Talking Reward Podcast

Tom McMullen is a Senior Client Partner and Rewards Expertise Leader for Korn Ferry Hay Group with 30 years of experience.  Our discussion focused on compensation aspects of rating-less performance management. I also asked Tom what trends and topics his clients are dealing with at this point. Topics that compensation professional deal with: Efficiency, effectiveness and connectedness Assessing effectiveness of C&B programs Pay Equity What changed over the time Tom has been in consulting: we live in a sped-up world - turnaround time is faster than it’s ever been life-cycle of business strategy shortened and thus, talent and reward strategies need to follow simplification of messages best reward programs are not differentiated by sofisticated strategies, but by what can be implemented and embeded in an organization and how they link to business strategies what differentiates most admired companies from the others - the success of their e’ee communication (also utilizing managers to this (more than HR) Rating-less performance management Why are companies doing it What impact it has on compensation programs How to communicate rewards if we don’t link it to performance rating What questions should a company ask before they decide to eliminate ratings You can learn more about Tom on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcmullentom/  

Enrique Zamarbide is an intersting person to talk to. As you will hear, we came up with at least one creative idea during our discussion. He currently holds a position of Senior VP Compensation and Benefits at Deutsche Post DHL. You will hear us talking about: Job Architecture Digital Initiatives and a model for sourcing expertize today and in the future Start-ups inside a Corporation - setting up strategy for startups and aligning remuneration to it You can learn more about Enrique here:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/enriquezamarbide/  

In this episode, I am talking to Eric van Zelm, Senior Client Partner from Korn Ferry research institute.  Eric has spent many years with Agile principles and he is very passionate about this subject. In the episode, we speak about Agile principles and how they can be implemented in an organization. Then we switch to reward in Agile environment. We discuss in more detail:   How to evaluate Agile jobs?  When doing so, one need to take into consideration:  the complexity of the project personal impact (e.g. connection to the business, knowledge - go to person, network, etc. Overall, it’s a delicate balance between the job and the person sitting in the job   Team reward One shouldn’t differentiate too much in Agile environment, it can be hearting the internal cohession Typically, 3 point scales can be seen (clear indication of true excelence, and “missing the boat”) Incidental bonuses (coinciding with achievements) work better than annual payments Budget distribution among team members - at the discression of the manager/product owner   You can learn more about Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericvanzelm/  

Susan Wilson, MBA, CCP is a Leader of Global Compensation Practices CoE in GE. Before this role, she worked in GE Healthcare, United Airlines and PepsiAmericas. In the past several years, she was the C&B representative on the team that overhauled Performance Management in GE. The team spent lot of time reviewing current thinking in performance management and they interviewed a number of companies that had reviewed their performance management system before GE. They also spent time with employees, to understand their needs and frustrations.    In the episode, we get to talk about: Pepsi and Coke rivalry when it comes to drinking the other’s product Review of GE’s performance management Experiencing Agile working style in HR settings We discuss the elevator pitch for taking away ratings We even get elaborate comparison between performance ratings and stock market Alignment of PM to company culture Responsibility of employees in the PM process Reward & Recognition program  Pay data transparency - What do employees need  Data democratization Future of performance management, employee-centric delivery Right job, right employee, right length of time - small, discrete projects, mission-based teams User friendliness of employee / manager facing technology What will be left off from C&B job descriptions that won’t be taken over by robots   You can learn more about Susan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanwilsonccp/

Zsolt Szelecki, respected HR thinker from Hungary. He was a regional HR consulting leader in  Hewitt and later in PwC to name a few. Today, he teaches at the Central European University and still works with clients in the UK, Central Europe and China. His LinkedIn profile summary starts with the following title: "Business Executive and Organisational Transformation Consultant” and it’s a true description of Zsolt’s skills and capabilities.    We will touch on several topics in our discussion, but we spend most time on team based reward.   You can learn more about Zsolt on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szelecki/

Kashif Arshed, HR Leader at Metlife for Middle East & Africa with long compensation track record. Metlife is one of the leading insurance companies in the world. What you will hear in this episode: Standardization of HR / Compensation practices around the globe Employee-centric approach in benefit design Flexibility of benefit choice Variable compensation Best practice from Egypt on how to support employees in times of cash-flow issues