[PeterisP]

The main goal of raises isn't cost of living adjustments, but as a part of career progression.

If you're staying in a stable role and productivity, then you need COLA.

If you're improving, in time you become significantly more valuable both to the company and to outside market, so you deserve much larger compensation than back in the years when you were a fresh-out-of college newbie.

[M2Ys4U]

I don't think his reply runs contrary to your post, if you include the last part of that sentence:

> To keep you from being effectively paid less (because the cost of living keeps going up), and to make sure you feel satisfied with how much money you're making.

[PeterisP]

It does run contrary, given "pick a percentage number, preferably one that's above COLA, and just give everybody that" which explicitly doesn't (a) differentiate improvement from non-improvement; and (b) doesn't address significant salary increases due to professional growth and changing responsibilities.

[njharman]

It's not contrary cause of this "So pick a percentage number, preferably one that's above COLA, and just give everybody that. If that's not enough, your base salary isn't enough."

Which, to me, implies they have different base salaries for different positions. So when your "career progresses" you get a different (predetermined) base salary. Orthogonal to raises.