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March 12, 2024
Fair wages ensure that people feel valued and stay on board with your company. Salary is an important factor in persuading new talent. A bonus is an interesting way to motivate and reward people for achieving goals or when they go the extra mile. It is indisputable that wages are an important strategic tool in your business operations.
As a business leader, you can establish individual KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and team objectives to support your business goals. You translate these KPIs into compensation for the employee. By linking individual KPI’s to company goals, you encourage them to pursue these goals. This is doubly advantageous: both the company benefits from it, as well as the employee who can earn more.
HR specialists agree that the wage policy should contribute to the goals of the organization. Ideally, it reflects the company culture and values. But translating business goals into wage policy is a challenge for HR and managers. How do you choose which forms of compensation to offer from the wide range of options? How do you link them to your goals, both strategically and practically? We'll break it down for you.
What does your company want to achieve? First, clearly define your company goals. Record them in a charter or mission document. Study the forms of compensation and research which benefits you want to offer in addition to the gross salary. What supports your goals the best? Is customer friendliness a priority for you? Reward call center employees with the highest satisfaction scores with a bonus. Is permanent availability distinctive for your bank branch? Then it's better not to offer extra vacation days.
The wage policy is an important instrument in your recruitment and retention policy. What kind of people are you looking for? What profiles are already part of your team? Is diversity important to you, for example? Think about how you can facilitate diverse groups in your wage policy. Depending on their age, location, or family situation, people have different priorities.
Young people are more likely to choose a boost in paying off their mortgage. Single parents appreciate an extra day off. Consultants who are often on the road expect a company car while a young city dweller may prefer an e-bike. When drafting your wage policy, consider both your current profiles and the talent you are seeking.
Sectors that feel the war for talent fiercely, such as IT or finance, make a difference by offering more flexible compensation. In this model, employees choose how to spend a part of their wages, for example on a smartphone or as a contribution to their mortgage. In some sectors, such as sales or finance, individual bonuses are common.
KPIs motivate employees and provide clarity on what is expected of them. Such a key performance indicator is a demonstrable proof that someone has delivered an important performance, often measured in a figure. A percentage of total sales for the sales team. A reach figure for marketers. A profit figure for the CEO and their directors.
Because the company's results are immediately linked to the bonus, it increases employee engagement. Software like Youbo makes it possible to also include team KPIs or company-level KPIs in the bonus calculation.
Managers and HR spend a lot of time creating these KPIs and translating them into the right wage calculation formulas. Spreadsheets are often used to link these goals and compensation. This is not ideal. Not only are spreadsheets error-prone, but using them also costs HR and managers a lot of time. Software simplifies the process: Youbo translates and automates the calculation of wages and bonuses based on KPIs. Say goodbye to complex formulas and complicated calculations.
Your wage policy is not one size fits all. The wage policy becomes more complex in a competitive market, in sectors where the war for talent rages, or in a changing market. The better your wage policy supports your business goals, the more individualized and complex your compensation becomes. With Youbo, you keep an overview.
Do you have your strategic wage policy ready? Then it's time for a communication plan. Because if nobody knows the content and goals of the wage policy, it becomes futile. Transparency about the content is essential. Open communication contributes to a sense of fairness among colleagues.
An employee statement is an interesting part of this communication plan. It is the individual view of the wage policy and periodically gives employees a unique overview of the adjustments in their situation. Youbo automatically generates these individual employee statements, based on the entered data. Employees can see the evolution and adjustments in their compensation at a glance.
The new European wage transparency directive (ESG) requires companies from 2026 to inform employees about the criteria they use to determine and increase salaries. Companies with more than fifty employees are already obliged today to prepare a wage gap report.
With Youbo, this reporting becomes child's play. Thanks to automated reports, you gain insight into wage scales and how your budgets are distributed, for example according to parameters such as gender, compa-ratio (the ratio of an individual employee's wage to the midpoint of the function), or wage spread (the salary range, or the difference between the highest and lowest salary in a certain category).
A strategic wage policy is a powerful tool for supporting business goals and valuing employees. By thoughtfully defining these goals, translating them into concrete KPIs for employees and teams, and communicating transparently about them, you develop a robust wage policy that benefits both employees and the organization. Software like Youbo helps you implement such a strategic wage policy smoothly in practice. Convenient for managers and HR: they save a lot of time. Transparent for employees: they have a clear view of their KPIs and the evolution of their compensation.
Curious? Our experts would love to tell you more.