Boring Report to the Board

Caroliso · May 2007

I've been giving the same dry reports to the Board for the last few years and would like to beef it up next year. For those who do this, what kinds of things do you include?

Right now I include accomplishments for the year, initiatives planned for the upcoming year, and statistics -- staffing levels by department, gender/etchnicity/etc., breakdown, length of service, degrees held, hire and term statistics, etc.

Any suggestions to spice it up/make it more meaty? Our Board is not very directive so while I asked them to let me know if there were stats they were interested in, I don't expect to hear from them

Dutch2 · May 2007

Our BoD is very involved in the operations. They are more interested in the total cost of payroll and benefits, how these compare to the previous year and what I am doing to help control them.
Don't know how you can go wrong in asking them what they want to hear from you.

dbutton111 · May 2007

Dutch is right, they'll be more concerned with the financials of the company. How does the info you're providing translate to dollars? That is what they really want to know. Show me the money!

How much did it cost the company for each new hire? Cost per termination? What is the total benefit costs? Broken down by benefit? 401(k) participation and cost to the company? What did you spend on educational assistance? Training?

Do you have or can you create any statistics showing that what you spent in the various areas had a real return on investment? (spent $25k on education but 3 employees recieved Masters degrees which led to overall better performance, more business, etc)

Things like that. They want to see where their overhead and g&a costs are going and how spending money in those areas is GOOD for the company. They don't want to know that they have to spend $500k per year on health insurance because they have to. They want to know that their investment of $500k per year in health insurance leads to healthy employees, provides a competitive recruitment and retention package, etc.

Think along those lines and I know you'll come up with some cool data to share.

Indiana Catbert · May 2007

Might want to frame your presentation arount the company's efforts to attract, develop, and retain your company's human resources. Cost control and related trends are one thing, but the people strategy of the business is another key component to focus upon. Might be good to poll your executive team individually in advance to gather their perception of key people issues and then translate that vision into your presentation.

Paul in Cannon Beach · May 2007

Interesting question. It really depends on the makeup of your board. Our board is extremely involved in our organization in various ways. They are also very appreciative of our staff and want to know what we are doing to reward and motivate our employees.

You might consider adding a personal touch to your next board meeting by telling them about an employee who has overcome certain challenges or someone that you have helped succeed.

In other words, paint a picture of the human side of the organization. For some board members, that might be the most memorable part of your presentation.

Good luck!

NaeNae55 · May 2007

You can also pretend you are a model on the Price is Right game show and exaggerate all your arm movements as you tell them about each chart. That should keep their attention....but not necessarily on the points you are trying to make.

Caroliso · May 2007

Thanks, folks, these are very helpful. Looking at the issues from these vantage points will help me figure out what to do.

AJ SPHR · June 2007

I review results of benchmark job analysis and show other competitive market data for compensation and benefits as compared to our plans (e.g. merit budget %, per capital health costs). They tend to be interested to see how we stack up as compared to market and whether we're continuing to meet our total compensation objectives.

Boring Report to the Board

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