Retention & Grading

Career grids and compensation engineers actually trust

Stack-specific career grids tied to market salaries. Calibration discipline that prevents grade inflation. Promotion processes that reduce loud-people bias. We design for clarity — retention follows.

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What good grading actually does

Most grading systems become political artefacts within 18 months. Done right, they reduce voluntary attrition by 20-30% and make compensation reviews boring (which is the goal).

Career visibility

Every engineer can see the path from where they are to where they want to be — and what specifically gets them there. Eliminates the "what do I even ask my manager about" problem.

Fair compensation

Pay bands tied to grade plus market benchmarks. Same grade = same band, regardless of when the person was hired or who their manager is.

Calibration discipline

Cross-team calibration sessions twice a year. Prevents grade inflation in fast-growing teams and grade deflation in mature teams.

Promotion rigor

Promotion to senior+ requires evidence packets reviewed by a panel. Reduces "loud-people-get-promoted" dynamics.

Retention as side effect

When the path is clear and the compensation is fair, retention follows. We don't measure retention as a goal — we measure clarity.

Stack-specific design

Backend engineering grades differ from ML differ from embedded. We build the grids per discipline, not as a generic ladder.

Frequent questions

What is grading and why is it needed?
Grading is a system of role levels tied to market salaries, responsibilities and competencies. Needed for career path transparency, fair compensation, and senior retention.
How is your system different from generic ones?
We build the system specific to your team — not a Mercer copy. We account for tech stack, decision-making culture, team size, product specifics. Grades tied to real project roles, not job descriptions.
Do you help with compensation reviews?
Yes. First we build grades, then anchor to market benchmarks (LinkedIn, Levels.fyi, regional sources), then help run the review without losing people.
Who have you worked with?
Technology companies of 50-300 people: product fintech/edtech startups, e-commerce, B2B SaaS, R&D teams. Recent case — fintech transition from ad-hoc compensation to a graded system in 8 weeks.
How long does building grades take?
6-10 weeks: 2 weeks for interviews and analysis, 3-4 weeks for the frame and lead calibration, 2 weeks for leadership presentation and employee communication.

Discuss your specific situation

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