There’s one pattern I see again and again. The HR/Compensation team is stretched thinly, but the workload keeps growing. New priorities, evolving pay transparency laws, more complex job architectures, systems implementations, and increasing demands from leaders all while headcount stays flat.
When you can't hire more people (yet), it's time to reframe the work.
I encourage teams to categorize their HR/Compensation deliverables into three buckets:
#1: Self Service – Tasks that managers or employees can handle directly when given the right tools. Think: initiating a promotion or submitting an updated job description for evaluation. This requires upfront investment in designing forms, process docs, and training but it pays off quickly.
#2: Done With You – Work that still needs HR or Compensation's expertise but can be done in collaboration. Determining the right base pay offer for a new hire or reviewing an off-cycle equity or market adjustment request, for example. These are judgment-based decisions, but managers can play an active role. Tell managers what you need from them in a prerecorded video so they can make it easier for you to respond quickly to their request.
#3: Done For You – Strategic or sensitive work that HR/Compensation must own. Preparing materials for the Board’s Compensation Committee, conducting pay equity audits, market pricing jobs, or updating job architecture frameworks.
Your goal? Shift as much as possible to Self Service without sacrificing quality or compliance.
Here’s the trick: many tasks that seem high touch can move into the self-serve model with well-documented processes and smart enablement. It not only reduces day-to-day workload but builds capability in your managers.
Comp leaders, if your team is underwater, don’t just work harder. Rethink how the work gets done.
Where could you push more work into Self Service?
Let’s talk.
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