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The Danger of Contaminated Market Pay Data 

Using salaries expressed in $thousands, assume: (1) An organization participates in management-level surveys which produce job stats reflecting nine other participants; (2) The other nine participants pay an average salary of 125, while this organization pays 20 percent less (100) in both actual salaries and midpoints; (3) The surveys therefore compute an average salary for all ten participants of 122.5; and (4) Since the organization's strategy is to be 15 percent below market, it raises its structure by 4.125 percent (bringing its midpoints of 100 to 15 percent below 122.5). 

The problem, of course, is that the true competitive pay for this organization is 125, not the reported 122.5 which includes its own pay- and the correct structure adjustment would be 6.25 percent, more than two full percentage points higher than the 4.125 percent adjustment actually made! And a two point error on a four point adjustment is very significant. 

We assumed that our illustrative organization's salaries differed from the average of other participants by 20 percent- a variation probably experienced by well over a third of all participants in surveys covering higher-end exempt jobs. So the impact of contaminated data is extremely significant, which is why the market data UltraSurvey computes for each participant is completely free of the organization's own data.  

Competitive Jobs-oriented Pay Analyses in Seconds 

UltraSurvey delivers completely customized results for each participant, allowing a wide range of analyses to be performed immediately and with absolutely no special setup work. Keeping in mind that each survey is customized by its sponsor, and the results shown on the screen shots reflect camouflaged data, here is just one way to assess market competitiveness on survey jobs: 

1. Select the Specs tab to specify the desired labor pool (e.g. manufacturing non-unionized), data aging (e.g. to 12/31/05 at 3.5% compounded annually), special market statistic (1st percentile through 99th percentile), and desired denomination in which to display pay (e.g. annual) [Screen Shot].

2. Select the data field of interest (e.g. market salaries) in order to see your submitted value, your percentile rank, and a wide range of market stats shown in a table [Screen Shot] and in many graphs [Screen Shot].

3. In the first two columns of the 4 Fields tab, select the "us vs. them" values you want to compare (e.g. your percent rank on salaries vs. your percent rank on bonuses, or 60th percentile market salaries vs. your salaries) [Screen Shot].

4. Click the Analyze tab and select the type analysis (e.g. the percent your salaries have to be changed to match the market) to instantly see the results in a table [Screen Shot] and in many graphs [Screen Shot].

Note: click here to see an overview movie or detail movies on how results can be used.  

Strategic Pay Analyses in Seconds 

Many organizations express their pay strategy in terms of relative percentile rank- e.g. to be at the 50th percentile on actual salaries and 75th percentile on annual pay. UltraSurvey makes administering such a strategy a snap. For example, a complete assessment of an organization's current relative position on both pay elements can be done in three simple steps: 

1. In the first two columns of the 4 Fields tab, the organization would select to display its theoretical percent rank on salaries and theoretical percent rank on annual pay. Note that UltraSurvey provides both actual and theoretical percent rank. [Screen Shot]

2. From the Analyze tab, the organization would select the structure to be analyzed and the way individual job values are combined to produce overall grade averages (e.g. by a simple or weighted average). [Screen Shot]

3. UltraSurvey would display the Grades tab, and the organization would select the method, if any, used to smooth (normalize) individual grade values (e.g. simple regression). [Screen Shot]

Note: The last column of the last two screen shots is not relevant for this particular analysis. Graphs of these data are available.  

Structure Adjustment Analyses in Seconds 

Year-end salary structure adjustments are normally a several-week undertaking. With UltraSurvey, it's a matter of seconds! For example, suppose an organization wants its midpoints to match 55th percentile market salaries. Here are the steps: 

1. In the first two columns of the 4 Fields tab, the organization selects 55th percentile market salaries and its own current midpoints. [Screen Shot]

2. From the Analyze tab, the organization selects the structure to be adjusted, the type of calculation (e.g. the percent that current midpoints need to be changed to match the market), and the way individual job values will be combined to produce overall grade averages (e.g. by a simple or weighted average). [Screen Shot]

3. UltraSurvey then displays the Grades tab, and the organization selects the method used to smooth (normalize) individual grade values (e.g. simple regression). The individual grade, and overall structure, adjustments are instantly computed and presented as a table [Screen Shot] and as several graphs [Screen Shot].

Note: UltraSurvey allows internal pay values (e.g. midpoints), which were not surveyed, to be entered and used in analyses. Also, if you have a faster-than-dial-up Internet connection, please see our overview movie for an example of UltraSurvey used to compute target salaries and bonuses which conform to an organization's integrated total annual pay strategy.  

Complete a World-Class Survey in Six Weeks 

UltraSurvey is software designed to quickly and easily handle all phases of exceptionally powerful custom surveys. Here's an illustrative timetable: 

• Week #1: UltraSurvey is used to customize the data to be collected, the jobs (including descriptions) covered, and the types of results to be produced. Invitee information is entered, and the email invitation composed and sent.
• Weeks #2 to #4: After invitees download the customized version of UltraSurvey from the email, they enter, validate and upload their submissions.
• Week #5: Participant submissions are validated and uploaded to CompFacts for results generation.
• Week #6: UltraSurvey computes and downloads custom results for the sponsor and each participant.

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