Work has gotten worse for many since the outbreak of the epidemic, further aggravating the issue. Due to the high incidence of employees abandoning their jobs, a smaller number of people are shouldering the workload that was formerly carried by a larger number of workers, adding to significant burnout rates. Not to mention the additional hazards posed by the pandemic itself, which include creating more hazardous work situations and adding more labor such as ensuring consumers are wearing masks.
“No one thinks when they sign up to be a cashier that that job will be deadly,” Molly Kinder, a Brookings fellow and the report’s author, told Recode, referring to the dangers that people working in front-line positions at places like grocery stores or pharmacies face if they become infected with the virus. According to Kinder, one Kroger employee she’s been interviewing isn’t sure if a raise will be enough to compensate for the increased stress.
“She’s been harping on the importance of a $15 minimum wage. “Is that additional tiny bit of money worth it when my mental health is suffering, it’s so unsafe, and I’m spending more at the pump?” she asks when she finally understands.
Inflationary pressures on salaries are projected to endure through 2022. According to a new poll of more than 5,000 employers across industries by compensation software business Payscale, 85 percent of employers are concerned that projected salary increases this year, which are already significantly greater than in recent years, will be undermined by inflation.
Fortunately for you, we’re in a once-in-a-generation historical moment where inflation is predicted to decline but labor shortages are not.
“According to David Smith, an economics professor at Pepperdine’s business school, “workers have more bargaining power, which can be a countervailing force to some of the difficulties we’re having,” such as income disparity. “In the long run, that would be beneficial.”
For the time being, those gains are required to keep up with the rising cost of commodities. However, if the price of products moderates, these long-overdue pay increases may have some real-world impact for Americans.
What employers are going to have to do about it
Employers suffer from inflation because they must spend more to keep their employees from looking for greater pay elsewhere. Employers may need to raise wages in line with inflation, provide better perks, or change how they operate in order to retain those workers.
The most basic solution is to raise salaries. In the six years that Payscale has been collecting this data, 44 percent of firms say they plan to provide average raises of 3% or more this year. Fewer than 10% are increasing pay by more than 5%, which is more in line with inflation.
“There are certain companies who simply go out there and say, ‘We have enough wealth, and we can go out and be dominant in salary as a differentiator,'” says one employer. Payscale’s chief people officer, Shelly Holt, stated. “When you look at a middle or smaller company, they might not have the luxury.”
To recruit and keep employees, these businesses will have to rely more heavily on other forms of benefits. This might entail, among other things, greater health care coverage, increased vacation time, and remote job choices. That corresponds to some of the insights gained during the Great Resignation.
“Employees want more than just a good salary. Pay is important, but employees also desire workplace flexibility and the opportunity to live better lives, which is changing how they think about perks and total rewards, according to Holt.
Companies are offering a greater choice of perks this year than they were pre-pandemic, according to Payscale. Prior to the pandemic, only 40% of the organizations polled offered remote work choices; now, 65% do. This year, the number of companies offering mental health and wellness programs increased by 7% to 65 percent. There were also modest increases in the number of businesses that provide four-day workweeks and child care subsidies.
According to Allie Kelly, chief marketing officer of recruiting platform Jobvite, the things that might help set firms apart require a shift in perspective, from treating employees like labor to treating them like people. This necessitates a constant reevaluation of offers in order to keep up with what’s vital to their employees.
“People have various perceptions and understandings of their own self-worth and what matters to them in life. Money is important, but it isn’t enough,” Kelly said, listing perks such as child care, shorter workdays, and more professional growth, as well as lower benefits and income.
While many of these perks may be less expensive than a 7.9% annual raise, they are not free. Companies must decide whether they can or should pass on those expenses to customers, which could worsen inflation, or whether they can simply swallow them as a cost of doing business. According to Erica Groshen, senior economics advisor at Cornell University’s labor school, this could entail opening for fewer hours, producing less overall, or cutting profit margins.
“Right now, and for a long time, we have historically high profit margins,” Groshen remarked. “As a result, it would not be considered a crisis in the past.”
The rising expense of human work is also hastening the transition from wage labor to automation, as has been predicted for some time. Robots, while expensive, do not demand more money and do not become ill during a pandemic.
Employers will replace people with robots to the extent that they can, according to Shivaram Rajgopal, a professor at Columbia University’s business school.
“Now you use a QR code to find the menu,” Rajgopal explained. “The next step is to simply place the order, and it will be delivered to the kitchen. We don’t require as many people to serve us.”
However, for those of us who haven’t yet been replaced by robots, the current employment scenario may work in our favor. That’s because, while inflation is expected to reduce, the demographics that are causing the labor shortage an entire generation of baby boomers retiring aren’t likely to change.
“I don’t think the power will suddenly shift back to employers,” said Kinder of the Brookings Institution. “If inflation moderates, some of these demand-and-supply difficulties moderate, and workers retain some negotiating leverage, that would be a good conclusion.”
To put it another way, your next increase may feel a lot better if you’re not spending as much for everything else, but we don’t know when high inflation will end.
This item has been updated with new inflation and wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of March 10, 2022.
How much should your pay rise in line with inflation?
In the last six years, an average of 31% of companies have given average raises of 3% or more. In 2022, 44% of companies intend to grant salary raises of more than 3%. Inflation was 7.5 percent higher in January 2022 than it was a year earlier, a 40-year high.
Are wage increases based on inflation?
According to Payscale’s 2022 Compensation Best Practices Report, 44% of employers aim to increase worker pay by more than 3%. According to Fortune, this is the greatest rate of employers granting more than 3% wage raises in six years. However, most firms aren’t offering salary raises to keep up with the 7.5 percent inflation rate that was recorded in January.
Is a 5% rise sufficient?
The amount you ask for is determined by how long you’ve been with your employer and your position. It’s always a good idea to ask for a raise of 10% to 20% over what you’re currently earning. Based on your performance, length of service with the organization, and other considerations, you may be able to ask for more. When negotiating a raise, make sure you’re prepared and confident. If your request is denied by your employer, you can always decrease your goal.
Is a 2% rise sufficient?
We normally conceive of pay hikes as a reward for outstanding performance or long-term devotion. There are, however, several different types of wage hikes.
Adjustments for Living Costs (COLA). Things get a little more expensive every year. Inflation is the term for this. We’ve all heard grandparents brag about how much they could get for a cent back in the day, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Real wages and nominal wages are two words that must be understood in this context.
Increase in the minimum wage. Using a dollar number, the amount of your pay has grown. Your nominal wage rise would be $5,000 if you were paid $50,000 last year and $55,000 this year.
Increase in real wages. Your pay has increased in terms of purchasing power rather than dollar worth. Inflation is factored into the real pay rise. So, in the above example, you may have received a 10% nominal wage rise, but with a 2% inflation rate, your real wage gain was only 8%.
Essentially, cost of living adjustments ensure that your purchasing power remains constant from year to year. If the inflation rate for 2019-20 was 2%, a 2% rise would equate to you earning the same amount of money this year as you did last year. It’s only a small increase, but it’s enough to keep your compensation in line with the cost of living.
Pay rise depending on performance. This is the most common type of raise; you perform better at work, and your company rewards you with a pay increase. Organizations have budgeted a 3.6 percent pay increase for high performers, 2.5 percent for middle performers, and 0.6 percent for low performers, according to the WorldatWork Salary Budget Survey 2019-2020, indicating a significant difference in merit-based pay increases depending on your performance level.
In addition, 76 percent of employers planned to award yearly performance bonuses (not salary increases) in 2020, averaging 11 percent of exempt employees’ total compensation and roughly 6% for non-exempt employees, according to the report.
Promotions. Everyone understands that one of the main reasons people strive for promotions is because they typically come with greater money. A promotion comes with new or more duties, whereas a performance-based pay rise incentivizes and rewards you for superior work at your present position. Promotional raises are budgeted separately by 54% of companies. The average promotional increase in 2019 was 9.3 percent.
Raising of capital. Employed to ensure that employees are paid equally for equal labor. Although we discussed equity increases in the context of women and minorities, they are also used in the following instances.
In ten years, how much should your pay increase?
Inflation has consistently been between 1% and 2% over the last ten years, while merit budget increases have been between 2% and 3%, according to the consultant.
What is a reasonable wage increase?
In normal circumstances, many employees would consider a 2.5 percent salary increase to be reasonable, if not too generous. However, given the current economic context, many employees will believe that 2.5 percent is excessive.
This is primarily due to two factors. To begin with, the current rate of inflation is 4.2 percent. This means that those on fixed incomes will be worse off next year unless they receive a wage raise that keeps pace with inflation.
As a result, a normal 2.5 percent raise will leave workers in a worse position next year. That’s before you factor in an extra year of experience on the job.
On a similar topic, it’s no news that the UK is now experiencing a labor shortage. According to the CIPD, the percentage of companies reporting difficult-to-fill openings has risen to 47%. This figure was only 38 percent three months ago when the poll was performed. Furthermore, employers’ ‘hiring intentions’ are at an all-time high, according to the CIPD’s poll, which began in 2012.
In 2022, what is the predicted pay increase?
According to Payscale’s 2022 Compensation Best Practices Report, 44% of employers aim to increase employee pay by more than 3%. (CBPR). This is the highest rate of employers providing pay hikes of more than 3% in six years.
What happens if inflation continues to rise?
Inflation raises your cost of living over time. Inflation can be harmful to the economy if it is high enough. Price increases could be a sign of a fast-growing economy. Demand for products and services is fueled by people buying more than they need to avoid tomorrow’s rising prices.
How do you ask for an inflation increase?
“The rate of inflation is increasing rapidly, and I’d like to talk to you about my existing wage and how we’re making sure that it stays equitable to compete in the current inflation rate,” Mustain suggests starting the conversation with your manager.
You might even bring up the inflation rate later in the meeting to bolster your case for more pay. Remember that your performance is the most essential argument in the conversation whenever you decide to bring it up.
Angelina Darrisaw, a career coach and founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, advises, “Focus your conversation on the value you bring since that’s ultimately what will convince your employer to give you that wage boost.”
Consider the constraints of your employment and the objectives your supervisor set for you, then describe how you fulfilled or exceeded those objectives. Assume you’re a salesperson with a monthly goal of 30 sales. Make a big deal out of it if you’ve routinely made 35.