Columbus Compensation Association
Breakfast Meeting
The Great Debate: Are Merit Increases Still Effective?
Presented By: Liz Neville & Sean Luitjens
Where:
The Fawcett Center, OSU Campus
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43210
Time:
7:45 AM Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM Speaker Presentation
Event is FREE to members
Event pricing is $45 for non-members
Merit increases have been a cornerstone of compensation programs for decades—but are they still delivering what we expect? In this session, we break down the real pros and cons of merit pay as a tool for rewarding performance, driving engagement, and retaining talent in a rapidly evolving labor market.
We’ll explore two contrasting viewpoints: one arguing that merit increases remain a critical lever for motivating employees and reinforcing a performance culture, and the other highlighting the growing evidence that traditional merit cycles may be falling short—diluted by budget constraints, inconsistent evaluation practices, and shifting employee expectations.
Participants will walk away with fresh perspectives, practical considerations, and the chance to reflect on how well annual merit increases are actually working in their own organizations. Whether you’re defending the practice or ready to disrupt it, this debate will challenge your assumptions and spark meaningful conversation.
Liz Neville is a Total Rewards executive with over 20 years of experience in global compensation, benefits, equity, and compliance. Her experience spans high-growth SaaS and FinTech, as well as retail and manufacturing sectors. Her career includes leadership roles from startups to the Fortune 100 across public, private, and private equity-backed ownership models, including Honeywell, First Data (Fiserv), Newell Rubbermaid (Newell Brands), and Intuit Mailchimp. She has advised Boards and C-suites through IPOs, private equity buyouts, acquisitions, and other corporate actions—building global programs that scale with growth, mitigate risk, strengthen governance, and promote pay equity. A Georgia Tech alum, Liz has served on the Board of the Atlanta Area Compensation Association and is Events Committee Chair for SHRM-Atlanta. Liz currently leads EQ Solutions Group, a total rewards consulting practice, and is based in Atlanta, GA.
Sean Luitjens is the Vice President of Product Strategy at Salary.com. Sean has an extensive background working in strategic roles across organizations holding positions in Product Development, System Architecture, Global Sales, Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Benchmarking, and M&A.
Prior to Salary.com, Sean held leadership positions at Visier, Korn Ferry, AIRINC, and a Principal at Mercer, where he managed the global benefits benchmarking business. His background also includes Monster as the Director of Product Strategy, and a Product Development for the interactive businesses of Fidelity Capital. Additionally, Sean also serves on the board of directors for two additional non-profit organizations.
Sean has worked with clients and partners as well as spoken on a wide range of topics including but not limited to total rewards, pay equity, global mobility, recruitment, compensation and benefits methodology and trends, as well as merger & acquisition strategies. When not working, Sean can likely be found in the great outdoors hitting the trails, climbing, or partaking in a triathlon; in general attempting to not grow up.
