Compensation Columnist

Cornell's Institute for Compensation Studies Director Kevin Hallock begins his monthly "Research for the Real World" column in the workspan issue published this week.

Workspan is the monthly publication of WorldatWork, the leading association for compensation professionals.

Geared to mid- and upper-level professionals in areas such as human resources, compensation and benefits, the magazine has a monthly circulation of more than 20,000.

The award-winning publication, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., circulates globally and has been reprinted in languages including Spanish and Chinese.

"Research for the Real World" will draw on insight from Hallock and the ILR institute on monetary and non-monetary rewards from work and how rewards influence individuals, companies, industries and economies.

Hallock is chair and professor in ILR's Department of Labor Economics. He is also a professor of human resource studies.

In the January issue published this week, Hallock discusses "The Disconnect Between Employer Costs and Employee Value," detailing how most workers are unaware of their true cost to employers.

More than 30 percent of worker compensation is not reflected in paychecks; it is absorbed by employers for insurance, paid days off, Medicare and other costs, Hallock said.

Hallock also writes that individual employees value various forms of compensation differently.

A company with which Hallock worked allowed its employees to choose their own mix of pay. Hallock notes that men tended to select more at-risk pay, such as stock options, than women, who tended to choose a greater share of their pay in cash.

WorldatWork Vice President of Research and Publishing Ryan Johnson, commenting on Hallock’s column, said "We are pleased to tap into Cornell University's rich pool of leading thinkers and researchers, represented here by Hallock and the Institute for Compensation Studies."

"Practitioners value the robust thinking of scholarly researchers, but don’t have the time to distill academic publications. Professor Hallock’s column cuts to the chase," Johnson said.