| Course | HA255 Human Resources for Health Care Organizations |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 8 |
| Paper type | Compensation analysis |
| Length | About 880 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Care Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HA255 Unit 8
New Hires Within Sixty-Five Cents of Six-Year Staff: A Compensation Analysis for Environmental Services Technicians at a Composite Community Hospital, Setting the Range Against Market Data, Reading Compa-Ratios and Pricing Three Options
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HA255: Human Resources for Health Care Organizations
Unit 8 Compensation Analysis
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The hospital, the incumbents, the rates and the market figures are composite and bracketed; national context comes from the cited federal source, and the analysis is illustrative rather than pay advice.
The Problem
Last spring the hospital raised the hiring rate for environmental services technicians from [$16.25] to [$17.25] an hour after a distribution center opened [four] miles away and began hiring at [$17.50]. Vacancies fell from [six] to [two]. Since then, [three] experienced technicians have resigned, and two exit interviews mentioned that new hires were paid almost the same as people who had trained them. The night differential, [$1.00] an hour, has not changed in [six] years.
The Pay Range Against the Market
Current range: minimum [$15.50], midpoint [$18.00], maximum [$20.50]. Regional market for janitors and cleaners in hospitals, from the most recent federal wage survey for the metropolitan area: 25th percentile [$16.10], median [$18.40], 75th percentile [$20.60]. The midpoint sits near the market's [40th] percentile. Nationally, janitors and building cleaners earn a median wage well below the median for all workers, and many employers compete for the same applicants with retail and warehouse jobs (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024).
Twelve Incumbents
Compa-ratio is the hourly rate divided by the range midpoint of [$18.00].
1. [0.5] years, [$17.25], 0.96
2. [0.8] years, [$17.25], 0.96
3. [1.2] years, [$17.25], 0.96
4. [2] years, [$17.40], 0.97
5. [3] years, [$17.55], 0.98
6. [4] years, [$17.70], 0.98
7. [6] years, [$17.90], 0.99
8. [7] years, [$18.05], 1.00
9. [9] years, [$18.30], 1.02
10. [11] years, [$18.60], 1.03
11. [14] years, [$19.10], 1.06
12. [18] years, [$19.60], 1.09
A technician with nine years of service earns about one dollar more than a person hired last month, which is the compression the exit interviews describe.
Reading the Table
The first seven incumbents, from new hire to six years, fall within [65] cents of each other. Only the three longest-serving staff sit clearly above the midpoint. Pay differences within a group affect how people judge fairness, and the effect of dispersion on performance depends on how interdependent the work is; in team-based work such as cleaning a hospital floor, perceived unfairness can harm cooperation (Shaw et al., 2002).
Differentials and the Regular Rate
[Five] of the twelve work nights. The [$1.00] differential is part of the regular rate used to calculate overtime, because shift differentials are not among the payments that may be excluded (29 C.F.R. § 778.207, 2024). Any change to the differential therefore raises the cost of overtime as well as straight time, and the analysis includes that effect.
Option 1: Across-the-Board Increase of [3] Percent
Cost: about [$13,500] a year in wages for the twelve, plus payroll taxes. Effect: everyone gains, but the gap between new hires and senior staff stays the same in percentage terms, so compression remains.
Option 2: Service-Based Compression Adjustment
Each technician is moved to at least [$17.25] plus [$0.25] for each full year of service, capped at [$2.50] above the hiring rate. Increases range from [$0] for the newest and longest-serving staff to [$1.20] an hour for the nine-year technician. Cost: about [$13,600] a year in wages, or about [$14,700] including payroll taxes. Effect: restores a visible step for each year of service and puts the middle of the group above the midpoint.
Option 3: Night Differential Raised to [$2.00]
Cost: about [$10,400] a year for five night staff at full time, plus the effect on overtime. Effect: helps night retention but does nothing for compression on days.
Turnover Cost, for Comparison
Replacing a technician costs the hospital about [$4,000] in recruiting, orientation and overtime while the position is open. Three resignations cost roughly [$12,000]. Pay is one of several predictors of turnover, alongside job satisfaction, the relationship with the supervisor and alternatives in the market (Griffeth et al., 2000), so pay alone will not end resignations, but it addresses the reason staff gave.
Equity Check
Before recommending, the analysis checked that option 2 does not create differences by sex, race or age among the twelve. Increases follow years of service alone, and no incumbent's position in the group changes except where service already placed them.
Recommendation
Adopt option 2 this pay period at a cost of about [$14,700] a year, and review the night differential in [six] months using night vacancy and resignation data. Option 2 costs about the same as option 1 but targets the problem that staff described.
Limits of the Analysis
The market survey groups hospital cleaners with cleaners in other industries in some areas, so the percentiles may understate what hospitals pay. Twelve incumbents is a small group, and one resignation or hire changes the compa-ratio picture. Benefits, which differ between the hospital and the warehouse, were not priced here.
What Comes Next
Communicate the new rule to every technician in writing, including how future hires will be placed, and repeat the compa-ratio review each year after the market survey is released.
References
29 C.F.R. § 778.207 (2024). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-778.207
Griffeth, R. W., Hom, P. W., & Gaertner, S. (2000). A meta-analysis of antecedents and correlates of employee turnover: Update, moderator tests, and research implications for the next millennium. Journal of Management, 26(3), 463-488. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920630002600305
Shaw, J. D., Gupta, N., & Delery, J. E. (2002). Pay dispersion and workforce performance: Moderating effects of incentives and interdependence. Strategic Management Journal, 23(6), 491-512. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.235
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Janitors and building cleaners. In Occupational outlook handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/building-and-grounds-cleaning/janitors-and-building-cleaners.htm
What the HA255 Unit 8 assignment asks for
Unit 8 usually asks students to analyze pay for a group of health care employees and recommend a change. Prompts often require comparing the pay range with market data, examining internal equity among current employees, identifying problems such as compression, pricing options and recommending one with reasons. Some instructors also ask about legal points, such as overtime rules or pay equity. Expect to name the market survey used, show compa-ratios or a similar measure, support claims with compensation and turnover studies in APA format, and treat the hospital as composite. Bracket figures that would come from the employer's own payroll so readers know they are illustrative. A short note on the limits of the market data, such as how the survey groups jobs, is also welcome.
Inside the HA255 Unit 8 example
The sample starts with the problem in the manager's terms: a higher hiring rate, three resignations and exit comments about fairness, with a margin note. The range is set against market percentiles, citing the federal occupational handbook. Twelve incumbents appear with years, rates and compa-ratios, and the highlighted sentence names the compression. A reading of the table cites research on pay dispersion. The overtime rule on shift differentials is checked, with a margin note. Three options are priced, turnover costs are compared, an equity check is run with a third note, and a section on the survey's limits, a recommendation and the next steps for telling staff close the analysis.
Reading the HA255 Unit 8 grading rubric
Compensation analysis rubrics in HA 255 tend to award points for defining the problem, using market data, analyzing internal equity, pricing options, considering legal issues, making a recommendation, using evidence and presenting clearly. Problem points depend on concrete signs such as resignations or complaints. Market points go to a named survey and percentiles. Equity points reward compa-ratios or similar measures across incumbents. Pricing points require annual costs for each option. Legal points go to overtime or equal pay checks. Recommendation points reward a choice tied to the problem. Evidence points need compensation research. Presentation points cover clear tables. Analyses that compare costs with turnover costs often earn the highest marks.
Common HA255 Unit 8 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Analyses commonly lose points by recommending a raise without showing whether it fixes the problem staff described. Another gap is market data with no source, date or geography. Some papers skip internal equity entirely, which is where compression appears. Others forget that differentials affect overtime. State the problem from the manager's view, place the range against a named survey, list incumbents with compa-ratios, price at least three options for a full year and check the legal and equity effects before choosing. Then say how the change will be explained to staff, since a fair rule poorly communicated can still feel unfair. Put the rule for placing future hires in writing too.
Get an HA255 Unit 8 example written to your instructions
Attach the Unit 8 case data, or describe a role whose pay you can compare against public wage figures, and add the instructions and rubric. Tables, compa-ratios and costed options come back in 24-48h, figures bracketed as composite, the survey source named and the overtime effect of each differential worked into every option. A first request is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HA255 Unit 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HA255 Unit 8 sample paper?
This page holds the whole HA255 Unit 8 compensation analysis for environmental services technicians at a composite community hospital, with market data, compa-ratios, three priced options and four sources. You can analyze another job group the same way.
What is a compa-ratio?
An employee's pay rate divided by the midpoint of the pay range, showing where the employee sits relative to the middle of the range.
What is pay compression?
A situation in which pay for new hires rises close to pay for experienced staff, so differences for years of service shrink.
Do shift differentials count toward overtime pay?
Yes. Shift differentials are generally part of the regular rate used to calculate overtime.
How many options should the HA255 Unit 8 analysis price?
Most instructors expect at least three, each costed over a full year, before a recommendation.