Insights
Our thinking on workforce management, compensation, and HR effectiveness.
Under Pressure: Making the Case With HR
HR teams in INGOs and multilateral organizations are under growing pressure from funding uncertainty and new pay transparency rules, both requiring clearer and more consistent HR decisions. Recent experience shows that funding shocks often lead to rapid, role-based restructuring, highlighting the need for strong job structures. However, many organizations still struggle to connect jobs, skills, performance, and pay in a consistent way. The key challenge now is building simpler, more integrated HR systems that can withstand both operational demands and external scrutiny.
HEADLINES: The Return-to-Office Debate is Not Over, But the Workforce Has Already Decided
Hybrid work is still the norm despite major return-to-office mandates, with most employees expecting flexibility as a basic requirement. Ending remote options risks higher attrition—especially among top performers and caregivers—and disproportionately impacts women. Research shows RTO policies don’t improve financial performance but do raise equity and workforce challenges, making fairness and consistency across locations more important than where work happens.
Building Equitable Workforce Systems Through a Skills-Based Approach
A global organization faced concerns about pay inequity, unclear career paths, and inconsistent recognition despite having formal systems in place. To address this, a skills-based pilot with Birches Group linked pay more directly to demonstrated capability using a structured framework. The analysis compared assessed skills (actual performance) with imputed skills (pay-based expectations) and found widespread misalignment—many employees were under-recognized, with gaps often starting at hiring or promotion and sometimes spanning multiple skill levels. It also revealed structural issues, including too many lower-level roles and limited strategic capacity. Traditional systems often fail to align pay, progression, and development with real capability. A structured, skills-based approach improves fairness, transparency, and workforce planning by clearly linking what employees contribute to how they are rewarded and developed.
HEADLINES: Managing Performance Across Distance - From Visibility to Value
In distributed teams, traditional visibility and informal check-ins disappear, making performance harder to assess. Many organizations still rely on flawed proxies like hours worked or responsiveness, which creates bias and favors more visible employees. Without clear standards, decisions on pay and promotion default to proximity and familiarity, reinforcing inequity. A fairer approach is to define performance based on role-specific expectations and evaluate it through multiple perspectives, ensuring consistency across locations and work setups.
HEADLINES: Distributed by Design - What It Actually Takes to Build Teams That Work Across Borders
Distributed work is now common, but most organizations lack the structure to support it effectively. Communication is often fragmented, and success depends less on tools and more on consistent workflows, shared standards, and disciplined use of a centralized workspace. The bigger challenge is governance—not technology—as global teams require clear policies, compliance systems, and leadership ownership. Organizations that treat distributed work as a deliberate operating model, with strong structures and practices, achieve better and more equitable outcomes.
BG Lab: Enabling the Workplace - How Companies Build Culture that Performs
Global employee engagement is low, with significant impacts on wellbeing and performance. Yet Birches Group shows that strong workplace culture can thrive even in a fully remote setup. Their approach focuses on creating an enabling environment built on clarity, trust, autonomy, and deliberate engagement practices. Instead of relying on control or physical presence, they emphasize clear outcomes, flexible work, strong communication norms, and simple digital tools. The key takeaway is that culture isn’t tied to location—it’s shaped by intentional policies and practices that empower employees to perform and stay connected, wherever they work.
Turning Voice Into Value: How Birches Group Helped MCA in Mongolia Build an Effective Workplace by Listening to Employees
Many organizations overlook a critical source of insight: the employee experience. While performance metrics are widely tracked, few measure how workplace factors like communication, recognition, and role clarity affect employees’ ability to deliver results. The Millennium Challenge Account in Mongolia demonstrates how a data-driven approach can address this gap. Through annual workforce surveys, it systematically measured employee experience across key areas such as job clarity, rewards, operations, and leadership. By combining trend data, driver analysis, and employee feedback, the organization identified what most impacts morale and performance—and prioritized actions accordingly. The key takeaway is that listening to employees, ensuring confidentiality, and acting on insights can significantly strengthen organizational effectiveness.
Our Quest for Fire
Human progress has always been driven by collective learning and adaptation, from early survival to the development of complex societies. Communities and institutions have succeeded when they balanced shared beliefs with the ability to evolve, and struggled when they became rigid. Today, organizations face a similar turning point. Traditional, bureaucratic models are increasingly ineffective in a fast-changing, global environment, while more flexible, network-based approaches are proving more resilient. The rise of virtual work reflects this shift, challenging long-held assumptions about control, structure, and productivity. Ultimately, success will depend on embracing distributed, boundaryless ways of working—focusing on skills, outcomes, and adaptability rather than hierarchy or physical presence.
Virtual Work is Knocking at Your Door (and will not go away)
Virtual work is rapidly transforming how organizations operate, shifting from a temporary response to a lasting global norm. Despite resistance rooted in traditional ideas about control and productivity, the real challenge lies in adapting management practices—not in the virtual model itself. Hybrid setups often fall short, while fully embracing virtual work can enhance talent access, innovation, and resilience. As workplaces evolve beyond physical offices into flexible, global ecosystems, organizations must rethink policies, structures, and mindsets to stay competitive in the future of work.
Empowering Staff of the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum motivates a high-performing workforce through mission-driven engagement and a high-intensity, visible environment. Despite regular staff turnover due to demanding events like its annual summit, employees are drawn by opportunities to lead dialogues, build networks, and gain experience rather than financial reward. Emphasizing results over hierarchy, WEF empowers staff with responsibility and exposure, fostering motivation through impact, learning, and high-stakes execution rather than traditional career progression.
The Market Monitor: A Strategic Tool for Managing Compensation in Unstable Markets
In response to global economic volatility from events like COVID-19, rising prices, and geopolitical crises, Birches Group created the Market Monitor, a bi-monthly tool tracking currency and market fluctuations to guide compensation decisions. By classifying countries from mild to severe volatility, it helps organizations implement measured responsesk, such as moderate salary adjustments, while avoiding reactionary moves like dollarization. Case studies, including Ethiopia’s 2024 forced devaluation, show how timely insights enable employers to support staff effectively and maintain financial prudence. Paired with a Special Measures Policy, the Monitor equips HR teams with clear triggers, practical guidance, and structured strategies to navigate rapidly changing markets.
Fostering a Values-Based Institution: The World Bank Group's Code of Ethics
In 2020, the World Bank Group adopted a values-based Code of Ethics centered on impact, integrity, respect, teamwork, and innovation. Framed as a mutual compact, it commits the institution to a fair, respectful work environment and staff to uphold these values in daily conduct. By translating principles into clear expectations, the Code strengthens trust, guides behavior, and aligns individual actions with organizational goals.
Strengthening Workplace Wellbeing: A Regional Environmental Organization’s Commitment to a Safe, Inclusive, and Sustainable Environment
A regional environmental organization partnered with an Birches Group to create a unified Occupational Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Wellbeing (OHSSE) Management System for its geographically diverse workforce. By reviewing policies and consulting staff, the initiative established clear procedures, roles, and risk management practices to ensure consistent safety standards across all locations. The new framework strengthens staff wellbeing, improves organizational resilience, and supports the organization’s goal of being a leading employer in the region.
Creating a Structure for the International Cadre of a Global Agricultural Research Office
A global agricultural research office needed a clear framework to deploy staff internationally across its decentralized network of research centers. With support from Birches Group, it adopted a market-based employment model aligned with the United Nations compensation system, using UN post-adjustment indices to manage cost-of-living differences between locations. This transparent approach allows the office to maintain purchasing power parity, apply limited salary adjustments where needed, and deploy staff globally while ensuring fairness, credibility, and responsible use of resources.
Empowering Managers, Building Capability: A Healthcare Organization’s Training on Community™ Skills Assessment
Birches Group partnered with a healthcare organization to implement the Community™ Skills framework and train HR teams and managers to assess employee capabilities more objectively. Moving beyond traditional tenure- or KPI-based pay increases, the program links salary progression to measurable growth in skills and knowledge across five capability stages. Through practical training and real-case exercises, managers learned to evaluate skills, identify development gaps, and support staff growth. The initiative has improved transparency in pay decisions, strengthened workforce capability insights, and helped position the organization as an employer that fairly recognizes and rewards professional development.
Addressing the Challenge of Safety in a Worldwide Environment: An Example from a Global Organization
A global organization, operating in over 160 countries, manages staff safety through its “Conditions of Life and Work” system, which rates locations from low- to high-risk based on factors like housing, health, and security. These classifications guide protective measures, incentives, and evacuations, ensuring effective deployment in hazardous environments. Regular updates and transparent oversight make the system a model for other international organizations.
The 2026 Iran Conflict: Implications for Global Business and Practical Mitigation Strategies
While hostilities remain concentrated in the Middle East, the economic ripple effects are being felt far beyond the region. Energy markets have reacted sharply, shipping routes are under strain, and uncertainty has begun to weigh on financial markets worldwide. For business leaders, the central concern is clear: how will this conflict affect operations, costs, and long-term planning?
Anchoring Community
Organizations that work in close partnerships often maintain some independence, which can lead to conflicts in organizational values. Human resources leaders play a crucial role in managing these challenges by developing policies that balance shared and differing values. A practical framework involves three steps: aligning policy objectives with shared values, allowing space for partners to express their distinct values, and regularly reviewing policies to improve them. The experience of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) demonstrates how this approach can effectively guide workforce policies such as performance management and compensation design while maintaining accountability, urgency, and country ownership.
20 Questions on Managing a Remote Organization: A Discussion with AMPLIFY Girls
Moving organizations towards virtual work environments is progressing in fits and starts. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many scaled back work-from-home policies. While virtual work presents challenges, it also offers opportunities for greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and reach—advantages traditional workplaces often cannot match. In this issue of Community Magazine, we explore a fundamental question: Does a workplace still need to be a place? From its inception, AMPLIFY Girls was intentionally designed as a virtual organization. By embracing a virtual structure from the start, it has operated efficiently while expanding its reach cost-effectively, allowing the team to focus on making a virtual organization work.
Introducing Multi-Rater (360°) Performance Appraisal in UNAIDS
Across the UN system, there was no direct link between job evaluation and performance appraisal. Appraisals were based on cascading work objectives, linking individual staff measures to broader unit and organizational goals, but these were seen as unwieldy and time-consuming. The solution was a revised job evaluation system that replaced the traditional point-rating method with a values-based approach. This system established grade and factor values to reflect the unique demands at each level. To align with performance appraisals, complementary performance values were introduced, creating a grade-based framework with consistent measures for all staff.
Bringing Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value to Workforce Management in a Regional Network of Civil Society Organizations in Africa
A regional network of civil society organizations in Africa partnered with Birches Group to create a clear grading and pay structure to manage its diverse workforce. The challenge was to align this structure with employee progression and ensure long-term pay equity. They implemented the Community™ Skills framework, linking pay to levels of experience across five stages: Basic to Expert. This approach improved transparency, career progression, and skills growth, moving beyond time or performance-based measures. Now in its fifth year, the framework helps the organization make informed decisions on promotions, salary increases, and development, fostering fairness and consistency in workforce management.
Optimizing Market Position in the Caribbean Development Bank
Competition within the multilateral banking and international organization community is intense, and although smaller, an international organization based in the Caribbean faces direct competition from institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations in the same countries. The biggest challenge for this organization in setting salaries for its internationally recruited staff is competition for senior-level positions. To remain competitive and best serve the Caribbean community, the organization decided to focus its market model on development banks, which offer more aggressive pay progression for senior management compared to other international organizations.
Birches Group is Now SOC 2 Type 2 Compliant
We are proud to announce Birches Group's achievement on August 15, 2024 of SOC 2 Type 1 compliance, a critical step in our ongoing commitment to data security and privacy. This certification, awarded by an independent third-party auditor, underscores Birches Group’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security, confidentiality, and availability for our clients.
20 Questions on the Challenges of Workforce Management Today
In our Q&A spotlight, we explore the insights of a thought leader in workforce management, delving into their experiences in building and sustaining effective workforce strategies. Katrina Sam is the Head of Performance and Reward at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), with over ten years of experience in multilateral development, compensation, talent management, and data science. She designs and implements policies and programs aligned with the Bank’s vision and goals. Prior to AIIB, she served as Director of Human Resources and Administration at the Caribbean Development Bank. With a 20-year career in human resources, she has provided services across the Caribbean and spent nine years advising on internal HR practices at one of the Big Four accounting firms.
DRC UNDER SIEGE: M23 ADVANCE FUELS HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND BUSINESS DISRUPTION
Since early 2025, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been gripped by escalating conflict as the March 23 Movement (M23) armed rebel group seizes critical urban centers, including Goma and Bukavu. This surge in violence has rapidly destabilized the region, creating an exceptionally volatile environment for organizations and their employees. The situation demands immediate and decisive action from organizations operating in Africa’s second-largest country. To navigate these complex challenges, organizations must adopt resilient and adaptable strategies, potentially including the implementation of special measures to address the unique demands of this crisis. Establishing clear protocols for these measures enhances organizational resilience and operational continuity, even in the face of extreme adversity.
EQUITY IN ACTION: ENSURE FAIRNESS ACROSS HR
We’ve all heard the buzzwords: diversity, equity, inclusion. But how many organizations walk the walk when it comes to equity in managing their organization? It’s time to move beyond theoretical discussions and translate those well-intentioned conversations into concrete actions. Our “Equity in Action” series explored the building blocks of a truly equitable workplace, from establishing the equivalent worth of jobs and developing a grading structure to utilizing salary surveys and implementing a salary scale and fair pay management mechanisms. In this final installment, we’ll share how your organization can embed equity into every facet of its HR program, whether it’s recruiting new talent or planning for your successors.
WHY GETTING PAY AND BENEFITS RIGHT IS CRUCIAL FOR NGOs
The development sector's talent market is vast, competitive, and constantly evolving. Sector demands, industry trends, geographic factors, and unforeseen events like volatility and conflict drive this shift. To stay competitive, organizations must stay informed with up-to-date data. Pay and rewards are key in attracting and retaining top talent, enabling your organization to achieve its mission. Without accurate salary data, you risk underpaying or overpaying talent, causing inefficiencies. Salary surveys are a vital HR tool. They help shape your strategies and ensure equitable compensation practices. Learn more about why they're so important in our latest blog post.
EQUITY IN ACTION: IMPLEMENT FAIR PAY MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS
In pursuing workplace equity, we’ve examined the critical steps: establishing equivalent worth, developing a job grading structure, utilizing comprehensive salary surveys, and implementing a well-defined salary scale. These foundational elements create the framework for fair pay. But the journey continues. Transitioning from establishing the framework to actively managing pay is where equity flourishes. It’s time to take the final step: implementing fair pay management mechanisms. This ongoing process ensures that your meticulously crafted pay structure remains relevant and equitable long-term. Without equitable management, even the most robust compensation program can falter, leading to pay disparities and inequities.
EQUITY IN ACTION: IMPLEMENT A SALARY SCALE
In this post, we’ll discuss how implementing a well-defined salary scale can be a vital tool in your equity journey. We’ll explore the benefits of having pay ranges, guide you through developing a salary scale that supports your equity goals, and offer practical tips for successful implementation.
EQUITY IN ACTION: UTILIZE SALARY SURVEYS
We’ve discussed equity, which means paying employees fairly based on their skills and contributions. We’ve introduced a five-step framework for achieving equity. This framework highlights the significance of establishing equivalent worth in developing a grading structure. However, achieving workplace equity goes beyond internal alignment. It’s about ensuring that your organization’s compensation is competitive within the labor market. This is where salary surveys become valuable.
Birches Group is Now SOC 2 Type 1 Compliant
We are proud to announce Birches Group's achievement on August 15, 2024 of SOC 2 Type 1 compliance, a critical step in our ongoing commitment to data security and privacy. This certification, awarded by an independent third-party auditor, underscores Birches Group’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security, confidentiality, and availability for our clients.
Petrodollar Panic: Separating Fact from Fiction
In June 2024, stories claiming Saudi Arabia didn’t renew a 50-year deal with the United States (US) to keep oil priced in dollars sparked speculation about the petrodollar’s collapse. Online commentators warned this could undermine the US dollar's status as a hard currency. But is there any truth to this narrative? Birches Group is here to cut through the noise and provide human resources (HR) leaders with the facts.
Ethiopia’s Birr Devaluation: How Employers Can Address the Crisis
Ethiopia’s central bank allowed the Birr, its local currency, to float or trade freely based on market forces on July 29, 2024. This decision triggered an immediate plunge of about 30% in the Birr’s value against the United States (US) Dollar. According to the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, the country’s largest lender, the exchange rate had been 57.48 Birr per dollar on July 26, 2024. By August 16, 2024, it devalued further to 103.96 Birr per dollar, a drop of over 80%.
EQUITY IN ACTION: DEVELOP A GRADING STRUCTURE
A grading structure serves as the backbone of your compensation program. It systematically categorizes roles based on their responsibilities, skills, and value to the company. This clarity in roles and compensation levels not only ensures fair pay but also fosters transparency and trust within your workforce.
POURQUOI LA PARTICIPATION RÉGULIÈRE AUX ENQUÊTES SALARIALES EST VITALE POUR VOTRE ORGANISATION
La participation régulière à des enquêtes salariales vous permet de prendre des décisions éclairées en matière de rémunération, d'attirer et de retenir les meilleurs talents et de cultiver une organisation saine et performante. Ne passez pas à côté de cette ressource inestimable. Birches Group fournit des données sur le marché du travail dans plus de 150 pays et nous sommes là pour vous aider.
EMPLOIS, GRADES, TITULAIRES : COMPRENDRE LES LIMITES DES DONNÉES D'ENQUÊTE ET COMMENT EN ÉVITER LES PIÈGES
Les méthodes d'enquête peuvent varier considérablement d'un fournisseur à l'autre, notamment en ce qui concerne les informations collectées, la méthode d'appariement des postes et le traitement et la présentation des données relatives à l'employeur.
POURQUOI LE COÛT DU TRAVAIL DOIT GUIDER VOTRE RÉMUNÉRATION
Garantir une rémunération équitable du personnel est un véritable exercice d'équilibre. En tant que leader sur le marché du travail, votre organisation souhaite attirer et retenir les meilleurs talents tout en restant dans les limites du budget de rémunération.
EQUITY IN ACTION: START BY ESTABLISHING EQUIVALENT WORTH
Job evaluation is a systematic process used to determine the equivalent worth of various jobs within an organization. It is the foundation for achieving equity. The process involves organizing and understanding the vast array of roles that make your company function, creating a clear picture of how they relate to each other.
EQUITY IN ACTION: INTRODUCING OUR FIVE-STEP APPROACH TO ACHIEVING WORKPLACE EQUITY
Achieving equity requires a clear, objective, and systematic approach. We emphasize consistent and precise methods for evaluating jobs, managing salaries, and assessing staff performance.
ON THE HORIZON: INFLATION PROJECTIONS FOR 2024 ACROSS THE GLOBE
After years of high inflation, 2024 brings cautious optimism as global inflation rates cool. The IMF predicts a drop to 5.9%, down from 6.8% in 2023. Stay informed on salary management in volatile environments.
WHY COST OF LABOR SHOULD GUIDE YOUR COMPENSATION
Ensuring fair staff compensation is a delicate balancing act. Organizations need to attract and retain top talent while managing their compensation budgets. This article explores why the cost of labor, not the cost of living, should guide your compensation strategies for a fairer, more sustainable approach. Discover how reliable market data and strategic salary survey participation can enhance your compensation practices.
Haiti at a Standstill: What to Know About the Escalating Gang Violence in the Capital
In response to the escalating violence, the Haitian government declared a state of emergency and imposed nighttime curfews in some areas to regain control. Despite deploying more police forces, these measures have struggled against heavily armed gangs. Meanwhile, the international community, led by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has expressed grave concern and called for increased financial support for the UN-authorized security mission to restore stability in Haiti.
WHY REGULARLY PARTICIPATING IN SALARY SURVEYS IS VITAL FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
Regular participation in salary surveys offers invaluable insights for organizations striving to maintain fair and competitive compensation practices. Learn how leveraging market data ensures equity, attracts talent, and fosters organizational success. Join Birches Group for comprehensive salary surveys across 150+ countries.
From Power Struggles to People’s Plight: The True Cost of Myanmar’s Power Play
Explore the devastating economic repercussions of the military coup in Myanmar, as our article delves into the currency devaluation, inflation, and social unrest gripping the nation. Stay informed with insights from Birches Group and learn how to navigate the crisis responsibly. Subscribe for updates and access essential data on Myanmar's evolving economic landscape.
FORECASTS TO WATCH: A LOOK AT 2024'S FASTEST-GROWING ECONOMIES
Which countries will see the most growth in 2024? According to the IMF, 20 economies across the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa top the list.
UNRAVELING THE COMPLEXITY - USEFUL STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING COMPENSATION AMID UNCERTAIN TIMES
In the face of volatility, be proactive rather than reactive. This involves anticipating changes, planning for various scenarios, and continually striving for improvement. It’s about taking charge of the situation rather than simply reacting.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING YOUR PEOPLE
A successful organization is like a well-oiled machine, with each part playing a role in supporting smooth operations. Employees are the most vital, powering the machine with their skills, dedication, and creativity. Thus, organizations must not only recognize but also reward staff.
Navigating Ghana’s Debt Crisis: An Update
Ghana's debt crisis is greatly affecting individuals and firms across Ghana. Rising prices have eroded purchasing power, making it difficult for many to afford necessities. Businesses are facing increased costs and reduced consumer demand.
WHY ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD OUTSOURCE THEIR SALARY SCALE DESIGN
Outsourcing the design and maintenance of your salary scale unburdens you and your HR team from this intricate task, allowing you to focus on your core business operations. Handing this responsibility over to more experienced professionals does not only save time; it ensures that your salary scale aligns with your strategic goals, global policies, market trends, and industry standards.
Navigating Volatility: A Closer Look at Argentina’s Peso Crisis
Argentina's peso crisis underlines the importance of developing a Special Measures Policy in response to economic instability.
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