It’s no surprise that wage negotiations between employees and management can be tense. Both sides of the table find these meetings difficult to get through, particularly during a performance review or a change of employment. However, wage negotiations often come with the territory of management, and they must be handled tactfully.
One of the most important things managers need to know when it comes to wage negotiations is that consistency goes a long way toward fostering a positive outcome. Read on to learn ways to stay focused and consistent during wage talks.
Consistency in communication
Managers must be consistent in all forms of communication that mention wages, including job advertisements and job descriptions. Verbal communications should point back to written pay ranges only, established each year as a result of accurate wage surveys. At no time should a specific wage or benefit be promised verbally to an employee before the wage or benefit is approved in writing by senior leadership.
On the recruitment side of things, when candidates are overly focused on pay during interviews, this could be a red flag the candidate is “price shopping” with competing firms. Let it be known that there’s a pay range and that a specific offer will be in line with industry rates and the unique qualifications of each candidate. Do not publish specific wage amounts in job postings or on employee handouts.
Clear compensation policies
No matter how many employees your company needs to hire or the departments in which these employees will work, you need to have clear compensation policies in place. These policies should explain the compensation values for each position at the company and how they fit into the hierarchy of the department. The best way to create good compensation policies is by reviewing internal and external data from your industry.
Related: WEBINAR: Communicating Compensation 3-Part Series
Adopt fair pair practices
It is very important for companies to pay employees fairly. Otherwise, the culture can easily turn negative, and the company may experience higher than average turnover rates. When you pay employees fairly you’ll have a lower turnover rate and candidates knocking down your door to work for you. Paying employees fairly includes compensating men and women working in the same jobs or performing the same work tasks similarly. Be mindful of pay disparities in the market.
Use wage surveys
Companies that conduct compensation surveys do so to ensure they’re paying their employees properly. Surveys might cost a chunk of change to conduct, but the cost is just a fraction of the entire payroll. In other words, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
If your company participates in a salary survey it needs to do so using a trusted source that guarantees the data received is in-line with the company’s industry and demographics.
In conclusion, it is vital for managers to remain consistent during salary negotiations at all times. Using consistent methods and communication can help foster good will between management and employees as well as improve recruitment efforts.
Looking for reliable salary survey info? PayScale has the freshest, largest, most detailed salary dataset in the world!
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