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.
Do wages rise in line with inflation?
However, when the substantial spike in prices over much of the past year is taken into account, it still leaves many workers with pitiful raises. In fact, nearly 85% of businesses tell Payscale they are concerned about inflation, but most aren’t increasing wages to keep up.
Do businesses make wage adjustments to account for inflation?
In March, Mercer, a human resources consulting business, polled over 300 U.S. employers and discovered that 45 percent of them do not consider inflation into their wage budgets. Despite the fact that less than a quarter of respondents indicate they are making changes to their wage budgets as a result of inflation, 42% say their employees have asked them to take financial steps to aid with growing prices.
Despite this, over half of firms indicate they would perform extra wage reviews for some or all of their employees as a result of the study, indicating that some may be concerned about losing staff if they do nothing. The biggest reason for turnover among their ranks, according to 77 percent of respondents, was unhappiness with salary or an offer of greater salaries at another company.
“Organizations are wary about establishing a habit of paying primarily based on cost of living, rather than cost of labor,” Tauseef Rahman, a Mercer associate, wrote in an email regarding the latest poll data. He was alluding to how many employers make compensation decisions, determining what persons with specific job titles in specific regions are paid on average.
The disparity between what employees want and what businesses have done so far in response does not surprise him. “The danger is that firms can establish the assumption that remuneration is only based on cost of living, rather than cost of labor, which has more to do with talent availability and demand,” Rahman adds. One issue, he claims, is that businesses “may not have been transparent with candidates and workers as to how…pay was decided.”
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.
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 2.5 wage raise sufficient?
A 2.5-3 percent wage increase is typical. What is the significance of 3%? Because pay increases are mostly cost-of-living adjustments based on inflation, which is around 2.5-3 percent per year. Because costs climb every year, if you don’t get a raise every year, your purchasing power is actually dwindling. However, a 3% rise may not always be a decent raise. A 3% raise won’t solve the problem for someone who is underpaid in their position.
Is it true that I am entitled to a raise every year?
If you’ve just begun a job, wait at least six months before asking for a raise. If you’ve been with the company for a year or more, your employer is more likely to grant you a raise. If you’ve worked for the company for a long time, you can ask once a year. If your boss wants to talk about your pay at a performance review, this “rule” may change. If this is the case, prepare your talking points ahead of time to give yourself the most leverage.
How are businesses dealing with inflation?
The latter element, in particular, led to one significant adjustment for the year: a 10% reduction in employee healthcare rates in 2022, with no change in benefit levels.
“People are continually whining about the high cost of healthcare. “What our employees told us was that they wanted more money in their pockets,” Darren Burton, the company’s chief people officer, said. “The response has been overwhelming.”
KPMG isn’t the only firm concerned about and responding to growing inflation rates. According to the Consumer Price Index, the annual rate of inflation in the United States reached 6.8% in November 2021, the highest in more than three decades. Businesses areand should bethinking about how they can help, says Stephanie Naznitsky, an executive director with human resource consulting firm Robert Half. With those large hikes hitting employees in all aspects of life, employers areand should bethinking about how they can help. That urgency is amplified in today’s hot job market, where a large number of people are willing to leave their existing jobs in exchange for higher income and better benefits that can help with mounting costs.
“Rising living costs are affecting the entire workforce,” she explains. “This is something that employers should address.”
According to Naznitsky, rising inflation rates, among other problems brought on by the epidemic, have caused workers to re-evaluate their current status. “We’re currently in a candidate-driven market. There are more job opportunities than qualified applicants. Workers are aware that, as the cost of living rises, they can seek out alternative chances to improve their circumstances and balance some of the personal living expenses that have risen in recent months.”
When it comes to dealing with rising inflation rates, many companies are turning to a tried-and-true strategy: pay improvements, such as bonuses and salary hikes. According to a recent XpertHR survey, the typical percentage change for overall compensation budgets from 2021 to 2022 is 3%.
According to the Conference Board, companies are putting away an average of 3.9 percent of total payroll for salary hikes next year, the highest level since 2008. Despite the fact that these raises are bigger than in recent years, clever companies will almost certainly go even higher.
“Forward-thinking organizations who wish to overcome the labor scarcity should consider increasing their expected salary budgets by more than 3%, or look into how benefits other than pay can contribute to a great employee experience,” says Andrew Hellwege, XpertHR’s surveys editor.
According to Julie Stich, vice president of content for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, a nonpartisan organization with more than 8,200 organizations and 32,000 individuals as members, reexamining employee healthcare costs, as KPMG did, is one way employers often address rising inflation. With the latest inflation figureson top of pandemic concerns that are causing staffing issues and supply chain issues, which are projected to drive up healthcare coststhis is a hot topic this year.
“Employers should discuss whether or not to pass on anticipated healthcare expense hikes to their employees,” she says. “In this tight job market, employers may be hesitant to expand cost-sharing.”
To deal with mounting costs, an increasing number of companies are attempting to get creative with their benefit offerings. Employers may choose to invest in perks such as student debt assistance, daycare subsidies, or fertility benefitsservices that directly benefit an employee’s wallet. According to Stich, these investments frequently pay off for businesses.
“She emphasizes that “the benefits of attracting and maintaining essential individuals can quickly surpass any utilization costs.” “The significance of communication, as always, cannot be overstated. Employers must emphasize the importance of the advantages they provide to their workers.”
Employees can be more in control of moving away from expensive locations, for example, or cutting down on traveling to save on petrol or other transportation expenses, thanks to flexibility and remote work, according to Naznitsky.
“If you can assist in those areas, you may be able to save your employees from a difficult commute and commuting expenditures, or you may be able to provide discounts to help with other expenses,” she says. “Ultimately, the discussion revolves around starting salaries and sign-on bonuses, but we’ve seen employers get inventive in order to assist their employees and keep top talent.”
“Retention is critical, and if businesses don’t keep up with rising costs by altering compensation or bonus structures, they risk losing top people,” says Naznitsky. “Finding talent to add to your team is difficult in today’s industry. You don’t want to be in a scenario where employee turnover is harming morale and you have to replace talent on top of that.”