Fueled by a confluence of factors (most notably rising inflation and changing employee expectations), HR leaders are turning to larger-than-usual salary increases in 2023, as indicated in REDW’s most recent Annual Tribal Compensation Survey. The average salary increase will fall between four and five percent. Further, eleven percent of Tribally-owned organizations said they’ll increase base pay by more than five percent. Now is the time to learn how your organization stacks up against the rest.
Helping Tribal Employers Keep a Competitive Edge
As the premier advisory and accounting firm serving Tribal Nations and Tribal enterprises, since 2011, REDW has conducted an annual survey of employee compensation data from Native American Tribes across the country. These Tribal Compensation Surveys gather the essential data from Tribal governments and gaming operations—feeding into dynamic reports that help Tribal organizations make smarter, more strategic decisions for strengthening their workforces.
A Quick Refresher: Tapping into Motivation
The underlying issue of recruiting and retaining the best team members? Employers need to stay focused on team member motivation. At least 32% of Tribal employers believe higher pay is the top reason employees quit their jobs. Certainly, better benefits, flexible work-from-home options, and more opportunities for advancement are the buzz in 2023. But any smart, hardworking employee wants to maximize their professional experience with the best compensation and the best benefits program they can find. More simply, it’s not one or the other, but compensation is usually where team members first begin to assess their job satisfaction.
If a team member feels they are being underpaid, or they find out a competitor is offering the same compensation with a better benefits package, they are likely to jump ship. Adequately compensated team members are motivated to come to work, and their morale and job satisfaction levels are high. These employees are less likely to look for other job opportunities outside of their current role, leading to higher employee retention rates for the organization. As an employer for a Tribally-owned organization you can’t afford to get pay wrong, even if you’re beating your competition at everything else.
If employers of Tribally-owned organizations are seeking to attract and retain top talent, accessing current compensation data from competitors is a critical first step.
What’s Different in REDW’s 2023 Tribal Compensation Survey?
Each year, REDW helps collect data from Tribally-owned organizations in the Spring and Summer and facilitates a report on findings (complete with historic trends) to be made available in the Fall. In 2023, we’re implementing some much-anticipated changes to ensure that you have all the information you need to make smart compensation decisions. In 2023, you’ll see the following changes:
We are adding 90th Percentile salary data to the Summary Report. If you’re in a hyper-competitive market and looking to attract the very best of talent (and have the budget and financial plan to match), you’ll need to be competitive with other companies paying the 10% in salaries for certain positions.
We are expanding the survey to provide data for over 300 Tribal Government and 260 Tribal Gaming positions.
We are offering consulting services for Tribal organizations who need assistance in uploading their data.
How It Works: Why Is It Important to Contribute Your Tribe’s Compensation Data?
While a Tribe does not have to contribute their data to purchase the Annual Summary Report, those that do participate consistently find more benefit. Not only are they able to see how their compensation rates stack up against that of similar Tribes in competition for talent, participants to the survey also enjoy a substantial discount when it comes to purchasing the report and gain access to powerful comparing features on the survey’s reporting dashboard. Most importantly, for Tribal Nations who are looking to support Indian Country as a whole…
The more Tribes that participate, the more relevant and reliable the data—and the greater the benefit to everyone.
Data Collection Is Open — And Easy
From mid-February through August 31, the cloud-based survey platforms for Tribal Government and Tribal Gaming are open for registration and data collection for the year. Even Tribes that participated the prior year are encouraged to do so again, as compensation structures can change year to year, and it’s always best to reference the most current and accurate data possible. The Annual Summary Report is then made available October 1.
Early data contributors (those who complete at least 10% of the Survey by May 31) are also entered into a prize drawing. Contact us for details.
REDW’s HR Consulting team is determined to make survey participation as easy as possible. For those organizations lacking the time and resources to tackle the actual data entry, we provide an Excel worksheet that contributors can complete and submit by July 15 for free data upload onto the platform, or contributors can request Data Input Services from our team for a fee, which is tiered based on the number of employees. For Tribally-owned organizations with fewer than 100 workers, that service is free.
We’re in an exceptionally competitive labor market with the usual budget constraints. The wealth of compensation data we compile each year helps Tribal Nations make smart, strategic decisions about their workforce. With this powerful tool at your fingertips, you’ll be able to make smart decisions that will strengthen your organization.
Wes Benally is joined by fellow REDW Principals Victor Flores and Chris Henderson to touch on conference topics including tribal economics, entrepreneurship, and impact investing with native-owned businesses.
REDW is proud to co-sponsor this half-day Conference on Tribal Enterprise economics for tribal leaders and those involved with tribal and tribal-run businesses
From April 29-30, REDW will be joining with tribes, state and federal government officials, and leading industry experts to discuss the latest economic issues in Indian Country.
This episode, Wes Benally and Paul Madrid discuss the Tribal fiduciary role and reducing risk in the management of employer-sponsored retirement plans.
