Over the past few volatile years, the war for talent has meant that companies will often prioritize hiring at any cost. While many have increased salaries for new hires, few gave corresponding increases to current employees—giving rise to a compensation issue called pay compression. Pay compression is what happens when there is little difference between the wages earned by a tenured employee and newcomer, or between a junior- and senior-level employee working within the same job family. If left unchecked, pay compression can lead to higher turnover, lower productivity and the erosion of employee morale and organizational trust. But as we move into an economic downturn, with a greater emphasis on capital efficiency and cost reduction, many companies are encountering a difficult challenge: How can we remediate pay compression problems without an ample budget to give out pay increases? READ MORE