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Totally Rewarding Chats

Totally Rewarding Chats

By: WRKdefined Podcast Network
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The Totally Rewarding Chats Series is brought to you by co-hosts Sean Luitjens, VP of Community Engagement and Strategic Partnerships at WorldatWork, and Paul Reiman, Founder & Managing Partner of Novo Insights. They will be jamming on all things total rewards and compensation technology with category thought leaders.All rights reserved by WRKdefined Economics Management Management & Leadership Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Aligning Talent Acquisition and Compensation on Offers

    Aligning Talent Acquisition and Compensation on Offers
    22 Oct 2026
    This episode explains how recruiters and compensation teams can work together to make better job offers, reduce pay compression, and improve early retention. A former head of global talent acquisition walks through how to define what a role actually needs before hiring begins, how to use job architecture, salary bands, and compa-ratio during the intake meeting, how to discuss pay with candidates when you cannot ask about salary history, and why very wide posted pay ranges weaken pay transparency. You will also learn why new hire offers often get far less scrutiny than merit increases, how recruiters can balance competing pressure from hiring managers, finance, and HR, and what compensation teams can do to educate recruiters instead of blaming them for pay problems. Chapters 09:14 – How recruiters view compensation data and pay decisions 13:00 – Balancing hiring manager urgency with budget and internal equity 15:56 – Defining what a role really needs and avoiding up-leveling 18:12 – Using job architecture and compa-ratio in intake meetings 20:47 – How interview gaps make offer decisions harder to defend 23:07 – Why offers get less scrutiny than merit increases 24:09 – How much pay guidance recruiters actually need 26:30 – Discussing pay with candidates without asking salary history 27:35 – When wide posted pay ranges defeat pay transparency 42:04 – How hiring practices drive pay compression and how to fix it
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    46 min
  • AI Adoption in HR Without Losing Control

    AI Adoption in HR Without Losing Control
    15 Oct 2026
    HR and compensation leaders get a practical look at bringing AI into their organizations without creating new risks. HR consultant Jodi Brandstetter joins Sean and Paul to cover where AI works best in HR, why governance has to come first, and how to decide between the AI already built into your HR tools and building your own. They also share real examples of AI adoption going wrong, from employees pasting company data into free chatbots to an intern pulling data from several systems without anyone approving it. You will leave knowing how to start small, test AI on work your team already knows well, and set guardrails so employees can experiment safely. Chapters 09:24 – Where HR sees the most success with AI 10:51 – What organizations need before adopting AI 12:27 – Why to start AI on work you already understand 14:11 – Vendor AI versus building your own AI tools 16:22 – How to choose the right AI tool for your company 17:37 – Job matching, leveling, and embedded AI in compensation 20:45 – Why HR still needs basic AI knowledge 21:47 – Common ways AI adoption goes wrong in HR 28:08 – Using AI to rewrite a pay philosophy for different audiences 32:57 – How HR can become part of the AI conversation
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    37 min
  • Rising Healthcare Costs and Employee Benefits Strategy

    Rising Healthcare Costs and Employee Benefits Strategy
    8 Oct 2026
    Healthcare costs keep rising, and employers have to decide who pays for it and what gets cut. This conversation looks at what is driving benefits costs right now, including specialty medications and GLP-1s. It covers how cost sharing affects the value of merit increases and why employees have trouble comparing benefits with salary. It also covers why total rewards statements can backfire when pay transparency is in place, and what employers can do to control spending without losing value. You will hear practical ideas: review underused benefits every year, use payroll data to see what employees actually use, and set different contribution levels for spouses and dependents. The episode also explains how lifestyle spending accounts work and why benchmarking is the best place to start a program review. Chapters 08:03 – Top benefits trends driven by rising healthcare costs 10:16 – Why the GLP-1 coverage debate is different now 13:16 – Employer versus employee cost sharing and merit increases 15:23 – Why employees struggle to connect benefits and pay 18:21 – Total rewards statements and pay transparency fairness 25:02 – Using company culture to explain benefit cost sharing 29:38 – Practical steps to control benefits costs 33:25 – Spouse coverage, wellness incentives, and cost caps 37:12 – How lifestyle spending accounts work 40:16 – Where to start when reviewing a benefits program
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    50 min
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