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Pay Equity: Internal and External Considerations

Decent Essays

When setting pay rates, compensation managers must take into consideration the employees' perception of fair, equitable compensation.

Pay Equity: Internal and External Considerations

KENT ROMANOFF
Associate Hay Group, Inc.

KEN BOEHM
Labor Economist Pacific Telesis

EDWARD BENSON
Vice-President, Hay Group, Inc.

EqUity (or fairness), a central theme in compensation theory and practice, arises in many different contexts. Here, for example, are some major areas: • The legal and economic issue of equal pay for similar work (comparable worth). • Pay differences caused by external competition or market pressures. • The fairness of individual wage rates for people who are doing the same job. • Individual employee views of their …show more content…

Each is discussed below.
External Equity External equity exists when an employer pays a wage rate commensurate with the wages prevailing in external labor markets~ Assessing external equity requires meas­ uring these labor markets. There is, however, no single labor market for a particular job. Supply and demand differ substantially among markets, resulting in significant variation in wages across labor markets. The following factors contribute to these wage differences among markets: • Geographic location. • Industry sector. • Union status. • Organization size. • Product competition. • Company prestige.. • Education and experience level of available work force. • Licensing or certification requirements called for by the job. Some combination of these factors determine the labor market for a particular job. Employers should carefully define the appropriate market{s) to assure accurate exter­ nal wage comparisons. Defining the market too narrowly can result in wages that are higher than necessary. If, for example, a company doing business in two locations defines its pay practice solely in terms of a metropolitan labor market, it could set wages that are unnecessarily high for its rural areas. Conversely, defining the market too broadly may cause an organization to set wages too low to attract and retain com­ petent employees.

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COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS REVIEW

Internal Equity Internal equity exists when an employer pays wages commensurate with

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