Salary benchmarking

Salary Benchmarking

What it is: Market intelligence.

Overview

Works out the smallest useful Salary Benchmarking setup for the business in front of it, then builds it only when asked. The default output is a short recommendation, not a spreadsheet. Artifacts - CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, Notion mapping - are produced on request, from one field list so they cannot drift apart.

Layer: Layer 2: Acquire. Fits: Scale stage. Table code: n/a.

When to Use This Skill

• salary benchmark
• compensation benchmarking
• market pay research
• salary band planner

Also use it when the user says "market intelligence", or describes the same process happening in a spreadsheet, a document or someone inboxes.

Do not use it for: payroll calculation, tax filing, or legal advice. This skill produces empty templates only - it never holds or processes real employee or customer data.

How It Works

Follow the shared execution contract. The module-specific rules below define only domain fields, decisions, calculations, and safety constraints.

Step 1 - Identify intent

Read the request and pick the intent before asking anything.

• "set up" or "build" or "create" -> the user wants artifacts; go to Step 2.
• "our process is ..." or "it is in a sheet" -> the user wants to move an existing process; capture it, then Step 2.
• "is this right" or "review" or "audit" -> the user wants a check, not a build; answer from what they share.
• "how do I ..." -> advice question; answer directly and offer the build only if it helps.

Ask only if this is the highest-value missing fact; otherwise proceed without an opener:

Q: Which roles need benchmarking?

Step 2 - Ask only what is missing

Skip anything the user already answered, in any earlier message. Ask the rest one at a time, and stop as soon as the remaining answers would not change the output.

• Roles - Which roles? / How many grades? / All roles or a few?
• Market - Which market or city? / Currency? / Industry benchmark?
• Bands - Do you have bands now? / Fixed or negotiable? / Who approves?
• Current process - Where does pay data come from? / Last reviewed when? / Gaps?
• Outcome - What do you need? / Market ranges, internal bands or a comparison?

Never invent an answer. If the user does not know, record it as unknown and carry on.

Step 3 - Hold the internal context

Hold the answers in this shape. It stays internal - it is not shown to the user unless they ask, and it never carries a value the user did not give.

module: salary-benchmarking
intent: null            # setup | advice | review | fix | build | convert | export
scale: null             # Starter | Growth | Scale, only if the answer changes it
areas:
  "Roles": null
  "Market": null
  "Bands": null
  "Current process": null
  "Outcome": null
requested_outputs: []   # csv | sql | json | notion | xlsx - requested formats only
confirmed_facts: []     # only what the user actually said
open_questions: []      # the unanswered ones, in the order worth asking

Step 4 - Recommend the smallest workflow

If an artifact was requested, build it after resolving essential missing facts. Otherwise give a short recommendation and offer the relevant artifact.

Recommended approach: Benchmark the roles that are hardest to fill first, and store market range beside internal band so the gap is visible.

Why this one: Benchmarking everything at once never finishes. Three hard-to-fill roles tell you more than fifty that are already correctly paid.

Workflow: Role list → Market data → Internal band → Gap analysis → Band decision

Step 5 - Build only on request

Once the user asks for it, derive the fields from the confirmed context and emit the requested artifacts. For machine-readable text, keep prose outside the data; for files, provide a usable link. Report material validation failures or limitations separately.

A selected Notion output is rendered by notion-manual-import, so route the Notion step there. When the user selects Notion, hand that step to @notion-manual-import: it holds the CSV, the property mapping, the import steps and the verification checklist, and it renders the Field Reference below instead of defining a table of its own. Do not restate the mapping here and do not improvise the import steps. Manual CSV and mapping outputs need no connection. For requested workspace changes, follow the shared contract: verify actual tool access and the target before writing. A user saying "connected" is not tool evidence. Never ask for a Notion password or token.

For an Excel-compatible CSV, use UTF-8 with a byte order mark so Excel opens the text correctly. A CSV is not an .xlsx workbook; create .xlsx only when the user requests a workbook. A CSV carries no types, so after it, name the columns that need a number, date or currency format applied.

Role Title,Benchmark ID,Currency,Data Source,Department,Grade Level,Internal Max,Internal Min,Last Updated,Market Max,Market Median,Market Min,Notes
Delivery Manager,,INR,Manual,Delivery,L1,1600000.00,1200000.00,2026-01-15,1700000.00,1450000.00,1250000.00,"Benchmarks refreshed in February; two grades sit below the market midpoint."

CREATE TABLE salary_benchmarking (
  role_title VARCHAR(255),
  benchmark_id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  currency VARCHAR(255),
  data_source VARCHAR(255),
  department VARCHAR(255),
  grade_level VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
  internal_max NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  internal_min NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  last_updated DATE NOT NULL,
  market_max NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  market_median NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  market_min NUMERIC(14,2) NOT NULL,
  notes TEXT,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(),
  updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW()
);

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "Salary Benchmarking",
  "type": "object",
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "properties": {
      "Role Title": { "type": "string" },
      "Benchmark ID": { "type": "integer" },
      "Currency": { "type": "string" },
      "Data Source": { "type": "string" },
      "Department": { "type": "string" },
      "Grade Level": { "type": "string" },
      "Internal Max": { "type": "number" },
      "Internal Min": { "type": "number" },
      "Last Updated": { "type": "string", "format": "date" },
      "Market Max": { "type": "number" },
      "Market Median": { "type": "number" },
      "Market Min": { "type": "number" },
      "Notes": { "type": "string" }
  },
  "required": [
      "Grade Level",
      "Internal Max",
      "Internal Min",
      "Last Updated",
      "Market Max",
      "Market Median",
      "Market Min"
  ]
}

| CSV column | Notion property | Set after import |
|---|---|---|
| Role Title | Title | Use as the database title |
| Benchmark ID | Text (preserve source ID) | Keep imported IDs as Text; optionally add a separate Unique ID property |
| Currency | Text | Leave as Text |
| Data Source | Text | Leave as Text |
| Department | Text | Leave as Text |
| Grade Level | Select (add options after import) | Convert to Select, add options: "L1", "L2", "L3", "L4", "L5", "M1", "M2" |
| Internal Max | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Internal Min | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Last Updated | Date | Convert to Date |
| Market Max | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Market Median | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Market Min | Number (format: currency) | Convert to Number, set format to Currency |
| Notes | Text | Leave as Text |

The rows above are documentation examples only. Emit empty templates unless the user explicitly requests examples. Money stays currency, dates stay date, and anything pointing at another table stays relation.

Field Reference

#	Field	Type	SQL	JSON Schema	Notion	CSV example
1	Role Title	text	VARCHAR(255)	string	Text	Delivery Manager
2	Benchmark ID	id	SERIAL PRIMARY KEY	integer	Text (preserve source ID)	(blank)
3	Currency	text	VARCHAR(255)	string	Text	INR
4	Data Source	text	VARCHAR(255)	string	Text	Manual
5	Department	text	VARCHAR(255)	string	Text	Delivery
6	Grade Level	select	VARCHAR(100)	string	Select (add options after import)	L1
7	Internal Max	currency	NUMERIC(14,2)	number	Number (format: currency)	1600000.00
8	Internal Min	currency	NUMERIC(14,2)	number	Number (format: currency)	1200000.00
9	Last Updated	date	DATE	string, format: date	Date	2026-01-15
10	Market Max	currency	NUMERIC(14,2)	number	Number (format: currency)	1700000.00
11	Market Median	currency	NUMERIC(14,2)	number	Number (format: currency)	1450000.00
12	Market Min	currency	NUMERIC(14,2)	number	Number (format: currency)	1250000.00
13	Notes	long_text	TEXT	string	Text	Benchmarks refreshed in February; two grades sit below the market midpoint.

Select Options

Grade Level

L1 | L2 | L3 | L4 | L5 | M1 | M2

Relations

Link fields: none

Examples

Prompt

We think our delivery manager is paid below market but have no data.

Context first - one question per message, nothing already answered:

Q: Which market?

A: Bengaluru, India.

Q: Do you have internal bands?

A: Roughly, in a sheet.

Q: How many roles?

A: Just delivery roles.

Recommended next step - offered, not built:

Benchmark the roles that are hardest to fill first, and store market range beside internal band so the gap is visible.

Workflow: Role list → Market data → Internal band → Gap analysis → Band decision

Want the CSV, SQL, JSON Schema and Notion mapping for this?

Best Practices

• Build when requested; recommend and offer a build for advice-only requests.
• One question per message. A batched intake reads as a form and gets guessed at.
• Keep display names identical across CSV and JSON; document normalized SQL identifiers.
• Use relation for anything that points at another table, text only for free text.
• Money fields are currency, never text. Dates are date, never free text.
• If the user requests an example row, keep it obviously fake so nobody imports it as real data.

Limitations

• Empty template only. It does not compute payroll, tax, leave balances or KPIs.
• Notion relations need both databases imported before the link column resolves.
• Select options are a starting set. Rename them to match how the business talks.
• No automation, reminders or sync. Those need the integration layer.
• Does not provide market data. Pay for the benchmark source separately.
• Legal, tax and HR review is still required before this drives real decisions.

Security & Safety Notes

• Never fill in real names, salaries, medical or banking data. Placeholders only.
• Label example rows as synthetic, and keep bank details masked.
• Local reads, generation commands, and validation are part of a requested artifact build.

External writes, messages, provisioning, and publication require authorization for that action and target; existing explicit authorization does not need to be repeated.

• If sensitive data is supplied, avoid repeating unnecessary identifiers. Use only what

the requested review needs; keep generated templates empty. Do not claim deletion from the conversation or service storage.

• Privacy, legal and disciplinary cases need a qualified human reviewer before anything

is acted on.

Common Pitfalls

• Problem: a static mapping is described as a completed workspace build.

Solution: deliver manual mappings without a connection; claim a live change only after the authorized tool operation succeeds.

• Problem: asked all six questions in one message.

Solution: ask one, wait, and drop any the first answer already covered.

• Problem: built a full system when one table was asked for.

Solution: build what was requested; mention the parent skill separately.

• Problem: all four artifacts drift apart.

Solution: derive all four from the field list in this file, never by hand.

• Problem: Notion import shows every column as Text.

Solution: that is expected. Apply the property mapping table once, after import.

Related Skills

• ](https://github.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/blob/main/CATALOG.md) - find the relevant module, then read its skill.
• @people-directory - the employee master record most modules link to.
• @notification-reminder-hub - turns due dates in this module into reminders.

Reusable Prompt

I want to set up market intelligence for my company.
Ask me one short question at a time, and only about what I have not already told you.
Then recommend the smallest setup that fits, and wait for me to ask before you build it.
When I ask, output CSV, SQL DDL, JSON Schema, a Notion property mapping or an Excel workbook. Data only.