University of Kwazulu-Natal

Tower Watson Salary Benchmarking Modern Alternatives Methods And

Bonisiwe Shabane
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tower watson salary benchmarking modern alternatives methods and

Tower Watson salary benchmarking has long served as a foundation for enterprise compensation strategy, offering HR and compensation teams structured access to market data through comprehensive salary surveys. Now operating as Willis Towers Watson (WTW) following a 2016 merger, this global provider continues to deliver rewards data intelligence across 130+ countries. However, the compensation landscape has shifted dramatically—rapidly shifting talent markets and the rise of hybrid roles demand faster, more flexible approaches to salary benchmarking data than traditional annual survey cycles can provide. This article focuses on how HR and compensation teams in U.S. organizations can evaluate, use, or move beyond Willis Towers Watson salary benchmarking to build fair, market-aligned pay structures. We compare the established WTW survey methodology with modern compensation intelligence platforms like SalaryCube that offer real-time salary data without survey participation requirements.

This content is designed for heads of HR, compensation managers, and total rewards leaders at mid-market and enterprise organizations evaluating their benchmarking options and workflows—not for individual job seekers. Tower Watson salary benchmarking works through a survey-based model where participating employers submit detailed compensation data, which WTW aggregates, validates, and publishes on annual or biannual cycles. For organizations needing faster access to U.S.-specific market data or pricing hybrid roles that don’t fit legacy job catalogs, real-time compensation intelligence platforms such as SalaryCube can supplement or replace traditional survey approaches. How Tower Watson salary benchmarking actually works and why it became an industry standard Key strengths and limitations of WTW salary surveys for modern compensation strategy Without the right tools, pay reviews can drag on for weeks, sign up today to start making smarter pay decisions.

We know you’re busy, so speaking to the team won’t take more than 30 minutes. See how you can search global salary benchmarks form over 5 million companies. If you're reading this, chances are you've had previous experience of wrestling with WTW's compensation data for your latest pay review. Perhaps you've spent the better part of a month extracting data into spreadsheets, cross-checking figures, and still wondering if your benchmarks actually reflect what's happening in today's market. ‍You're not alone. Whilst Willis Towers Watson has built its reputation over decades as a trusted consultancy, these days the reality of using their traditional salary surveys often feels at odds with the pace of modern compensation...

Annual data collection cycles, manual survey submissions, and months of waiting for results - it's an approach that worked well in a slower-moving world, but struggles to keep pace with today's dynamic talent markets. Willis Towers Watson is well respected for compensation data, but its traditional survey-based approach introduces heavy manual overhead and slower refresh cycles – pushing teams that value real-time benchmarks to explore WTW alternatives. Top that with manual job mapping and the subsequent risk of misaligned benchmarks, and salary benchmarking becomes a slow, error-prone process rather than a reliable input for fast, confident pay decisions. Not to mention, WTW’s coverage is typically strongest in core markets like the US and UK, while data in smaller countries such as Estonia, Czechia, and Portugal is often thinner and less granular. It’s no wonder you’re exploring Willis Towers Watson compensation data alternatives. To help, we reviewed the market for the best WTW alternatives in 2026 – comparing nine salary benchmarking providers.

If your salaries aren’t aligned with the market, you’ll see big problems with attracting and retaining talent. After all, today’s employees are more and more aware of their worth — and they’re not likely to stick around if they know they can get more elsewhere. The solution? Salary benchmarking. By comparing your salaries with the market median for each role, you can ensure your pay is fair and competitive — and keep top talent around for longer. But there’s one problem: you need accurate, up-to-date information on the salaries other companies are paying.

In this article, we’ll talk through three tools you can use to find data for salary benchmarking — including Figures. Salary benchmarking isn’t just a boring HR exercise. In fact, it could be crucial to your business’s success. Because if you’re not conducting salary benchmarking, you still have to decide what to pay your employees. At best, that might mean relying on the expertise of your hiring managers, recruiters and leaders. But, while these people surely have valuable insights to share, no one can keep up with the constantly changing market salaries for hundreds of different roles.

Salaries represent most businesses’ largest single line item. By performing salary benchmarking, companies can control that expense and minimize attrition by compensating employees fairly. This comprehensive guide provides all the how-to steps and best practices you need to understand the salary benchmarking process. Salary benchmarking, also known as compensation benchmarking, compares one company’s job descriptions and pay ranges to similar jobs in other organizations. The process shows the average or market salary for each job. Benchmarking—and then using that data to adjust where necessary—is essential to retain staff and recruit new talent.

When benchmarking salaries, HR departments must consider attributes such as company size, industry, training, location, and necessary education. This analysis is particularly crucial when creating positions because a company must set a competitive salary scale to attract the right recruits. Teams track their competitiveness through metrics, including the pay range midpoint, which is the average that an experienced staff member would expect in salary. Companies often add data and analysis to a compensation benchmarking template that they tailor for each role. Benchmarking committees or consultants can then present comprehensive reports to hiring managers and other stakeholders. Salary is only one element of compensation, albeit an important one.

Overall compensation may include, for example, employer contributions to retirement or other saving plans, paid insurance, paid time off, or stock options. So look at a salary benchmark as one key element in an overall compensation picture for a given job. Responding to and solving these challenges requires you to have a strong salary survey partner that delivers the timeliest, most credible data on the market. From survey submission to job evaluation and everything in between, WTW Rewards Data Intelligence brings a powerful combination of market-leading salary survey data, enterprise-strength rewards technology, and industry expertise to your pay programs —... Our salary surveys provide robust, detailed salary data for all industries and countries, covering employees at all levels – including executives. Our surveys reflect salary data on more than 32 million employees in 11,000 unique organizations across more than 130 countries.

Our job-matching methodology helps data providers align internal structures across numerous entities, locations and external market-pay levels. This translates into robust databases. Salary and compensation benchmarking are essential in ensuring that employees feel valued and fairly compensated. While companies often believe they offer fair pay, studies show that only 32% of employees feel they are paid appropriately. Discrepancies in compensation can lead to dissatisfaction, lower morale, and, ultimately, higher turnover. In this blog, we will explore the top salary benchmarking tools for 2025, highlighting their features and how they can help you make informed, data-backed compensation decisions.

Compensation benchmarking tools play a crucial role in contemporary HR strategies, assisting organizations in maintaining competitiveness and fairness in their pay structures. Here's why they are necessary: To fully benefit from the power of compensation benchmarking tools, it’s important to know what features to look for. Let’s explore the key features that will help you make the best choice for your organization. Suggested Read: Creating a Compensation Job Offer Letter: A Template Guide for Every Situation We publish unbiased reviews.

Our opinions are our own and are not influenced by payments from advertisers. This article includes contributions from OpenAI's ChatGPT. This content is reader-supported, which means if you leave your details with us, we may earn a commission. Learn why itqlick is free . Functionality: Willis Towers Watson Compensation Software and Mercer Mettl both offer comprehensive compensation management solutions, including salary benchmarking, incentive design, and compensation planning. However, Willis Towers Watson provides more advanced features for data analytics and modeling, while Mercer Mettl focuses on automation and integration with performance management systems.

Functionality: Willis Towers Watson Compensation Software has a user-friendly interface and customizable reporting tools, making it easier for HR professionals to analyze and visualize compensation data. On the other hand, Mercer Mettl is known for its robust data security measures and compliance features, ensuring sensitive compensation information is protected. Functionality: Both software products support global compensation management, allowing companies with international operations to standardize their pay practices across different regions. However, Willis Towers Watson offers more localization options and supports a wider range of currencies and languages compared to Mercer Mettl. Functionality: Willis Towers Watson Compensation Software and Mercer Mettl provide integration capabilities with other HR systems such as payroll and HRIS platforms. However, Willis Towers Watson has more pre-built integrations with popular HR software vendors, making it easier to streamline data flow between different systems.

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