Compensation Analysis Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends HR Business Partners, Compensation and Benefits Specialists and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CB-022

Before you join: Participants should understand core HR processes such as recruitment, performance management, job descriptions and annual salary reviews.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Compensation analysis turns pay data into defensible decisions about salaries, incentives and benefits. HR business partners are often asked to explain whether pay is competitive, address retention concerns, support annual pay reviews, assess a proposed job change or respond to a suspected pay gap. Weak job matching, inconsistent data definitions and poorly governed exceptions can create unnecessary cost, employee relations risk and loss of trust.

This course equips participants to analyse compensation through internal equity, external market position, affordability and performance. Participants work with job evaluation evidence, salary survey data, compa-ratios, range penetration, salary structures, incentive plans and benefits costs. They learn how to build pay recommendations that distinguish an individual exception from a structural issue, quantify financial implications and present clear options to finance leaders and senior managers. The course also addresses pay equity analysis, governance controls, manager communication and implementation planning.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with worked calculations, data interpretation, group case work and decision simulations based on realistic HR business partner assignments. Participants apply methods to scenarios such as a bank reviewing branch-manager pay, an NGO designing field allowances, or a multinational correcting inconsistent grade placement. Each participant leaves with a practical compensation analysis toolkit, including calculation templates, a market-pricing record, a pay-equity audit workflow and a 90-day application plan.

The course is suited to HR professionals who already support workforce decisions and need stronger analytical capability in compensation. It is particularly relevant where HR must balance employee expectations with budget limits, governance requirements and credible market evidence.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse salary data using compa-ratios, range penetration and market percentiles
  • Match roles to salary survey benchmarks using documented job-content evidence
  • Design salary ranges using midpoint progression, range spreads and market-reference policy
  • Evaluate jobs using point-factor and Hay Guide Chart-Profile methods
  • Model salary review, promotion and incentive costs under alternative scenarios
  • Conduct a pay-equity audit using regression analysis and documented remediation actions
  • Prepare compensation recommendations supported by market data, internal equity and cost evidence
  • Create an implementation plan for compensation changes, approvals and manager communication

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make evidence-based pay recommendations rather than relying on manager opinion
  • Interpret salary survey data and select defensible market reference points
  • Identify pay-equity risks before they become employee relations cases
  • Build credible reward business cases for finance and senior leadership
  • Handle individual pay exceptions with clearer policy and documentation

For your organisation

  • More consistent salary decisions across business units, managers and job families
  • Better control of salary review, promotion and incentive expenditure
  • Clearer evidence for market competitiveness and retention interventions
  • Earlier identification of unexplained pay gaps and governance weaknesses
  • Improved manager communication about salary ranges and reward decisions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can frame compensation decisions against agreed reward principles, objectives and governance requirements.

  • Total rewards architecture linking base pay, incentives, benefits and recognition
  • Compensation philosophy translated into pay principles, decision rights and guardrails
  • External competitiveness, internal equity, affordability and performance as pay objectives
  • HR business partner responsibilities within compensation governance and approval routes
  • Pay data definitions: base salary, total cash, total remuneration and FTE
  • ISO 30414 remuneration metrics used for consistent workforce reporting

Participants can evaluate job value and establish defensible comparisons between roles.

  • Job analysis using task, responsibility, knowledge and working-condition evidence
  • Job documentation separates job content from incumbent capability and performance
  • Hay Guide Chart-Profile method scoring know-how, problem solving and accountability
  • Factor weighting and grade boundaries tested for internal consistency
  • Benchmark job matching based on scope, impact, complexity and reporting level
  • Job family architecture connecting career streams, levels and pay structures

Participants can use salary survey data to establish credible market reference points.

  • Survey selection assessed through participant mix, methodology, ageing and job coverage
  • Market-pricing matches documented using job content, level and geographic scope
  • Percentiles, medians and ranges interpreted without confusing mean market data
  • Annual survey data aged using published salary movement factors
  • Compa-ratio, range penetration and position-in-range calculated from salary data
  • Regression analysis estimates market reference points for non-benchmark jobs

Participants can design and assess salary ranges that support workforce and budget objectives.

  • Salary range design sets midpoints, spreads, overlaps and progression rules
  • Market-reference policy selects target percentile by job family and talent scarcity
  • Range midpoint progression built using differential percentages between grades
  • Broadbanding, traditional grades and career bands compared against workforce needs
  • Red-circle and green-circle pay cases managed through documented exceptions
  • Pay increase matrices combine performance ratings, compa-ratios and budget limits

Participants can assess incentive plans for alignment, affordability, clarity and risk.

  • Annual incentive plans link threshold, target and maximum opportunity levels
  • Balanced scorecard measures translated into line-of-sight performance metrics
  • Bonus pool funding models test profit, revenue and individual-performance scenarios
  • Sales commission plans define quota, accelerators, caps, draws and clawbacks
  • Long-term incentive choices compare shares, options, cash and retention awards
  • Plan rules address eligibility, proration, leave, termination and malus

Participants can assess benefits value, cost and market position for defined employee groups.

  • Benefits segmentation distinguishes statutory provision, core benefits and voluntary choices
  • Benefits valuation calculates employer cost, employee value and tax treatment
  • Flexible benefits design uses allowance credits, enrolment windows and eligibility rules
  • Retirement, health, risk and leave benefits benchmarked against market practice
  • Total reward statements communicate cash, benefits, retirement and paid time off
  • Vendor renewal analysis compares utilisation, claims trends, premiums and service terms

Participants can identify pay-equity issues and establish controls for fair, documented decisions.

  • Equal-pay analysis distinguishes like work, work of equal value and market differences
  • Multiple regression tests pay gaps while controlling relevant job-related factors
  • Pay-equity audit workflow defines scope, data checks, findings and remediation
  • Protected-characteristic data handled through access controls, minimisation and retention schedules
  • Compensation governance assigns authorities, escalation routes, records and audit trails
  • Manager discretion monitored through exception reports and approval thresholds

Participants can model the workforce cost effects of proposed compensation decisions.

  • Compensation cost models reconcile headcount, FTE, vacancies and payroll baselines
  • Merit-budget forecasts model salary reviews, promotions, hires and attrition
  • Scenario analysis quantifies cost effects of range changes and incentive payouts
  • Payroll costing includes employer taxes, social contributions and benefit premiums
  • Cost-of-living adjustments assessed against inflation, market movement and affordability
  • Finance business cases present assumptions, sensitivities, risks and funding options

Participants can communicate compensation changes and coordinate controlled implementation activities.

  • Stakeholder mapping identifies executives, finance, managers, employees and employee representatives
  • Compensation proposals structure decision papers around problem, options, cost and recommendation
  • Pay communication principles explain ranges, review decisions and confidentiality boundaries
  • Manager briefing packs prepare consistent responses to common pay questions
  • Change-impact assessment identifies affected populations, process changes and communication timing
  • Implementation controls sequence data validation, approvals, payroll testing and go-live

Participants can diagnose compensation requests and present practical, evidence-based recommendations.

  • HRBP diagnostic frames compensation requests through business issue, evidence and options
  • Case triage distinguishes policy questions, individual exceptions and structural problems
  • Consulting questions surface workforce risks, retention pressures and manager assumptions
  • Recommendation memos connect market evidence, internal equity, cost and action
  • Compensation calendar coordinates surveys, budgeting, review cycles and governance forums
  • 90-day application plan prioritises stakeholder actions, analyses and decision milestones

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Compensation philosophy and governance checklist
  2. Market-pricing and benchmark-job template
  3. Salary range design model
  4. Pay-equity audit workflow
  5. Compensation cost scenario worksheet
  6. 90-day compensation application plan

Who should attend

  • HR Business Partners — advise managers on pay decisions, retention cases and workforce changes
  • Compensation and Benefits Specialists — strengthen analysis, structure design and governance practice
  • HR Managers — oversee pay reviews, job changes and local compensation decisions
  • Reward Analysts — build confidence with survey data, modelling and pay-equity methods
  • Talent Management Managers — align career architecture, grade progression and reward decisions
  • Finance Business Partners — assess workforce cost proposals and annual reward budgets

Skills and tools covered

Salary benchmarkingJob evaluationPay equity analysisSalary structure designIncentive plan analysisCompensation cost modelling

Tools and standards

ISO 30414, Hay Guide Chart-Profile Method, Compa-ratio, Regression analysis

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce compensation concepts, followed by worked examples using salary data, job profiles and reward budgets. Participants analyse cases, compare options in small groups and complete calculation-based tasks involving market pricing, compa-ratios, range design and cost scenarios. Decision simulations focus on realistic HR business partner conversations with managers and finance stakeholders. Participants finish each major topic by recording how the method applies to their own organisation and building a focused application plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand core HR processes such as recruitment, performance management, job descriptions and annual salary reviews. Experience supporting managers, maintaining HR data, preparing workforce reports or contributing to pay decisions is useful. Participants should be comfortable interpreting tables, percentages and basic spreadsheet calculations. Prior compensation specialist experience is not required, and the course does not assume knowledge of a particular salary survey provider, payroll system or national employment law. Legal requirements are discussed as governance considerations rather than jurisdiction-specific legal advice.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand core HR processes and be comfortable working with percentages, tables and basic spreadsheet calculations. Previous compensation specialist experience is helpful but not required.

Bring a laptop if possible, along with non-confidential examples of your organisation's job grades, pay review questions or reward challenges. Course materials and case data are provided.

The course is designed primarily for HR business partners, compensation analysts, HR managers and reward specialists. Finance business partners and talent managers involved in workforce cost or career decisions will also benefit.

This course focuses on analysing and designing pay decisions, including market pricing, salary structures, incentives, benefits and pay equity. It does not train participants to process payroll or provide jurisdiction-specific legal advice.

Participants receive reusable templates for market pricing, salary structure analysis, pay-equity review and cost modelling. These can be adapted for annual salary reviews, retention cases, job evaluations and reward proposals.

The five days provide about 32.5 contact hours, delivered from 08:30 to 16:30 each day. Time is divided across ten modules covering reward foundations, analysis methods, design decisions, governance and HR business partner advisory work.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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