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Front Page
Mission Possible: Building a Pay System for 1.3 Million Iraqis
By Ryan M. Johnson, WorldatWork
Compensation veteran and long-time WorldatWork member Pete Smith was called upon last year to travel to the heart of the green zone in Iraq to help build a pay system for 1.3 million Iraqis.

Focus On Communication
Can You Hear Me Now? The Importance of Communicating Employee Share Plans
By Andrea Kagan, Deloitte and Touche LLP
Recruitment and retention are the key objectives of employee share plans. But without proper communication and education, employees may never understand the benefit of what's being offered.

Just How Difficult Is Good Communication? Examining 10 Communication Myths
By Reggie Hall, Mellon Human Resources & Investor Solutions
Not taking the time to treat communication as a critical business function is one reason why so many organizations struggle with effective employee communication. This article dispels some of the common myths associated with employee communication.

Wilde About Communication
By Sarah Chambers and Frank Roche, iFractal
Though he lived more than a hundred years ago, there still are modern-day lessons to be learned from author and bon vivante Oscar Wilde.

Talk Is Cheap ... Or Is It? Calculating the Value of Total Rewards Communication
By Lorenzo Sierra, ABC, Aon Consulting
Everyone touts the importance of communication in the workplace, but sometimes it takes more than talk to win management's approval. This article offers a formula total rewards professionals can use to find the real value of communicating to employees.

E-mail workspan at workspan@worldatwork.org

Features
Retention Report Card: Does Your Organization Make the Grade?
By Robert Morgan, CCP, Spherion Employment Solutions
The popular perception that the current labor market has given employers the upper hand in negotiating with employees could lead to complacency when it comes to recruitment, retention and total rewards programs. By focusing on five key retention drivers, employers can keep that upper hand.

Economic Realities Force Stock Option Changes
By Jeffrey J. Kros, Esq., WorldatWork
Results from The State of Stock Options: 2003, a joint study by WorldatWork and Sibson Consulting, found some surprising -- and not so surprising -- changes in how stock options are affecting total rewards

Can Compensation Impact the Bottom Line?
By Tracy Martin, Callidus Software
Having a well-crafted compensation plan in place affects the company's bottom line by building a bridge between top-level corporate objectives and individual results. Learn how you can leverage compensation to deliver results.

The Dollars and Sense of International Assignments
By Jacqueline A. Hauser, CCP, Cendant Mobility
Major international developments, including the passage of NAFTA and China's admittance to the WTO, have changed what it means for a company to be a successful global organization, and what it means to be an international compensation and benefits practitioner.

The Art and Science of the Match, or Why Job Matching Keeps Me Up at Night
By Kenneth R. Cardinal, CCP, CBP, Clark Consulting
When the salary survey input manual comes in, no one ever seems to fight over who's going to "get" to do it this time. But job matching is more important than it's given credit for, and can impact an organization's overall compensation plan.

Bookshelf
The Talent Management Handbook; 2004 U.S. Master Human Resources Guide; Life at Work; Salary Surveys and Antitrust

Capital View
Medicare Reform Poses Strategic Challenges
By Jeffrey J. Kros, Esq., WorldatWork

Member Central
WorldatWork association and member news

Back to Basics
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938

Focus on Ethics
Unintentional Error
Dilemma: I manage the retirement plans for my employer. A team of internal auditors was scheduled to audit the pension calculations. A day before the auditors arrived, I learned that an analyst had been miscalculating service credit for years. A quick review revealed that the error resulted in a few retirees being significantly overpaid. The analyst, who is a longstanding, high-performing employee, feels terrible about the mistake. What should I do?

New Ideas
For the latest compensation, benefits and total rewards news visit Newsline.