Build salary bands you can explain, from job levels to the first pay review
For people directors, HR managers, finance leads and founders at companies of 20 to 1,000 people: a working pay structure workbook, fillable forms, brand-ready templates and an e-book that follows one 240-person company from an unexplained pay gap to a costed pay review.
- A 27-sheet workbook: self-assessment, job architecture, market data with ageing, grade structure, placement of every employee, merit matrix, pay review budget and a dashboard with five charts
- Five fillable forms for levelling, market pricing, pay decisions and queries, manager reviews and total rewards statements
- Seven Word templates: philosophy and pay policy, leadership memo, manager guide with a 20-question FAQ, 32 messages and letters, worked example, 28 AI prompts, team briefing
- Business case calculator, four cheat sheets, a 14-question LMS-ready knowledge check, a calendar and a task board
The Compensation and Salary Band Builder · Bodhih Pro Kits · 331 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you build salary bands?
Write a compensation philosophy, level every job into grades by its demands, price benchmark jobs with two independent surveys and public data aged to one date, set midpoints near the market, check the legal floor, then place everyone and run a costed pay review. Bodhih Training's Compensation and Salary Band Builder gives you a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to build salary bands: a step-by-step pay structure guide.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Nobody can explain why two people in the same job are paid differently
Pay was set at hire, by whoever negotiated hardest. When someone finds out, you have no answer except history.
Every offer is a new negotiation
Managers ask HR for a number, HR checks a website, finance says yes reluctantly. The next hire breaks it again.
The pay review is a guess
A flat percentage for everyone, or a budget that managers spend on whoever argued loudest. Strong performers low in pay barely move.
Free templates stop at the spreadsheet
A range table with no method behind it: no levelling, no market ageing, no rules for people below minimum or above maximum, and nothing to tell managers or employees.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine the Friday before your new structure takes effect. You open the Dashboard and read, in numbers and colours, how many people sit below their new minimum and what it costs to fix, how the pay review compares with budget and which exceptions need a decision on Monday.
As you print the board memo, you notice the questions have already been answered: how each grade was set, which market data was used and how it was aged, why each exception exists and when it ends.
When someone asks why a colleague earns more, open the Pay Query Record, check their grade, range and peers, and reply in writing with facts instead of history.
Whether you start with the Self-assessment tonight or the Job architecture sheet at Monday's meeting, the Start-here map tells you which file to open next.
23 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Compensation and Salary Band Builder (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: pay structure map
The job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan, the 'Brand it in five minutes' box and what is in the kit.
Compensation and Salary Band Workbook
27-sheet workbook: Settings, 0-4 self-assessment with a ranked gap plan, job architecture and level guide, market data with ageing and weighted composite, grade structure, zones, 240-person sample placement, merit matrix, pay review planner and budget, promotions, bonus plan, total rewards, pay exceptions, decision log, RACI, roadmap, crosswalk, sources, glossary, What changed and a dashboard with five charts.
Pay Structure Business Case Calculator
Five-sheet calculator: your inputs and quotes, year 1 and year 2 costs, the cost of doing nothing in three scenarios with the low case first, and a dashboard with three charts.
Job levelling and evaluation form
Three-page fillable form: the job (not the person), five factor ratings with evidence, the proposed grade with a second levelling opinion, panel decision and a gender-neutral wording check.
Market pricing worksheet
Two-page fillable worksheet for one benchmark job: content-based matches in up to three sources with match quality, effective dates, percentiles, ageing to the structure date, the weighted composite and a competition-law check.
Pay decision request and pay query records
Three-page fillable form: a pay decision request for offers, promotions, off-cycle increases and exceptions with the range numbers and approvals, and a pay query record with the review and the written response.
Manager pay review worksheet
Two-page fillable worksheet for a people manager: the team table with ratings, compa-ratios, guide and proposed increases, a calibration checklist and the manager's sign-off.
Total rewards statement
Two-page fillable statement for one employee: salary, bonus at target, pension, benefits, time off and learning, with a plain-words explanation of the grade and range and where to ask questions.
Compensation philosophy and pay policy starter
Brand-ready one-page compensation philosophy and a ten-section pay policy (architecture, market data, ranges, starting pay, pay review, promotions, below minimum and above maximum, exceptions, bonus and equity, data) with four procedures.
Leadership sign-off and decision memo
Three-part decision memo: start the project with the business case (low case first), approve the structure and the adjustment cost, and approve the pay review budget and final outcome, each with a sign-off table.
Manager guide and employee pay FAQ
Manager guide (the structure in five minutes, the pay review steps, talking points, what not to say, hard moments) and a 20-question employee pay FAQ to publish.
Pay communication message library
32 ready-to-edit emails, letters and replies: announcements, survey requests, a refusal of an informal pay swap, pay review letters (increase, range adjustment, red circle, promotion, no increase), offer paragraph, premium letter, replies to hard questions, calibration and payroll messages.
Worked example pack: Redcliffe Automation
The main files completed for one fictional 240-person engineering company in Bristol: business case, a levelling, a market pricing, the grade structure, placement, three individual cases (range adjustment, red circle, promotion), the budget, a total rewards statement and the decision log.
AI prompt pack for pay structures
28 prompts for philosophy, architecture, market data, ranges, placement, pay review, incentives, communication and the yearly cycle, each with what to paste in and what to check, plus five human-review rules.
Team briefing session plan and answer key
A 45-minute manager briefing plan with timings, materials and facilitator notes, and the printable answer key for the 14-question knowledge check.
Pay structure knowledge check (LMS-ready)
14 scenario questions with four options, the correct letter and an explanation; imports into Bodhih LMS or any LMS that accepts CSV quizzes.
Numbers that matter: pay structure KPI card
14 numbers with the plain-words definition, formula, where each lives in the workbook and what to do when it moves, a flow mini-infographic and the sample company's figures.
Pay decision card and mistakes to avoid
Thirteen 'if this, do that' decisions with the file to open, the path in one line and fifteen mistakes with what to do instead.
Salary range maths and market data card
Five range formulas with worked examples, ageing and the weighted composite, typical design choices, the sources mini-infographic and the competition-law rule.
Pay rules by country (November 2026)
Dated sheet: minimum wage floors for Grade 1, the pay rules that touch structure design in the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, and a rules timeline.
Pay structure build and review calendar
26 calendar events: thirteen weekly build meetings, manager briefings, proposal and calibration dates, the effective date, quarterly exception reviews and the yearly market and structure cycle.
Pay structure task board (CSV)
34 tasks with phase, owner, start week, due date, labels and notes, ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 23 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 66 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira, Bodhih LMS and most LMS quiz importers
- Best for
- Companies of 20 to 1,000 people building or rebuilding a market-based pay structure
A Philosophy and an Honest Baseline
Score 24 practices from 0 to 4, rank the gaps, decide who decides, write a one-page philosophy and make the business case with the low case first.
Job Architecture: Families, Tracks and Levels
Job families, career tracks and grades; levelling the job on five factors with two people and a guide; slotting jobs that have no market match.
Market Data: Sources, Matching and Ageing
Paid surveys and public statistics, competition law in benchmarking, matching on content, percentiles, ageing to one date and the weighted composite.
Designing the Salary Ranges
Midpoints from market, progression, spread, the minimum and maximum formulas, overlap, the legal floor check and location zones.
Placing Every Employee
Compa-ratio and range penetration for everyone, bringing people to minimum, red-circling above maximum and the like-for-like check.
The Pay Review: Merit Matrix and Budget
Range adjustment, merit and lump sum in order; a costed merit matrix; modelling the budget; manager proposals and calibration.
Promotions, Offers and Exceptions
Promotions by rule, offers inside the range, pay history and posting rules, the Toronto posting slice and an exceptions register with end dates.
Bonus, Equity and Total Rewards
Bonus targets, multipliers and modifiers, sales incentives, an overview of equity and the total rewards statement.
Telling People: Managers, Employees and Hard Questions
Briefing managers, the pay conversation, the employee FAQ, recording pay queries, what to share and consultation.
Running It Every Year, with AI and Good Records
The annotated dashboard, the yearly pay cycle, AI with human decisions, the decision log and exceptions register, and other countries.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Pay-Structure-Map.pdf: the job in ten steps with the file for each, your first hour, your first week, a 30/60/90-day plan and the 'Brand it in five minutes' box
Workbooks
- Compensation-and-Salary-Band-Workbook.xlsx: 27 sheets including Settings, a 0-4 self-assessment with ranked gap plan, job architecture and level guide, market data with ageing and a weighted composite, grade structure, geographic zones, employee placement, merit matrix, pay review planner and budget, promotions, bonus plan, total rewards, pay exceptions, decision log, RACI, roadmap, crosswalk, official sources, glossary, What changed and a dashboard with five charts and traffic lights
- Pay-Structure-Business-Case-Calculator.xlsx: 5 sheets comparing the cost of doing nothing in three cases with the cost of doing it in year 1 and year 2
Fillable forms
- Job-Levelling-and-Evaluation-Form.pdf: the job, five factor ratings with evidence, two opinions and the panel decision
- Market-Pricing-Worksheet.pdf: content-based matches, percentiles, ageing, weighting and a competition-law check
- Pay-Decision-and-Pay-Query-Records.pdf: offers, promotions, off-cycle increases and exceptions with approvals, plus the pay query record
- Manager-Pay-Review-Worksheet.pdf: the team table, calibration questions and sign-off
- Total-Rewards-Statement.pdf: a brand-ready statement with a plain-words explanation of grade and range
Word templates
- Compensation-Philosophy-and-Pay-Policy-Starter.docx: a one-page philosophy and a ten-section pay policy with four procedures
- Leadership-Sign-Off-and-Decision-Memo.docx: three decisions, three sign-offs (start, structure, pay review)
- Manager-Guide-and-Employee-Pay-FAQ.docx: the manager guide and a 20-question employee FAQ
- Pay-Communication-Message-Library.docx: 32 emails, letters and replies
- Worked-Example-Pack-Redcliffe-Automation.docx: the main files completed for one fictional 240-person company
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Pay-Structures.docx: 28 prompts with what to paste in, what to check and five human-review rules
- Team-Briefing-Session-Plan-and-Answer-Key.docx: a 45-minute manager briefing and the printable answer key
Cheat sheets
- Numbers-That-Matter-Pay-Structure-KPI-Card.pdf: 14 numbers with formula, location and what to do when they move
- Pay-Decision-Card-and-Mistakes-to-Avoid.pdf: 13 'if this, do that' decisions and 15 mistakes to avoid
- Salary-Range-Maths-and-Market-Data-Card.pdf: range formulas with worked examples, ageing, the composite and the competition-law rule
- Pay-Rules-by-Country-November-2026.pdf: dated minimum wage floors and pay rules for the UK, US, Canada, EU, Australia, New Zealand and India
Team training, calendar and import
- Pay-Structure-Knowledge-Check-LMS.csv: 14 scenario questions that import into Bodhih LMS or any LMS
- Pay-Structure-Build-and-Review-Calendar.ics: 26 events for the 13-week build and the yearly cycle
- Pay-Structure-Task-Board.csv: 34 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
E-book
- The Compensation and Salary Band Builder: 9,148 words, ten chapters, 24 illustrations, charts and story strips following one company from an unexplained pay gap to its first pay review
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Score your pay practices honestly and work a gap plan ranked by formula
- Write a compensation philosophy you can keep and a business case that shows the low case first
- Level every job into families, tracks and grades with a two-person method
- Price benchmark jobs on content with aged, weighted market data and stay clear of competition-law risk
- Design ranges with midpoints, spreads, overlap, a legal floor check and location zones
- Place every employee by compa-ratio and range penetration and handle below-minimum and red-circle cases
- Run a costed pay review with a merit matrix, calibration, promotion rules and an exceptions register
- Brief managers, publish an employee FAQ and keep the structure current every year
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Pay and Reward Decision Assessment for Managers and HR Teams
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentStrategic Workforce & Talent Planning
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentPayroll and Pay-Run Accuracy Assessment for Payroll, HR Operations and Shared Services
Take the assessment →JobularyTurn what you learn into a measured development plan (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 5
Eleven people were paid below the minimum of their new range: four in G1, two in G2, five in G3, three of them mechanical design engineers whose market had moved faster than their pay. The total cost of bringing all of them to minimum was £11,810 a year. The kit's rule: bring people below minimum up to it, from a separate pool, on the structure date. Keep it separate from merit so one does not hide the other. If the cost is too large to do at once, use a written plan of no more than two steps. Redcliffe's adjustment pool was 0.4% of the £10.77 million salary bill, £43,075, so the whole gap was closed in one step. Each of the eleven received a letter that said so in plain words, using message 11 in the Message Library.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you start | A blank range table | A 0-4 self-assessment of 24 practices with a ranked gap-to-action plan |
| Job levels | Titles copied from another company | Five factors, a level guide, two-person levelling and a panel for disputes |
| Market data | One salary website, figures of different ages | Two surveys plus public data, matched on content, aged to one date and weighted by quality |
| Ranges | The same width for every grade | Midpoints from market, widening spreads, overlap and legal floor checks by formula |
| Pay review | A flat percentage | Range adjustment, merit matrix and lump sums in order, costed by department, with calibration |
| Compared with a consultant or software | A consultant brings judgement and hands-on time; compensation software automates data and cycles | The method, files and decisions in one place; works on its own or alongside either |
Made for you if…
- People directors and HR managers asked to 'sort out pay' without a reward team
- Finance directors who want a pay review budget they can model and defend
- Founders of companies growing past 20 or 50 people who are making every offer case by case
- Reward and HR analysts building a first structure or rebuilding an old one
- Companies hiring in the UK, US, Canada, the EU, Australia or New Zealand that want one method across countries
- Consultants who want a clear, brandable starting kit for a client (within the licence)
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone wanting legal, tax or financial advice: laws on equal pay, minimum wage, consultation and equity need your adviser
- Pay transparency compliance and gender pay gap reporting in depth: see the Pay Transparency Readiness Kit
- Executive and board director pay, which is set separately
- Large enterprises with an established reward function and job evaluation system
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Pay decisions you can explain, in one kit
Open the Start-here map and give it one hour. Whether you begin with the Self-assessment tonight or the Job architecture sheet at your next meeting, you will know what to do next and which file to open.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use, including use within your own company and with its staff. Please don't share or resell the files. Team, company and consultant licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
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The Compensation and Salary Band Builder: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow do I build salary bands for a small or mid-size company?
Write a short compensation philosophy, group jobs into families and grades by what each job demands, price benchmark jobs against at least two independent market sources aged to one date, set a midpoint and spread for each grade, then place every employee and fix anyone below minimum. The kit gives you a file for each step and a worked example for a 240-person company.
How long does it take to build a pay structure?
The kit's plan takes 13 weeks for a company of about 240 people, from the board's decision to letters, with a weekly meeting. Smaller companies with fewer jobs can move faster; the slow parts are usually levelling and buying market data, not the spreadsheet.
What does it cost to build salary bands?
Mostly internal time, salary survey subscriptions and the cost of bringing anyone below their new minimum up to it. The Business Case Calculator lets you type your own quotes and estimates; it contains no market prices, so ask survey providers for quotes.
Can I build a pay structure without a consultant?
Many companies of this size do, using purchased survey data and a clear method. An adviser is worth a few days for a second view on levelling, for legal checks on contracts and consultation, and for equity or tax questions. The kit is built to work on its own or alongside one.
What is a compa-ratio and what is a good one?
Compa-ratio is salary divided by the range midpoint: 1.00 means paid at the midpoint. There is no universal 'good' number; a company with many people new in their jobs will sit lower. The kit shows compa-ratio for every person and by grade, and the merit matrix uses it to move strong performers towards the midpoint.
Is a pay structure required by law in the UK, US or EU?
Not as such in most places, but the law asks for things a structure makes easier: equal pay for equal work, minimum wage compliance and, under the EU Pay Transparency Directive, pay structures based on objective, gender-neutral criteria. The Crosswalk sheet and the dated rules sheet show what to check where you employ people. This kit is educational, not legal advice.
Does this kit cover pay transparency laws and gender pay gap reporting?
Only where they meet structure design, such as posting ranges and gender-neutral criteria. The Bodhih Pay Transparency Readiness Kit covers transparency law, information rights and gap reporting in depth.
Can I use this with my team?
Yes, within your own company under the personal licence: share the forms, templates, briefing and knowledge check with your managers and HR team. Company, multi-site and consultant licences are available from solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method is universal and the workbook works in any currency. The Crosswalk and dated rules sheet cover the UK, US, Canada, the EU, Australia, New Zealand and India as at November 2026. Employment, minimum wage, consultation and data protection rules need checking locally with your adviser.
Is it safe to share salary data with other companies to benchmark?
Sharing current or future pay plans with competitors can break competition law in the UK and US, including through third parties or software. Use independent, aggregated surveys and public statistics. The kit includes a competition-law check on the market pricing worksheet and a polite refusal message.
How can I measure my managers' pay decision judgement before the first review?
The AssessAll Pay and Reward Decision Assessment for Managers and HR Teams (assessall.com/store/pay-reward-decision-judgment) measures judgement on pay and reward decisions, so you can see your starting point. The kit's own 14-question knowledge check is free to run in your LMS.
How do I turn what I learn into a development plan?
Use Jobulary's individual development plan (jobulary.com/individual-development-plan) to turn the gaps from your self-assessment into measured goals for yourself or your reward team.
How much does The Compensation and Salary Band Builder cost?
₹1,999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $49 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
