FNDN Series How to Do More with Less: Comp Edition 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, an HR veteran with 30 years of experience including CHRO roles at S&P 500 companies, we explore how to maximize compensation impact when resources are constrained. Andrew shares his insights on the power of differentiation in compensation, the importance of realistic performance distributions, and why tough conversations about performance are essential for organizational health. We dive deep into how to move beyond the "everyone gets the same" mentality and create meaningful compensation strategies that actually drive performance and business outcomes.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome and Introduction to FNDN Series
02:41 The Challenge of Overcomplex Compensation Systems
03:30 First Principles: What Are We Really Trying to Achieve?
05:15 The Magic of Differentiation in Compensation
07:45 Why Distribution Matters: The 20-70-10 Model
08:08 Communication and Manager Capability in Compensation
11:00 The Budget Reality: Funding Differentiation
11:49 Compensation Philosophy as Attraction and Repulsion Tool
14:53 Alternatives When Cash Budget Is Constrained
16:16 Budget as Choice: Connecting Compensation to Company Goals
18:15 Market Informed vs Market Led Approach
19:45 Strategic Benefits and Workforce Planning
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:
Companies/Organizations Mentioned:
General Electric - Referenced for their historical 20-70-10 performance distribution model
Pepsi - Andrew's background experience
HR Transform Conference - Event where budget strategy insights were shared
Pave - Mentioned for their performance reward data report showing market differentiation gaps
Concepts Discussed:
Performance differentiation and distribution curves
Merit budget strategic planning
Market informed vs market led compensation philosophy
Benefits renewal strategic approach
More FNDN Episodes:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GeBIeZOKrFxG1oiiPxmiM
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fndn-series/id1794263484