I. The Basic Factors in Determining Pay Rates
Employee compensation includes all forms of pay going to employees and
arising from their employment. It has two main components, direct financial
payments (wages, salaries, incentives, commissions, and bonuses) and
indirect financial payments (financial benefits like employer-paid insurance
and vacations).
A. Aligning Total Rewards with Strategy — The compensation plan should
first advance the firm’s strategic aims—management should produce an
aligned reward strategy. This means creating a total pay package that
produces the employee behaviors the firm needs to support and achieve
its competitive strategy.
B. Equity and Its Impact on Pay Rates
1. Equity Theory of Motivation — Postulates that people are
strongly motivated to maintain a balance between what they
perceive as their contributions and their rewards. Equity theory
states that if a person perceives an inequity, a tension will
develop in the person’s mind, motivating the person to reduce
the tension and perceived inequity.
a. External equity refers to how a job’s pay rate in one
company compares to the job’s pay rate in other
2. Addressing Equity Issues — Managers use salary surveys
(surveys of what other employers are paying) to monitor and
maintain external equity. They use job analysis and comparisons
of each job (“job evaluation”) to maintain internal equity. They
use performance appraisal and incentive pay to maintain
individual equity. In addition, they use communications,
grievance mechanisms, and employee participation to help
ensure that employees view the pay process as procedurally fair.
C. Legal Considerations in Compensation — The Davis-Bacon Act lets the
secretary of labor set wage rates for laborers and mechanics employed
by contractors working for the federal government. The Walsh-Healey
Public Contract Act sets basic labor standards for employees working on
any government contract that amounts to more than $10,000. Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination against protected classes in
compensation.