← HR Metrics·Compensation & Benefits
Actual vs Plan Variance
Variance of actual comp spend against budget, by area × function × geography.
How it’s computed
(total_actual - budget) / budget * 100
What the evidence shows
Evidence (effect sizes, priors, validity) is syncing from Principia.
What this metric can show you
Actual vs Plan Variance can tell roughly 22 pre-built stories — each a designed scene the data either confirms or it doesn’t. Bring your numbers and the Story Finder runs every one of these shapes against them.
specific to compensation & benefits
A real gradient — now ask if it's pointed at value
compensation · T1
Below the market, across the board
compensation · T1
One group sits apart on a decision that should be neutral
fairness-equity · T1
Pay is drifting from plan
compensation · T1
universal shapes — any single metric can take these
A few large values are doing the talking
any focus · T1
A one-time event, not a trend
any focus · T1
It doesn't track — the premise is false
any focus · T1
It's concentrated — one group stands apart
any focus · T1
Scenes are pre-built; your data is the toggle. Browse the full deck or watch one play end-to-end in The Quiet Exodus.
Run it on your data
This metric is computed in the People Analytics Toolbox on your own numbers. See pricing — posted, no quotes.
sources: toolbox:metrics-catalog
What the literature says
The measurement literature behind this signal — sourced, so you can defend it.
“162). If the IRS is sustained, the payment is a dividend and subject to double taxation as corporate income and as individual income.[C6, C6A]Unweighted (simple) averageSee unweighted mean.[C2, C17, GR3]Unweighted meanA simple arithmetic average of individual means.[C2, C17, T3,…”
— Worldatwork Handbook Compensationmatch 46%
“Using a fixed dollar budget is the most conservative budget process. In such cases, finance establishes a predetermined fixed dollar amount to be paid for sales performance. Unfortunately, the only means to distribute such dollars is to provide payouts based on percentile…”
— Compensatingthesalesforcethirdeditionaprmatch 40%
“2. Comparing Different Data Sets . In this example, we see that on a relative basis, the salaries of the accounting assistants vary more than the salaries of the administrative assistants. 3. Comparing the Same Data Set Over Time . We continue to compare the data for the…”
— Statistics for Compensationmatch 40%
Resources: Worldatwork Handbook Compensation · Compensatingthesalesforcethirdeditionapr · Statistics for Compensation