UK reward metrics · Pay

Are pay increases differentiated by performance rating?

Source lumi HRBase 257 organisationsFieldwork 2026 H1

44.7%No – flat or near-flat

44.7% of organisations in the lumi HR community answered “No – flat or near-flat” on pay increases differentiated by performance rating (base: 257 UK organisations, 2026 H1).

Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.

How UK organisations answered

Yes – strongly differentiated 18.7% Yes – moderately differentiated 36.6% No – flat or near-flat 44.7%
Pay increases differentiated by performance rating (base: 257 organisations, 2026 H1). Percentages percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Pay increases differentiated by performance rating: share of organisations by answer
AnswerShare of organisations
Yes – strongly differentiatedrare18.7%
Yes – moderately differentiatedalternative36.6%
No – flat or near-flatcommon44.7%

Common, alternative and rare describe how each answer sits against the community: the most chosen answer is common; an answer chosen by fewer than one in five organisations is rare.

Definition

Whether pay rises vary with performance rating, and how strongly, versus a flat award for everyone. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.

Cite this figure
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/pay-increases-differentiated-by-performance-rating
Last updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.

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