HR case questions. Brief answers required for the below 3 questions. (see case below)

ZIP, a $60-million employee-owned business headquartered in Yellow Springs, OH, is a leader in selected technology solutions and services for data collection and analysis. By providing data integrity, ZIP is “minding the planet” and working with its customers to build an ecologically sustainable habitat. ZIP has four core values that provide focus for their goals and actions—employee ownership, innovation, community, and ecological sustainability. ZIP’s three strategic business units—Environmental, Temperature, and Life Sciences—develop applications for collections, monitoring, and assessing the physical and biochemical properties in water, bioprocessing, and a multitude of medical, aerospace and industrial settings. ZIP’s mission is to be the recognized leader in selected technology solutions and services to users performing data collections and analysis that is essential to enrich life and protect the world’s resources.

Total number of employees: 333 worldwide, including 288 in the U.S. Number of employees impacted: All U.S. employees

Background: Like many companies during this time, business conditions softened and ZIP faced economic uncertainty. As a result, a wage freeze was imposed. As several months passed employee-owners (ZIP is an ESOP company) began to get restless and worried and wondered how long the wage freeze might last. In addition, ZIP incorporated a practice of grouping many non-related positions into broadband ranges, which was very confusing and misleading to many employees.

1. 
   As the HRD what would be your strategy to address employee’s concerns about the length of the wage freeze?
   
2. 
   How would you deal with inconsistencies in wages for the employees that had their performance reviews during the wage freeze and not?
   
3. 
   Would you do anything differently if it was not an employee-owned company?