Comp and Coffee
Business & Finance
About
Comp and Coffee is a podcast by Payscale where we explore the art and science of compensation management. Grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and join us for conversations on pay and performance—packed with insights, practical tips, and strategies to help you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving world of work.
Episodes
- Why skills-based pay is finally within reach
For decades, organizations have talked about paying for skills instead of jobs. The idea is simple. Reward people based on what they can do, not just the role they hold. But in practice, it has always been difficult to execute. Skills are…
- We have an announcement...
Recorded live from WorldatWork Total Rewards 2026 in San Antonio, this special episode of Comp and Coffee gives you an inside look at the launch of Payscale Intelligence Cloud. Host Ruth Thomas is joined by Chief People Officer Lexi Clarke…
- Pay equity isn't dead
The gender pay gap has widened. New data from the 2026 Gender Pay Gap Report shows the uncontrolled gender pay gap increased from $0.83 to $0.82, meaning women earn 18% less than men on average. That difference translates to $14,300 per ye…
- The hidden cost of peanut butter pay
When budgets shrink, performance pay is put to the test. The 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report tells a clear story: budgets are tighter, bonuses are shrinking, and organizations are reaching for simpler pay strategies to get through…
- When pay research speaks: What HR and compensation leaders need to know now
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, Ruth Thomas sits down with Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer at Sapient Insights Group, and Amy Stewart, Payscale’s Manager of Content & Research, to unpack how HR and compensation leaders can turn d…
- The business impact of confident pay
Pay decisions do not live in isolation. They shape hiring speed, retention, employee trust, and ultimately business performance. According to Payscale’s 2026 Compensation Best Practices Report, 63% of organizations believe their compensati…
- What's in and out for HR and compensation in 2026: Predictions, opportunities, and challenges
HR and compensation leaders are facing a new set of challenges and opportunities in 2026. From new pay transparency laws to AI-driven decision-making, the landscape is shifting fast. This episode unpacks what is in and what is out for the…
- Lost in translation: How HR, finance, legal, and leadership can finally speak the same language about pay
Everyone agrees that pay matters. What they do not agree on is what it means. HR talks about fairness and equity. Finance talks about cost and ROI. Legal talks about compliance and defensibility. Leaders talk about performance and business…
- Pay transparency again? What you actually need to know for 2026
Another conversation about pay transparency? We know what you are thinking, haven’t we already covered this? But the truth is, 2025 changed everything. From a wave of new state laws in the U.S. to Canada and the EU rewriting the playbook,…
- AI overload? What HR Tech 2025 got right (and wrong)
At HR Tech 2025, AI stole the spotlight, but not everyone was convinced. Amid the hype and bold claims, HR and compensation professionals were asking tougher questions: What’s actually working? What’s just marketing? And how can AI really…
- The most important pay conversations you're not having
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…
- Pay transparency in practice: Making pay a universal language
Pay transparency laws are forcing the conversation—but alignment is what makes it stick. When it comes to pay transparency, HR, Legal, and leadership often speak in different “dialects.” HR frames it around equity and structure, Legal arou…
- Salary budgets are shifting — here’s how to stay ahead
Salary budgets are tightening — but strategy doesn’t have to. Payscale’s 10th Annual Salary Budget Survey reveals that planned pay increases for 2026 are dipping slightly from 2025, with economic uncertainty replacing competition for talen…
- Fair pay means nothing if no one believes it
Fair pay means nothing if no one believes it. That’s the wake-up call from Payscale’s latest Fair Pay Impact Report. Despite rising wages, transparency laws, and improved market conditions, employees don’t believe they’re being paid fairly…
- Turning pay into a business driver: A CHRO + CFO conversation
When the CFO asks why… will you panic or present your case with confidence? In this episode of Comp and Coffee, we go behind the scenes with Lexi Clarke and Philip Watson to uncover how HR and Finance can stop speaking past each other—and…
- The pay crystal ball: predicting the future with Pearl Meyer + Payscale
Compensation isn’t just an HR function—it’s a core business strategy. In this episode of Comp and Coffee , we look into the pay crystal ball with Rebecca Toman of Pearl Meyer, Ruth Thomas, Chief Compensation Strategist at Payscale, and Sar…
- Closing the Confidence Gap: Pay Strategy Challenges in 2025
What happens when your pay strategy sparks more questions than confidence—and your best people start walking? In this episode, we bring in the experts to tackle the hard truths behind tough pay conversations and how to rebuild trust before…
- Compensation History: A Walk Through the Past and Future of Pay
Compensation has come a long way—from handwritten ledgers and dusty binders to AI-powered insights and real-time salary data. But what does the past teach us about where we’re headed? Join us for a nostalgia-packed, future-forward journey…
- 113: Gender Pay Gap Report: Facts revealed
What's the state of the gender pay gap in 2025? In this episode Ruth Thomas discusses Payscale's 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report with Amy Stewart, Payscale's principal content strategist and author of the report. Together, they explore the cont…
- 112: Give your salary data strategy a glow up
With the median company now using three salary data sources—and four or more for larger organizations—it’s clear that more data is the norm. But more doesn’t always mean better. Are you truly getting the most out of your investment in comp…
- 111: Leading through the gap: Women, pay equity & the path to the
C-suite
Why has the gender pay gap stalled, and what does it take for women to break into leadership? In this episode of Comp & Coffee, Ruth Thomas sits down with Payscale’s Chief People Officer, Lexi Clarke, and Chief Customer Officer, Kate Peter…
- 110: Key trends from the 2025 Compensation Best Practices Report
Compensation practices are constantly evolving, and staying ahead requires a keen understanding of the latest trends and data. In this episode, we’re sitting down with Amy Stewart, Principal of Content Strategy; Sara Hillenmeyer, Senior Di…
- 109: What’s Next for Compensation Technology with Cliff Stevenson
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by Cliff Stevenson, Director of Research at Sapient Insights Group, to discuss the latest trends in HR technology. The conversation covers AI's impact on compensation, HR ancho…
- 108: Spill the Beans on Pay Transparency Trends with Lulu Seikaly
In this episode of "Comp and Coffee," Ruth Thomas is joined by Lulu Seikaly, our senior corporate attorney and pay transparency expert at Payscale, to unravel the complexities of pay transparency trends and legislation. With new laws conti…
- 107: Coaching Managers for Better Compensation Dialogues
In this episode of "Comp and Coffee," host Ruth Thomas is joined by Payscale's compensation experts Kim Taylor and Roberto Molina to discuss strategies for empowering managers in compensation dialogues. The trio dives into the importance o…
- 106: What's Brewing for 2025 with Sarika Lamont
Grab your favorite mug—we’re asking what’s ✨brewing✨ in comp strategies for the year ahead. In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas kicks off 2025 with guest Sarika Lamont, Vice President of People and Culture at Vidyard. The…
- 105: 2025 HR predictions
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by Payscale's thought leaders Sarah Hillenmeyer, Senior Director of Data Science, and Lexi Clark, Chief People Officer, to explore HR predictions for 2025. The discussion dives…
- 104: 2024 Year End Report: Hot Jobs & Key Insights with Amy Stewart
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, hosts Ruth Thomas and Amy Stewart dive into Payscale's 2024 Year-End Report, highlighting the state of the job market as we approach 2025. Amy Stewart, Payscale's Principal Content Strategist, shares her…
- 103: Payscale's Q4 Enhancements and AI-Powered Future
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by first-time guests Morgan Love, Tina Yu, and Olivia Crowley as they explore Payscale's exciting Q4 advancements and the role of AI in compensation. The discussion centers on…
- 102: Our Compference24 Review
What a brilliant time we had at Compference24! In this episode of Comp and Coffee Ruth Thomas is joined by Marc Mullis of Payformance Partners and Elena Van Kirk of Exude Human Capital to review and discuss all things Compf24. They share t…
- 101: Hot Takes on the Future of HR Tech
In this engaging episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by Payscale colleagues Katie Harmon and Sara Hillenmeyer to discuss their insights and experiences from the recent HR Tech conference in Las Vegas. The trio dives into…
- 100: Centenary Edition
In this special centenary episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas celebrates 100 insightful episodes of discussions on compensation. Joined by Heather Kruger, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing, and Zach Jamieson, HR Manager at Pa…
- 99 Reporting on our 2024 Salary Budget Survey
In this episode of Comp & Coffee, host Ruth Thomas delves into the insights from Payscale’s newly released 2024 Salary Budget Survey Report. Joined by Amy Stewart, Principal of Research and Insights at Payscale, and Minde Stone, Senior Dir…
- 98 50 Shades of Pay
In this episode of Comp & Coffee, Ruth Thomas hosts a lively discussion on favorite summer reads that offer both professional insights and personal growth. Joined by Jennifer Ferris, Principal Solutions Consultant at Payscale, and Liz Shef…
- 97 Payscale’s Latest Innovations and Compensation Management Trends
This episode of Comp & Coffee, hosted by Ruth Thomas, covers Payscale's latest innovations and updates in compensation management. Key themes include surfacing actionable insights, growing data, and incorporating user-led feedback. The dis…
- 96 Survey participation season: What's new
Join Ruth Thomas, Chief Evangelist at Payscale, on this episode of Comp and Coffee as she delves into the world of salary surveys with Gerard Smith, Amy Bredemus, and Matt Chalek. Learn about the importance of participation in third-party…
- 95 WorldatWork Review
Join Ruth Thomas, Chief Evangelist at Payscale, and her co-host Liz Sheffield as they recap their experience at the WorldatWork Total Rewards 2024 conference in Cincinnati, Ohio. This episode features in-depth discussions on the latest tre…
- 94 We'll be at WorldAtWork!
In this episode of Comp & Coffee, Ruth Thomas discusses the upcoming WorldatWork Total Reward 2024 Conference. She is joined by Lexi Clarke, Chief People Officer at Payscale, and James Atkinson, VP of Data Products. They talk about the ses…
- 93 CBPR Highlights
In this episode of Comp & Coffee, hosted by Ruth Thomas, Chief Evangelist at Payscale, the podcast dives into the findings of Payscale’s 2024 Compensation Best Practice Report (CBPR). Guests Amy Stewart, Associate Director of Content Marke…
- 92 AI Innovations at Payscale
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, Ruth Thomas and her Payscale colleagues, Brooke Grimes, James Atkinson, and Brittany Innes, discuss the latest innovations at Payscale in response to market demands and key compensation trends. They cove…
- Episode 91 - Progress on Gender Pay Gaps - Part 2
We are again discussing Gender Pay Gaps and the findings from our recently released GPGR. In our last episode, we introduced you to this year’s report and the overall outcomes. Today we are going to build on that and delve into more of the…
- Episode 90 - Progress on Gender Pay Gaps - Part 1
Our discussions this month are all aimed at raising awareness and encouraging action to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our workplaces and society at large. This year’s Women’s History Month theme “Women Who Advocate for Eq…
- Episode 89 - Minimum Wage Developments
In January, we saw 22 U.S. states boosting their minimum wage rates with effect from the 1st of the month and three more planned later this year. So now there will soon be 30 states with minimum wages higher than the federal standard, whic…
- Episode 88 - Top Predictions for HR and Compensation Management in 2024
Curious about job market trends in 2024? Join us in this episode as we delve into market predictions and the evolving compensation landscape for this calendar year. Our thought leaders at Payscale will discuss the fate of talent acquisitio…
- Episode 87 - PayScale's 2023 End of Year Report Hot Jobs Report
As we close out the year, this discussion centers the state of the labor market as we pivot into 2024 as well as hot jobs and this year. What are the predictions from our thought leaders here at Payscale? Listen to find out! Let's dive int…
- Ep 86 - Spotlight on gender pay gaps
Vicki, Liz, and Ruth discuss the gender pay gap -- what it is and how it's looking for next year. Is your organization taking necessary action to close the gap? In this episode, we're peering into the future—2024, to be exact—to predict wh…
- Ep 85 - Remote Work Is Here to Stay
Amy, Ruth, and Russ discuss remote work, RTO mandates, and the impact this is having on the workplace. How will new policies and expectations impact your workforce? In this episode, we delve into the dynamic landscape of remote work and th…
- Ep 84 - Pay Transparency: Why Employees Care
Liz, Lulu, Ruth, & Russ discuss Pay Transparency from the employees perspective. Is this your company's opportunity to build a better brand? Assets: Payscale Comp Quick Guide: Understanding Employee Reaction to Pay Transparency
- Ep 83 - Is algorithmic pay the future?
Sara Hillenmeyer, Payscale's Director of Data Science, and Lulu Seikaly, Senior Corporate Attorney @ Payscale, join Ruth & Russ to discuss a recent article about two brothers who both drive for Uber. The brothers recently conducted an expe…
- Ep 82 - The 4 Day Work Week: Smarter or Harder?
We discuss the growing number iniatives, such as those lead by 4dayweek.com, around the 4 day work week and the concept of 100:80:100. 100% pay for 80% time worked with 100% productivity targets. Is this working smarter, harder, both, or n…