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Compensation and Benefits Managers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.
Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $70K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $93K
Median Salary: $125K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $168K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $208K
Demand
Core Tasks
Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements.
Advise management on such matters as equal employment opportunity, sexual harassment, and discrimination.
Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan.
Administer, direct, and review employee benefit programs, including the integration of benefit programs following mergers and acquisitions.
Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Negotiate bargaining agreements.
Formulate policies, procedures and programs for recruitment, testing, placement, classification, orientation, benefits and compensation, and labor and industrial relations.
Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.
Manage the design and development of tools to assist employees in benefits selection, and to guide managers through compensation decisions.
Prepare detailed job descriptions and classification systems and define job levels and families, in partnership with other managers.
Study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining contracts to assess industry trends.
Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues.
Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination.
Investigate and report on industrial accidents for insurance carriers.
Prepare personnel forecasts to project employment needs.
Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems, and develop recommendations for improvement of organization's personnel policies and practices.
Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-related data, such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals, and absenteeism rates.
Plan and conduct new-employee orientations to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives.
Mediate between benefits providers and employees, such as by assisting in handling employees' benefits-related questions or taking suggestions.
Prepare budgets for personnel operations.
Develop methods to improve employment policies, processes, and practices, and recommend changes to management.
Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
Contract with vendors to provide employee services, such as food services, transportation, or relocation service.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Personnel and Human Resources
89%
Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administration and Management
82%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
English Language
73%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service
71%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mathematics
71%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Law and Government
69%
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Economics and Accounting
67%
Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
Computers and Electronics
59%
Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Psychology
51%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Communications and Media
50%
Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
80%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension
80%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking
80%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
78%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
78%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Active Learning
75%
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Writing
75%
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Management of Personnel Resources
73%
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Time Management
73%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Monitoring
70%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Comprehension
80%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension
80%
The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Written Expression
80%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech Clarity
75%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
75%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Problem Sensitivity
73%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning
68%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Inductive Reasoning
65%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Near Vision
63%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Top 10 Work Activities
Getting Information
91%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
90%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
88%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
87%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
87%
Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Analyzing Data or Information
86%
Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
85%
Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Interacting With Computers
81%
Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Processing Information
80%
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Provide Consultation and Advice to Others
79%
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
Detailed Work Activities
Evaluate program effectiveness.
Administer compensation or benefits programs.
Monitor external affairs or events affecting business operations.
Analyze data to inform personnel decisions.
Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.
Prepare reports related to compliance matters.
Maintain regulatory or compliance documentation.
Develop organizational policies or programs.
Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.
Manage human resources activities.
Document organizational or operational procedures.
Maintain knowledge of current developments in area of expertise.
Supervise employees.
Prepare operational budgets.
Liaise between departments or other groups to improve function or communication.
Recommend organizational process or policy changes.
Advise others on legal or regulatory compliance matters.
Negotiate labor disputes.
Interview employees, customers, or others to collect information.
Investigate industrial or transportation accidents.
Estimate labor requirements.
Compile operational data.
Maintain personnel records.
Conduct employee training programs.
Represent the organization in external relations.
Negotiate sales or lease agreements for products or services.
Work Context
Electronic Mail
How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Spend Time Sitting
How much does this job require sitting?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Structured versus Unstructured Work
To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Education
Majors
Major
Interests
Enterprising
100%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Conventional
77%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Social
67%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic
24%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Investigative
19%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Realistic
15%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Top 10 Work Styles
Integrity
98%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail
95%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Analytical Thinking
92%
Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Dependability
88%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Initiative
83%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Self Control
83%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance
80%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Cooperation
79%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Leadership
79%
Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Achievement/Effort
78%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Work Values
Relationships
86%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Independence
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Support
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Working Conditions
81%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement
77%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
72%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
