There are a number of reasons why an employee's current compensation may be higher than the market data in the Salary Wizard.

• Long tenure or proximity to promotion
• Greater job responsibilities
• Greater-than-expected performance
• Company's compensation philosophy
• Large company
• High-paying industry
• Hot jobs

Please remember that being higher than the market numbers shown does not necessarily mean the employee is "overpaid"; half of the people in a given job are paid above the median and 1-in-4 is above the 75th percentile.

Long Tenure or Proximity to Promotion
If the employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be a result of the tenure or "seniority" in the current job.

Often, incumbents that are strong performers and have been in the same position for extended periods of time will master the responsibilities along with the concepts and practices of the position. They are performing on a higher level than the typical person with the same title. As a result, they are often paid accordingly - which could be well above the levels of a typical person working in that same job.

Also, some companies expect employees to work at the next level before they can be promoted to that level. In some of these cases, salaries are increased - in part or in full - prior to an actual promotion.

Greater Job Responsibilities
If the employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, you may have chosen a job match that incorporates fewer responsibilities than the position they currently hold.

Matching the job to the most appropriate position in the HR Salary Wizard is crucial in obtaining the correct market salary data. To ensure that you are making an accurate comparison, please review the job description provided by the HR Salary Wizard and make sure that it closely reflects the actual job. You also may want to look for the job title that has slightly greater responsibilities than the one you've selected in the HR Salary Wizard - you may find that this job description more closely matches the role.

Greater-Than-Expected Performance
If the employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be a result of an excellent performance assessment(s).

Simply stated, most companies will compensate employees who are above-average performers with above-average compensation. If the employee's performance has been assessed as excellent or above established performance goals, the salary could be above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard - and they've earned it.

Company's Compensation Philosophy
If the employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be a result of your particular company's compensation philosophy.

In order to compete for top talent, some companies pay larger compensation amounts to attract and retain employees. The philosophy is to pay top quartile salary to get and keep top quartile performers. Some companies will outwardly state this, while others just do it quietly.

Large Company
If an employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be a result of the size of company.

The HR Salary Wizard data represents the typical person in a job. This data is based on incumbents from companies of all sizes. Not all salaries are closely related to the size of the employer, but sometimes it is a consideration. It is most common for the size of the company to influence the pay levels of more senior employees. If you are looking at a management or an executive position, the size of the company is one key measure to determine pay levels. Senior people in large companies, under normal circumstances, often earn more than the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard because the scope and responsibilities are greater than his/her typical peer. Middle level positions within a company are also impacted by the size of the company, but to a lesser degree than executives. Clerical and lower level positions are, as a rule, affected only slightly.

High-Paying Industry
If the employee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be a result of the type of company you work for.

The HR Salary Wizard data represents the typical person in a job. This data is based on incumbents of companies from all industries. Not all salaries are closely related to the industry of the employer, but sometimes it is a consideration. It is most common for the industry of the company to influence the pay of senior employees and those whose skills are less transferable to other industries. If you are looking at a management or an executive position, the industry is very relevant to how much they are paid. For example, executives in the manufacturing industry historically have been paid lower than executives in the financial sector. If your industry is a high paying one, you may expect pay to be higher than the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, whereas if your industry is a lower paying one, you may expect pay to be lower than the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard. Middle level positions within a company are also impacted by industry, but to a lesser degree than executives. Clerical and lower level positions are, as a rule, affected only slightly.

Hot Jobs
If an empployee's current compensation is above the salary market data in the HR Salary Wizard, it may be because the position is considered a "hot job."

In today's job market, if an employee is in a job family that is well sought after, companies are willing to place a premium on the value of scarce skill sets relating to these jobs (e.g., IT professionals). As a result, if an employee possesses certain scarce skills, an employer may be compensating them at a premium to market salary for the position to keep them from leaving for another offer.