Using Excel Tools and Formulas to Build a Dynamic Merit Matrix

Excel Case Study: Using Excel Tools and Formulas to Build a Dynamic Merit Matrix

Virtual (Live) February 24, 2026 01:00 PM Eastern

In this hands-on webinar workshop, Excel becomes a working tool for solving a familiar challenge: building a merit matrix that actually holds up during a compensation cycle. Instead of walking through formulas one by one, this session centers on a guided case study that mirrors how merit decisions are modeled, tested, and adjusted in practice.

Before the live session, participants will receive short, prerecorded Excel tutorials to review at their own pace. This allows you to come prepared and ready to apply the tools. The live workshop then focuses entirely on building a dynamic merit matrix from the ground up, making decisions, testing assumptions, and adjusting outcomes just as you would in a real organization.

By the end of the session, you will not only sharpen your Excel skills, but also gain a repeatable approach you can take back to your own merit planning process.

Excel tools and formulas covered include:

Tables and named ranges
VLOOKUP for approximate matches
INDIRECT and SUBSTITUTE
XLOOKUP
INDEX and XMATCH
Goal Seek
Scenario Manager

You will leave with greater confidence using Excel to support compensation decisions, a clearer understanding of how to model merit increases dynamically, and a practical framework you can reuse year after year.

Webinar participants will qualify to receive the following WorldatWork, HRCI and SHRM recertification credits.

		WorldatWork	HRCI*	SHRM**
Credits		1 general	1	1

^{*HRCI: This program has been approved for 1 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute.}

^{**SHRM: WorldatWork is approved by SHRM to offer 1 Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM Certification Program (SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®).}

Presenter

Kian Boloori is a seasoned Total Rewards professional with over 12 years of experience in the field. Kian is a Senior Manager, Global Compensation at Edwards Lifesciences, the leading global structural heart innovation company. Throughout his career, Kian developed dynamic Excel tools, models and reports tailored for diverse audiences, ranging from employees to Boards of Directors.

Kian is a certified Microsoft Excel 2019/365 Expert who created and delivered hands-on Excel workshops for local Total Rewards organizations and at the 2024 WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference. His workshops are designed to empower Total Rewards professional with advanced Excel skills to get more done in less time.

Kian earned his MBA from the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business and his BA in History from UCLA.

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