One of the many nightmares of an HR is when an employee is unhappy with his appraisal and asks for clarification of salary differences between him and his colleagues. This kind of clash is often seen when there are 2 people with same roles but getting paid differently.
At such point, the HR needs to justify this difference in a way that they do not end up losing the employee. Transparency in appraisals and salary structure builds trust among the employees and HR and if the employee feels that his query is not been handled well, he may end up losing confidence in the company and may apply for job elsewhere.
There are 3 reasons which may contribute to the difference:
- Qualification:
Qualification and educational experience sets one apart from the other. Skills and training learned and certified courses earned have a higher value against those who do not have such qualifications. When there is a tough competition for any promotion, qualification is one of the criteria that the management looks into.
- Work experience:
Another factor which justifies the salary is the domain specific work experience. Your expertise in the specific domain does weigh heavily on your salary. One may see higher salary being offered to someone with more experience in specific field without any degree compared to someone with no experience but with a reputed qualification. This is where the HR’s job to explain the difference would be tough but the HR needs to explain the value of the expertise of the colleague and why has it taken a precedence over a reputed qualification.
- Courses (if any):
This can be add-on for any candidate being interviewed. Opting for a course of developing a skill required in the job role may lead to higher pay. There are multiple companies that work in niche fields and hence require work skills of that particular domain. Companies like Salesforce, SAP, even provide certifications to hire better skilled force. Hence, a lot of times, skilled and certified candidates earn better than their counterparts.
- Soft skills-
We may acknowledge is directly or no but soft skills do have a way to influence others and help in forming a perception about the particular employee. Showing leadership qualities, being calm in a high pressure situation, out of box thinking, these are qualities that cannot be taught in books or obtained through practical. These soft skill qualities have a tremendous effect on the way superiors and juniors look up to a person and that definitely has an impact on promotion decisions.
Conclusion:
However, a transparent approach needs to be maintained so that problems like this do not surface often. The HR can also take this opportunity and help groom their workforce, motivating them to enroll in certified courses or get a degree or a new skill. At the same time, if the employee shows a considerable improvement in his skills and knowledge, such improvement should also not go unrewarded lest, they be unsatisfied and end up leaving the company.
Latest posts by Ritik Singh (see all)
- 3 Ways HR Can Justify Salary Differences To Employees - January 2, 2019
