Frequently Asked Questions
Why should my company participate in the Wage & Benefits Survey?
Participating in the Wage & Benefits Survey is the only way to gain access to the survey data, an invaluable source of intelligence and insight that can help you ensure your business is competitive in your marketplace. In many ways, the Wage & Benefits Survey data can be your “secret weapon” in hiring and retaining the workforce you need.
To make this data particularly useful, it is:
- Specific to the Graphic Communications industry
- Continuously updated
- Available by region (California, Northwest states, Southwest states)
- Downloadable in Excel or csv format, to enable you to manipulate the data to suit your specific needs
How much time will it take to fill out the survey?
This depends entirely on the size of your company. We estimate this will range from 20 minutes to an hour or so, assuming you have ready access to your current data.
This is a small investment in time that will reap a huge reward in terms of the value of the data you will be able to access!
Who is eligible to participate in the Wage & Benefits Survey?
The survey is open to all PIA members in good standing that are not suppliers or vendors.
Who is eligible to receive the survey data?
The data is available for free to all PIA members in good standing who properly complete the survey.
Can I buy the data without participating in the survey?
No. There is no option to purchase the data.
Do I need to register an account in order to participate in the survey?
Yes. You must register at www.wbsurvey.org. Both the survey itself and the survey data are available on this site.
How do I register if my company has multiple locations or divisions?
Register your corporate account, with your corporate business address. Once you have created an account you’ll be able to add “divisions.” You can then enter each location or division as a “division.” Only enter data for the locations or divisions that are in the graphic communications field.
Do I have to answer all of the questions?
We encourage all participants to answer all questions that are relevant to their business, as this will provide more accurate and relevant reporting for everyone. That said, in order to receive access to the survey data, you must meet minimum data entry thresholds based on your company size.
When completing the survey, what time period should I be looking at?
Data entry represents a snapshot in time as of the data entry date. What are your wages and policies today?
What positions/departments are covered by the survey?
Data is collected for the following:
- Management
- Department Managers
- Office/Administration
- Information Technology
- Prepress
- Digital Printing
- Press Operations (Sheetfed)
- Press Operations (Heatset Web-Full)
- Press Operations (Non-Heatset Web)
- Narrow Web Presses, Collators
- Finishing/Converting
- Flexo
- Bindery
- Mailing & Fulfillment
- Shipping/Warehouse/Maintenance
- Ancillary Positions
How and when will I get access to the survey reports?
After the initial release of data in November 2024, reporting will be live 24/7. At this point you will have continuous access to the downloadable data, which will be continuously updated as more companies participate and/or update their data.
How often do I need to update our company’s data?
All participants will need to take the survey once a year, during the annual survey period. After that, you have the ability to update your own data at any point in time.
Is the data presented by region?
Yes, in addition to the overall data set, there is also one data set for California, one for the Southwest (Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah) and one for the Northwest (Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming).
What type of data is available?
- Wages by job title
- Shift differentials
- Overtime policies
- Incentives based on productivity, sales or other metrics
- Holiday, PTO and bereavement pay policies
- Medical insurance details, including plans, deductibles and cost sharing
- Pension or profit sharing plans, including 401(Ks)
- Absence data
- Employee turnover data
Can other participants see our company’s answers to the survey questions?
No. The data is all aggregated and anonymous. The participants are not publicly listed, and the publicly-available data is not linked to your company name.
How will the privacy of our data be safeguarded?
The survey data will all be hosted on WP Engine, a highly trusted WordPress platform. They manage security patching on the server side, and are constantly scanning for plugin vulnerabilities. The site itself has auto-renewed SSL certificates, to ensure the site traffic is always secure. Plus, by default, all data is encrypted whether it is at rest or in transit.
In addition, logging in to the www.wbsurvey.org website requires two-factor authentication. In order to complete the login process, users must enter the authentication code that will be sent to the cell phone number listed in their profile.