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
June 22, 2026 • 45 mins
Compensation professionals are no longer asking whether AI will change their work—they're asking how, where, and how fast.
Teams are experimenting with tools like Claude, Copilot, and ChatGPT to help analyze data, draft communications, support pay decisions, and streamline compensation processes.
Vendors are rolling out AI features and workflows in their products.
At the same t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 16, 2026 • 39 mins
For the last three years, organizations across Europe have been preparing for the biggest shift in pay transparency and pay equity regulation in a generation. The EU Pay Transparency Directive promised to reshape how employers think about compensation — from pay structures and job architecture to reporting obligations and how employees access pay information.
Now, the transposition deadline has arrived. And...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 f...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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-re...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 abou...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 insig...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 em...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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—l...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 Tho...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 Paysca...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 str...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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. ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 wome...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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, d...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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 ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
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
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.