Startup Compensation 101
Prevent stressful pay conversations. Keep your best people with the strategies and frameworks to pay competitively.
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Course overview
Crack the code on how to pay your team.
You'll develop a framework to guide all compensation decisions. You'll walk away with a lightweight process to apply and maintain them, and the scripts to share it all effectively.
This course is for you if...
01
you're an early-stage startup founder or an HR generalist and you worry about your pay strategy
02
you're tired of reacting to pay demands. You want the confidence that you have fair and competitive packages
03
you want a sustainable strategy that's fair to everyone, especially as you pass the #10 employee mark
Key outcomes
Prevent stressful pay conversations
See off-cycle requests and pay confusion disappear once you hit 'publish' on your compensation philosophy. You'll develop your point of view on how pay works for your company. Through hands-on activities, you’ll craft the foundation for all future decisions.
Assess how you're paying everyone with one simple framework
Using a template and step-by-step guidance in class, see how you are paying everyone in your company across the team, and against your market reference points. With this visibility, we will explore the levers to make adjustments based on your philosophy.
Stay compliant with U.S. state laws on compensation disclosure
We'll review examples of how to comply with local wage laws. Using templates I'll provide you'll build the required compensation bands. We'll also review the data sets (free and paid) you'll need to create your bands and structure your job ladders.
Tell, and sell, your pay story
You'll develop a script to tell your pay story - how you pay and why - with templates that will be provided. In small breakout groups, you'll role-play any tough conversations you've been dreading and get peer feedback to refine your message.
Testimonials
Christine Hsieh, PhD
Rachel Weisberg
ST Mayer
Zaviear Lue
Mike Devine
Meet your instructor
Maryann Kongovi
Maryann Kongovi
Startup Advisor & Operator
I have felt the pain and challenge of setting compensation many times over. First, hiring and managing hundreds of people at an internal start-up within Google, and then as an executive running compensation processes. Now, as an advisor working with founders, I see the same challenges.
I firmly believe that every (good) leader wants to pay their team fairly, but very few have the tools or guidance they need.
I'm incredibly motivated by the opportunity to help great leaders pay everyone on their team what they deserve. Just as important, if done right, compensation goes a long way to retaining the lifeblood of any successful startup - its people.
Leaning on what I learned at Google, what I've picked up from a patchwork of consultants, and my analytical training from BCG and Columbia Business School, I built my first compensation process for Code for America.
I have since taken that approach and advised dozens of startups, as well as designed or co-created processes at companies like Algolia, and Pave, owner of Option Impact.
Now, with this workshop "Startup Compensation 101" I look forward to sharing this framework so you can approach every compensation conversation with confidence.
Course syllabus
5 live sessions • 21 lessons
Week 1
Sep
18
Startup Compensation: Workshop 1
Sep
19
Optional: Office Hours and Live Q&A
Sep
20
Startup Compensation 101: Workshop 2
Sep
21
Optional: Office Hours and Live Q&A
Sep
22
Startup Compensation 101: Workshop 3
Bonus
- 📄
Compensation Philosophy Template
- 📄
Compensation Philosophies We Love & Why, Part 1
- 📄
5 Mistakes That Damage Your Pay Brand and Cost You Talent
- 📄
Compensation band template
- 📄
LinkedIn post about pay transparency trends
- 📄
Pay Transparency Goes Primetime: Sweeping New Federal Legislation Proposed in Congress
- 📄
Quick Facts About State Salary Range Transparency Laws
- 📄
Engineering Career Tracks at Shutterstock
- 📄
Rewarding Talent
- 📄
State of startup compensation, H2 2022
- 📄
Promotion adjustment template
- 📄
Compa Ratio vs Position in Range - scorecard
- 📄
Pay scorecard template
- 📄
Closing the pay gap at Salesforce
- 📄
Sourcegraph Equity Refresh Program
- 📄
The Evolution of Stock Options and Why Equity Refreshes are a No Brainer
- 📄
Tell your story: adjustments role play template
- 📄
Pay adjustments template
- 📄
No pay raises this year for Microsoft
- 📄
How to save your team from lower paying jobs
- 📄
Carta's Equity Refresh program
Session 1: Create your compensation philosophy & find the data you need
Publishing a thoughtful and well-written compensation philosophy can pre-empt and prevent stressful pay conversations.
In this module, we will review the key elements of compensation philosophies and review different examples. Using templates you will then create your own compensation philosophy, and get valuable peer feedback on how it might be received.
You’ll walk away with a document you can share internally, or even externally, to reduce confusion and create awareness about your approach.
We'll also discuss data sources to build your bands in the next workshop.
Session 2: Compensation bands, Job ladders & Promotions
Compensation bands provide the guard rails for how everyone's pay is set. Without them pay inequities can remain hidden and outcomes may be unfair.
In this module, we will discuss how to use bands and the data to update them. We will also explore how they fit into the broader framework of a good compensation plan, including job ladders, so you can always pay fairly and competitively.
By the end, you’ll walk away with a template for creating and updating compensation bands and the related job ladders to build them.
Session 3: Create your pay scorecard and your pay story
In this module, you will create a pay scorecard so you can assess how you are paying everyone in your company, compared to your philosophy and role.
You'll leave with a clear picture of how you are paying your team, and the levers to make adjustments in line with your philosophy.
You will also create your pay story using templates, so you never lose talent for the wrong reasons. You will refine your message with peer feedback to ensure your offers and salary adjustments are well understood and appreciated.
You’ll gain the confidence to have every kind of pay conversation, and the know-how to attract and retain talent.
Your investment is 100% risk-free
If you attend all sessions, actively participate, and don’t find value, we’ll refund you in full.
Build your compensation plan, step by step
Active learning, not passive watching
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects where you'll develop the key elements of a good compensation plan.
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other leaders through breakout rooms and project discussions. You'll receive invaluable peer feedback on how your plan is shaping up.
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you.