At the very least, there are two basic points for a salary increase: 1. Inflation rate – around 5% per year, meaning the purchasing power of money is shrinking year by year. At the very least, salary increases should keep up with this inflation rate. So, without saying more, an annual increment of at least 5% is necessary. 2. Basic income increment for employees – After a year of work, regardless of performance, at least the employee's tenure should be recognized. So, there should be some acknowledgment. These two are just the basics. If we add factors like performance and value contribution, the annual salary increase should be at least 10%. Every year 10% for all employees – the boss's head visibly swells. This salary increase issue is at a macro level, not something any boss can control. That's the reality. Complaining is useless and can even lead to employee dissatisfaction. Only by looking at it positively and adjusting accordingly can we move forward. Business is about give and take: The boss gives employees a raise every year – that's the give. Where is the return? The employees' return to the boss should naturally be reflected in work efficiency. But here's the problem: if the boss increases salaries at 10% per year, is the employee's work efficiency increasing at the same 10% rate? If there is a synchronized increase, then the boss isn't losing out by raising salaries. If work efficiency grows faster than 10%, the boss is actually making a profit. In that case, raising salaries is fine – there's input, but there's also output. In reality, most employees' work efficiency lags behind salary increases. Keeping pace is already good, and some even see declining efficiency year after year. Salaries go up, efficiency goes down – few bosses can tolerate that. But why doesn't work efficiency improve in tandem? Generally, there are two reasons: one is the employee's professional skills; the other is the employee's work attitude. Professional skills come from two aspects: either the employee proactively learns and improves, or the boss arranges learning opportunities and improves management mechanisms, providing support and services for each position. This is more rational. Work attitude, on the other hand, stems from the employee's perception and feelings about the boss and the company's management, including trust in the boss, recognition of competence, internal company culture, and even conflicts with the boss or management. These factors directly worsen work attitude, which is more emotional. Professional skills – how many employees have the self-discipline to actively learn and improve? The lower the position, the stronger the inertia. Given free time, they'd rather daydream, watch TV, or play games than read professional books, let alone research how to improve their own work efficiency. It mainly relies on the company to plan and arrange, and to support from the backend systems to enhance work efficiency. If the boss lacks this awareness and planning, doesn't set progress goals for each employee, and has no corresponding training plans, relying entirely on employees' self-discipline is a pipe dream. At the very least, if the boss doesn't even set requirements for employee improvement, how many employees will spontaneously improve? Work attitude is even more the boss's responsibility. Respect for employees, communication methods, maintaining credibility, improving the work environment, adding living facilities – these factors directly affect work attitude. How much have bosses considered? How much have they implemented? Are they still insisting on waiting for employees to do their jobs well before considering these? At the root, the problem lies with the boss himself. Complaining about rising salaries year after year is useless. In other words, salaries will inevitably rise each year. As a boss, you must focus your attention and actions on improving employees' professional skills and work attitudes – that is, on enhancing work efficiency – to match the salary increases. If done well, the increase in work efficiency can outpace the salary increase, and then there's nothing to fear: employees are happy, and the boss is even happier. Author: Pan Wenfu Originally a private business owner, he managed a family-owned distribution company for many years, during which he also served as business manager and trainer for several manufacturing companies. His research focuses on internal management of small and medium-sized private enterprises, with main topics including personnel management, cost control, management backend setup, and transitioning military veterans into private enterprises. 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