> Why not just pay people the same for each position, with merit bonuses for those who exceed/excel. Because people aren't cogs and they all function at differ

> Why not just pay people the same for each position, with merit bonuses for those who exceed/excel. Because people aren't cogs and they all function at different levels of productivity. I've literally never worked with anyone who I would consider to be of precisely equal value to me. Everyone else has been either more valuable or less valuable, by a tune of at least a few thousand dollars annually. Fixed salaries prevent paying people by their value and instead mandate a rigid adherence to "years spent" and "grades." I would literally never work for a company with fixed salaries.