Cost-of-living crisis should drive greater pay adjustments, say the majority of employees

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Over half (53%) of employees expect the cost-of-living crisis to be a key consideration in their compensation reviews, according to research conducted by Lattice.

However, just 26 percent of employees said the cost of living was currently a consideration in their company’s compensation review process.

Managers across the UK face a difficult year ahead in navigating employee pay cycles amid rising inflation and market volatility.

 

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Annual increases

Annual increases are not going to satisfy all employees amidst the cost-of-living crisis. They also have specific increases in mind to feel valued.

Nearly 30 percent of employees said they were looking to be evaluated for compensation increases every 3-6 months; assuming good performance, 47 percent of UK employees would need a pay rise of at least 4-5 percent to feel their work was being valued adequately.

 

Bias

Employees see bias, and a lack of action to address it.

Over half (51%) of employees agree that there is bias around gender, age, race or other factors when it comes to the way companies conduct performance and compensation reviews.

Of these, 36 percent say their companies are not doing enough to address it.

Just 30 percent reported that their organization was leveraging technology to measure, and address pay equity gaps.

“A convergence of factors — including increased turnover, rising inflation, volatile markets and the current cost of living crisis — are putting increased pressure on compensation cycles,” said Dave Carhart, Vice President of Lattice Advisory Services.

“This report reveals how employee perceptions around compensation are evolving in the midst of all this upheaval – and provides important insights for leaders who will be tasked with balancing employee expectations alongside shifting business needs.”

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.

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