Knowledge required by reward professionals by Bruce Thompson

This blog was prompted by the new CIPD professional areas. What a good idea to combine reward with performance management, as in every sector we have to get a return on our payroll costs. The new reward professional area gives a broad description of what is expected at each level, but we also need to know what detailed knowledge of the subject is required.

When interviewing a reward adviser for a job, what knowledge would you expect that person to have? Of course you would want a strategic understanding of reward, especially at the reward manager level, but many reward professionals are employed implementing reward processes. This is a key activity. Wasn’t it Ulrich who said ‘a second rate policy carried out first class is better than a first class policy implemented second class’?

I also believe that specialised reward knowledge and expertise will keep us reward folk in employment. We are a service function, and in these severe cost cutting times, organisations can well dispense with staff doing things that the average line manager can do.

One wet weekend I listed what knowledge I think a reward professional should have, and I’ve linked this to the new band 3 reward competencies. It’s a long document, but if anyone wants to read it, write to me at B.Thompson @mdx.ac.uk and I’ll send you a copy.