch an interview with Charles Grantham, Ph.D., Work Design Collaborative

Flexible Work Arrangements for Nonexempt Employees
Charles Grantham, Ph.D., Work Design Collaborative
Jim Ware, Ph.D., Work Design Collaborative
Jennifer E. Swanberg, Ph.D., Institute for Workplace Innovation, University of Kentucky
July 2009

Work is evolving at a dizzying speed in the United States. In the past decade, more work has started shifting to service- and information-based industries, inexpensive hand-held communication devices are pervasive, and the face of the workforce has changed dramatically. Today,
the workforce is more diverse than ever, and it will include more hourly or “nonexempt” employees as the United States continues moving toward a service- and information-dominated economy.

But this evolution is not occurring without systemic challenges and disruptions. First, the way work happens in the United States seems to be changing more quickly and fundamentally than is the system of employment laws that was built to support it many decades ago. Thus, a key question has become, “How can employers, operating under a system of old laws, succeed in this new, rapidly changing work environment?”

The goal of this research was to develop a better understanding of how a new, smarter management model might be developed for dealing with the challenges of this work environment. Specifically, the study focused on the ability and limitations of nonexempt workers to participate in a work design that goes by many different names:

• Telecommuting
• Distributed work
• Alternative work.

Implications of Employer-Supplied Connectivity Devices
Gayle Porter, Ph.D., Professor of Management
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Business – Camden
March 2009

Technology now allows connectivity 24/7, and many employers are — or are considering — furnishing hand-held electronic devices to
members of their workforces. In the best conditions, this can facilitate work efficiency and improve work-life effectiveness. In other situations, it may communicate to employees that they are expected to never disconnect from work, and potentially either foster resentment or enable unhealthy work behaviors.

Through a survey of 627 employees across multiple organizations and industries, this research explored the prevalence of employer-supplied connectivity devices, along with users’ work habits, beliefs about their companies’ culture and perception of the intended message when their employers supplies these devices.

Telework Trendlines 2009
WorldatWork and The Dieringer Research Group Inc.
February 2009

When gasoline prices shot past $3 in mid-2008 on their way to $4 per gallon or more in some areas, both employers and employees began looking for relief. Alternatives immediately were explored and implemented. Transit subsidies, carpooling, vanpooling and, of course, telecommuting quickly rose to the surface because of their relative ease of implementation.

But in 2008, telecommuting seemed to be in a different place than it had been before. In the 1980s, 1990s and even in the first part of this decade, the technology required to support remote work seemed to still lag behind the need. The proliferation of high-speed connectivity and the explosion of hand-held devices occurred during the early 2000s and have become a mainstream way of working for many employers and employees. Indeed, history may record someday that the technology required for productive remote working and the urgent need for remote working (due to high fuel prices) converged in 2008. But is there data to support this notion? WorldatWork is pleased to publish Telework Trendlines 2009, the latest in a set of longitudinal data collected by The Dieringer Research Group.