I agree that there is a cultural bias in favor of this type of wage structure, and that any company that ignores it does so at their own risk, as it will create unnecessary tension, as you say.

But still I bristle at tacit assumption behind the OP's point that both the amount and timing of my wage increases should rest in the hand of a manager. The OP is saying that managers should be enlightened about it, and I'm saying you can't trust management to be enlightened about it and should take charge of your own compensation.