Pay
Differently.
Why everything we built is wrong for the transparency era
Pay Differently is written for the compensation and HR leaders who already have an uneasy feeling about how their organizations handle pay, and want to understand both why it broke and what to build instead.
The World Changed.
Compensation Didn't.
Part One shows why pay programs break, one real story at a time. Part Two lays out what to build instead.
Your Comp Philosophy Is a Poster on the Wall
Paul read pay philosophies from a dozen companies. You could swap the logos and nobody would notice.
A philosophy that sounds right but never guides a real decision.
Your Job Architecture Is a Crime Scene
Nearly 5,000 job codes for 10,000 employees, at a company with maybe 300 real jobs.
Roles, levels, and titles nobody can fully explain.
The Comp Process Is Shoveling Sand Against the Tide
A beautifully automated merit cycle. The verdict: a 4% raise versus a 3% raise wasn't worth the effort.
A huge annual process that changes very little.
Incentives Became Idols (And Got Complicated)
A simple commission plan, tweaked every year for nearly twenty years, until no rep could explain it.
Plans too complicated to change behavior.
We Controlled the Wrong Things (And Ignored Offers)
New hires coming in 5 to 8% above the people already doing the same job.
Offers that quietly create pay gaps.
The Survey Is a Time Machine (Not a Good Kind)
Backward-looking market data, used to make forward-looking pay decisions.
Ranges that can't keep up with the market.
Read Along With Us.
Read a few chapters, then join Paul and guests for a live conversation about what's in them. Five sessions, October through December.
You Don't Have to Finish the Book
to Start Fixing It.
The ideas in Part Two are the same ones we put to work with clients every day.
Solid Foundations
Clear structures for how roles are defined, work is valued, and pay decisions are made consistently.
- Compensation philosophy
- Job architecture
- Pay structures
- Offer policies
In the book: Chapters 10, 11, 12, 16
How We Help →Aligned Incentives
Variable pay programs that connect individual and team behavior to what the business is trying to achieve.
- Broad-based incentives
- Sales compensation
- Incentive governance
In the book: Chapters 5, 15
How We Help →Effective Teams
A clear operating model so comp runs efficiently, decisions have owners, and technology works for your team.
- Operating model
- Offer governance
- Technology and AI enablement
In the book: Chapters 13, 14, 16, 17, 18
How We Help →
Seeing Your Own Company in These Pages?
You're not alone. Every chapter comes from real work with real companies. If you could use a thinking partner or some help, reach out.