2013 Data Submission Best Practices - iMercer.com

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Use the following best practices to reduce your time spent submitting data and .... To automatically set Excel to enable macros (not recommended by Microsoft), ...
2013 Data Submission Best Practices Use the following best practices to reduce your time spent submitting data and ensure the survey results contain quality information. If you have additional questions, please contact Mercer’s Customer Service. US and Canada Phone: 800 333 3070 US e-mail: [email protected] Canada e-mail: [email protected]

Review your survey participation materials   



Make note of key dates (e.g., submission deadline, participation meetings, etc.) Review questionnaire enhancements (e.g., new and modified positions, data elements, etc.) Review definitions for each data element, as well as the survey position codes, titles, and descriptions; consider how these relate to your organization when reporting Identify internal resources from which you may need information to complete your submission (e.g., executive compensation, long-term incentive data, etc.)

Learn the art of job matching  



Match positions by responsibilities, not position titles Consider your position an acceptable match when your organization position is at least 80% comparable to the survey job description Talk to peers, participate in job matching meetings, and /or participation webcasts

Define the organization type for which you are submitting  

Refer to detailed definitions of entity types in the survey participation materials Identify each employee with the appropriate entity code for which you are submitting data

Submit all data requested 



Specific data elements are required for participation (e.g., position code, base pay, etc.) – this may vary by survey Incomplete submissions will impact our ability to report data, especially when scoping data in the final results

Complete the “Feedback” tab  

Fill in the Feedback section as you complete your submission, don’t wait until the end! Indicate any special circumstances regarding your data (e.g., if you have submitted data in a format other than what was described in the participation materials

Review your submission with a “fresh eye”   

After you have completed your data submission, take the time to review it Do not submit your data the same day complete your submission, do a second review the next day Use the checklist on the following page to help you ensure the quality of your submission

Page 2

Data submission checklist Check

Canada

Correct data collection form has been used

Excel questionnaires are specific to each survey – the title is on the first page of the spreadsheet.

FTEs have been reported correctly

Headcount of union and non-union employees working in your Canadian operations only (including contract staff, but please exclude any seasonal employees) for each entity.

Both domestic and international for US headquartered organizations and only US FTEs for organizations with headquarters outside the US.

Appropriate annual dollar volume has been provided

 Report revenue in millions.

 Report revenue in thousands.

 Report the annual dollar volume amount type most applicable to each entity for which you are providing data (some surveys allow more than one amount type; check the participation guide for details).

 Report the annual dollar volume amount type most applicable to each entity for which you are providing data (some surveys allow more than one amount type; check the participation guide for details).

 Canada headquartered organizations – include both domestic and international amounts.

 US headquartered organizations – include both domestic and international amounts.

 Headquarters outside of the Canada – report Canadian amount only.

 Headquarters outside of the US – report US amount only.

Do not submit social insurance numbers (SIN).

Do not submit social security numbers (SSN).

 Total Revenue/sales = all organizations  Total assets = financial organizations  Premiums = insurance organizations

 Operating budget = non-profit organizations

Incumbent identifiers have been provided

US

Entity codes have been  All entities have incumbents and all incumbents are linked to the correct entity. assigned and correct  Organization data should be provided for each entity (e.g., employee numbers entity data provided will differ by entity). Correct Mercer position Codes may have changed from last year, check the “Job Matching Booklet” for codes have been used the survey you are completing. Data submitted in the requested format

Example: Data is reported either hourly or annually for an incumbent – not a combination of the two. Short-term Incentive Max is provided as a percent of base salary (not percent of target).

Salaries are within the ranges provided

If not, are the salaries and/or ranges correct? If they are, include a comment in the “Feedback” tab.

Salaries provided look reasonable

Example: Is it likely that your CEO has a base salary of $20,000 or should it have been $200,000?

Dates were reported in the correct format

Dates are typically collected in the YYYY format. Occasionally this may vary for some questions. If more convenient, please report the full date (MM/DD/YYYY).

Missing data or fields that are not applicable

If any data is unavailable or not applicable, please leave that field blank instead of entering dashes, N/A, etc. Example: If an incumbent is not eligible for STI, then related STI data fields should be blank for that incumbent. Provide comments on the “Feedback” tab if necessary.

Provided relevant notes Provide comments on the “Feedback” tab for any special circumstances where on the “Feedback” tab the data you have provided is not available in the requested format.

2007 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Instructions for Microsoft Office 2007 Users for Saving Files and Protecting Macros Mercer questionnaires are prepared in Microsoft Office 2003, which is not fully compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010. In order to use the full functionality of questionnaires, macros are required. The following instructions will assist you when working in Excel 2007. You have the option of manually enabling macros each time you open a file, or changing the settings to automatically enable macros. If you are using either Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2010 you are asked to save the questionnaire in “.xls” format each time the questionnaire is saved. The .xls format is selected when saving the file as an “Excel 97 – 2003 Workbook” from the selection of file types when you choose the “file”, “save as” option. Any other format may corrupt any information contained within the file and could remove or reduce some of its functionality. If you are saving the file for the first time in the .xls format, you may see the following message. Please click on “continue” button

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2007 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Enabling Macros Manually Please remember that you will have to manually enable macros each time you open the file. On the message bar near the top of the screen please click the “Options..” button.

A pop-up window will open asking for security settings:

Select “Enable this content” and press the “OK” button. The active macros are now enabled.

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2007 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Enabling Macros through Settings To automatically set Excel to enable macros (not recommended by Microsoft), first select the “Office Button” in the top left corner then click the “Excel Options” button on the top of the new menu.

In the new menu, select “Trust Center” from the list on the left, then click the “Trust Center Settings…” button.

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2007 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions Choose “Macro Settings” from the list on the left, then “Enable all macros (not recommended; potentially dangerous code can run)” and click “OK”. When you open the file the next time, the active content should be automatically enabled. Please note that if “Disable all macros without notification” is selected, you will not be informed that all macros are disabled each time you open a file.

Please save, close and re-open the file. As long as the settings remain as described above, Excel will keep all macros enabled.

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2010 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Instructions for Microsoft Office 2010 Users for Saving Files and Protecting Macros Mercer questionnaires are prepared in Microsoft Office 2003, which is not fully compatible with Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010. In order to use the full functionality of questionnaires, macros are required. The following instructions will assist you when working in Excel 2010. You have the option of manually enabling macros each time you open a file, or changing the settings to automatically enable macros. If you are using either Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2010 you are asked to save the questionnaire in “.xls” format each time the questionnaire is saved. The .xls format is selected when saving the file as an “Excel 97 – 2003 Workbook” from the selection of file types when you choose the “file”, “save as” option. Any other format may corrupt any information contained within the file and could remove or reduce some of its functionality. If you are saving the file for the first time in the .xls format, you may see the following message. Please click on “continue” button

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2010 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Enabling Macros Manually To manually enable macros please follow the instructions provided below. On the message bar near the top of the screen please click the “Enable Content” button (highlighted in yellow in the picture below). The active macros are now enabled.

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2010 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions

Enabling Macros Automatically To set Excel to automatically enable macros (not recommended by Microsoft), first select the “File Tab” in the top left of the screen (highlighted below) then click the “Options” button to the left of the new menu.

In the new menu, select “Trust Center” (highlighted in yellow) from the list on the left, then click the “Trust Center Settings…” button.

© 2013 Mercer LLC

2010 Microsoft Office Users – Important Instructions Choose “Macro Settings” from the list on the left, then “Enable all macros (not recommended as a potentially dangerous code can run)” and finally click “OK”. When you open the file next time, the active content should be automatically enabled. Please note that if “disable all macros without notification” is selected, you will not be informed that all macros are disabled each time you open a file.

Please save, close, and re-open the file. As long as the settings remain as described above, Excel will keep all macros enabled.

© 2013 Mercer LLC