Pay for the Job

In a recent discussion with an HR Generalist, the topic of pay for administrative assistants came up.

HR Generalist -I think that Team Admins should get paid more than they do. Don't you think that they should have a higher pay level than the one they do?

Me (Compensation Analyst) -All admins are paid on the same level. Admins are assigned their work as per their managers. Job's are evaluated based on value -what level of responsibility and accountability does the job have? One position might be busier at times than another, but the work is of the same quality(value). The only way possible I see for the pay level of admins to increase is if the supply(availability) of admins was far less than the demand and therefore having to increase the pay. If an employee is unhappy with their pay, there is nothing preventing an employee from applying to other internal positions, seeking additional education and or changing careers. There is nothing preventing a manager from giving a great performance appraisal and assigning a greater merit increase(pay for performance). The manager also might have a budget for ad-hoc awards or appreciation. Managers could also utilize other tools to increase an employee's engagement such as flexible work hours, additional training, career development work assignments, etc. It's important to find out what the root problem is; the pay, total rewards, the work itself, lack or recognition and appreciation, etc. Once the root cause is known, the most appropriate course of action can be taken.