For technical employees who are required to remain on-call during off-duty hours, 70 percent of North American IT, technology and life science organizations provide them with supplemental compensation. Nearly all companies require their on-call technical employees to carry a mobile device, with most companies paying 100 percent of mobile device and service plan expenses, according to a recent Culpepper Pay Practices & Policies Survey.
On-Call Premiums for Hourly Technical Employees
Companies with hourly (non-exempt) technical employees typically pay overtime or an additional flat amount per week for time worked while on call.
| ||||
| Percent of All Companies | Company Size | ||
| Up to 100 | Over 100 to 1,000 | Over 1,000 | ||
| 47% | 20% | 53% | 49% |
| 40% | 60% | 40% | 38% |
| 23% | 0% | 7% | 32% |
| 12% | 0% | 0% | 19% |
| 5% | 20% | 0% | 5% |
| ||||
Companies paying overtime for time worked while on call typically pay hourly technical employees at 1.5 times the standard hourly rate. Companies that pay additional flat amounts to hourly on-call employees report paying an average of $250 per week, $23 per weekday, $45 per weekend and $50 per holiday (U.S. dollars).
-------------------------------------------------------------
Overtime pay for time worked while on call
for hourly technical employees is typically
1.5 times the standard hourly rate.
-------------------------------------------------------------
On-Call Premiums for Salaried Technical Employees
For salaried (exempt) technical employees required to remain on call during off-duty hours, the most common practice is to pay an additional weekly or daily flat amount.
| ||||
| Percent of All Companies | Company Size | ||
| Up to 100 | Over 100 to 1,000 | Over 1,000 | ||
| 42% | 50% | 47% | 37% |
| 25% | 25% | 11% | 32% |
| 8% | 8% | 11% | 7% |
| 6% | 8% | 11% | 2% |
| 6% | 0% | 11% | 5% |
| 3% | 8% | 5% | 0% |
| 15% | 8% | 11% | 20% |
| ||||
-
Companies paying additional flat amounts to salaried on-call employees report paying an average of $234 per week, $68 per weekday, $101 per weekend and $183 per holiday (in U.S. dollars).
Equipment and Service Plan Expenses for On-Call Technical Employees
Most companies require technical employees to carry a mobile device (e.g., BlackBerry, PDA, phone or beeper/pager) while on call.
Eighty-eight percent of companies provide on-call technical employees with mobile devices for use while on call and pay 100 percent of equipment-related expenses. Eighty-two percent of companies provide service plans for these mobile devices and pay 100 percent of the expense for these plans.
| |
| Percent of Companies |
| 88% |
| 6% |
| 3% |
| 3% |
| Percent of Companies |
| 82% |
| 8% |
| 7% |
| 3% |
Jennifer Berthiaume is a research associate/editor at Culpepper and Associates Inc., which conducts worldwide salary surveys and provides benchmark data for compensation and employee benefit programs. Leigh Culpepper is president and CEO of the firm.
Reposted with permission
Source: Culpepper Pay Practices & Policies Surveys, January 2008.
www.culpepper.com
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