If you’re a business owner who manages a VA or a team of VAs, salary increase is one of the things you should be looking out for. Salary increase in a nutshell is increasing your VA’s pay depending on their performance, tenure, etc.
Within this article we will be talking about the different factors involving a virtual assistant’s pay raise. Do you just increase them based on your mood? Do you have to follow certain processes? Should you do it every quarter?
Let’s find out.
Reasons for increasing your VA’s pay
Morale booster
From an employee’s standpoint, getting a pay increase is a morale booster. This will make them feel that they are being valued within your organisation. This would also make them feel that they are doing good with their role.
Lastly, an employee who has high morale is less likely to leave you. Think of it as an employee retention strategy.
VA’s performance
One reason to give an increase can also be your VA’s performance. If your VA has been performing well, and is going the extra mile in contributing to your business, then it’s only fair to give them a pay raise.
This is especially noticeable if you have a team of VAs with the same roles. You will clearly see who rises to the occasion. With that, it will be easier for you to decide who you will give the pay raise to.
Performance increase
This last bit is pretty connected with the first one, Morale Booster. It goes without saying that an employee with boosted morale typically performs better than those who are nonchalant.
With this, you’ll be guaranteed that a VA’s performance increase is definitely good for your business. You will see increased productivity and more efficient working. In the end it is a win-win situation for both you and your VA.
Factors in Giving Salary Increase
Company Finances
The first thing you have to consider when talking about giving an increase is your business’s profit. Can your business finances sustain and still be functional despite giving an increase? Would you have financial challenges if you give an increase now? Or, do you have the financial bandwidth to give a pay raise?
Ask yourself these questions first before making a decision. At the end of the day, you are running a business, hence you have to greatly consider your financial capability.
Tenure
Next factor you should consider is the VA’s tenure. Tenure talks about your VA’s length of stay with your organisation. Have they been with you for 6 months? A year? Two years?
It’s also important to factor this in as of course you may want to give a raise to someone who has been with you for a long time, rather than someone fairly new. From the VA’s perspective, they could translate this as giving importance to their loyalty.
VA’s Performance
Another factor to consider is your VA’s performance. Your VA’s performance should be measured by KPIs you have in place. You have to remember that you have to set SMART goals in order to fairly gauge your VA’s numbers.
Now the performance could be measured in a matter of 6 months or a year. But generally speaking, the decision still depends on you. Some employers give out a pay raise quarterly.
VA’s Contributions
Apart from the VA’s performance, you should also consider the VA’s contributions. Do they have initiatives? Do they only do what they’re expected to do? Do they have projects that helped your business significantly?
When we say contributions, we mean things that they have done for your business that are out of what is expected from them. If they have lots of contributions that have been useful within your business, then it’s only right to give a pay raise.
When to Give the Increase
Regarding the question of when, that would depend on you and how you’ve set up your process. However, as an advice, it would be smart to give a pay raise once your VA turned one year within your organisation. This way, you would have already tested their loyalty within the past year.
There are some managers though who give a pay raise once their VA reaches their 6th month. Again, this part of the process solely depends on you. The only thing that you have to take note of is to be consistent with your process with all of your VAs.
How Much Increase?
The smart rate of increase you should give your VA would be between 3% to 5%. The range is so you have somewhere to play with when deciding on your VA’s pay raise, dependent on their performance.
One thing to note when providing an increase is that you have to be financially secured. You have to make sure that if you give your VA a 3% to 5% increase, your business finances won’t be challenged.
Lastly, you also have to consider the pay scheme that your VA is on, whether they are being paid by the hour or they have a monthly fixed pay. If your VA is hourly paid, then the percentage of increase will be applied to their hourly rate. Conversely, if they are fixedly paid every month, then the percentage of increase will be applied to their monthly rate.
VA Management Top Tips | VA Pay Raise Edition
If you’re still having challenges on how to manage a VA who’s asking for a pay raise, Global VA Solutions is here to provide you with the guidance and tips on how you can successfully do it.
In relation to the above points, here are some Dos and Don’ts when managing your VA’s pay raise.
When your VA asks for a pay raise, you should:
Dos:
Thank your VA for taking up the courage; it’s never easy to have the courage to ask for a pay raise.
Ask them for their contributions within the organisation; and when you do, do not sound interrogative. Remember, you’re asking so you would know the factors you need to consider before making a decision.
You also have to remain and sound neutral whilst speaking with your VA. Do not sound negative, or do not sound as if you’ve already made a decision.
When the VA is letting you know their contributions, make sure that you let them know to separate their personal affairs from work. Example: They’re asking for a raise because they have six children to feed. Versus, they are asking for an increase because they know they’ve done a lot with your business.
Before giving your decision, make sure to state facts as to why you came up with what your decision is.
In the event that your VA did not get the pay increase, provide them with feedback on how they would be able to do better in the future. This way, they have a guide on what to do next time.
Make sure that your pay raise talk will only be between the two of you and not during a team meeting.
You also have to plan ahead, and schedule your meeting accordingly.
Lastly, it is also highly suggested to keep track of your VA’s performance so you have something to show them once you conduct your one on one session.
Don’ts:
Do not say yes right away.
Do not be dismissive. Listen to what your VA will say first. Have a conversation.
Do not give out negative commentary about their request. It takes a lot of courage to bring this topic up, hence you should respect them for it.
Do not compare your VA and their performance with their teammate or another VA.
Do not give a pay raise without setting proper expectations on how you want their performance to be in the future.
Lastly, do not make promises. This will give false hopes, and can greatly affect your VA’s morale if they do not get what you promised them.
Here Are Some Additional Resources
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