Comp and Coffee
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
May 22, 2026 • 62 mins
Compensation is no longer just an HR process. It is a business decision that executive teams are paying close attention to.
In this special podcast episode, adapted from a recent Payscale webinar, Chief Product Officer Lexi Clarke and Chief Financial Officer Philip Watson discuss how organizations can rethink compensation reporting to better align with business goals and executive expectations.
Drawing from insights in Pays...
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May 8, 2026 • 33 mins
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 hard to define, harder to measure, and nearly impossible to track consistently across a workforce.
At the same time, the market is shifting fast.
AI-related skills are in high demand, sh...
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April 21, 2026 • 19 mins
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 to share what they are hearing on the ground, including a key insight that 54% of practitioners are struggling with disconnected tools, systems, and processes, and what that means for the future...
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March 25, 2026 • 39 mins
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 year in lost earnings, and over $1 million across a career.
At the same time, organizations are navigating a new era of pay transparency legislation, tighter compensation budgets, and growing s...
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March 15, 2026 • 32 mins
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 the year.
Today we're exploring what happens when compensation decisions prioritize administrative ease over strategic intent — and what leaders can do about it.
In this episode of Co...
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February 24, 2026 • 37 mins
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 data into strategic, defensible decisions.
We explore the latest research on HR systems, compensation trends, and the growing role of AI in pay and talent management. Stacey shares insights from t...
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February 24, 2026 • 36 mins
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 compensation policies drive positive business outcomes. That confidence shows up in measurable ways, including lower voluntary turnover, faster time to fill, and stronger employee sentiment.
In this epi...
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January 20, 2026 • 38 mins
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 year ahead and explores the trends that will define the future of work.
Email: coffee@payscale.com for listener questions and suggestions.
Payscale End-of-Year report and HR Prediction...
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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 outcomes.
These perspectives are all correct, yet they often conflict. When they collide, compensation decisions lose clarity, employees feel confused, and managers deliver mixed messages—leaving...
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November 13, 2025 • 35 mins
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, pay transparency has moved from policy talk to daily reality. With 2026 around the corner, the stakes are only getting higher.
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas sits down wi...
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November 7, 2025 • 36 mins
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 make their jobs easier?
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas sits down with Peh Keong Teh, Chief Product Officer at Payscale, Olivia Sedler, Product Manager at Payscale, and Mark...
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November 3, 2025 • 36 mins
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 ...
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September 29, 2025 • 29 mins
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 around compliance and risk, and leadership around outcomes and cost. The challenge? These perspectives rarely align into a shared understanding that employees can trust.
In this episode of Comp an...
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September 18, 2025 • 27 mins
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 talent as the top driver of budget changes. But even in a cooling pay environment, HR and comp pros have a window to realign strategy before Q4 — if they have the right data in hand.
In this ep...
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August 27, 2025 • 36 mins
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—and it’s costing businesses their best people.
In this episode of Comp and Coffee, host Ruth Thomas is joined by Lexi Clarke and Kate Peter—three women in the C-suite who are putting fair pay ...
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August 8, 2025 • 33 mins
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 start building stronger pay strategies together. Whether you're preparing for budget season or defending comp decisions in the boardroom, this episode gives you the language, data, and mindset y...
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July 10, 2025 • 37 mins
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 Sara Hillenmeyer, Payscale’s Director of Data Science. Together, they explore how trusted data, AI, and a forward-thinking approach to comp strategy can help organizations not just keep up—but lead. I...
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June 20, 2025 • 39 mins
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 it’s too late.
Episode resources:
https://www.payscale.com/featured-content/cbpr
Email coffee@payscale.com for listener questions and suggestions
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June 13, 2025 • 53 mins
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 through the history of comp, featuring expert reflections from WorldatWork, and predictions from the people shaping the next era of pay.
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May 1, 2025 • 26 mins
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 controlled and uncontrolled pay gaps, the impact of pay transparency, and the various systemic factors contributing to the gender pay gap.
Gain insights into why pay disparities persist and what or...
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