Incentive Pay

Raises hold steady, but not for top performers

10/01/2015

After pulling back the reins on pay raises during the recession, employers have returned to handing out steady, but not spectacular, salary increases. But the one-raise-fits-all approach is dying off as more employers embrace pay for performance.

Those who need wellness most respond to incentives

04/10/2015

Financial incentives are a crucial factor in bringing unhealthy workers into workplace wellness programs, according to a new analysis by the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Prepare to pay more to retain tech talent

02/18/2015

The price for top high-tech talent is rising, and employers that want to hold onto the best IT staff had better be ready to pay up. Technology pay in the U.S. saw a second straight year of hikes in 2014, with average earnings of $89,450, up 2% from 2013.

Performance drives pay in 72% of workplaces

02/12/2015

Pay-for-performance continues to define U.S. employers’ compensation strategies. According to a new study by the WorldatWork nonprofit, 72% of 600 organizations surveyed report that they directly tie pay raises to job performance—and 67% say their best employees earn increases that are 1.5 times higher than those of average workers.

Can we ask our employees to keep mum about their bonuses?

12/19/2014

Q. Our company is handing out bonuses only to those who deserve it. Can we ask them—not demand them—to keep it quiet as we hand them their checks?

Trucking firm adds bonuses, ups pay to help recruitment

10/10/2014

It’s not easy recruiting long-distance truck drivers, so Con-way Truckload is piling on the pay. Its new compensation package raises per-mile pay; increases layover pay; and offers bonuses for loyalty and helping the company achieve its productivity goals.

Employers budget for 3.1% pay raises in 2015

08/18/2014

U.S. workers can expect pay raises averaging 3.1% in 2015, according to the 41st annual WorldatWork Salary Budget Survey. The nonprofit organization found that U.S. employers’ budgets for pay increases have risen slightly from 2.9% in 2013.

Parkland execs’ bonuses go to low-wage staff

07/31/2014

Dallas-based Parkland Health and Hospital System cut its executives bonuses this year, but not because the head honchos performed poorly. The system’s governing body decided the money was better spent raising the pay of the system’s lowest-earning employees instead.

Bonuses are back, more popular than ever

07/07/2014

A downward trend for bonuses that began with the 2009 recession has been reversed. Part of the reason: Employers may be substituting bonuses for traditional merit raises.

Pay tops job security as #1 reason for job satisfaction

06/13/2014

For the first time since the pre-recession year of 2007, U.S. employees say compensation is now their No. 1 contributor to their job satisfaction, according to an annual Society for Human Resource Management survey.