About Us : OVERVIEW

Since 1995, PeopleLink Consulting Inc. has provided strategic, full service human resources consulting services to clients of all sizes in many different industries. We work with clients to design people practices that support organizational goals, build competitive advantage and produce measurable results.

We design people strategies to support organizational goals:

Deliver organizational results, rather than simply firefighting.

We ensure people strategies are internally consistent:

Ensure the HR programs you implement work in concert to accomplish organizational goals.

So before you invest in that expensive performance management program, modify your stock option plan, or implement a profit sharing scheme, consider:

• What are your expected outcomes?
• Will your other HR programs provide support?
• Will thara be a measurable impact on business results?
• How will you justify your decision in the boardroom?

We deliver HR from a holistic, integrated perspective. Our consultants have the expertise to deliver defined business results by basing people practices on organizational goals.

Expect your HR programs to deliver business results.

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About Us : EXPERTISE AND AFFILIATIONS

PeopleLink consultants have experience providing services to clients in many different industries, including;

Heavy and light and manufacturing, Warehousing and distribution, High technology, Food and grocery operations, Shipping and stevedoring, Municipalities, Health and Education organizations, Government and Crown Corporations, Not for profit.

PeopleLink consultants possess professional designations licensed by the following associations:

		Certified Human Resources Professional - CHRP Canadian Council of Human Resource Associations
		Certified Management Consultant - CMC Canadian Institute of Certified Management Consultants
		Chartered Accountant - CA Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants

PeopleLink is uniquely qualified, with the proven technical know-how, to help clients ensure their people practices form a valued tool in their business toolkit.

Take your HR proposals and business plans to the boardroom, with PeopleLink.

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Services : OVERVIEW

PeopleLink works with clients in one or all of the following project stages.
We custom tailor our approach to fit each client's business and culture. Our approach addresses the fundamentals: the need for HR to meet business imperatives and add value.

Our well accepted proprietary methodology, Prism Integrator™, consists of diagnostic tools and design methodologies.

Like light shining light through a prism reveals its component colours, all HR programs must work in concert to determine a cohesive HR strategy.

Our approach ensures that all your HR programs work together to support the organization in meeting its goals:

Assess > Design > Implement > Success Stories

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Services : ASSESS

We work with you to diagnose your HR issues and assess whether your HR investment dollars are used effectively, to define the need for change and to develop a business case for modifying people practices.

The assessment will help you answer questions like:

• Do your HR strategies work together or conflict with each other?
• What changes to your HR initiatives are required to ensure organizational goals are met?
• How will you measure the impact of your investment in people on your business results?
• What is the return in your investment in people?
• How will you justify new HR investments in the boardroom?

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Services : DESIGN

We apply our well-accepted design methodologies to develop HR programs through the entire PeopleLink Cycle™, such as recruiting programs, orientation programs, employee surveys, performance management programs and incentive reward programs.

PeopleLink Cycle™
copyright, PeopleLink Consulting, 1998, All Rights Reserved

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Services : IMPLEMENT

We have extensive experience rolling up our sleeves and working with clients to implement programs in all aspects of HR, such as recruiting employees and developing performance management programs. We train and orient management and internal teams in the use and impact of the programs, develop communication strategies, provide policies, procedures, and other content, as well as work with clients to identify opportunities for continuous improvement of these HR programs.

Whether your HR programs need an audit, fine-tuning or an overhaul, PeopleLink ensures your HR offerings:

• address business imperatives,
• are internally consistent and integrated, and
• are defensible through return on investment and other measurements.

Don't settle for guessing whether your people practices are adding value to the business. Measure it. And know it.

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Services : SUCCESS STORIES

Here are just a few examples of the many ways we have helped clients operate smarter. We have helped clients:

• Position for faster growth.
• Improve retention.
• Improve the bottom line.
• Define and retain critical competencies.
• Free up valuable time to focus on strategic priorities.
• Effectively structure their operations.
• Improve productivity of work groups
• Define and structure effective performance and rewards systems.
• Implement effective succession planning.
• Recruit and promote key personnel.
• Understand critical competencies for key positions.
• Improve employee morale.
• Work effectively with unions, even when the relationship is complicated.

We will be pleased to provide more details on these and other projects as requested.

Define success. And deliver it.

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HRIS Products

PeopleLink Consulting Inc. offers HR information systems (HRIS) product and service solutions to clients of all sizes. Clients using these products and services report improved productivity of up to 30%.

To understand how we can help you drive improvements in productivity and efficiency in the following areas, contact us for a free demonstration:

• Recruitment and Selection;
• Performance Management;
• Compensation and Benefits;
• Training and Development;
• Health and Safety

Whether your organization is just starting out, facing the challenges of growth, or well established, and whether you have an HR Department or not, you can boost the effectiveness of your people systems. Free up your time to focus on the important business decisions, and let our products and services eliminate administrative headaches.

Our products and services include:

• User-friendly, web-based HR administration and support
• Automated HR solutions
• Product and service packages
• Consulting services to help you select the right HRIS products from among the many confusing choices available – whether we offer these products or not

Contact us today to arrange a free consultation and demonstration.

Streamlined. Effective. HR solutions for the 21st Century.

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Articles : ARTICLE-5

Succession Planning For Small and Mid-Sized Organizations

In the past, succession plans were developed only for executive positions.  In today’s business climate, succession plans need to be more broad-based, and need to cover other key positions.  In addition, succession plans need to be integrated with other HR programs, such as recruiting, training and development programs, to ensure they deliver results. 

In the following few years, we will witness the retirement of a large demographic section of the population, the baby boomers.  It is expected that this phenomenon will affect large organizations with stable workforces, such as governments and utilities, in a profound way.  Most of these organizations have begun planning for these changes, and developing succession plans to ensure that knowledge retention occurs in order to ensure their ability to meet customer needs as these employees retire. 

We are also in the midst of an acute skills shortage, which is expected to continue for some years.  Due to this skills shortage, as well as the fact that the boomers are such a large demographic group, many small and mid-sized organizations will find that they won’t be able to easily replace all their boomer retirees and carry on business as usual.  Organizations may need to rethink their human resources programs, organizational structures, jobs, and organizational processes, in order to ensure they continue to deliver products and services to customers.

Many small and mid-sized organizations, however, are not adequately planning for these changes.  The organizations that anticipate, and plan for, the effect of these demographic changes will be in the best position to ensure they grow and continue to meet customer needs in the next few years.

Succession plans should also cover key positions that are not easily replaceable.  For example, one of our clients had a key employee who was highly skilled in a particular aspect of their production process.  No one else in the organization had the knowledge to replace him.  This position required specialized knowledge that could only be acquired through internal training and experience.  Although this position was a non-executive position, we recommended that the company develop a succession plan and include this position.  Another client lost an employee who took key organizational knowledge, as well as the ability to deliver certain specialized services, with him.  Succession plans incorporate workforce planning in order to mitigate key knowledge retention risks.

The boomer retirements will also affect business owners who will be looking to sell their businesses and retire in the next 5 to 10 years.  Once the boomers retire, there will be a smaller pool of potential buyers.  Therefore, businesses will need to ensure their businesses are very attractive to potential buyers.  Succession plans and supporting HR programs can do much to ensure a trained and effective workforce and skilled management, and will increase organizational value to potential buyers.   

Finally, succession plans should be customized to reflect the unique circumstances and culture of every organization.

Copyright, PeopleLink Consulting Inc., 2006. All rights reserved.

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Articles : ARTICLE-4

Is Your Sales Compensation Plan Working For You?

Is your sales compensation plan encouraging the right activities from the sales team?  Are the highest paid salespeople your best performers?  Are you losing qualified sales staff because of the design of your sales compensation plan?

All sales compensation plans should be reviewed regularly to ensure they continue to respond to changes in the market.  We have run across many clients who designed an incentive or commission plan that initially worked well, only to fail to meet their company’s needs a few years later as market conditions, and company strategies, change. 

Review your sales compensation plan to ensure it is encouraging the right sales activities.  This review starts with a look at the sales strategy, to ensure the sales compensation plan continues to reflect the strategy.  For example, are your sales professionals selling the right mix of products and/or services to ensure the highest sales and/or profit?  Are your sales professionals selling to the right mix of existing and new customers to ensure sustained sales growth?

Sales compensation plans should be reviewed in light of the entire sales system, from sales territory design and channels, to job and organizational design.  In addition, the base salary/incentive mix should appropriately reflect the length of the sales cycle.  Sales professionals are competitive and highly motivated by incentives, so it will become quickly clear if the plan is not meeting the company’s needs.

In addition, whenever a company undergoes a major change in terms of product lines manufactured or represented, or undergoes a merger or acquisition, or other strategic change, the sales strategy, and sales compensation plan, should be reviewed.  The sales compensation plan should clearly reflect the sales strategy, even from an outside observer’s perspective.  If this isn’t the case, the link between strategy and design may not be strong enough to deliver results. 

On a regular basis, ensure that your sales compensation plans pay out at market rates.  The current skills shortage is expected to continue for years, and companies whose pay packages do not reflect market rates are vulnerable to losing their best salespeople, as well as other employees. 

Copyright, PeopleLink Consulting Inc., 2006. All rights reserved.

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Articles : ARTICLE-3

How much are corporate bigwigs worth?
The Vancouver Sun

Corporate salaries grow as public confidence shrinks:
At least 17 B.C. senior executives were paid over $1 million last year.

How much are corporate bigwigs worth? If they're paid too much, directors could find themselves on the carpet with shareholders and regulators.

Corporate scandals and three straight years of stock-market losses have eroded public trust in senior management, corporate directors, accountants, auditors and investment advisers.

Yet swollen executive pay cheques appear to be not just surviving but thriving.

In the U.S. last year, the mid-range CEO salary and bonus rose to $1.8 million, a 10-per-cent improvement from 2001, according to a survey at 350 large publicly held companies conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

A recent Vancouver Sun survey of 34 B.C.-based public companies found at least 17 senior executives were paid more than $1 million last year and two made more than $2 million.

The challenge for companies is to attract and retain the best leaders while mollifying shareholders increasingly concerned about high-flying executive compensation and poor performance.

To help companies navigate the issues surrounding executive compensation, the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants has produced 20 Questions Directors Should Ask about Executive Compensation. The publication acts as a guide and discussion piece for board members and others charged with the responsibility of determining compensation for executives.

"While many large companies have advisers to assist them in developing and reviewing compensation packages, this is not necessarily the case for smaller companies," says chartered accountant Shayda Kassam of Vancouver's PeopleLink Consulting.

"My advice is be proactive. You need to start talking about the issues. You don't want to have your first discussions about compensation to come after a challenge by shareholders or regulators."

Canadian securities regulators are requiring publicly listed corporations to provide better links between executive compensation and corporate performance.

"The importance of improving the objectivity of incentive plans is high," Kassam said.

"Bonuses as a percentage of base salary range from five per cent for non-management positions to an average of almost 15 per cent for middle-management positions and close to 50 per cent for senior executives. Therefore, the cost to an organization of an ineffective incentive plan can be very high."

Compensation committees need to make sure they are getting the best value for shareholders. For many companies, this has meant a move towards results-based compensation.

"In a bull market, little consideration is given to what happens when results are poor," says Fiona Macdonald, a principal with Towers Perrin in Vancouver. "Today companies are really looking at what is the right performance for the right level of pay."

While the importance of benefits as a component of the compensation package has increased, Kassam notes the importance of stock options has decreased. Many organizations are revisiting their stock-option plans, especially stock grants. Decisions on how to account for stock options will also influence an organization's compensation policy.

When deciding on pay for top executives, boards have a number of things to consider, including ensuring that pay levels attract and keep a strong management team, balancing performance with pay levels and what to do when performance doesn't meet expectations.

20 Questions Directors Should Ask about Executive Compensation goes through all of these keys issues. The entire document is available at the Web site: www.ica.bc.ca/pdf/cicapubs_execcompensation.pdf

mkane@png.canwest.com

© Pacific Newspaper Group Inc. (The Vancouver Sun/The Province), a CanWest Company. Provided for information only - no endorsement is made or implied

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Articles : ARTICLE-2

The High Cost of Turnover

Many employers underestimate the cost of employee turnover. Researchers have estimated the cost of employee turnover to total anywhere from 30% to 150% of an employee's annual compensation.

Employee turnover occurs when employees involuntarily or voluntarily leave an organization. Involuntary turnover occurs when employees are terminated, while voluntary turnover occurs when employees choose to leave organizations.

These percentages vary depending on what is included in the estimate. In all cases of turnover, there is a need to hire, orient and train a new employee. Factor in the time for involving management, HR departments and consultants, and you can see that the estimated cost of turnover increases. Where the employee who has left is a senior or long term employee, the cost is higher, due to the loss of knowledge, skills and contacts. The table below provides examples of the types of direct and indirect costs associated with turnover.

If a company with 100 employees experiences turnover of 10% annually, assuming an average salary of $40,000, the company could add from $120,000 to $600,000 back to the bottom line by decreasing turnover. How many company owners you know would not be interested in improving their bottom line with such numbers? While some turnover is related to issues over which employers do not have control (such as a spouse being transferred), employers can do a lot to reduce the cost of turnover.

Employers can focus on some human resources strategies to increase retention and decrease turnover. Some suggestions:

1. Implement recruitment practices that ensure a good fit
   Many employers, in our experience, could do a better job of recruiting the right individuals to fill company positions. A good recruiting process involves up-front planning to determine the scope of the position, and then casting a wide net to find the right fit. Although such a process can be more time-consuming and costly up-front, it can save money in the long run.
   
   
2. Implement fair employment policies and procedures
   Some employers do not spend adequate time to develop, communicate and circulate company policies and procedures. As these companies grow, the lack of policies and procedures can result in inconsistent treatment of employees. We have seen companies lose good employees due to a perception of inconsistent or unfair treatment.
   
   
3. Implement fair compensation practices
   Many employers do not check market compensation rates regularly to ensure that they are paying their employees fair market compensation. Far-sighted employers understand that improving retention can often save more dollars than increasing a valued employee's salary.
   

These are just a few ways for employers to improve their HR practices to retain employees and allow them to contribute their skills for the long term. Many successful companies, such as Starbucks and Southwest Airlines, have focused on retention, with great financial results.

Copyright, PeopleLink Consulting Inc., 2003. All rights reserved.

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Articles : ARTICLE-1

Compensation Trends Post 9/11

The business world has endured many shocks recently. In the last two to three years, we have witnessed the burst of the high tech bubble, the attacks against the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11 and the failures of Enron and WorldCom. Add to this mix the potential of war in Iraq, and the picture emerges of continued uncertainty for the business world.

These events have led to reduced levels of trust in senior management, corporate directors, and in accountants, auditors, and investment advisors, resulting in the crisis of confidence in the stock markets. Volatility in stock prices has been the norm over the last few months. Paradoxically, the need for experienced leadership, to navigate these complexities, is at an all-time high.

This crisis of confidence will result in systemic changes to the way organizations approach corporate governance. Corporate governance is receiving, and will continue to receive, much attention. For example, Canadian securities regulators are requiring publicly listed corporations to provide better links between executive compensation and corporate performance. Wise organizational leaders will to consider and tackle these issues, some of which will require substantial changes to their corporate governance practices.

Compensation trends reflect the market uncertainty since 9/11. In 2002, corporations forecasted increases in their 2003 non-union base salary budgets by approximately 3.4%. Approximately 4% of corporations planned salary freezes, while approximately 20% of corporations planned to decrease the size of their workforces.

More and more, organizations are adding quantifiable performance objectives to their bonus and incentive plans. As discussed earlier in this article, securities regulators are also looking at this issue. In Canada, in 2002, almost 50% of organizations planned to improve their incentive plans by adding quantifiable performance objectives.

The importance of improving the objectivity of incentive plans is high. Bonuses as a percentage of base salary ranges from 5% for non-management positions to an average of almost 15% for middle management positions and close to 50% for senior executives. Therefore, the cost to an organization of an ineffective incentive plan can be very high.

The events of the past several years have also caused increased levels of stress in the workplace. The uncertainty in the stock markets has caused pensions and savings to drop in value, causing anxiety, especially in employees close to retirement. In addition, employees are required to work harder as organizations have decreased the size of their workforces. It has been documented for several years that employees value the flexibility to telecommute, and take time off to care for children and elderly parents. These trends have highlighted the importance of benefits in addressing some of these personal and workplace stresses.

While the importance of benefits as a component of the compensation package has increased, the importance of stock options has decreased. Many organizations are revisiting their stock option plans, especially stock grants. Decisions on how to account for stock options will influence an organization's compensation policy. The debate on accounting for stock options continues and will affect its importance as a compensation tool in the long term.

Copyright, PeopleLink Consulting Inc., 2003. All rights reserved.

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Contact Us

PeopleLink Consulting Inc.

#6 - 5950 Oakdale Road
Burnaby, B.C., V5H 4R5

Telephone: 604.434.2803
Fax: 604.436.2809

E-mail: info@peoplelinkconsulting.com

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Copyright© 2003-2007, PeopleLink Consulting Inc.