Nine Years at Nua Group: Ryland Bauer on the Work Behind the Work

Ryland Bauer joined Nua early in the journey, after making his way from coastal Maine to San Francisco and, along the way, finding both his community and a natural sweet spot in the work: combining an actuary’s analytical mindset with a practical approach to helping companies solve complex compensation and benefits challenges.

Every day, Ryland delivers his deep expertise in a calm, structured way, breaking down complex problems and finding practical solutions. Clients value not only his knowledge, but his thoughtful approach and passion for the work.

In this conversation, Ryland shares what he has learned over these nine years, from why pay alone rarely drives retention, to what founders often miss as they scale, to his interest in birding (yes, birding) as an unexpected late-30s development.

You joined Nua Group early on: what did Nua feel like back then, and how has it evolved over these years, in your opinion?

More than anything, I remember the early days of Nua to be fun. We were a small team, and we shared a funky office with Dwell Magazine. Our biggest conference room couldn't hold much more than 4 people, so we would often meet instead at our favorite restaurant, Piperade - which we called Conference Room P.

The good news is that nearly 9 years later, I’m still having a blast at Nua. While our conference rooms have gotten bigger, our team is still small but mighty. We have amazing clients and help them solve interesting and unique problems. I feel lucky to have been along for the ride.

What’s one insight about human behaviour and compensation/pay that has completely changed how you think about your work?

Nearly every client I work with worries about their employees leaving for more pay at a different company. The reality is, for most companies, their employees can indeed find a more competitive offer elsewhere. However, companies need to offer more than just high compensation to retain their employees. Flexibility, value in the work, strong people management, and opportunities for career growth are important pieces in how companies attract and retain employees.

You’ve worked a lot with pre-IPO companies. What’s something founders often get wrong about rewarding people as they scale?

The concept that “job titles are free” and intentionally offering inflated titles as part of new hire packages to get people in the door is misguided and expensive. Firstly, inflated job titles absolutely add to payroll costs - if you call someone a director, they will want to be paid like a director. And more importantly, at scale, this attitude consistently leads to feelings of inequity, unfairness, and career confusion in employees.

And what’s something they get right more often than people give them credit for?

The importance of clearly communicating their equity compensation programs, both the potential value these programs can offer, as well as the message of “when our company wins, you win in a real, meaningful way.”

If you could give executives one piece of advice about compensation and motivation, what would it be?

I would tell them that their leadership buy-in is critical. When company leadership stands behind compensation and pay decisions, even uncomfortable ones, and is able to defend and articulate why these decisions were made, it significantly increases adoption and acceptance. 

Outside of work, what helps you completely unwind and recharge?

I love to play golf and, as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve become a bit of a birder. I hit my late 30s, and the urge to know what birds I was hearing and seeing reached a fever pitch. My dad has always loved birding, so I guess it runs in the family. When I travel, the first thing I do is look up what new birds I can find.

And finally… nine years in - what keeps the work interesting for you?

The most interesting part of my job is getting to work with a wide variety of clients who bring nuanced challenges and unique perspectives on how best to resolve them. No two projects or clients are exactly the same, and the work never feels stagnant.

What comes through in talking with Ryland is something clients have known for years: behind the technical expertise is someone deeply curious about people, motivated by solving hard problems, and who loves the variety and challenge the work brings. Congratulations to Ryland on nine years at Nua, and thank you for everything you bring to our team and clients.

If you’d like to talk with Ryland and the Nua team about the challenges you’re navigating, we’d be happy to connect.