9 Things to Cover When Training Your Managers on Pay
These days, employees expect more transparency about their pay—not just their salary and pay range, but how it compares to other companies and what goes into determining “competitive” pay.
And who gets asked these tough questions? Their managers.
That’s why it’s so important to give your managers the knowledge and confidence to have meaningful pay discussions with their teams. They need to feel comfortable answering questions and explaining decisions clearly.
One of the best ways to set them up for success? Training. But what exactly should be included?
Here’s a simple outline you can use to create or refine your manager compensation training.
1. Set Clear Objectives
Start by explaining what managers should walk away with. A couple of examples:
- “We want to give you the tools and confidence to talk about pay with your employees.”
- “This training will help you understand the basics of our pay structure so you can have fair, consistent conversations.”
A clear objective helps managers focus and engage.
2. Define Roles & Responsibilities
Managers need to know exactly what’s expected of them when it comes to pay discussions. Be clear about:
- What decisions they can make vs. what requires approval
- When they should involve HR
- How much discretion they have in setting or recommending pay
If there’s an approval process (for raises, promotions, bonuses, etc.), walk them through it so they aren’t caught off guard.
3. Explain the Company’s Pay Philosophy
Every organization has an approach to compensation—even if it’s not written down. Managers need to understand:
- How the company views pay (e.g., competitive, performance-based, equitable)
- Who you compare yourselves to (industry, location, company size)
- How different pay elements (salary, bonuses, incentives) fit into the bigger picture
If you don’t have a formal pay philosophy yet, start here before developing your training.
4. Break Down Compensation Elements
Go beyond just listing pay components—help managers understand why they exist. For example:
- Base salary = Competitive pay for the role based on experience & performance
- Bonuses/Incentives = Rewards for achieving specific goals
- Equity/Stock Options = Long-term incentives tied to company performance
The goal is to help managers explain these elements in a way that makes sense to employees.
5. Teach the Basics of Pay Ranges
This will vary based on your company’s pay structure, but generally, managers should understand:
- How market data influences salary ranges
- How jobs are grouped into pay grades or bands
- The difference between external competitiveness (market rates) and internal value (job worth within the company)
- How pay for a role is determined and adjusted over time
If possible, show them a step-by-step example of how a job is market-priced.
6. Cover the Annual Pay Review Process
If managers have a say in pay decisions, they need to understand:
- How to evaluate an employee’s position within the salary range
- How performance factors into raises
- How to address pay equity concerns within their team
- What goes into setting the company’s annual raise budget
- How to use compensation tools and guidelines
Make sure they know when and how to submit recommendations—and what factors might override them.
7. Help Managers Navigate Promotion Requests
Managers often get questions like:
- “Why haven’t I been promoted?”
- “I’m already doing the next-level job—why am I not getting paid for it?”
Teach them how to handle these conversations by clarifying:
- What actually qualifies as a promotion vs. job growth
- The process for submitting a promotion request
- The approvals required and the timeline for decisions
The more prepared they are, the better they’ll be at setting employee expectations.
8. Make It Interactive: Role-Playing & FAQs
The best way to help managers get comfortable? Practice.
Have them try responding to common employee questions, such as:
- “I do the same job as Sam, but he makes more than me—why?”
- “The company says we’re doing well, so why is my raise so small?”
- “I think I deserve a promotion. What do I need to do?”
Giving managers a script or framework can boost their confidence when these tough conversations come up.
9. Walk Through Tools & Systems
Most companies use some kind of technology (or at least a spreadsheet) for managing compensation. If there’s a system managers need to use, make sure they know:
- Where to find employee pay data
- How to submit salary and bonus recommendations
- What reports or insights they can access to help with decisions
Not everyone is an Excel wizard—so a quick demo can be a big help!
Need Help?
Compensation training takes time to put together, but you don’t have to start from scratch. The Comp Consultants can help!
We can:
✅ Build a customized training for your team
✅ Adapt an existing training to fit your needs
✅ Lead a live training session for your managers
✅ Provide tools and templates to make pay conversations easier
Want to learn more? Contact us at [email protected].