In a day and age with more information than ever, employees expect transparency around salary not just at the beginning of their tenure with an employer, but at every step.
So before you get caught off guard, it’s well worth thinking through the types of questions your employees might ask and how you would answer them.
Below are a few of the most common questions that employees tend to ask — read all about them now before they come up in your next one-on-one.
“How is my pay determined?”
Typically, salary is determined by factors like title, skill set, level, location and more. If that’s the case for your organization, you shouldn’t be afraid to share that with employees. Try saying something like “There is a salary range for this position, and we offer candidates the salary that most closely matches the job role, as well as their specific education and experience” and any other relevant characteristics, recommends HR Analyst Laura Handrick of FitSmallBusiness.com.
“Am I being paid fairly?”
When asked this question, you might be tempted to say “yes” right away to avoid any requests for salary adjustment, but it’s best not to say that unless you truly believe that’s the answer.
On the other hand, if you’ve looked into it and already know that they’re being paid fairly, you can say something like “I think you are making a fair salary for your background and [based on] what I’m seeing in the market,”
“Can I have a raise?”
The answer to this will all depend on the performance of the employee in question, when they ask it and the financial health of your business. If the employee is a star, the timing is right and your business has been given the green light to offer raises as appropriate, then it makes sense to sit down and have a formal conversation and about what kind of a raise (if any) is merited.
On the other hand, if the employee just isn’t performing up to snuff, you can let them know that as well (delicately). Let the employee know what they still need to work on before they earn a raise/promotion, and brainstorm discussions about how you can get there.
“Why don’t I make as much money as so-and-so?”
Savvy employees will do their research to find out how much their coworkers are making, whether by looking on Glassdoor or even asking one other. And if they perceive that there’s a discrepancy between what they earn and a similar colleague does, they may very well become upset.
If this is the case, it’s best to bring the focus back to the employee at hand and not their coworker, says Samantha Lambert, Director of Human Resources at Blue Fountain Media — “redirect the conversation to focus solely on the individual at hand.”
Say something like, “If you are unhappy with what you are earning, then we can set up a meeting to discuss your salary,” she adds. Then, you can assess individually whether or not the individual is being paid fairly, and if any salary adjustments need to be made, without a direct and like apples-to-oranges comparison amongst employees.
Salary conversations are rarely easy, but by preparing in advance for some of the most common questions employees will ask, you’ll set yourself, your organization and your employees up for success. So don’t wait — learn how to respond now.
Original Article here
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