Pay With Purpose

Pay With Purpose



Building a Compensation Philosophy and Program People Trust

By Trade Stevens, M.S., SHRM-SCP, PHR

Why does one person earn more than another? Can you explain it? Can you defend it? And does anyone trust it?

Sound familiar?

I wrote Pay With Purpose to help HR professionals build a compensation program that is fair, understandable, and tied to what the organization values.

This practical guide covers why pay is more than money, writing a compensation philosophy, the psychology and economics of pay, total rewards, job architecture, market data and pricing jobs, pay structures and ranges, variable pay, offers, raises and promotions, pay equity and transparency, pay and the law, talking about pay, and governance and budgets.

What's included?

·      84-page digital PDF ebook you can read on your computer, tablet, or other PDF-compatible device.

·      14 chapters organized in four parts.

·      Practical toolkit with 16 appendices, including: compensation philosophy worksheet, program self-assessment, job level framework, job pricing worksheet, market data source evaluation, pay range builder, offer decision worksheet, merit cycle planning guide, pay equity review checklist, manager pay conversation guide, total rewards statement template, variable pay design checklist, and a twelve-month build plan.

This book is written for solo HR professionals, HR generalists, compensation analysts, finance partners, and business owners, and it gives you a practical starting point.

You don't need a perfect pay system. You need one you can explain, and one that treats people fairly.

I'm Trade Stevens, a senior HR executive with more than 18 years of CHRO-level experience across multiple sectors. I created this guide to share practical approaches to the challenges HR professionals and the people who work with them face every day.

Start building pay people can understand and trust.

Please note: This ebook is an educational resource, not legal advice. Employment laws vary by location and change over time. Verify current requirements and consult qualified professionals when appropriate. Pay, transparency, and wage laws vary by location and change often. Verify current requirements. Pay ranges in the book are illustrative.