With the EU Directive deadlines looming and new laws popping up across US states, every leadership team is feeling the pressure. Founders and Heads of People are concerned. They imagine a line of angry employees outside their door demanding raises because they saw a job posting with a higher range or—soon—a mandated internal report. But in my experience, employees don't quit because of the number. They quit because of the silence. When there is silence on pay , human nature f

Earlier today I had an opportunity to chat with CNBC Make It about a growing trend in compensation: the "Peanut Butter" raise. The Strategic Risk My take is that market leverage is a temporary tactic, but retaining top-tier performance is a long-term strategy. Right now, some companies may see the cooler job market as an opportunity to simplify their merit process. They lean into "normalizing mediocrity" by spreading a thin 3% budget across the board, assuming that lower tu