Three HR leaders share how they build an honest, evidence-based case for their own compensation packages
For most senior HR leaders, shaping executive compensation is fairly routine. However, applying that same discipline to their own pay might feel somewhat awkward.
Celine Maasland, head of people and culture at Ottawa-based RVezy, faced that reality during a recent salary review.
“When we were doing all the salary bands, everyone else had a manager to vouch for them, but I have to vouch for myself,” says Maasland. “And I’m sure many HR leaders are in that same boat where if you don’t do it, nobody will.”
Her solution was to build a clear, evidence-based case for her own role, according to Maasland. “For me, it was really just highlighting the impact of the work that I had done over the prior year, what was coming down the pipeline and what would continue to be the value of the work,” she says.
The whole picture on an HR leader’s value
Maasland notes that she also made sure to point out the risk work that rarely appears in dashboards due to the nature of much of HR’s function. “I think a lot of our work is done in the background and you handle things before they get to anyone else in the company, so they don’t know about these things that you’re doing in the background,” she says. “And sometimes you have to look at the indirect impacts as well, where you make a change and you might not see an immediate effect, but down the line, you will — that helps to add more strength to those compensation negotiation discussions and really highlight the return on the investment of an HR leader.”
For Lori Schick, executive vice-president of HR at Aurora Cannabis in Toronto, effective negotiation starts with a clear view of what the CEO and board expect from the CHRO.
“Boards and CEOs today are needing their CHROs to serve as enterprise leaders and to operate not just in the HR lane,” she says, adding that this should anchor how senior HR leaders talk about their own compensation.
“You have to be able to understand what they’re looking for as enterprise leaders and then ensure that when you’re having your conversation, that you’re demonstrating how you’ve delivered value to the organization overall,” she says.
Owning the full picture, including where initiatives fell short, is part of that stance, according to Schick: “Do you show your own accountability where things maybe didn’t go as well?"
A recent survey revealed that nearly nine in 10 Canadian CHROs believe their influence in the workplace is at an all-time high and eight in 10 are working more closely with their company’s C-suite than ever before.
Using pay transparency as market data
Growing pay transparency in Canadian markets — whether driven by legislation or employer choice — is also changing how HR leaders prepare for their pay negotiations, and Maasland sees it as validation, not a threat.
“It’s a lot easier to now validate some ideas you have on your role’s worth, and I can look at all these other job descriptions and see what they’re looking at,” she says. “If you need to replace me, well, this is what you’re going to be looking at as well.”
The compensation discussion itself, in an era of greater transparency, also demands more comfort from leadership, says Schick.
“I grew up in a time where it was ‘Don’t talk about pay, it’s confidential’ — but that time is over and it’s not coming back,” says Schick. “Data is available and people are more comfortable in talking about compensation these days than they ever have been — so, as organizational leaders, we have to get comfortable with that and with what’s now moving forward in terms of these discussions and how to have them in a respectful, open, honest way.”
Negotiating from curiosity and trust
For Eli Trindade, director of talent and culture at RDH Building Science in Vancouver, the way you approach the conversation with the organization’s leaders matters as much as the numbers.
“I never go to the table attached to a specific outcome so that I don't get disappointed, so I ultimately come in from a place of curiosity and ‘Let me tell you what my drivers and my motivations are' and 'How can we make this happen?’” says Trindade. “I think coming at it from that perspective and understanding where the other person’s at — what does the CEO prioritize, what are they seeing, and what do they value? — that can help me be very intentional with how I’m contributing so that I can meet whatever it is that I’m setting out to do for myself.”
Trindade also says he’s transparent with his organization’s president, which he acknowledges comes from “a place of privilege, because I’ve built the trust and the relationship is there, and it gives me the psychological safety to be my full self.”
Framing the pay discussion as shared problem-solving, rather than a demand, keeps it constructive, he says. “I think just having that sort of nuanced conversation in tone really helps for it to be productive and constructive and no one feels under attack,” says Trindade. “And it’s just more about, ‘Okay, let’s figure out how we make this work.’”
A braver, more transparent lens to your own pay
All three HR leaders agree that for HR executives preparing to negotiate their own compensation, it’s important to perform the same disciplined prep work you would expect from any business case — which includes translating behind-the-scenes people work into visible business outcomes and risk mitigation, showing how you operate as an enterprise leader, using market transparency as a tool for clarity, and approaching the conversation with curiosity, honesty, and a willingness to own both wins and missteps.
As Schick puts it, these conversations may never be easy, but they’re essential. “It’s not an easy conversation to have, but just be brave and do it.”
This article is part of our Monthly Spotlight series, which in February focuses on compensation planning. Full coverage can be found here.
