Salary Scale Design
Birches Group has extensive expertise in either adapting or creating salary structures through the work it has done with many clients both from the public and private sectors. An established methodology is already in place to facilitate this work.
Birches Group believes that proper salary scale design must be tailored to each organization’s unique needs and culture, the client’s compensation philosophy, market position and budget, as well as aligning it with the local market and compliant with corporate policy and compensation objectives. Our approach in salary scale design seeks to balance and harmonize market position with a refined internal progression of pay which tailors salary scale characteristics regarding the values placed on experience (the horizontal pay range) with the values placed on responsibility (the difference between pay ranges).
Our salary scale approach starts from a total compensation perspective and can be adapted to accommodate benefits/allowances which the employer may wish to establish separately from the pay scale and comparable across the market sample where there may be a variety of practices around the use of different cash and in-kind benefits. Lastly, three scale options to ensure best fit for the client is included.
Case Studies
Birches Group works with many clients to support their workforce management. Read about some projects we’ve completed recently with a variety of clients.
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was seeking assistance with the management of their compensation program. Prior to engaging Birches Group, they centralized the responsibilities for pay management at headquarters and created salary structures. But the team recognized the need for professional guidance and expertise, choosing a co-sourcing arrangement with Birches Group.
The Institute of International Education developed a strong, market-driven approach to compensation for their field offices, including salary structures and a consistent grading system. But they lacked the internal resources to maintain the structures across a very diverse group of countries. They faced additional challenges in selected markets due to economic volatility, and the response time from headquarters HR was slow. IIE engaged Birches Group to assist in maintaining the salary structures and to guide the organization towards a policy-driven approach for special measures.
Right To Play, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, was experiencing challenges in attracting and retaining talent for their programs in more than 20 developing countries around the world. Their compensation system was still based on a cost of living approach, rather than cost of labor. Internal job grading had been developed, and the focus shifted to salary structures. Right To Play was a long-time participant in the NGO Local Pay surveys and agreed to partner with Birches Group to implement the “Pay Right Project.”
The International Potato Center (commonly known as CIP) is part of the CGIAR consortium of research centers dedicated to agricultural research and food security. With headquarters in Lima, Peru, and country offices in 20 developing countries, CIP was facing stiff competition for talent and other issues with their pay structure. CIP engaged Birches Group to help revamp their compensation strategy and local pay structures, while still maintaining a linkage to the other CGIAR centers, all of which participate in Birches Group surveys.
Scale Design Resources
To learn more about our Salary Scale Design service, download our brochures below.
Why the Salary Scale is Your Most Important HR Tool
Promote Transparency and Fairness in Your Organization with a Salary Scale
We’ve Improved our Scale Design Report!
Scale Design eBook: Strategy, Structure, and Synthesis
To request a sample report or schedule a consultation, click the button below.
