Your company has had a strong fiscal year with a 15% increase in net income...

Your company has had a strong fiscal year with a 15% increase in net income over the prior fiscal year. Share prices are at an all time high. Working with Finance, you have arrived at a 2.5% merit increase budget for the next fiscal year, a smaller increase than the last fiscal year. Finance has indicated that some large capital expenditures will be needed next year, so the company needs to conserve resources. Additionally, Legal is in final negotiations on a lawsuit that may be very costly to the company. Word of the smaller increases has line management concerned that they will lose their best performers. Given all of these factors, what is your best course of action?