Best practices in issuing pay raises

Description

Abstract: Typically, business owners offer raises that recognize employee expertise, accomplishments and loyalty while keeping their pay scales roughly in line with those offered by other firms in their industries and geographic locations. A business might want to reward specific employees who’ve made contributions to the company, but it will also want to maintain a level of equity with other workers’ compensation — while at the same time keeping payroll costs in line. This article explains how businesses can balance these competing goals by taking such steps as standardizing the criteria they use to determine raises and setting up a raise schedule. A sidebar discusses options when an employee is unhappy with a raise.