BHR 3301 Unit 1 Journal

Unit 1 Journal

The pay model policies play a crucial role in an organization’s pay strategy. The second step of the total compensation strategy identifies with the objectives, alignment, competitiveness, contributions, and management in developing a successful strategy. What are your thoughts on your current or past compensation pay grades, levels, and/or categories, and how you are awarded? What would you change? Please explain. 

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

With being in the Army, we are segregated for pay purposes by Enlisted, E1-E9, Officer, O1-O10, and Warrant Officers, W1-W5. Each Pay grade comes with different pay differences, same benefits, but more or less money depending on the rank you are. I am a SSG (Staff Sergeant) which is an Enlisted E-6. I have been in for 12 years now, and have loved every minute of it. The pay is not the best, but when you take into consideration the benefits that come with the military, it makes up for the difference in pay between the ranks. We get free healthcare within the military that starts the day you join and complete your training. Most organizations start some type of medical benefit within a couple years of being with the company. The military is instant. This also goes for the Service Member and their immediate family members. They also give you money for housing and food rations if you have a family. This is included on top of your monthly base pay. So, even though the base pay isn’t the best at times, the medical, dental, rent money, food rations, etc. that is given to you on top of your pay assists in the differences. As you get promoted, the amount you get for rent, goes up, as well as the base pay goes up. There is a problem with this of course. When you are the lowest, E-1, you do not make a lot of money to begin with because you are considered the lowest rank in the military. With this comes the lowest amount of rent compensation benefits. In some areas, I may make about $1,500 for rent where the private would only make about $600-700 for that same area. This to me is not fair. Why should that private have to struggle to find a home for his family and I shouldn’t? I think the base pay should stay the same, the higher you are in rank the more you get, just like any other job, but the money you get for rent for an area should be the same for every rank because the price of the house will not change based on the person. One other benefit I forgot to mention was the free college. They give you up to 16 free credit hours per fiscal year of education. How many other organizations can say the same about offering this type of benefit?