Don't Use Engagement Surveys for Comp with with Andrew Bartlow, HR Expert and PE Operating Partner

Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Andrew Bartlow, HR Executive and Consultant with 30 years of experience, we tackle the controversial question of whether engagement surveys are effective tools for measuring compensation satisfaction. Andrew shares his candid perspective on why asking compensation questions in engagement surveys creates more problems than solutions, and reveals better methods for assessing whether your comp practices are actually working. We explore strategic approaches to compensation measurement, the importance of grounding HR work in business objectives, and practical alternatives to traditional survey methods that deliver more actionable insights.

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome & Introduction to the FNDN Series

01:30 Guest Introduction: Andrew McIlvaine's 30-Year HR Journey

03:17 The Problem with Compensation Questions in Engagement Surveys

06:08 Why Engagement Surveys Create a Pandora's Box for Comp

06:42 Better Ways to Measure Compensation Effectiveness

09:37 Creating Strategic People Plans and Setting Clear Goals

10:21 Exit Interviews vs Exit Surveys: Best Practices for Comp Data

12:13 When to Use Live Conversations vs Surveys for Departing Employees

13:18 Grounding Compensation Work in Business Objectives

15:02 Final Words of Wisdom for People Leaders

Connect with Andrew

Visit: https://linkedin.com/in/bartlow/ The People Leader Accelerator helps HR professionals and their organizations to grow. They exist to support the success of Human Resources leaders.

Resources Mentioned

Survey Platforms:

• Gallup - Employee engagement survey provider

• Culture Amp - Employee feedback and analytics platform

Concepts Discussed:

• Strategic People Plans - Framework for aligning HR initiatives with business goals

• Red, Yellow, Green Talent Assessment - Simple performance tracking methodology

• 50th/60th/75th Percentile Market Positioning - Compensation benchmarking strategies

Key Takeaways:

• Compensation questions in engagement surveys often create more problems than solutions

• Better to track specific metrics like top performer retention rates

• Exit surveys should be simple and structured for actionable data

• Ground all compensation work directly in business objectives

  
  

More FNDN Episodes:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484