Compensation Strategy

Maximizing retention, recruitment and performance ROI

Compensation is a fundamental aspect of human resources management and is a key component of an organization’s overall HR strategy. Compensation strategy services include:

  • Designing executive compensation plans that outline how top-level executives will be rewarded for their performance, contributions, and achievements to attract, motivate, and retain executive talent while aligning their interests with an organization’s long-term success.  Effective compensation plans not only consider market competitiveness but also reflect the company’s culture, values, and strategic objectives. By carefully structuring these plans, organizations can create a strong link between executive pay and company performance, ensuring that leadership decisions are made with the best interests of shareholders and stakeholders in mind.
  • Designing short-term and long-term incentive plans though a thoughtful approach that aligns with the organization’s strategic objectives, culture, and industry norms. Short-term incentives typically focus on annual or quarterly goals, while long-term incentives aim to drive sustained performance and retention over multiple years. This process involves careful consideration of various factors, including performance metrics, payout structures, and eligibility criteria. By crafting well-balanced incentive plans, organizations can effectively motivate employees, attract top talent, and foster a results-oriented culture that supports overall business success.
  • Providing employee market assessment and/or compensation market analysis by evaluating and comparing an organization’s employee compensation and benefits packages with those offered by other employers in the relevant job market. The primary goal of an employee market assessment is to ensure that an organization’s compensation packages are competitive, fair, and aligned with industry standard market rates to attract, retain, and motivate top talent. By conducting regular assessments, companies can identify potential gaps in their compensation strategies and make informed decisions to remain competitive in the labor market. Additionally, these assessments help organizations maintain internal equity and external competitiveness, which are crucial for employee satisfaction and overall organizational success.
  • Ensuring pay equity. The practice of compensating employees fairly and without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics goes beyond complying with legal requirements. By prioritizing pay equity, organizations can create a fair and inclusive workplace that values all employees and supports long-term success.

  • Developing a flexible title leveling structure to enable hierarchical continuity as the organization scales. A well-designed title leveling structure provides a clear career progression path for employees and helps align compensation with job responsibilities across different departments and levels.

Experience

Insights

  • Designed compensation framework from philosophy to structure with guardrails for consistency and flexibility for growth. Implementation with leader (HR and Ops) education.
  • Implemented title leveling with employers who are scaling and looking for a framework for growth.
  • Redesigned equity plans for scaling companies.  In this case, biotech companies often face unique challenges, including long development timelines, significant capital requirements, and a high degree of innovation and risk. Therefore, their equity compensation plans needed to be tailored to align with the industry’s specific needs and characteristics.

How to Handle Off-Cycle Compensation Adjustments
Lattice
Deanna deBara
October 27, 2022
Compensation cycles are typically annual, said Erika Duncan, cofounder of HR consultancy People On Point. “Many organizations embrace pay for performance and tie an employee’s raise with their annual performance review. Ideally, there is also an annual review of the market and salary demand for titles and skill sets,” she added.

 

Debunking 3 Myths About Compensation Transparency
Lattice
Deanna deBara
October 26, 2022
In addition to providing transparency into compensation structures within an organization, “compensation transparency [also offers] insight into how an employee’s compensation is determined,” explained Aaron Olman, cofounder of HR consultancy People On Point…“It is important for employees to understand the basic principles of their company’s compensation philosophy and the process [involved in] meeting that overall philosophy,” Olman said.