Have you ever given a quick pay rise to keep someone from leaving, only to watch it snowball into resentment across your team? That knee-jerk decision might be costing you far more than you realize.
With International Women's Day approaching and the National Living Wage set to increase next month, pay fairness questions are unavoidable for small business leaders. This episode dives deep into the real-world challenges of handling counter offers and pay decisions when margins are tight and good people are getting poached.
We walk through a practical decision framework that helps you navigate these difficult moments with clarity and consistency. You'll learn how to choose the right mechanism for each situation—whether that's a retention bonus, market adjustment, or progression increase—while protecting your business from equal pay risks that affect companies of all sizes.
The legal lowdown section demystifies equal pay law in plain English, addressing common misconceptions head-on. Contrary to popular belief, equal pay applies to businesses of all sizes, not just those required to report. Jobs don't need to be identical for comparisons to be valid, and "market rate" isn't a magic defence unless you can prove it with solid evidence.
Through mini-dramas illustrating common pay scenarios gone wrong, we demonstrate how seemingly small decisions can trigger costly spirals of resentment, claims, and turnover. The episode closes with a rapid-fire Q&A addressing your most pressing questions about comparators, job evaluation, and time limits for claims.
Pay decisions are well-being decisions that directly impact both your people and performance. Which approach will cost your business less: creating a fair structure that withstands scrutiny, or constantly firefighting departures and rebuilding teams?
Download our free one-page Paym Rise Decision Flow and share it with your busiest manager today.
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