Sandra Bowen is the practice manager for a smaller medical practice with two physicians and support. She started with the practice as a medical assistant and was promoted to practice manager a little over a year ago. She has developed competency in the bookkeeping functions of the practice and has begun to take classes online in a degree program for healthcare administration.
Ms. Bowen is familiar with the pay structure in other healthcare facilities in the area and has noticed that their pay is falling behind others. With the approval of the partners, she has implemented a program that will provide a 10% raise to each employee, on their anniversary date of employment, based on a satisfactory performance review.
The support staff in the practice generally work well together, with the exception of two medical assistants who have an obvious personality clash. One of these staff members, Sally Brymer, comes into Ms. Bowen's office and says: "You just gave Tom Snelling a raise, and he now makes more than I do. We do the same work, and I have been here longer than Tom. If you don't fix this, I will hire a lawyer and sue you.
What is the appropriate action for Ms. Bowen to take on this issue?