Spotlight on Employee Pay
Recent changes in our framework for compensation, implemented in phases, are driven by our commitment to you. They’re also driven by the tremendous growth of Cook Children’s Health Care System. In just eight years, we’ve expanded from a 3,000-member workforce to almost 11,000 employees.
“We are committed to further developing our approach to compensation so that our salaries remain competitive. Pro-active, consistent and fair pay practices will attract and retain top talent to our workforce,” said Rick W. Merrill, President and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System. “We value our employees, and we’re listening to your feedback from across the system to help create a compensation model that reflects our investment in your career.”
The Compensation team in Human Resources wants all employees and leaders to understand the why and how behind pay decisions at Cook Children’s. They’re working to earn your trust.
“We’re connecting the dots between performance and rewards, engaging our leaders, taking a strategic approach, utilizing data to help leaders make informed decisions and leveraging technology to develop solutions,” said Anniese Lemond, AVP for Compensation.
Milestones on this journey include:
- Pay level set and adjustments for non-nursing staff across the entire system, a $13 million investment to identify and correct pay differences
- Revision of nursing pay structure and execution of nursing pay adjustments based on time since licensure
- Creation of the Compensation Advisory Council, made up of leaders from across the system who share insights and review compensation initiatives
- Updated pay ranges, enabling more than 40% of our staff to receive base pay increases
- Development of a job architecture framework and new versions of more than half of job descriptions
- Training for leaders
- Merit increases for eligible employees based on performance
And more changes are on the horizon. Our current years-of-experience pay philosophy is shifting to a model that will take performance and other relevant factors into consideration. Also, we’re planning a market review this summer. By gauging the pay rates in our market, we can make any adjustments for appropriate and competitive salaries.
Anniese described the transition as a reset and fresh start.
“It’s a process that will take time and collaboration to ensure accuracy and sustainability,” she said. “We’re building our compensation structure step by step, and our foundation is the Cook Children’s core value of respect. It’s the right thing to do for our employees.”