Original article in German from Personalwirtschaft by author Kirstin Gründel.
Access it here.
There are many challenges on the way to becoming an EQUAL-SALARY certified company. However, every company is in a position to establish, maintain and monitor mechanisms to ensure fair pay. Jannis Tsalikis is convinced of this. The HR Director at Lautsprecher Teufel has accompanied the company on the path to equal pay and says that every company can implement equal pay.
At the 8th Total Rewards Practice Forum on 14 May 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, the HR expert will show how Lautsprecher Teufel has gone down this path. We asked him a few questions in advance about the role of HR and fair remuneration.
Human Resources: Mr. Tsalikis, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge for HR in today’s world?
Jannis Tsalikis: Nowadays, HR departments stand out particularly for their ability to successfully manage change. They play an essential role as strong communicators and supporters in the development and maintenance of company-wide, cross-departmental processes. Their responsibilities extend far beyond the administration of HR processes. This evolution, however, presents significant challenges as the demands on HR departments today are extremely diverse. These range – as hinted earlier – from managing simple, repetitive operational tasks to strategic and tactical projects that can overhaul the entire organization.
Are there any other challenges?
The particular challenge also lies in the fact that the work environments where HR professionals operate are increasingly volatile and dynamic, requiring technical know-how due to digitization. Additionally, they have to deal with employees who have higher expectations from their employers and prefer to be seen and treated as individuals. This demands considerable adaptability and the ability to handle a wide range of tasks.
Sounds like a demanding path…
Overall, the described evolution is undoubtedly a significant challenge, but one that can be overcome with strong adaptability, high communication skills, and a deep understanding of the needs of employees. It’s a challenge that needs to be embraced and simultaneously offers a valuable opportunity to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of HR departments in modern organizations.
For a company like Lautsprecher Teufel – a small to medium-sized enterprise – it’s rather unusual to embark on the path towards equal pay and disclosing salaries. Why did you choose this path?
Firstly, I want to clarify that we haven’t publicly disclosed any salary data internally. We had external consultants assess us according to the guidelines of the Equal Salary Foundation and ultimately certify us. We consciously chose this path because it’s important for us to be perceived as a fair and just employer by our employees. We believe that merely praising ourselves without providing concrete evidence is insufficient. Therefore, we committed to developing and implementing an Equal Salary Management System and subjecting ourselves to this rigorous auditing process.
What’s next?
During the certification process, we learned a lot and have become an even better employer as a result. Despite our progress, we continuously work on new projects to further optimize our processes. Having equal salary as a goal at Teufel means constantly working towards it.
