# Escalation criteria — TEMPLATE

> The offer-prep skill runs the proposed recommendation through these
> criteria as the last step. If any fire, the brief sets
> `escalation: comp-committee`, lists the triggered criteria, and stops.
> Do not soften a recommendation to avoid escalation — that defeats the
> purpose of the rule.

## Hard escalation triggers

Any single trigger sets `escalation: comp-committee`.

1. **Above-band base.** Recommended base exceeds the level's ceiling in `1-comp-band-template.md`.
2. **Above-band equity.** Recommended equity grant exceeds the level's equity ceiling, or stretches more than REPLACE % above the standard grant for the level.
3. **Above-policy signing.** Recommended signing exceeds the maximum in the signing-bonus policy, or falls outside the allowed reasons (relocation, unvested-equity bridging).
4. **Internal-equity breach.** Recommendation would place the new hire more than REPLACE % above any current employee at the same level + geo (per the internal-equity guardrail).
5. **Outside posted pay range.** Recommendation falls outside the `posted_range` for any jurisdiction with pay-disclosure laws (CA, CO, NY, WA, IL, and others — confirm with your legal team on a current basis).
6. **Pay-equity pattern risk.** The new recommendation would extend a pattern of above-midpoint offers within one demographic dimension over the last REPLACE offers at the same level + geo.

## Soft triggers — flag but do not block

These do not force comp-committee escalation, but the brief surfaces them in `escalation-reasons` for visibility.

- Loop calibration disagreement — the level signal from the debrief is split (e.g. 2 hire-at-level, 2 hire-above-level). The brief recommends band-midpoint and flags the split.
- Competing-offer claim is `claimed-credible` and would push the recommendation above midpoint. The brief surfaces the offer's verification status and asks the team to validate before relying on it.
- Candidate stated motivations include "comp is my top priority" plus the recommendation is at or below midpoint. The brief flags the acceptance-rate risk.

## What "comp-committee review" means in this template

Replace this section with your team's actual escalation path. Typical shape:

- Submit the brief plus the triggered criteria to the comp committee (named members: REPLACE).
- Committee SLA: REPLACE business days.
- Committee may approve as-recommended, approve with modifications, or decline (in which case the recruiter returns to the candidate with the in-band offer or a "we cannot proceed" message).
- Committee decisions are logged in REPLACE (e.g. an Ashby comment, a Notion log) for pay-equity audit purposes.

## Last reviewed

REPLACE_DATE