Churches that give across the board raises are shooting themselves in the foot. Why do I say this? Here are my thoughts.

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  • No one deserves a raise just because they put in the time during the year. Raises must be earned and deserved, not entitled and a given. Raises should be given only when someone effectively does their job. Bonuses should be given only when a person goes beyond the call of duty.
  • Across the board raises promote mediocrity. It says to those who are doing poorly, “We like what you’re doing so keep it up” and its says to those doing well, “ Mediocrity is okay with us so slack off. It doesn’t matter to us whether you do well or just put in the hours- we will pay you the same as those doing poorly.”
  • Across the board raises takes the punch out of evaluations and says to everyone, “Our evaluation process is a joke so don’t take it personally.

The next time you get ready to discuss salaries tie the increase to performance and don’t reward ineffective work.