Managing compensation costs, headcount, and participation/communication issues

Cisco systems, Hewlett-Packard, American Airlines, and General Motors are examples of companies that have cut employment or cut wages and/or benefits to reduce labor costs in hope of becoming more competitive and more profitable. Indeed, American and GM went through bankruptcy in part to gain control over labor costs. In contrast, some companies- Southwest Airlines, Nucor, and Lincoln Electric- have a no-layoff practice and do not appear to have cut wages or benefits even in years when sales have declined significantly (They have also not gone through bankruptcy).

If you were in charge of designing a compensation system for a company that is fairly new but is now reaching a stage and size where it needs a formal compensation system, how would you design the compensation system to have labor cost flexibility?