The Least Popular HR Topic You Should Care About
By Kevin Menzer, Chief Operating Officer
Published January 28, 2025
At HR Source we publish a lot of articles. It makes sense because a key tenet of our mission is to “support employers with HR expertise and resources.” We take our responsibility to provide you with meaningful information resources seriously. It’s what allows you to make safe and effective decisions.
But a recent review of our newsletter stats revealed a disturbing truth. A subject we consider vital to the success of our member organizations falls to the bottom of the list of “newsletter articles clicked on.”
Before the big reveal, let me ask some questions.
Do you believe that knowing your customers’ needs is important to your success? Do you research the prices and practices of your competitors to ensure you are competitive? Do you keep your own prices and practices in line with the market to stay competitive? Do you keep up with changes and advancements in your industry to stay competitive? Do you invest in technology to stay competitive? Do you track the costs of raw materials and other expenses to stay competitive?
I’m betting your organization does all these things, and I’m betting you regularly make decisions based on these metrics that ensure your continued success.
So, here’s the big question and big reveal: Why are you (seemingly) less interested in information, trends, and data related to employing your employees? After all, nothing you do can be delivered without your people. Keeping them productive and engaged is fundamental to your success. Yet, our articles addressing “survey” issues turn brown and dusty on the cyber-shelves of our newsletter library.
Do I hear the “we don’t have the budget for big raises” refrain swelling in the background? An understandable objection, but it’s about much more than just compensation statistics. (Although I would still argue that in today’s employment market, it’s critical to know how your compensation compares to that of your competitors – not your product or service competitors, but those you compete with to get, and keep, employees.)
It's a solidly established fact that “pay” is rarely reported as the primary factor in job choice or job satisfaction by employees. There are a couple of factors that consistently rank higher. Know what those are? Sorry, we hide that information in something we call “surveys.”
So, if you’re wondering how many annual paid holidays most organizations offer and how you compare, grab your copy of HR Source’s Policy and Practices Survey. If you’re wondering what types of healthcare plans most folks offer, check out our Healthcare Practices Survey. If you’re wondering if you’re paying more than your neighbors for employee health benefits, we can tell you that too. Is your vacation benefit competitive? It’s in an HR Source survey. Got folks clamoring for more work-from-home days? You should know what the local and national averages are for your industry. And of course, if you would benefit by knowing the range and average salary for a receptionist, a salesperson, a purchasing assistant, a program coordinator, a marketing manager, a circulation clerk, or even a human resources manager, we can tell you.
So, next time you see the word survey in one of our article titles, please don’t scroll by like it’s just another of your 15 weekly email requests for feedback on a donut you bought at the drive- through on the way to work last Thursday. It is likely something you can really use.