How to increase retention and employee satisfaction using a salary benchmarking tool

December 13, 2023
.
4
min read

Share

Table of contents

How to increase retention and employee satisfaction using a salary benchmarking tool

One of the main challenges facing tech companies today is how to attract, and then retain the top talent. And as an industry with above-average rates of employee turnover, there’s plenty of room for improvement. 

Now more than ever before, employees want pay transparency, so they know that they’re being compensated fairly for their time and expertise. To offer this transparency, one key improvement that companies can implement within their pay policies is using a salary benchmarking tool. 

In this article, we’ll explore how a lack of pay transparency can lead to dissatisfaction and high employee turnover. Over time, these issues can create significant costs, both in financial terms, and in the time it takes to train new employees. We’ll also find out exactly how salary benchmarking can be used to build a transparent compensation strategy. A strategy that boosts employee retention and satisfaction by placing their value at the very heart of your company.

The hidden cost of employee turnover

Attracting and hiring talent is one thing, but many tech companies are discovering that retaining employees can be just as difficult. The industry average for employee turnover currently sits at 10.6%. But turnover within the tech and media industry is above average, sitting at 12.9%.   

There are many different reasons for this high employee turnover, including:

  • Stagnating compensation
  • Lack of recognition  
  • Burnout
  • Lack of flexible working practices 
  • No opportunities for progression

If employees feel they’re not being fairly compensated or that there is a gender pay gap at their company, they may decide to move to another role at a different company, with a better salary. Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index Annual Report found that 52% of Gen Z and Millennial employees are considering changing employers this year. The numbers for Gen X and Boomers thinking of moving to another job are slightly lower, at 35%. The report found that lack of fair compensation was one of the top 10 reasons given for leaving. 

When an employee leaves, recruiting their replacement also comes at a significant cost. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) lists the average cost per hire as just under €4,500. But in reality, most employers estimate that the total cost is usually more likely to be four times the salary of that particular position. This includes hard costs like advertising, but also soft costs including the time taken for screening, interviews, and decision-making.

Onboarding and training new employees also takes a significant amount of time. Generally, initial onboarding tasks are expected to take around 90 days, but it can take up to 12 months for a new employee to become a fully productive team member. For some tech companies like Google, the average tenure is just 1.3 years. That means by the time an employee is fully trained, they might already be thinking about leaving.   

Within the tech industry, competition to secure top talent is fierce, and candidates are often choosing between multiple roles. If your recruitment process is too slow, your chosen candidate may have already accepted another position elsewhere.        

The combination of high demand and increasing competition within the tech industry means that compensation is often a key factor. While the obvious choice might be to increase your salary offerings, how do you know if what you’re offering is fair? The answer is to use a salary benchmarking tool.

How to use salary benchmarking to boost retention and satisfaction 

Using a salary benchmark tool is a valuable strategy for setting competitive pay and as a result, improving employee satisfaction. Pay transparency is also, in general, a powerful way to drive equity within your company. According to a recent survey by Gartner, only 34% of employees feel that their pay is equitable. These employees may be less engaged, and more likely to look for another job elsewhere. In the Figures Gender Pay Gap and Pay Transparency Report we found that pay transparency is a key driver for pay equality.    

While employee perception of pay equity is partly based on compensation, organisational trust is also a huge driver. But a lot of the time, companies don’t always share how an employee’s pay is determined, with only 38% of employees being given this information. Communicating the way you compensate is key to building trust and employee satisfaction.

Being open, and explaining how and why you’re using a salary benchmarking tool can help build trust because employees know how you’re determining their salary, and are confident that they’re being paid fairly.   

In the current economic climate, with constantly changing and rising inflation rates it’s vital to use real-time salary benchmarking, backed up by reliable, high-quality data. A recent study found that while annual salary reviews are most popular, some companies are shifting towards more frequent reviews so they can react more quickly to changes in the market. 

Preview the Figures salary check using UK and European market data, and discover how to compare your compensation with your competitors.  

When SaaS company Duel wanted to create a more transparent payment structure, they turned to Figures for help. Thanks to our reliable market data, Duel can forecast salaries for new roles and also help inform salary reviews for existing staff. This helps boost employee satisfaction and retention, reinforcing the value that Duel places on its employees. Thanks to a fully transparent payment structure, backed up by Figures data, Duel can expand and grow sustainably.  

Using a salary checker can help:

  • Compare your compensation policy with similar companies 
  • Identify which employees could be at risk of leaving due to low salary
  • Set fair salaries for new and existing employees, based on real-time data 
  • Level up pay equity using unique indicators 

Knowing how your salaries compare to competitors within the same industry means you can either share that your wages are above average or look at increasing spending to become more competitive to attract and retain the top talent. 

Now more than ever, the foundations of success are built on transparency and trust. Join Figures now and increase employee retention and satisfaction by offering equitable, transparent pay.

Looking for more resources, tools and content?

That's why we created Figures, you don't need to be a compensation expert, we are. With our an all-in-one compensation platform updated in real-time, expert HR and People insights, we want to make your job more efficient and power more fair decisions.

Join the Compversation

Subscribe to the most read bi-monthly newsletter by the French Comp & Ben

Work email
Thank you! Our team will get back to you shortly!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Build a fair compensation strategy with our all-in-one compensation platform

Get started
Error text
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related posts

Illustration Blogpost
Compensation Review

Communicating About Off-Cycle Compensation Adjustments: A Manager’s Guide

Communicating about these changes is a task that usually falls on managers and team leaders — but most receive little to no training on how to have these conversations effectively. Read on for everything you need to know to communicate clearly about off-cycle compensation adjustments. 
Read more
Illustration Blogpost
Pay Equity

How Unconscious Bias Impacts Pay Equity (And What to Do About It)

While it may not be possible to fully stamp out unconscious bias, there are some things you can do to mitigate its impact on compensation decisions — we’ll explore some key strategies in this article. 
Read more
Illustration Blogpost
Compensation Review

How to Reward Employees When You Can’t Afford a Raise

What happens when reduced budgets and harsh market conditions mean you simply don’t have the funds to hand out pay increases? In this article, we’ll explore seven creative alternatives to help you show appreciation when a pay bump isn’t on the table. 
Read more