CAHRS Director Suggests Meeting Employees Where they are at

Korn Ferry's "Better Title, More Money?" looks at how the shift in getting a so-called “dry promotion”—a practice where people are elevated without any pay raise—may produce a reaction that’s more complicated. CAHRS Director and William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources Brad Bell sees this change as a way “to meet employees where they are at.”

Numerous studies show that employees, particularly those in the middle ranks of an organization, value training and skills development at least as much as they do compensation. “Some of the biggest drivers of engagement among employees are meaningful work, variety, autonomy, and responsibility,” says Bell. “This is a response to broader employee trends.” To be sure, for the many mid-level employees unable to move up because of an older colleague staying longer in the workforce, a bigger title and real-world experience are far more valuable than a slight boost in pay.