How our bespoke compensation strategy solutions propelled this innovative Vancouver, BC-based company ahead on new government legislation and positioned them for growth.

Who is Taking root?

Taking Root accelerates the restoration of the world’s forests by enabling smallholder farmers to grow trees and earn money from the carbon they remove from the atmosphere. Recognized for its best practices by the UN, EU, and World Economic Forum, Taking Root connects thousands of farmers to the carbon market, improving their livelihoods while restoring forests around the world.

The Challenges

Taking Root’s team members come from around the globe with a unique range of roles. “We're a very international workforce. And with that comes a healthy amount of inquisitiveness, to make sure that the compensation they're getting is fair.”

Marc Deveau

Senior manager, human resources

“We recognize that it's not about building a structure for 30 people, it’s about building for 100, where we hope to be in a couple of years.”

The Solutions

We focused on tools to achieve role clarity, established guidelines around compensation communication and created a scalable salary structure to ensure fair market rates.

Compensation & Career Development Health Check

• Audited Taking Root’s processes to understand what was already working, what needs to be developed and the top priorities for their action plan
• Provided a summary of what was functioning well and what needed improvement, with an action plan outlining their top 3 priorities

Compensation Philosophy

• Created a clear compensation philosophy that aligns with the organization’s values and can be clearly communicated to existing and potential employees
• Ensured clear outline of a sustainable pay policy, solid salary data sources and an approach that’s scalable over time as they grow

Education & Communication

• Created a thoughtful and thorough roll-out strategy to ensure everyone was accurately and thoughtfully informed about the changes
• Began the roll-out with the Tree Suite (aka C Suite) who then moved onto Director level and then the full team

“You want to make sure that the transparency is there and the structure is there, that they’re being compensated equitably. And obviously, with the [new BC] legislation coming in, the timing for us was fantastic.”

- Marc Deveau

Job Architecture

Previous to working with Talent Collective, Taking Root was using their job postings to frame roles and it was difficult for employees to see how their proficiency was lining up to the expectations of the role. We created Job Success Profiles (JSPs), which are elevated job descriptions specifically designed for each job level. They not only outline the responsibilities of a role and skills required, they also highlight the success criteria and articulate what it looks like when an employee is performing at 100% in that role.
Now, Taking Root’s leaders can use their JSPs to lead their meaningful work and career conversations with team members. “It became very easy to plug it in, for [managers] to have the conversation with their direct report.”

Market Review & Salary Structure

Taking Root has an eclectic range of roles that can make market comparisons challenging. “We just posted a role called ‘Planting Design Specialist’. I ask you to find anyone else in the world that's got a role like that.” With this in mind, Talent Collective led a rigorous market review, matching jobs to salary surveys and proper data sources to create a market-based salary structure that fit Taking Root’s unique roles. The new structure not only fits the company’s current needs, it also lays out a framework for the future roles they’ll need as they continue to grow.

The Results

Marc has hired new team members since implementing their new compensation program and is already seeing its benefits. “It's reduced our negotiation because we've been able to say, this is where we're placing you [in this salary range]. And this is why the role’s paid that way. It’s been a significantly easier process for us all around.”

Client Stories

Celebrating Our Clients’ Successes

Client Story: Taking Root