Don't Rely On Compensation Alone To Show Employees You Care

Compensation is a tricky topic. It’s tiptoed around in interviews and whispered about among peers, but it’s a major concern in many employees’ careers. While an employee certainly cares about her salary and might directly link her value to the company to the number on her paycheck, we know it doesn’t define her worth. I’m a firm believer that while compensation matters, it’s not the only way you show employees they are valued. And if you think compensating employees competitively is enough to show what they're worth to the company, you’re missing a monumental opportunity. READ MORE

Congress should raise the federal minimum wage — the right way

AMONG THE first bills introduced in the House of Representatives after the Democrats took control in January was a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 by 2024. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and 204 other Democrats, corresponds to the “Fight for $15” slogan and the progressive movement that has been campaigning for higher state and local minimum wages around the country. As you will notice, 205 co-sponsors is well short of a majority in the 435-member chamber, and the reason for that is not resistance from pro-business Republicans but the reluctance of skeptical Democrats. They are right to raise questions. READ MORE

U.S. Wage Growth Is ‘Higher Than We Think’, Fed Researchers Say

U.S. workers are experiencing larger wage growth than you’ve been reading in the news.

That’s according to a new study by a group of researchers at the Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas and Cleveland. The researchers conclude that average hourly earnings -- or AHE ---reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics understates real wage growth by "a notable amount," according to a Feb. 26 blog post. READ MORE

The ‘motherhood penalty’ is real, and it costs women $16,000 a year in lost wages

The so-called “motherhood penalty” is alive and well in America.

Despite making gains in education and experience, mothers are still facing an uphill battle in the workplace — and a pay gap that has barely budged in 30 years. In fact, it’s costing them $16,000 a year in lost wages, according to an analysis of Census data by the nonprofit advocacy organization National Women’s Law Center in 2018. Mothers in the U.S. get paid 71 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. READ MORE