17 March 2021

3 alternatives to wage increases to retain employees

wage increase

Retaining talent is key to achieving good results in our company.. One of the options to keep the best employees is a salary increase to reward them for their good work., but this is not always possible. In the following lines you will discover some alternatives to a pay rise, which guarantee the same result.

Table of contents

What is a salary increase?

Wage increases are often expressed as a percentage of an employee's total basic salary. A pay rise generally represents a percentage increase in the money an employee receives per year.

Employers use pay rises to recognise the effort of their existing talent. For employees, it serves to to ascertain its value within the organisation, and they can use them as a reference point to negotiate a promotion with the company.

How to make a pay rise effective?

One-off salary increase

However, it is not so common, A pay rise can be a one-off payment that replaces a bonus.

Annual wage increases

Employees who receive annual pay rises generally get a percentage increase. This percentage is added to the employee's existing base salary and, as a consequence, they see their payslip increase slightly each month.

Wage increase for skills upgrading

Employers can agree to award salary increases to existing employees for university degrees and other qualifications. Types of educational loans. The employee gains additional educational qualifications or credits, and as a reward for improving their knowledge and remaining with the company, the employer increases their salary by an incremental percentage.

What options does a company have when it cannot offer a pay rise but wants to reward its employees?

It is important for employees to feel valued in their companies, especially when they do a good job. However, it is important for employees to feel valued in their companies, especially when they are doing a good job., In some cases, companies do not always have the capacity to reward them with a wage increase, So we must look for alternatives to do so.

We give you 3 ways to recognise your employees' work and provide that extra motivation that will help you retain your best staff in the company:

1. Acknowledges their work

You can choose to write a personal thank-you note detailing not only their achievements but also highlighting the way in which they were achieved. This way, you will demonstrate that you not only value their numbers but also their methods.

Another way to recognise their good work This is a change to the title of their roles. Career progression is important for workers who value self-fulfilment in their job. This name change should not be tied to a change in responsibilities, as this should indeed be tied to a change in their pay.

Lastly, grant them an extra day off as a reward for achieving a very ambitious success.

2. Give them more autonomy and control

Beyond explicit recognition of an employee's good work, companies can demonstrate trust in their workers by offering them greater autonomy and control over their work. This freedom of movement is always very well received as it allows them to manage their tasks themselves.

3. Offer them flexibility

In addition to recognition and trust, employees demand flexibility in their jobs. This flexibility can be in terms of working hours, as well as their workspace or their remuneration. In this way, employees will be able to balance their professional and personal lives, something that is increasingly in demand in society.

Remember that, besides salary or a pay rise, recognition, trust, career projection and flexibility are other key factors that employees value when it comes to staying with a company.

Edenred Spain