Time for Change in Pay Plans?

You are a newly hired HR professional now working for Jeans Inc. Jeans does not have a formal wage structure or rate ranges and does not use compensable factors. Wages are basically set on prevailing wages in surrounding communities coupled with some attempt for internal equity among workers.
Jeans does not participate in formal pay surveys. Instead, the administrative assistant routinely looks over online job openings and conducts informal surveys among her friends in local organizations. Jeans has always followed a policy of paying employees about 10% above what the assistant determines are the prevailing rates. She thinks this reduces turnover and fosters employee loyalty. The practice is to pay men about 20% more than women for the same job. The assistant explains, “When we hire males, they have families, and they are stronger and can work harder for longer hours.”
Address the following questions in a 2- to 3-page essay. Support your responses with information from at least 2 reputable sources (library and/or Web-based), and provide the full citation at the end. Use APA format for your references. Share your own personal experiences, readings, and research, where applicable.
1. Select two job evaluation methods that might work well for Jeans. Compare and contrast them. Select one of the methods and justify why you recommend that it be implemented for Jeans Inc.
2. Is the policy of paying 10% more than the prevailing rates a sound one? If so, how should it be determined? If not, what do you recommend?
3. What characteristics of a sound salary structure are needed for Jeans? Why? Justify your answer.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the SLP rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria:
• Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects of the assignment? Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
• Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?
• Business Writing: Are the responses logical, well organized, and well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations?
• Effective Use of Information: Does the submission demonstrate that the student has read, understood and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality (library?) sources? Do any additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?