In this episode of the Leadership and Learning podcast, host Randy Goruk talks with compensation expert and author Scott Trumpolt about what it takes to earn a meaningful promotion. Drawing on his book, The Transparency of Compensation: The Employee Engagement Response, Scott explains why a promotion should reflect a substantial change in responsibilities.
They discuss how in-range equity adjustments can recognize growing contributions, how transparent career paths can help employees understand their pay and development opportunities, and how managers and HR can make compensation conversations more open, fair, and constructive.
· What is a true promotion.
· Why misusing promotions can hurt employee engagement.
· How in-range equity adjustments can recognize added responsibilities and support growth within an employee’s current role.
· How managers and employees should use regular conversations to clarify career development, skills, market value, and business needs.
· What compensation transparency really means.
· How HR can help managers make fair, consistent pay decisions and address possible inequity or perceptions of favoritism.
· How to make difficult compensation conversations more constructive by focusing on next steps and growth opportunities.
Resources

Scott Trumpolt
Compensation Expert and Author