Compensation Management Troubleshooting & FAQ
Quick solutions to common compensation management issues, error messages, and frequently asked questions. Find fast answers to resolve problems and optimize your compensation management experience.
Who this is for: All compensation management users experiencing issues or seeking clarification
Time needed: 5-15 minutes depending on issue complexity
Prerequisites: Basic familiarity with compensation management features
🚨 Common Issues & Quick Solutions
Access and Permission Problems
🔒 “Insufficient permissions to access compensation data”
Symptoms: Cannot view or edit compensation information
Causes: User role limitations, business association issues, feature not enabled
Solutions:
- Verify you have Business Administrator or HR Administrator role
- Confirm you’re associated with the correct business
- Check that Compensation Management core app is enabled
- Contact system administrator to review role assignments
💡 Quick Fix: Navigate to Admin → System Modules and verify Compensation Management is enabled
🔒 “Cannot edit compensation for this employee”
Symptoms: Edit button is disabled or missing
Causes: Insufficient permissions, employee not in your business, pending changes
Solutions:
- Verify employee belongs to your business
- Check for pending compensation changes requiring approval
- Ensure you have edit permissions for the employee’s department
- Contact manager or administrator if employee is outside your scope
Data Entry and Validation Errors
💰 “Annual salary required for salary employees”
Symptoms: Cannot save compensation record
Causes: Compensation type is “salary” but no annual salary entered
Solutions:
- Enter a valid annual salary amount
- Or change compensation type to “hourly” and enter hourly rate
- Ensure salary amount is within valid range ($15,000 - $500,000)
Example: For a salary employee, enter $65,000 in Annual Salary field
⏰ “Hourly rate required for hourly employees”
Symptoms: Validation error when saving hourly employee
Causes: Compensation type is “hourly” but no hourly rate provided
Solutions:
- Enter valid hourly rate (minimum $7.25)
- Or change compensation type to “salary” and enter annual amount
- Verify rate meets local minimum wage requirements
Example: For hourly employee, enter $22.50 in Hourly Rate field
📅 “Effective date cannot be in the future”
Symptoms: Cannot save with selected effective date
Causes: System configured to prevent future-dated changes
Solutions:
- Use current date or past date within allowed range
- Contact administrator if future dating is required
- Check advanced settings for effective date rules
💵 “Compensation amount below minimum wage”
Symptoms: System rejects low hourly rates
Causes: Hourly rate below federal or local minimum wage
Solutions:
- Increase hourly rate to meet minimum requirements
- Verify local minimum wage laws if higher than federal
- Contact legal/compliance if special exemptions apply
Calculation and Conversion Issues
🔢 “Salary to hourly conversion seems incorrect”
Symptoms: Automatic conversion shows unexpected values
Causes: Different annual hours setting, calculation misunderstanding
Solutions:
- Verify annual hours setting (default: 2,080 hours)
- Check calculation: Salary ÷ Annual Hours = Hourly Rate
- Review advanced settings if custom annual hours needed
Example Calculation:
- $52,000 salary ÷ 2,080 hours = $25.00/hour
- $30.00/hour × 2,080 hours = $62,400 salary
💱 “Currency conversion not working”
Symptoms: Multiple currencies showing incorrect amounts
Causes: Manual conversion required, no automatic exchange rates
Solutions:
- Enter compensation amounts in the specified currency
- System does not perform automatic currency conversion
- Use current exchange rates for manual conversion if needed
- Maintain separate records for different currency employees
Import and Export Problems
📁 “CSV import file format not recognized”
Symptoms: Upload fails with format error
Causes: Incorrect file format, missing headers, encoding issues
Solutions:
- Save file as CSV (comma-separated values), not Excel
- Ensure first row contains exact header names
- Remove any special characters or formatting
- Try saving with UTF-8 encoding
Required Headers:
Employee ID,First Name,Last Name,Email,Job Title,Compensation Type,Annual Salary,Hourly Rate,Pay Frequency,Currency,Effective Date,Notes
🔍 “Employee ID not found during import”
Symptoms: Import shows employee not found errors
Causes: Invalid employee IDs, case sensitivity, extra characters
Solutions:
- Verify employee IDs match exactly (case-sensitive)
- Use Employee ID from system export as reference
- Remove extra spaces or hidden characters
- Check that employees exist and are active
⚠️ “Import validation failed”
Symptoms: Multiple errors during CSV import
Causes: Data quality issues, format problems, invalid values
Solutions:
- Review error report line by line
- Fix data issues in CSV file
- Re-upload corrected file
- Process in smaller batches if file is large
Approval Workflow Issues
⏳ “Compensation change stuck in pending approval”
Symptoms: Change submitted but not processed
Causes: Approver unavailable, workflow misconfiguration, notification issues
Solutions:
- Check who the approver is and contact them directly
- Verify approver has proper permissions and access
- Check email notifications are being sent
- Contact administrator if workflow needs adjustment
❌ “Auto-approval not working for small changes”
Symptoms: Small changes requiring manual approval
Causes: Auto-approval disabled, thresholds set too low, user permissions
Solutions:
- Check auto-approval settings in Advanced Settings
- Verify percentage and amount thresholds
- Ensure user has auto-approval permissions
- Review change amount against configured thresholds
Default Thresholds:
- Percentage: 5% or less
- Amount: $2,000 or less
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Q: How often should we update employee compensation?
A: Most organizations review compensation annually during performance review cycles, with additional adjustments for promotions, market changes, or retention needs. The system supports any frequency that meets your business needs.
Q: Can employees see their own compensation history?
A: This depends on your organization’s configuration. Employee access to compensation data can be enabled or disabled in user permissions. Most organizations allow employees to view their current compensation and history but not comparative data.
Q: How does compensation management integrate with payroll?
A: Compensation data can be exported to CSV for payroll system import, or automated through Payroll Connect integration if configured. Changes sync automatically to ensure payroll accuracy.
Setup and Configuration
Q: Do I need to enable any other apps before using Compensation Management?
A: Compensation Management is a core app that doesn’t require other apps. However, it integrates with EPMS for performance-based increases and Payroll Connect for automated payroll data export.
Q: Can we customize the approval workflow?
A: Yes, approval workflows are configurable including auto-approval thresholds, approval routing, and notification settings. Access these through Advanced Settings in Compensation Management.
Q: How do we handle employees in different countries with different currencies?
A: The system supports multiple currencies. Set default currency in Advanced Settings and override for individual employees as needed. Each employee can have their own currency setting.
Data Management
Q: What’s the best way to migrate existing compensation data?
A: Use the CSV import feature. Export a template, populate with your data, and import in batches. Test with a small group first, then process full dataset.
Q: How do we ensure data accuracy during bulk operations?
A: Always test with 2-3 employees first, export current data for backup, use validation features, and implement appropriate approval workflows for oversight.
Q: Can we track why compensation changes were made?
A: Yes, every change requires a reason/justification and creates audit trail records. The system maintains complete history with user attribution and timestamps.
Performance and Merit Integration
Q: How does Merit Matrix integration work?
A: When EPMS is enabled, Merit Matrix uses performance review data to calculate recommended compensation increases. These recommendations integrate seamlessly with compensation management approval workflows.
Q: Can we link compensation to specific performance goals?
A: Through EPMS integration, goal achievement data influences merit calculations. Individual compensation records can reference specific performance factors in change reasons.
Q: What happens to compensation recommendations if performance reviews aren’t complete?
A: Merit Matrix requires completed performance reviews to generate accurate recommendations. Incomplete reviews result in standard increase calculations or manual review requirements.
🔧 Advanced Troubleshooting
Browser and Technical Issues
🌐 Browser Compatibility Problems
Symptoms: Features not working, display issues, slow performance
Solutions:
- Use supported browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (latest versions)
- Clear browser cache and cookies
- Disable browser extensions that might interfere
- Try incognito/private browsing mode
- Update browser to latest version
📱 Mobile Access Issues
Symptoms: Interface doesn’t work well on mobile devices
Solutions:
- Use desktop/laptop for full compensation management features
- Mobile access is optimized for viewing, not extensive editing
- Use responsive design features where available
- Contact administrator about mobile-specific configurations
Performance and Speed Issues
⚡ System Running Slowly
Symptoms: Long loading times, timeouts, unresponsive interface
Solutions:
- Check internet connection speed and stability
- Process large operations during off-peak hours
- Break large imports into smaller batches
- Contact system administrator if persistent
📊 Analytics Not Loading
Symptoms: Dashboard or reports showing errors or not loading
Solutions:
- Verify sufficient compensation data exists for analysis
- Check date range filters aren’t too restrictive
- Try different report types or smaller date ranges
- Contact support if analytics service is down
Integration Problems
🔗 EPMS Integration Issues
Symptoms: Performance data not appearing, Merit Matrix errors
Solutions:
- Verify EPMS is enabled and properly configured
- Ensure performance reviews are completed and approved
- Check user permissions for cross-system access
- Contact administrator to verify integration settings
💼 Payroll Connect Problems
Symptoms: Export data doesn’t match payroll requirements
Solutions:
- Verify Payroll Connect configuration and field mapping
- Check export format matches payroll system requirements
- Validate effective dates align with payroll periods
- Contact payroll administrator for format specifications
📞 Getting Additional Help
Self-Service Resources
📚 Documentation:
- Review related help articles for detailed guidance
- Check setup guides for configuration issues
- Use quick reference for field definitions and shortcuts
🔍 System Resources:
- Use built-in help tooltips and field descriptions
- Check error messages for specific guidance
- Review audit trail for change history context
Support Contacts
👥 Internal Support:
- System Administrator: Technical issues, permissions, configuration
- HR Administrator: Policy questions, approval workflows, compliance
- Manager: Team-specific issues, approval questions
- Payroll Administrator: Integration and export issues
🛠️ Technical Support:
- System Down: Contact technical support immediately
- Data Corruption: System administrator with detailed error information
- Performance Issues: Technical support with browser and system details
- Integration Failures: Technical support with integration logs
Escalation Process
Step 1: Try self-service troubleshooting steps
Step 2: Contact appropriate internal support person
Step 3: Escalate to system administrator if needed
Step 4: Contact technical support for system-level issues
Emergency Issues:
- Payroll deadline impacts: Contact payroll administrator immediately
- Data corruption or loss: Contact system administrator with full details
- Security concerns: Contact system administrator and technical support
📝 Error Message Quick Reference
| Error Code | Message | Quick Solution |
|---|---|---|
| COMP_001 | Invalid employee ID | Verify employee exists and ID is correct |
| COMP_002 | Insufficient permissions | Check user role and business association |
| COMP_003 | Validation failed | Review required fields and data formats |
| COMP_004 | Approval required | Submit through proper approval workflow |
| COMP_005 | Import format error | Use correct CSV format with required headers |
| COMP_006 | Calculation error | Verify numeric values and business rules |
| COMP_007 | Date validation failed | Use valid effective dates within allowed range |
| COMP_008 | Currency not supported | Use supported currency codes (USD, EUR, etc.) |
This troubleshooting guide addresses the most common compensation management issues. For persistent problems not covered here, contact your system administrator or technical support with specific error details.