Page 42 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

NARRATING VALUES, SHAPING VALUES, CREATING VALUE 21

What would a company look like, what would it need to offer us in order to satisfy
those things that we feel are most critical? What would a company need to look like
in order to be considered just for all, irrespective of the particular roles we play in it?
To my mind, such a company would need to consider seven concepts as part of its
underlying structure.

1. Sustenance and Security: In the wide-ranging literature devoted to sustainable
practices, there is near universal agreement on one topic: An agenda for social and
environmental justice issues cannot be adequately addressed until basic needs—food,
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clothing, shelter, security—are taken care of. A business devoted to the stewardship
of land and community must first take care of its own staff before it can hope to tend
to larger needs. Every few years, for example, our company surveys total compensa-
tion packages nationwide and pegs our own compensation program to around the
eighty-fifth percentile of what companies elsewhere are doing. The logic is simply
this. We want to ensure that everyone on staff is sufficiently compensated to afford
home ownership, to receive adequate healthcare, to be able to set aside funds for
future needs such as kids’ education, retirement, etc. By the same token, we do not
want to have a compensation program that is at the very highest end of the spectrum.
I personally feel that were I to take a job solely for its compensation package, I would
also leave that job for a better offer elsewhere. We feel monetary compensation should
not be a deterrent to working for us, but neither should it be the primary driver. For
that, we rely on other, intangible aspects of working together. An overview of our
compensation program can be seen in Table 1.2.

TABLE 1.2 MELAVER, INC. COMPENSATION PROGRAM
COMPENSATION TERMS
Base salary Approximately 85th percentile, based
on national survey
Annual bonus Up to 10% of base salary, based on
performance
401(k) Employer match up to 5% of base
salary
Pension plan 6% of base salary
Long-term incentive Percentage of company growth, based
on position
Health insurance Full coverage for staff member
Purchase of hybrid car $3,000–4,000 subsidy, based on
emissions
Carbon reduction compensation Under review
Maternity/paternity leave Under review