BSHRM Salary Survey
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Why is BSHRM conducting a compensation survey?
The Birmingham Society of Human Resource Management (BSHRM) strives to benefit members
and the local community by providing them with the resources and data necessary to make
Birmingham businesses competitive on a local, regional and national scale. Compensating talent
appropriately is key in talent acquisition, retention and driving productivity. This compensation
survey will be an excellent tool to assist you and your business/company compensate talent
consistent with your culture and strategy. We conducted surveys in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2011
based on our experience and the breadth of our membership; each year our surveys become
more valuable. We plan to continue providing this tool annually for years to come.
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What is included in the BSHRM compensation survey?
Included in the finished product will be the following items:
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Survey Participants and Demographics
Survey Methodology and Definitions
Job Description Directory
Market Salary Rates and Ranges
New Hire Rates – for Production Workers, Technicians, and New College Graduates
Annual Salary Adjustments – Current and Projected
Shift Differentials
The survey report will be distributed in a PDF file format and an Excel file format. Survey
participants will also be able to access job rate data by using the Survey Management System
(SMS) located at the www.compkeeper.com website. A company code and PIN will be provided.
In addition to the 2013 BSHRM Salary Survey, SMS will also contain local, state and national
BLS pay rate data.
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Why should I participate/contribute in the BSHRM compensations survey?
We need your participation in the survey! Birmingham area employers represent a diverse set of
industries and professions. We could repackage data from a national provider, but it won’t be as
valuable as data compiled directly from our members and business community.
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What firm has been retained to collect, compile and report on the BSHRM compensation survey?
Jenss & Associates, LLC is headquartered in Huntsville, AL. They provided information to over
300 companies involved in engineering, software development, the manufacturing and process
industries, and the financial and service sectors. Edward C. Jenss is the Founder and Principal
of the firm. He has a B. S. degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Business
Administration. He is a member of WorldatWork and has earned the Certified Compensation
Professional (CCP) designation awarded by the Association. In addition to consulting and survey
assignments, Mr. Jenss conducts workshops and has taught Strategic Compensation
Management at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
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What if I don’t understand one of the questions or have technical problems when completing my
survey?
Ed Jenss, the survey contactor will provide technical support and consultation to participants on
matters relating to the surveys throughout the year in which the survey is conducted. He will also
take reasonable steps to verify the accuracy of the results by contacting you if necessary. Reach
Ed Jenss at jenss@comcast.net.
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What if I don’t see an important job represented in my company?
Titles can vary drastically for different companies even though the job descriptions are very
similar. For example, The Quality Control Inspector position represented in our survey may be
very similar to the QA Engineer position filled by your employees. Be sure to look at all of the
titles available as well as their description before drawing a conclusion. Additionally, over twenty
new job descriptions have been added to this year’s survey. Job descriptions will be added every
BSHRM Salary Survey
Frequently Asked Questions:
year based upon demand so please communicate your needs in the survey or to a member of
BSHRM.
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What happens with my data if I choose to participate/contribute?
Upon completion of the survey, you’ll email your compiled data directly to Ed Jenss at Jenss &
Associates. Jenss & Associates has entered into a binding contract with BSHRM which prohibits
him from disclosing any individual participant data to anyone other than an authorized
representative of that particular organization. Jenss & Associates aggregates the data you
provide into the final report which will represent all companies choosing to participate in the
survey.
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What’s the deadline for contributing and purchasing the survey?
The deadline to submit your data to Ed Jenss is close of business Friday, May 31st. BSHRM will
provide a purchase option to participants at the discounted rate of $250.00 at this time. Once
payment is received by BSHRM the information will be forwarded to Jenss & Associates. If
you’re eligible for the participant rate, Jenss will verify your participation and make the survey
available to you upon its completion. The estimated date of publication of the survey report is
August 15th. The option to purchase the survey will be available until a new survey is compiled.
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If I choose not to participate, can I still purchase the survey?
If you choose not to contribute your company’s data you can still purchase the survey. You will
pay the higher non-participant rate of $500.00. Once payment is received by BSHRM, your
purchase information will be forwarded to Jenss & Associates.
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What does the survey cost? How was the cost of the survey determined?
If your company decides to contribute to the success of the survey, a deeply discounted
purchase rate of $250.00 will be available to you to show our appreciation. The regular cost
(available to non-participants) of this product is $500.00, which is extremely competitive with the
quality and range of data provided for Alabama’s largest employment market. This fee covers
the cost of hiring a reputable third party to confidentially and securely process the data as well as
the administration of the purchase process.
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What industries, company sizes and areas will be represented?
We are targeting participation from companies that represent each industry, company size and
county that drives Birmingham’s economy as evidenced by information from the Census Bureau
and the Birmingham Business Alliance. We want to achieve a distribution in our sample
comparable to actual distribution of Birmingham employers.
For questions about the Survey: Reach Ed Jenss at jenss@comcast.net.
For questions about Purchasing: Reach Ed Fields at administrator@bshrm.org
Find more information at www.bshrm.org/salarysurvey
In Summary:
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The survey is completely FREE to complete.
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Complete and return your completed survey by Tuesday, April 30 to be eligible for a free iPad Mini.
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The survey will close on May 31, 2013. Please be sure to submit your survey to Jenss & Associates at
jenss@comcast.net.
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Survey results will be available for survey participants on Thursday, August 1, 2013. Results will be
released later for non-participants.
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Survey participants will receive a deep, 50% discount of $250.00 for survey results.
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Companies that do not participate in the survey will pay $500.00 for survey results.