A Compensation and Benefits Manager designs the pay and benefits programs that attract and keep employees, and makes sure they are fair, competitive, affordable and legal. You will learn this in three stages. First you learn HR basics, the laws (FLSA, ERISA, ACA, FMLA, Equal Pay) and Excel. Then you learn to do the work: job leveling, salary structures, market pricing, benefits plan analysis and employee communication. Finally you learn to lead: total rewards strategy, executive pay basics, M&A benefit integration, vendor and broker negotiation, and pay equity analysis. Most people in the role
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 3 · about 12 weeks
Understand how pay and benefits work, the key laws behind them, and become fast and accurate in Excel so you can qualify for an HR coordinator, benefits assistant or comp analyst role.
HR and total rewards fundamentals
Compensation and benefits sit inside a bigger system: hiring, performance, retention and cost. If you know what total rewards means (base pay, bonus, equity, health and retirement benefits, time off, development), you can see why each decision affects the others.
Employment law for pay and benefits
Most of the job is staying compliant. A manager who does not know the rules can create lawsuits and penalties. Learn the main ones: FLSA (minimum wage, overtime, exempt vs non-exempt), Equal Pay Act, Title VII, ERISA (retirement and health plan rules), ACA (employer mandate, reporting), FMLA, COBRA, HIPAA and state pay transparency laws.
Excel for HR analysis
Excel is the daily tool for comp work: salary data, cost models, merit budgets. You need to move from basic sums to lookups and pivots so you can answer questions fast and without errors.
Benefits basics
Health plans and retirement plans are the most costly and confusing parts of benefits. Employees ask about them constantly, so you need to explain deductibles, copays, out-of-pocket maximums, HSAs, 401(k) match and vesting in plain words.
Clear business writing and speaking
Your top skills are writing, speaking and active listening. Employees must understand their benefits, and managers must understand pay decisions. Clear writing prevents confusion and complaints.
Then 2 more stages (about 56 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 6 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.