38.3%Fully discretionary
38.3% of organisations in the lumi HR community answered “Fully discretionary” on typical promotion pay increase policy (base: 266 UK organisations, 2026 H1).
Figures describe organisations in the lumi HR community, not a random sample of UK employers.
How UK organisations answered
| Answer | Share of organisations |
|---|---|
| Fixed % guidelinealternative | 21.4% |
| Range-position drivenrare | 9.8% |
| To new range minimumalternative | 25.6% |
| Combination of the aboverare | 4.9% |
| Fully discretionarycommon | 38.3% |
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
How pay rises on promotion are determined — by a fixed percentage, range position, the new band minimum, or discretion. See the methodology for how the base is built, how not-applicable answers are handled, the public floor, and which organisations are excluded.
Source: lumi HR, UK Reward Metrics, September 2026, lumihr.co.uk/metrics/typical-promotion-pay-increase-policyLast updated 19 September 2026 · Data licence: CC BY 4.0 for the figures in the CSV download.
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