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Salary Structure Design

Are you investing payroll strategically — or is it just an uncontrolled fixed cost?

Design a salary structure that invests payroll based on actual job value, not just years of service.

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Delivered with the project

Pay Compass: HR decides person by person, executives see the budget before approving

Once the salary structure is designed, Pay Compass places every employee on the new salary ranges. It shows who is within range, above the maximum or below the minimum, and lets HR choose how to handle each person with the full cost in view.

  • For HR

    Choose how to handle employees outside their range one by one, with the cost of each option shown.

  • For executives

    See the budget change from all decisions on one page before approving.

  • Yours to keep using

    A single browser file with no install and no Payroll connection, with a user manual for your HR team.

See Pay Compass screens and details
Pay Compass overview screen showing employees within range, above the maximum and below the minimum of the salary structure

Why it's hard internally

Three barriers to designing salary structures from inside the organization

You cannot objectively appraise the house while you are living inside it.

Bias & Politics Trap

Internal HR rarely has the leverage with senior executives needed to propose a fair structure.

Compromise Effect

Short-term compromise to keep everyone happy often leads to a system that fails over the long term.

Neutral Buffer

An external consultant absorbs friction between stakeholders.

Why Triple I

Three strengths of our approach

Affordability First

We start from your financial reality and skip the expensive market surveys you can't implement.

Owner's Logic + HR Principles

We blend the owner's instincts with Range Spreads and Midpoints to produce a system that works in practice.

Future-Proofing

Forecast labor cost so it doesn't outpace revenue growth over a 3-5 year horizon.

3-Step Process

3 months, with 6 on-site days in total (2 per month). First deliverable: job evaluation results and salary ranges for every grade. Final deliverable: Pay Compass with a user guide, and the master report. Fairness here means internal fairness; external market benchmarking is not included.

01

Diagnose and evaluate

Month 1 | 2 on-site days

Day 1: hand over employee, organization and salary data; review and validate job levels and job titles. Day 2: job evaluation sessions for all positions, reviewed with you position by position.

02

Salary structure design

Month 2 | 2 on-site days

Day 1: validate the job evaluation results, group positions into grades and present the draft structure. Day 2: place employees in the structure, review internal fairness and maximum cost; management approves the structure and budget.

03

Rollout and handover

Month 3 | 2 on-site days

Day 1: agree the pay policy for raises, promotions and new hires; test Pay Compass with real cases. Day 2: employee announcement and communication plan; hand over Pay Compass and train the users.

Methodology

Metrics we use to design the structure

Range Spread (RS)

Width of the salary range at each level.

Overlap (OL)

Overlap of salary ranges between adjacent levels.

Midpoint Progression %

Rate of midpoint increase between levels.

Compa-Ratio

Where each employee's salary sits relative to the midpoint.

Action Plan

Handling current employees after the new structure

Red Circle (above band max)

3 options:

  1. 1. Salary Freeze + Lump-Sum × Payout Factor
  2. 2. 24-month Lump-Sum
  3. 3. Promote to next Job Level

Green Circle (below band min)

4 options:

  1. 1. No Action
  2. 2. Adjust to Min
  3. 3. Peer-Reference adjustment
  4. 4. Gradual phase-up (e.g. 5%/yr)

Frequently asked questions

What does the salary structure consultant from Triple I do?
The consultant works from job evaluation and job grading through salary range design and the adjustment plan for current staff, and hands over Pay Compass (a salary decision tool) and a user manual so your HR team can keep using the structure after the project ends.

What is Pay Compass?
Pay Compass is the decision tool delivered with the project. It places each employee on the new salary ranges, shows who is within range, above the maximum or below the minimum, and lets HR choose how to handle each person with the full cost shown. Executives see the budget change before approving. It is a single browser file with no install and no Payroll connection.

Why hire an external consultant — can't we do this internally?
Internal salary structure work usually runs into three traps — bias, short-term compromise, and lack of leverage with executives. An external consultant acts as a neutral buffer that absorbs these frictions.

What methodology do you use?
Midpoint–Min–Max methodology with Range Spread, Overlap, Midpoint Progression, and Compa-Ratio — international standards adapted for Thai SME context.

How do you handle current employees whose salaries fall outside the new range?
For Red Circle (over the band max) we offer 3 options: Salary Freeze with payout, 24-month Lump-Sum, or Promote to next Job Level. For Green Circle (below the min) we offer 4 options: No Action, Adjust to Min, Peer-Reference, or Gradual phase-up.

How long does the project take?
Typically 3 months, with 6 on-site days in total (2 days per month).

How much does it cost?
The SME Salary Structure Package starts at 200,000 THB (VAT not included), takes 3 months and includes 6 on-site days. The final price depends on the size of the organization and the scope of work. Book a free 30-minute call and we will tell you what fits.

Ready to design a strategic salary structure?

Book a free 30-min call.

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