Skills Over Degrees: Bell TechLogix CHRO Amy Graves on Pay Equity, Benefits, and AI

Summary

If employees don’t understand their total rewards, even fair pay can feel unfair. Amy Graves, Chief Human Resources Officer at Bell TechLogix, shares how she bridges the gap between intention and understanding in compensation and benefits.

With 25+ years across nonprofit, manufacturing, life sciences, and IT, Amy brings a pragmatic lens shaped by small-business roots, a global workforce, and a bias for action.

She explains why pay equity demands measurement and follow-through, how plain-language policies and total compensation statements change perceptions, and why wellness programs matter even when ROI isn’t easily quantifiable.

Amy also unpacks the rise of personalized benefits (including lifestyle spending accounts), the shift to skills-based pay over degrees, and the internal compensation pressures that come with upskilling and AI.

She closes with the simple 30-day habit—Mel Robbins’ Five-Second Rule—that boosts follow-through at work and at home, plus the AI tools she uses daily to work smarter.

Timestamps

[00:17] – Guest intro: Amy’s path to Bell TechLogix and lessons from a small-business family

[01:49] – Earliest money memories: humility, titles vs. identity, and first jobs

[05:25] – How those lessons shape leadership: grit, “can’t” as the four-letter word

[07:38] – Pay equity in practice: measure disparities, then take action

[09:25] – Where comp/benefits break down: communication, total rewards statements, plain language

[12:38] – Educating employees: Illumination Sessions, life skills, and personalized benefits (LSAs, caregivers, pets)

[16:20] – Wellness that matters: on-site biometrics, peace of mind, and impact beyond ROI

[20:55] – What’s next: skills-based pay, internal comp pressures, AI tools (Copilot, ChatGPT), and the Five-Second Rule

Takeaways

- Measure pay equity rigorously—and fix gaps quickly with clear, data-backed actions.

- Simplify compensation and benefits with plain-language policies and total rewards statements.

- Build ongoing education: offer recurring sessions on market trends, technical skills, and life skills (e.g., money management).

- Personalize benefits where possible: consider lifestyle spending accounts and caregiver support to meet diverse needs.

- Treat wellness as people impact, not a spreadsheet line—make screenings convenient and accessible.

- Shift hiring and promotion toward skills over degrees; upskill teams in AI and use tools like Copilot/ChatGPT—always verifying outputs.

Sponsor

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With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track.

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