Employee Rights and the Importance of Fair Compensation

Reflecting on Growth and Fairness in the Games Industry There's one principle I find myself passionately and regularly advocating for: the absolute necessity of offering paid positions, especially to those at the early stages of their careers or stepping into the industry through internships. As someone who typically reserves taking a firm stance, preferring instead to navigate the multifaceted perspectives within our industry, I've come to realize the importance of vocalizing support where it matters most. The discussion around unpaid vs. paid roles is not new, yet it remains a critical point of consideration for the future of our workforce and the ethical foundation of our industry. Why is this so important, particularly in games? 1. Value Recognition: Every individual contributes their unique skill set, creativity, and time. These contributions are valuable and deserve recognition in the form of fair compensation. It's not just about monetary reward but acknowledging the worth of every team member's effort. 2. Access and Equality: Unpaid positions often limit opportunities to those who can afford to work without immediate income, inadvertently creating barriers for talented individuals from diverse backgrounds. By ensuring all roles are paid, we open doors wider, fostering a more inclusive and diverse industry. 3. Quality and Commitment: When individuals are compensated, it not only aids in their personal and professional growth but also enhances the quality of work and commitment to the project. A paid role is an investment in the quality of both the team's output and the individual's future. 4. Sustainable Growth: For the gaming industry to continue thriving, nurturing new talent is essential. Offering paid positions is a step toward sustainable growth, ensuring we have a motivated, skilled workforce ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow. 5. Preventing Exploitation: Not compensating workers, especially those in early career stages or internships, can cross into exploitation. It takes advantage of their eagerness and need for experience, setting a precedent that their work isn't worthy of pay. This not only devalues their contribution but also perpetuates a cycle of inequity that can stifle industry innovation and diversity. 6. Advocating for Change: We must encourage the practice of calling out unpaid roles and aim to rectify such opportunities through exposure. Highlighting these practices not only raises awareness but also prompts organizations to reconsider their policies. By advocating for fair compensation, we contribute to creating a more equitable and ethical industry. As we look towards the future, let's consider how we can collectively foster an environment that values and supports its workforce from the ground up. The debate around this topic is complex and multifaceted, yet at its core, it's about fairness, respect, and sustainability. #GamesIndustry #FairCompensation #CareerDevelopment #Inclusivity

My first 4 years in HR I was so poor. I didn’t make enough as a Coordinator, Specialist, or Generalist to pay all my bills. HR only covered my rent and utilities…not even my gas to get to work. So I bartended all week. I would work 8-5 in the office, then 6-close at the bar. Saturdays I would work a double at the bar and Sundays were exclusively saved for all day studying to obtain more HR certifications. When I was promoted and given an increase that set my base pay to $50k, I could finally breathe. I quit the bar (mostly because now I was salaried so I couldn’t guarantee getting off by 5pm now) and began living a little easier. Do you want to know what I bought when I got my first “big” paycheck? Groceries. I went to Walmart and got groceries I could never afford before. Groceries like strawberries, coffee creamer, and even paper towels. I remember tearing up in the checkout line because I couldn’t believe I could afford this. I no longer had to live off bar food, chicken and rice. I could afford to have breakfast every day instead of fasting until lunch. Compensation is not just a philosophy, friends. Decisions about COLA’s and inflation are not just meetings. Compensation directly determines the quality of life your employees experience. At this time, even people making $100k a year are struggling. There are employees in our organizations paying off student loans, caring for sick family members, and balancing whether or not they can get strawberries this week. So advocate your asses off. Find more data, offer cost saving solutions that allow for comp increases, and don’t give up on being the voice for your employees. May you and those in your organization never need to skip the strawberries. #HRCommunity #GlobalHR #Compensation #CompensationPlanning #COLA #Inflation #Leadership

We don’t need to offer competitive salaries—our benefits package makes up for it. 🛑 Companies love to tout their perks: unlimited PTO, wellness stipends, flexible work. And while benefits absolutely matter, they don’t replace fair, competitive pay. Here’s the reality: Employees want both; a salary that reflects their value and meaningful benefits that support their well-being. If pay is too low, no amount of free snacks, extra PTO, or or wellness credits will make up for it. 1️⃣ Pay is the Foundation—Benefits are the Enhancements Compensation and benefits work together, they’re not interchangeable. A great total rewards package should include both fair pay and valuable perks. 💡 Example: An employee might love flexibility and work-life balance, but if they’re underpaid compared to the market, they’re more likely to leave when a competitor offers better pay and decent benefits. 2️⃣ The “Trade-Off” Only Works If It’s Truly Valuable Some employees will take slightly lower salaries for exceptional benefits—but only if those benefits are meaningfully better than what competitors offer. This is especially true in mission-driven organizations, nonprofits, or startups where equity, purpose, or lifestyle perks can help offset lower base salaries. ✅ When this works: A company offering top-tier healthcare, retirement contributions, and real flexibility may justify slightly below-market pay. ❌ When this doesn’t work: Offering standard or weak benefits while underpaying employees will drive people away. 3️⃣ Employees Know Their Market Worth In today’s landscape, compensation data is more accessible than ever. If you’re paying below-market rates, employees will know, and they’ll likely explore other options unless there’s a compelling reason to stay. How to Get This Right -Pay competitively first. Benefits should enhance pay, not compensate for a weak salary structure. -Know your talent market. If competitors are offering both strong pay and benefits, you need a compelling reason for people to stay. -Ask your employees. Run engagement surveys or focus groups to understand what matters most - higher salaries, better benefits, or a mix of both. 🔑 Key Takeaway: -Great benefits enhance compensation, but they don’t replace it. Employees want fair pay, strong benefits, and a culture where they feel valued. -Companies that try to substitute perks for competitive salaries risk losing talent to organizations that get both right. 💬 What do you think - would you ever take lower pay for exceptional benefits? Let’s discuss in the comments!

Salary Negotiation... HR: "What's your salary expectation " Candidate: AED 8,000 to 10,000 a month. HR: You are the best fit for the role but I'm afraid we can't afford you. Candidate: Okay. AED7,000 would be fine. HR: How soon can you start? Meanwhile, the budget for that particular role is AED15,000. HR feels like they did a great job in salary negotiation and management will be happy they cut costs for the organization. The new employee starts and notices the pay disparity. Guess what happens? Dissatisfaction. Disengagement. Disloyalty. Two months later, the employee leaves the organization for a better job. The recruitment process starts all over again. Leading to further costs and performance gaps within the team and organization. In order to attract and retain top talent, please pay people what they are worth. This is a thought-provoking, unpopular opinion, but it's the truth. When we undervalue the people who make our organizations run, we create a disenchanted, disengaged workforce that's always on the lookout for the next best thing. If we instead invest in them, acknowledging their worth and compensating them fairly, we foster loyalty, dedication, and high performance. Let's shift our mindset. Let's view fair compensation not as a cost but as an investment in the success and growth of our organizations. Because when our people thrive, so does our business. I urge all HR professionals out there to reconsider their approach to salary negotiation. It's high time we axed this age-old practice of underpaying employees just to save a few bucks. The cost is way too high. #people #jobseekers #interviews #talent #salary #hr #humanresources #leaders #leadership #culture #business #strategy #hrstrategy #employeeexperience #hiring #linkedin #linkedinconnections

Did you know that women in biotech and pharma earn just 88 cents for every $1 their male counterparts make? I've observed a troubling trend that may be perpetuating this gap. Over the past 6 months, I've documented 23 separate LinkedIn posts from professionals (all women, 21 of whom work in HR or TA) proudly announcing they rescinded job offers because candidates attempted to negotiate their compensation packages. What's particularly concerning is how this behavior creates a feedback loop 5 female candidates recently told me they were afraid to counteroffer specifically because they had seen these posts. Some wouldn't even allow me to negotiate on their behalf—despite knowing additional compensation was available. The data suggests a problematic dynamic When men negotiate, they're often perceived as "ambitious," while women displaying the same behavior are labeled "difficult." This cultural difference starts early in how we socialize children and carries through to professional environments where it manifests as tangible financial disadvantages. As recruitment partners, we have a responsibility to recognize these patterns. Negotiation is a standard part of the American employment process—not a character flaw or sign of disloyalty. When TA professionals (especially those with SHRM credentials or who champion DEI initiatives) brag about punishing negotiation attempts, they're actively suppressing women's wages and contradicting their stated values. For hiring managers and companies How are you ensuring your compensation practices aren't inadvertently reinforcing gender pay disparities? Are your recruiters and HR teams trained to recognize these biases? For candidates, Negotiation is your right. If an offer is rescinded solely because you respectfully inquired about compensation adjustments, that's a significant red flag about company culture. What steps is your organization taking to ensure fair compensation practices across gender lines? I'd love to hear your thoughts. #BiotechEquity #FairCompensation #RecruitmentBestPractices #GenderPayGap #TalentAcquisition

"You shouldn't be discussing your salary with other employees"💲 "It's unprofessional to speak on behalf of your colleagues" 🤔 I was told that I shouldn't advocate on behalf of my colleagues and that I shouldn't discuss wages in the workplace. And, you know why? ➡ Because I found out I was making the same amount as a colleague with less experience and less education than me. ➡ Because I found out I was making, at minimum, $8,000 less than colleagues in the same role as me. ➡ Because I was ready to storm into HR and demand I be paid what I'm worth. And, what do employers want you to do when you're ready to advocate, to call out their inequity, to speak up for not only yourself, but your colleagues, too? Be quiet. I don't think it's a good idea to stay quiet, especially when it comes to your salary and getting paid what you deserve 🤝 The National Labor Relations Act from the National Labor Relations Board protects most non-government employees from retaliation for communicating about their wages 👏 So, speak up, call out B.S. when you see it, advocate for your colleagues, demand fair wages, and promote pay transparency & equity in your workplace 💼

Have you ever heard the notion that the best way to get a raise is to find a new job?  It's a sentiment that's becoming all too common — although it's not without its reasons. Recent insights from HBR reveal a troubling trend: organizations often find themselves in a bind, offering higher salaries to attract new talent, inadvertently creating a pay gap between new hires and veteran employees. If left unaddressed, this pay gap can lead to a loss of experienced, high-performing employees who feel their only path to fair compensation is through the exit door. To curb this trend, companies need to reevaluate their compensation strategies with a focus on equity and recognition of tenure and performance.  Transparent communication about pay structures, along with regular reviews to adjust for market changes, can alleviate feelings of unfairness and help to level the playing field. Offering personalized growth paths and development opportunities can complement financial incentives, reinforcing the value placed on long-term employees. So, if you've got a few employees among your ranks who have stuck around for the long haul, take a look and see if there's a pay gap between them and your newest recruits. If there is, you know what to do. #EmployeeRetention #PayTransparency #EmployeeEngagement

Dear Companies, It’s time to do away with expanded roles without added compensation. The era of celebrating "expanded roles" without adjusting pay needs to end. An expanded role is a promotion and should be recognized and rewarded as such. This practice is not just absurd; it's essentially a slap in the face. Think about going to a restaurant. You order a meal, and then halfway through, decide to add a few more dishes. It would be unthinkable to not expect your bill to increase. Yet, in the corporate world, we often add tasks, responsibilities, and even entire roles to an employee's workload without a second thought about fair compensation. This analogy applies to the workplace too—expecting employees to take on more work without fair compensation is akin to taking advantage of their labor unjustly. It's crucial to recognize the value and effort that expanded roles demand. Just as we wouldn't expect to receive more goods or services without paying for them, we shouldn't expect employees to shoulder additional responsibilities without fair compensation. Ensuring fair pay for expanded roles is not just about employee retention or motivation; it's about maintaining integrity and fairness in recognizing the contributions that propel our companies forward. #FairCompensation #CorporateIntegrity #FutureOfWork #LifeUnderInnovation 

Pay People What They’re Worth—Or Watch Them Leave: (compensation isn’t just about money) Loyalty doesn’t pay the bills. If you don’t compensate employees fairly, someone else will. Here’s why underpaying employees is a costly mistake: 1. Top Talent Walks Away → High performers won’t stick around if they feel undervalued. → Losing them costs you more in lost productivity & hiring expenses. 2. Disengagement Kills Productivity → Underpaid employees don’t go the extra mile. → They give minimum effort when they feel their work isn’t recognized. 3. Burnout Increases Turnover → Low pay often means overworking to make ends meet. → Burnout leads to quiet quitting—or real quitting. 4. Reputation Matters → Companies with poor pay practices struggle to attract top candidates. → Glassdoor reviews can make or break your hiring pipeline. 5. Fair Pay = Higher Performance → Employees who feel valued work harder and stay longer. → Higher retention leads to stronger teams and better results. 💡 The bottom line? Pay people their worth, or another company will. What do you think—have you ever left a job due to unfair pay? Let’s discuss in the comments below 👇 ♻️ Find this helpful? Repost for your network. ➕ Follow Dr Alexander Young for insights on leadership, HR, and workplace culture.

Fair Pay in HR Yesterday, in the My Network section of LinkedIn, I saw one of those notices to help a company fill its vacancy. Normally, I would have helped. But this notice was for a company, 200+ FTEs in size, hiring an HR director for $85K. I was immediately irked. I didn’t share the post or take any action to spread the word. Instead, I aired my grievance with the masses. My post resonated with most. But from the interactions that followed, public and otherwise, I learned that compensation is a murky subject. We need to pull back the curtains. For starters, pay for a position should first be valued based on the role the position has within the organization and the value of the work product the position provides to the organization. These variables usually have a market value, meaning one can measure what those variables are worth “on the market” by learning what others are paying for them. Those variables help set a baseline for the value (pay) of the position. Once that is known, the employer can recruit for talent that can deliver on the position and pay should vary from there based on the unique assets the talent brings to the job. For start-ups and non-profits, large and small employers alike, the reality is that the market will drive pay and both the employee and employer experience. For instance, if you’re an employer that consistently under pays or over works their talent, you’ll probably garner subpar work products and higher than desired turnover. If you’re just starting out and undervaluing the position, you’ll see that in the quality of the applicants who throw their hats in the ring. Just remember, you get that for which you pay. To be fair, I don’t think all jobs demand a six-figure salary. The market drives pay. A quick scan suggests that a "lead" HR job for which the position description reads like old school personnel administration is likely fairly paid in the $85K range. But, if old school personnel administration is all that you’re looking for in an HRD, you need to get caught up with the times and you’re probably using the wrong title. But that’s another post. Still, it isn't uncommon today for senior HR roles to be underpaid considering the scope and impact of the job. They’re tasked with leading the charge on optimizing your most expensive resource and influencing if not cultivating culture. I know it’s sometimes hard to know if we as employers are underpaying. Here's a simple way to assess if your senior HR professional is underpaid. Consider the leaders they collaborate with and support. Do these leaders receive significantly higher salaries? If so, it's time to re-evaluate your HR compensation strategy. Competitive pay attracts and retains top talent. HR is too important a function for employers to skimp on it.