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To attract candidates with the specialised, business-critical skills their teams need, UK employers must clearly articulate the full value of working for their organisation. In a market where salary growth has slowed, professionals are increasingly weighing factors beyond pay – from hybrid working options and career development to wellbeing initiatives and company culture.

Combining competitive salaries with compelling employee benefits and meaningful perks is essential to stand out in today’s job market.

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In today’s market, professionals place significant value on variable pay. Bonuses, commissions and incentives aren’t just add-ons – they’re seen as a core part of total compensation. For many skilled workers, the potential to earn beyond base salary plays a key role in how they assess job offers and long-term opportunities. Employers who get this balance right are better positioned to attract and retain top talent.

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of professionals view the potential for a bonus as a key component of their overall compensation package, outweighing many other benefits

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of skilled professionals earn up to 15% of their total income through variable pay, including bonuses, commissions and incentives

Rewarding results: how UK firms use bonuses strategically

Around 70% of UK companies offer bonuses as part of their overall reward strategy. When used strategically, bonuses allow employers to recognise high-performing employees without permanently increasing base salaries. The most common types include performance bonuses, holiday bonuses, project completion bonuses and profit-sharing schemes. While referral bonuses are widely offered by employers, they remain underused by employees.

Performance – awarded for exceeding individual or team targets

Holiday – given during the festive or summer holiday season as a gesture of appreciation

Project completion – paid upon successful delivery of a project

Profit-sharing – tied to company profits and shared among employees

Who gets what? Bonus eligibility across roles

Bonuses remain a key part of reward strategies, but who receives what often depends on role and experience.

Performance bonuses reach all levels – this is the most consistently offered incentive across roles, used to reward individual or team achievement regardless of seniority.

Mid-career professionals get the most bonus types – professionals with 2–5+ years of experience are most likely to receive a wider mix of bonuses – including project, retention and sign-on incentives.

Entry-level talent misses out on broader incentives – while eligible for performance and referral bonuses, early-career professionals are often overlooked for more strategic reward schemes.

Top perks, benefits and incentives that attract and retain skilled professionals

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Building a better workplace: Perks and benefits insights

The salary benchmarks listed in the Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process to ensure our projections accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and over 350k third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels.

Non-salary data referenced in this Salary Guide is based on an online survey developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. During June and July 2025 Robert Half commissioned research amongst 1,500 respondents using an online data collection methodology. The respondents represent 500 hiring managers and 1,000 workers in finance and accounting, IT and technology, administrative and office support, marketing and creative, and legal, risk and compliance. Respondents are drawn from a sample of SMEs to large private, publicly listed and public sector organisations across the UK.