Help Employees Beat Inflation with an Average Yearly Raise
As a business owner, you see your cost of goods increase on a regular basis. Your employees face inflation just as you do. In consideration of your employees, help them beat inflation with an average yearly raise.
Many Small Businesses Miss the Mark
My husband has always worked for small businesses. On the other hand, I’ve always worked for corporations or instructional institutes. So it came as a shock to me to find many small businesses miss the mark when it comes to structure, especially when it comes to their payment system. As I mentioned in another post, it’s not uncommon for companies to lead aggressively with raises then somehow “forget” to give raises for years. An overabundance of raises followed by a dead zone, can be confusing for employees and can set false expectations.
Historical Inflation Rate
Before we talk about raises, let’s touch on inflation rates first. First of all, it happens pretty much every year. Since the turn of the century, we’ve had one year without inflation, and that was during the Great Recession. Excluding 2009 and this year (0.1% inflation), the rates have ranged from 1.5% to 3.4% over the past 15 years.
You see the effects of inflation when you purchase goods from your distributors and services for other businesses. In turn, many businesses (including yours) may raise prices in order to stay profitable.
Effect on Employees
Inflation typically causes prices to rise across the board as businesses attempt to keep or increase their profit margins. Employees who do not receive raises to keep up with the cost of living, find their dollars stretch less and less.
Let’s put this into perspective with real numbers. If you paid your employee $40,000 in 2010, in order to keep up with inflation, they would need to make about $43,486 in 2015. For most households, $3,500 is a nice chunk of change.
So my question to you Mr./Mrs. Business Owner. If you had to cut about $3,500 from your personal budget, where would you cut it? From your retirement? Put the deficit on a credit card? Borrow money from friends and family?
Though 5 years without a raise is extreme, these are the types of questions your employees face when you fail to account for the cost of living when it comes to wages.
Employees are one of the most valuable resources a company has. Why would you repay your employees’ hard work with financial hardship?
Average Yearly Raise
According to Tower Watson (a company that’s conducted yearly surveys on raises), the average yearly raise for employees is about 3%. When taking into consideration that inflation rates have risen as high as 3.4% percent in the last decade or so, the average yearly raise not only staves off the effects of inflation, but even allows employees to beat inflation in the long run.
Tower Watson has also seen an increase in bonuses given to employees. Please note that bonuses are in addition to raises. In fact, 80 of exempt and 87% non-exempt employees in the survey receive bonuses on top of their base wages.
Cost-of-Living Raises Aren’t Incentives
Keep in mind, helping employees keep up with inflation by offering cost of living raises, doesn’t reward them for a job well done. Really, it only allows them to continue to maintain their standard of living, rather than having to downgrade because there dollars are worth less. Think of the cost-of-living raise as a to maintain an employee’s base pay.
Bonuses, on the other hand, can be incentives. They’re rewards for a job well done, a great way to show your team excelled as a group, or even to recognize employees for going above and beyond their job expectations.
Rewarding For Your Success
The bottom line… your business should be budgeted to pay your employees at a minimum a cost-of-living raise. Even better if you budget for bonuses to reward employees and teams who deserve an extra pat on the back.
Here’s the thing… your business should progressively be doing better and better each year. At a minimum it should at least be keeping up with the cost of inflation. If your business is not and the country isn’t in some kind of recession, you might want to revisit and revise your business strategy. If nothing else, pull out your business plan and see were your company has deviated.
It’s unfortunate when a company doesn’t take time to monetarily recognize the value of an employee’s work by at least helping them fight inflation.
Great article found it interesting to read. I do agree that many businesses do not give raises or if they do it Is not much or not enough to make a difference especially if your the only one working trying to live off of 25,000 dollars a year and then taking in taxes and insurance you are left with nothing.
Thanks for stopping by, Inzhirov.
You’re right. Employees can be left with little to nothing after giving their all at work. A 3% raise on $25K is $750. I make quite a bit more than $25K a year. I can think of quite a few things I could do with an extra $750. Of course, it’d come over a period of 12 months, about $60 a month. Still, I can think of a bill or two $60 would pay. For someone who makes $25K, I imagine $750 a year or even $60 extra a month could make a significant impact. Then again, 3% barely helps an employee beat inflation. So that extra $750 isn’t really extra. It’s really just breaking even for the next year. On the other hand, having your $25K be worth 2% less over a year can have a negative impact.
To me, annual raises aren’t about an employer saying job well done. Rather, it’s about respect for your employees. It’s saying I appreciate the work you’re doing for the company and in order for you to earn the equivalent amount we agreed upon when I hired you, I need to increase your wages.
These stats. are precisely why I retired early from corporate America. With a “Free Enterprise System” in place here in the U.S., I figured I’d have a much better chance for a solid yearly raise than being an employee.
Recently, I made the transition from a traditional “brick and mortar business” to an online affiliate marketing business.
With the help of “Wealthy Affiliate University“, I’ve been getting the education required to make that transition a painless one.
“The sky is the limit”, as they say.
The free enterprise system is alive and well in America, and it’s beyond me how most people stare that gift horse in the mouth.
Have a great day, and thanks for the this post.
Thanks for stopping by, Forrest. I can see your frustration. The corporate world definitely has its disadvantages at times. It also has its advantages. One has to weigh the pros and cons and determine what’s appropriate for his/her life. When I think of employing myself, I struggle with the worries that go along with it, such as the financial uncertainty and responsibility. On the other hand, I also long for the freedom to take my own direction and know everything I think and say matters, because ultimately the final choices are up to me.
Though William Earnest Henley was likely writing about his disability, it reminds me of his poem, Invictus. I’m am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.
I wish you the best with your new affiliate marketing business.