---
title: Learning & Personal Development
category: Learning & personal development
source_files:
  - docs/Learning & personal development/coaching-culture.md
  - docs/Learning & personal development/growth-reward.md
  - docs/Learning & personal development/conferences.md
summary: >
  How development translates into reward (the 5 Pillars of Value and the
  self-evaluation → salary increase → banding process) and how conference
  attendance works. The coaching culture itself is documented canonically in
  How We Work Together.
tags:
  - growth
  - reward
  - salary
  - performance
  - evaluation
  - conferences
  - professional-development
  - coaching-culture
related_topics:
  - how-we-work-together.md  # canonical coaching culture, huddles, POP
  - pension-scheme-and-benefits.md  # 40h dev/conference time as a benefit
  - spending-and-contracting.md  # how to request/expense a conference
key_facts:
  conference_hours_per_year: ~40 (full-time)
  pillars_of_value:
    A_basic_experience_expertise: 100%
    B_role_fulfilment_responsibility: 75%
    C_impact_results: 80%
    D_development_learning_curve: 100%
    E_culture_collaboration: 80%
  q4_start_rule: No salary increase at next year-turn if you started in Oct/Nov/Dec.
ai_context: >
  The Growth & Reward model is the REWARD half of the coaching culture; the
  development half (huddles, capacity building, POP, Ofman's Core Quadrant) is
  documented canonically in how-we-work-together.md and only summarized here to
  avoid duplication. Self-evaluation on the 5 Pillars happens during the Huddle
  Elevator sessions (every two months). The ~40 conference hours appears here as
  a process and in pension-scheme-and-benefits.md as a benefit; requesting and
  expensing a conference is covered in spending-and-contracting.md.
---

# Learning & Personal Development

This section covers how personal development is rewarded (Growth & Reward) and how conference attendance is arranged. The coaching culture that frames all of this — huddle check-ins, huddle elevators, the capacity building framework, and the Personal Development Plan (POP) — is documented canonically in [How We Work Together → Coaching Culture](how-we-work-together.md).

## Coaching Culture (summary)

Respellion has moved beyond traditional performance management to a coaching culture of continuous feedback and development, built on **twice-weekly Huddle Check-ins**, **Huddle Elevator** sessions **every two months**, a three-area **Capacity Building Framework** (Professional, Emotional, Physical), and a **Personal Development Plan (POP)** based on **Ofman's Core Quadrant model** and shared on a Miro board. For the full description, see [How We Work Together → Coaching Culture](how-we-work-together.md). The reward side of this model is described below.

## Growth & Reward

At Respellion, we believe in a fair reward structure that is as transparent and enterprising as our way of working. This also means the model can be adapted if there is a reason to do so. We move away from rigid job scales and instead focus on your actual added value.

### The 5 Pillars of Value

Your impact — and therefore your potential salary growth — is measured on five core pillars. These form the foundation of your development and evaluation. The pillars are **weighted differently**, which determines your final increase category; not every element carries the same weight in the final score.

- **A. Basic Experience & Expertise (Weighting: 100%):** your fundamental professional knowledge and skills.
- **B. Role Fulfilment & Responsibility (Weighting: 75%):** how much ownership you show in your Holacratic roles.
- **C. Impact & Results (Weighting: 80%):** the tangible value you deliver for clients and our purpose.
- **D. Development & Learning Curve (Weighting: 100%):** your growth on intellectual, emotional and physical levels (linked to your Personal Development Plan).
- **E. Culture & Collaboration (Weighting: 80%):** your contribution to the team, living our values, and 'working with a smile'.

Check our anchor descriptions of these five Pillars of Value.

### From Evaluation to Reward

Your salary increase is not a predetermined fact based on years of service, but a reflection of your performance over the past year.

**Step 1: Self-Evaluation.** You assess yourself on the five pillars above; this forms your performance score. Your colleagues will directly challenge you to ensure a complete and honest self-assessment. This feedback takes place multiple times a year during the Huddle Elevator sessions.

**Step 2: Salary Increase.** The determined performance score is linked to a linear model of increase percentages. We use several bands, e.g., 0–2%, 2–4%, etc. The higher the performance score, the higher the salary increase. This ensures that above-average performance is rewarded above average, rather than a standard 'automatic' increase for everyone.

When determining the bands, we consider factors such as:

- **Financial health:** we analyse the total increase in wage costs in relation to our turnover and margins. We want to remain a healthy company; steep increases must be covered by our rates and results.
- **Inflation (CPI):** we look at the Consumer Price Index of the past year to protect purchasing power.
- **Market conformity:** we compare our salaries with trends in the IT sector and collective labour agreement wage developments to remain competitive.

The calculated increase is adjusted based on how long you have been employed during the relevant year (seniority). To keep things fair for everyone, in your first year we take into account how long you have been working with us.

- **Pro-rata increase:** if you started later in the year, any salary increase is calculated proportionally to the number of months you have been employed. Someone who has contributed for 12 months receives a larger share of the increase than someone who has contributed for 4 months.
- **Start in Q4:** if you started in October, November or December, you will not be eligible for a salary increase at the next turn of the year. We have not had enough time to properly assess your performance, and you are likely still in your induction period. All colleagues do, however, participate in the Huddle Elevator to gain experience with this assessment model.

**Step 3: Banding.** These scores are validated across the Huddles to form a fair picture. Here we look not only at the numbers but especially at the story behind them. We filter out subjectivity as much as possible to arrive at an objective performance score. Finally, we line up all the new salaries: does the distribution feel logical? Is the ratio between juniors, mediors and seniors still correct? Do the differences between colleagues with similar impact make sense? Where necessary, we make manual corrections to prevent imbalances.

## Conferences

Respellion encourages professional development through conference attendance. Each employee is entitled to approximately **40 hours per year** for attending conferences.

### How to register

**Find Available Conferences.** All available conferences are listed in the SharePoint Events Calendar. You can filter the view to see only tech conferences.

**Express Your Interest.** Indicate your interest by adding your name to the "interest list" in the calendar. Regular reminders will be sent about upcoming conferences.

**Selection Process.** Conference attendance will be determined based on expressed interest. We aim to coordinate attendance so team members can attend conferences together when possible.

For any questions about conference attendance, please contact the People Officer.

## Related Topics

- [How We Work Together](how-we-work-together.md) — the canonical coaching culture, huddles, capacity building, and Personal Development Plan that Growth & Reward builds on.
- [Pension Scheme & Benefits](pension-scheme-and-benefits.md) — the ~40 hours of professional development / conferences listed as a secondary benefit.
- [Spending and Contracting](spending-and-contracting.md) — how to request and expense conferences, courses, books, and certifications.
