I have seen that effect right up close with a friend who really was a superior worker bee (in banking) to the point where her incentive bonuses were almost double her base salary.

So they changed the bonus structure because it didn't fit corporate metrics to pay someone that much for the position.

Subsequently, she was laid off in what companies call "managed attrition" which is management speak for "we can hire TWO people fresh from University and still pay them less."

The corporate world is not designed for humans.