Compensation review

/hcm/comp-review is the surface for running an annual (or quarterly) compensation-review cycle. The flow: HR opens the cycle

• sets the budget. Managers propose individual changes (raise, bonus, promotion comp). HR runs calibration to normalize across managers. A different HR admin finalizes through 4-eyes. Approved changes flow into the next payroll run.

TL;DR — Open HCM → Comp review → New cycle. Set the budget envelope + manager-proposal window. Managers propose from their dashboard. HR runs calibration to normalize. A different HR admin finalizes through 4-eyes. Changes apply on the next payroll cycle.

Before you start

• Decide the cycle window (open + close dates for manager proposals, calibration window, effective date).
• Determine the budget envelope — total dollars available for raises + bonuses + promotion comp. Optionally per-org-unit sub-budgets.
• Make sure your comp bands are current. Out-of-band employees surface as priority review items.
• Decide the calibration distribution target — e.g. 10% top performers, 20% strong performers, 60% solid, 10% needs improvement.

The four-phase cycle

1. 1

   1. Initiate the cycle

   HR opens the cycle, sets the budget, names the manager-proposal window. Audit log records HCM_COMP_REVIEW_CYCLE_INITIATED.

2. 2

   2. Manager proposals

   Managers propose for each direct report from /hcm/team. Each proposal has type (base raise / bonus / promotion comp) + amount + rationale + evidence. Audit log records HCM_COMP_REVIEW_PROPOSAL_SUBMITTED.

3. 3

   3. HR calibration

   HR opens the calibration session. Manager proposals are aggregated; outliers (single manager well above or below the distribution target) are flagged. HR runs side-by-side comparisons across managers + recommends adjustments. The proposing manager doesn't finalize their own outcomes.

4. 4

   4a. Finalize (4-eyes)

   A different HR admin than the calibrator finalizes the outcomes. Audit log records HCM_COMP_REVIEW_CALIBRATION_FINALIZED.

5. 5

   4b. Apply changes

   Approved changes queue for the next payroll cycle. Per-employee HCM_COMP_CHANGE_APPLIED recorded.

Manager proposal mechanics

Calibration mechanics

Promotion finalization

Promotion comp typically requires extra evidence:

• Career-framework readiness % (from Career path)
• Promotion proposal during pre-calibration
• Per-session promo cap respected
• 4-eyes finalize alongside other comp changes

Audit log records HCM_CAREER_PROMOTION_PROPOSED + HCM_CAREER_PROMOTION_APPROVED from the career-framework side; the comp side records HCM_COMP_CHANGE_APPLIED on the comp adjustment.

Apply to payroll

After finalize, approved changes queue for the next payroll run. If the cycle's effective date is back-dated, the run processes retro-adjustments per Payroll runs.

Every field, explained

Audit codes

For SIEM ingestion + compliance review, this surface emits:

See Reference → Audit codes for the canonical description of each.

Common gotchas

• "A manager proposed but didn't fill in evidence." Evidence is required for promotions + above-default raises; the proposal fails to save without it.
• "Budget shows red even though I'm under cap." Sub-budgets per org-unit may be over even when the workspace total is under. Adjust the sub-allocation or pool back to the global.
• "Calibration flagged a manager I trust." The outlier flag is descriptive, not prescriptive. HR reviews + decides; many flagged proposals stand after review.
• "Finalized outcomes weren't applied to payroll." Outcomes queue for the next run after finalize. If your finalize date is after the next run's prepare step, the outcomes wait one cycle.
• "I can't finalize my own calibration." 4-eyes SoD; a different HR admin finalizes.

Troubleshooting