Welcome back to the FNDN Series, where we continue our deep dive into startup compensation with industry leaders from across the startup world. In our conversation with Sarika Lamont, VP of People and Culture at Vidyard, we tackle the most challenging compensation conversations that people leaders face. From delivering "no raise" news to high performers during budget constraints, to navigating pay transparency questions about salary differences between new hires and existing employees, Sarika shares practical frameworks for handling these difficult discussions. We explore how AI can enhance performance feedback, the importance of transparency in building trust, and strategies for managing expectations when business realities clash with employee desires. Keep watching to discover how to turn your toughest pay conversations into opportunities for deeper engagement and trust-building.

Chapters:

00:50 Guest Introduction: Sarika Lamont, VP at Vidyard

02:15 The Toughest Pay Conversation: Telling High Performers "No"

03:21 Framework for Delivering Bad News About Compensation

06:34 The Power of Recognition Beyond Money

08:20 Building Year-Round Recognition and Development

11:57 Using AI to Enhance Performance Feedback and Mentoring

12:31 Practical AI Application for Personalized Development Plans

13:02 Pay Transparency Challenges: New Hire vs. Existing Employee Pay

16:02 Navigating Pay Band Implementation and Market Reality

19:27 The Benefits of Long-Term Employment vs. Job Hopping

21:15 Moving Toward Pay Transparency Despite Executive Concerns

22:52 Treating Employees Like Adults: Trust and Consistency

24:14 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

Connect with Sarika

Visit: vidyard.com 

https://linkedin.com/in/sarikal/ 

Resources Mentioned

Tools and Companies:

• Vidyard - AI-enabled go-to-market platform for video messaging and hosting

• ChatGPT - Used for creating structured performance feedback and development plans

• Ontario Pay Transparency Laws - Full transparency requirement starting January 1st, 2026

  
  

Concepts Discussed:

• Pay band quartile systems for compensation structure

• Comp ratios and market positioning strategies

• AI-powered performance feedback generation

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  Pave is a compensation intelligence platform that gives you real-time compensation data from more than 8,300 companies, allowing you to make calls with confidence, not guesswork.

  Access Information & Resources from Pave:

  2026 Budgeting & Trends Report: Get your free copy of the full report discussed in the episode, which includes trends on planned merit budgets, "job hugging," and pay transparency.

  Report Landing Page (Email)

  Learn More About Pave: Visit the Pave homepage to explore how you can benchmark pay, price jobs, manage pay ranges, and run your merit cycle all in one place.

  Pave Homepage

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