Market data is only as good as the match between your job and the one in the survey.
Salary data is everywhere. What is scarce is judgment about which data applies to your roles. We price your jobs against real market data, matched on what the work actually involves, so an offer or a raise rests on evidence you can explain.
A title is a guess. The duties are the job.
The same title can describe very different work in two organizations. We match roles on responsibilities, scope and level, because a mismatched job produces a precise number that is simply wrong.
Duties Over Titles
An “operations manager” can run a small team or a regional function. We match on what the role owns, so the comparison reflects the real job and not the label. Duty-based matching makes market pricing accurate. Titles alone mislead comparisons.
Blended Roles
Smaller organizations often combine two jobs into one. We price each component and weight them, rather than forcing the role into the closest single match. Weighted pricing handles blended roles fairly and keeps smaller employers from underpricing a job that does two things.
Geography
Pay varies by location, and remote work has made the question harder. We decide with you whether a role is priced to where the person lives or where the organization competes for talent. Geographic pricing is a key decision for remote roles.
Company Size and Industry
A role in a large company is often broader in title and narrower in scope. We choose comparison groups that resemble you, so the result reflects your actual competitors. The right peer group makes salary benchmarking meaningful and keeps the comparison focused on your real competitors.
The number you should use depends on what you are trying to decide.
Market data comes as a range of values, not a single answer. We show where your pay sits against that range and what each position in it means for hiring and retention.
Percentiles, Not Averages
An average can be pulled by a few outliers. We show the spread, so you see what paying at the middle or toward the top of the market actually costs. Percentile views make market pricing decisions clearer. Spread shows real cost.
Data Age
Survey data reflects pay at a point in the past. We age it forward to your decision date, and we label that adjustment so it is never mistaken for a fact. Aging survey data keeps market pricing current. Adjustments are labeled.
Base vs. Total Cash
Some markets pay heavily through bonus. Comparing base salary alone can make a role look underpaid, which is why we compare base and total cash side by side. Comparing total cash prevents misleading salary benchmarks. Base-only comparisons can make a role look underpaid.
Candidates compare packages, even when employers compare salaries.
A salary that trails the market can still win if the benefits are strong, and a competitive salary can lose if the employee share of health costs is high. We put pay and benefits in the same view.
Benefits Value in the Offer
We show what your health and ancillary benefits are worth to the employee, so a hiring manager can speak to the whole offer rather than defending a salary number. Showing benefits value strengthens every job offer and helps hiring managers compete on the whole package.
Employee Cost Share
A high payroll deduction or deductible reduces effective pay. We compare it against the market alongside salary, because candidates do the same arithmetic. Benchmarking employee cost share completes the total rewards picture that candidates are already calculating. Candidates do this arithmetic.
Where to Spend the Next Dollar
When budget is limited, we show whether salary or benefits moves the needle more for the roles you are trying to fill. Comparing salary and benefits spend guides smarter total rewards budgets and helps fill the roles that matter most.
What employers ask about market pricing.
Can we just use free salary websites?
They are useful for a quick sense of the market, but self-reported data is hard to match to a specific role. We rely on sources where the job match and sample can be checked. Verified survey sources make salary benchmarking reliable.
How often should roles be repriced?
Key and hard-to-fill roles at least annually, the rest on a regular cycle. We also reprice when a role changes or offers start being declined. Regular repricing keeps salary benchmarking current. Key roles get repriced at least once a year, and the rest on a regular cycle.
What if the data says we are underpaying?
Then you have a decision, not an emergency. We cost the options, from immediate adjustment to phased increases, so you choose based on risk and budget. Costed options turn underpayment findings into plans. You choose between immediate adjustments and phased increases.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
Switch to CFH. Unhappy with your broker? Your employees won’t notice. You will. →