Performance Development Compensation

Compensation is more than market data. In our experience, many organizations don’t have the right information to diagnose their challenges and implement solutions that align with their talent strategy.

Exude Human Capital’s Compensation Consulting and Advisory Services

Exude understands the challenges that for-profit and non-profit organizations face when evaluating, designing, and implementing compensation strategies. We believe that compensation combines art and science, and we will partner with you to find the appropriate balance. Whether you are looking for market data or the development of an entire compensation program, our highly experienced total rewards team will share best practices as we review and design compensation strategies that support your talent strategy.

Market Analysis

Our Compensation team will work with you to define your competitive labor market, analyze your existing jobs, and pull comparative data from multiple survey sources. Based on your needs, our approach may include:

• Benchmarking is based on the job title and basic requirements.
• Comprehensive job analysis and mapping of survey data.

Salary Structure Development and Advisory

Using market data, we will design or update salary structure(s) with an intentional focus on addressing any existing compensation-related challenges. Employees are placed in the proposed structure(s) for salary compensation analysis and recommendations to address issues such as:

• Title and Level Inconsistencies
• Identification of Compression
• Equity Discrepancies
• Employees Out of Range

Pay Equity Analysis

Exude Human Capital’s approach to pay equity goes beyond statistical analysis to examine the vulnerability for bias, identification of barriers to opportunity, and inconsistencies in development and advancement criteria and practices.

• Impact of the standard variables (job grade, experience, education, etc.)
• Impact of race, gender, and age
• Predicted versus act

Job Leveling and Grade Criteria

Salary structures enable flexibility and internal equity by providing a framework in which similar jobs are treated equally for pay purposes. Establishing criteria for assigning jobs to title levels and salary grades provides guardrails for the equitable administration of a compensation program and supports the establishment of promotional ladders for employee growth.

Career Pathing

Career paths are no longer linear; they’re dynamic journeys shaped by evolving business needs and employee aspirations. Today’s workforce demands opportunities for growth, development, and fulfillment but HR teams often lack the resources to meet these demands. We help businesses create customized career development frameworks that align organizational goals with individual potential. From mapping pathways for internal mobility to fostering skill growth, we provide the expertise to ensure your employees stay engaged and your business thrives.

Executive Compensation Consulting

Our Compensation Team will assess the competitiveness of executive total reward packages compared to the labor market, including base salary, cash incentives, deferred compensation, benefits, and perquisites.

Compensation Advisory Services

With over 60 years of combined experience in compensation, Exude Human Capital’s consultants are experienced facilitators of strategic conversations and plans. Our compensation advisory focuses on thought partnership and strategic planning around the areas of:

• Salary Administration
• Incentive Programs
• Pay-for-performance strategy
• Pay Transparency
• Responding to Regulatory Changes
• Trends and Best Practices in Compensation

Why Consult an Expert in Compensation?

Most frequently cited reasons our clients value external support:

• Expertise – Compensation is a specialty that requires dedicated experience and knowledge.
• Market insight – There have been more changes in compensation in the last three years than in the prior twenty.
• Strategies – From equity to influencing behaviors, our compensation experts can ground your compensation work with a purposeful strategy.

What Our Clients Are Saying:

“Their team did an amazing job of walking through the process with us, listening to our needs, helping us gain context and perspective, and working through the nuances of our situation as an organization.”

“We were so pleased with the work Exude did that we recommended them to work with our Headquarters.”

“We learned so much throughout this process. Our leaders feel more educated about compensation than ever before.”

“With Exude Human Capital, I am always able to work with knowledgeable, quick, and friendly consultants every time, and this time was no exception! They took pride in the work, asking questions that showed they were not only interested in proposing accurate compensation data but also were passionate about the work that we do – as a leader at a non-profit, this made the relationship that much more special. We were able to quickly put a compensation plan in place that worked well for the organization, problem-solve the variety of hiccups we faced, and laugh along the way. I look at Exude as an extension of our small HR Department, where I can rely on them to provide me with sound advice and knowledge.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a compensation study?

Compensation studies analyze your current pay practices and determine if they are competitive for your organization’s size, industry, and geographic location(s). They also help determine if your pay practices and salaries comply with current employment, state, and federal laws. For clients who are primarily looking for market data, Exude can benchmark your roles against your competitive market. For clients who are looking for comparative data based on a deep understanding of your organization’s unique and nuanced roles, our compensation consultants can evaluate the knowledge, skills, experience, autonomy, leadership, and other key factors to identify the internal and external value of each position.

Can the project be project-based or on-going support?

While our compensation engagements often start as defined projects, our consultants are available for additional support to refresh market data, provide data, or design a structure for a new market or location, support acquisitions or large-scale organizational restructuring, or provide secondary advisory for training and communication in support of pay transparency.

What is the consultant’s background?

Our Exude Human Capital consultants have very diverse backgrounds and bring expertise in analyzing and designing salary structures, incentive pay programs, pay equity evaluations, executive compensation, and total rewards programs. Having worked in many different industries, levels, and sizes of companies, they bring with them expertise and experience that allows them to share best practices with our clients. Our model is very collaborative, so consultants have access to the depth of knowledge of the entire team whenever needed.

What types of companies will Exude support?

We have experience in designing and implementing compensation programs with for-profit, non-profit, and government contractor clients in most industries, including but not limited to professional services, social services, education, bio/pharma, technology, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, communications, manufacturing, associations, finance, and construction.

What are the fees?

Our compensation projects are scoped based on a variety of factors, including the number of unique jobs requiring market data, the involvement of leaders or managers throughout the process, and the quantity of data sets or salary structures required for implementation. Our projects are scalable in size and can also expand to include the development of compensation philosophies, job architectures, administrative policies, training, and communications.

Which data sources does Exude use?

Exude subscribes to a number of industry-leading compensation data sources, including Payfactors, Economic Research Institute, World at Work, Candid Nonprofit Compensation Reports, and others. We are always open to including industry-specific market data provided by our clients or obtaining additional data sources for an additional fee.