The most important pay conversations you're not having

The most important pay conversations you're not having

From Comp and Coffee by WRKdefined Podcast Network

November 3, 2025 · 37 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of pay conversations in the workplace and strategies for effective communication.

In a year of tight budgets and increasing expectations of pay transparency, pay conversations are more critical than ever. Skipping, delaying, or diluting these conversations can erode trust and leave employees disengaged. In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by Payscale leaders to explore the “compensation telephone game,” share how HR trains managers to deliver clear messages, and discuss strategies for keeping the right talent engaged in a volatile environment. Guests: Lexi Clarke – Chief People Officer, Payscale Lauren Hein – Head of Total Rewards, Payscale Lauren Cole – Senior Director, Services & Customer Education Resources: 2025 – 2026 Salary budget survey - https://www.payscale.com/featured-content/salary-budget-survey-sbs?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=cnt_awr_payforperformance-blog_wv&utm_content=payforperformance-blog_sia Your voice deserves to be heard! Participate in this year’s compensation best practices survey - https://www.research.net/r/CBPR26Coffee Your pay communications playbook…

People in this episode

Host: Ruth Thomas

Guests: Lexi Clarke, Lauren Hein, Lauren Cole

Topics covered

  • pay conversations
  • pay transparency
  • employee engagement
  • HR training
  • compensation strategies

Keywords

  • trust
  • disengagement
  • talent retention
  • volatile environment

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Payscale

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