Reward excellence everywhere with overlapping pay

A regional bank struggled to retain its best tellers. Promotion to branch manager meant a 30% pay cut unless they reached a certain tenure. Tellers began job-hunting instead of focusing on customers.

Their new regional executive, Lara, proposed broadbanding: she rearranged the pay bands so that a top teller’s salary overlapped the beginning of the supervisor band. She then defined mastery metrics—like “under-five-minute service for 95% of customers” and “zero transaction errors.” High-performing tellers could stay in that role, earn up to 20% more than before, and still be recognized as top experts.

Within months, retention of star tellers soared by 40%, and customer satisfaction jumped. Tellers who once chased promotions instead doubled down on deepening their expertise. For those still craving leadership, Lara made it clear that branch manager roles began at a higher pay band but came with new performance criteria.

This shift showed every team member that excellence in any role is just as respected as climbing the ladder. By rewarding mastery everywhere, Lara built a workforce focused on deep expertise, not just titles.

Next time you review your salary structure, redraw each role’s pay range so they overlap. Set clear mastery metrics for the top half of every band and explain how hitting those goals leads to higher pay without a title change. Try rolling out this idea in your next salary review cycle.