HR & People Ops
Performance Management & Pay Design
A two-day specialty for HR business partners, total-rewards practitioners, and HR leaders responsible for designing how their organization sets goals, evaluates performance, and pays for it. Goal-setting frameworks, evaluation methodologies, calibration, compensation philosophy, base / variable / equity design, pay equity, and the regulatory landscape — taught as one integrated practice.
- Format
- Live virtual, in-person, or private on-site
- Duration
- 2 days
- Level
- Practitioner
- From
- $1795.00
About this course
Course overview
The HR specialty most organizations split between two teams that don't talk to each other — taught as one integrated practice.
Performance management and compensation are the same system in two parts. Goal-setting drives evaluation drives calibration drives merit-cycle drives bonus drives equity-refresh — and yet most HR organizations design each piece in a vacuum, then wonder why the year-end calibration session devolves into negotiation theater. This two-day specialty fixes that. Day 1 covers performance management end-to-end (goals, evaluation, calibration, PIPs). Day 2 covers compensation end-to-end (philosophy, base, variable, equity, pay equity, regulatory landscape, communication). Both days emphasize the integration points that determine whether a year-end review actually informs a defensible pay decision.
Curriculum-aligned to WorldatWork's Total Rewards model and SHRM's Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge. Workshop scenarios use real organizational situations: end-of-year calibration, mid-year salary adjustment, equity refresh, role re-leveling, geographic pay differentials.
Learning outcomes
What you'll learn
Every module is tied to an outcome you can bring back to your team the next day.
- Apply goal-setting frameworks (OKRs, MBOs, SMART, BHAGs) and choose the right one for the organization's stage and culture
- Design evaluation methodologies — annual, semi-annual, continuous, peer-360, manager-led — and the trade-offs that decide which fits
- Run calibration sessions that produce defensible distributions without devolving into negotiation theater
- Articulate a compensation philosophy aligned to organizational strategy and competitive positioning
- Design base-pay structure (salary bands, ranges, midpoints, market reference points, geographic differentials)
- Design variable pay (annual bonus, sales incentives, retention awards) and equity programs (RSU, ISO, NSO, ESPP)
- Apply pay-equity analysis methodology and the regulatory landscape (Equal Pay Act, state pay-transparency, EU Pay Transparency Directive)
- Communicate compensation effectively — total-rewards statements, pay decisions, manager salary conversations
Audience
Who it's for
- HR business partners (HRBPs) and HR managers responsible for performance and pay practices
- Total-rewards practitioners, compensation analysts, and compensation managers
- People-ops and HR-ops leaders building or refreshing the integrated system
- HR leaders and CHROs translating organizational strategy into people investment
- Senior managers responsible for calibration sessions and compensation decisions for their teams
Course structure
Syllabus
A structured path from core concepts to applied practice.
Day 1 — Performance Management Design
- Why performance and pay are one system; WorldatWork Total Rewards model context
- Goal-setting frameworks: OKRs, MBOs, SMART, BHAGs; cascading and stretch-vs-commit
- Evaluation methodologies: cadences, manager-led / peer-360 / self-assessment; rating scales and the 9-box
- Calibration session protocol — defensible distributions without negotiation theater
- Performance issues: PIPs, performance-based termination, legal-defensibility lens
Day 2 — Pay Design, Equity, and Communication
- Compensation philosophy: market lead/lag/match by component, geographic differentials, internal equity
- Base pay: salary bands, ranges, midpoints, compa-ratio, range penetration, merit cycle mechanics
- Variable pay: annual bonus, sales incentives, retention; equity: RSU/ISO/NSO/ESPP, granting + refresh
- Pay-equity analysis methodology; regulatory landscape (Equal Pay Act, state pay-transparency, EU Directive)
- Communication: total-rewards statements, pay-decision communication, the manager's salary conversation
Public cohorts
Upcoming sessions
Secure your seat in a live, instructor-led cohort. Private team deliveries available on request.
No public cohorts on the calendar yet.
We run this course as a private team cohort on demand, or you can be the first to know when the next public date drops.
Frequently asked questions
Still have questions?
Do I need a compensation background?
How does this overlap with SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP Prep?
Is the course US-centric?
Will I be able to design our company's annual cycle after this?
Can this be delivered as a private cohort?
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Bring this training to your team
We deliver private cohorts in-person and online, tailored to your operating context.