What can base salaries be influenced by, according to the information provided?

Base salaries can be influenced significantly by market salary surveys. These surveys provide valuable data regarding what similar practices are paying their employees in terms of salary and benefits. By comparing their compensation structures to those of other practices, organizations can adjust their base salaries to remain competitive and attract talented professionals. This helps ensure that the practice can retain qualified staff while also aligning compensation with industry standards, which is crucial for maintaining workforce satisfaction and reducing turnover.

While factors like historical earnings and performance metrics can play a role in the overall compensation strategy of a practice, the direct influence of market conditions — as evidenced by salary surveys — is particularly essential in determining appropriate base salaries. Cash receipts collected during the current production period may impact overall financial health but do not directly inform salary benchmarks in the same way market surveys do.