Reward strategy is the design and implementation of reward policies and practices to support and advance your organisational objectives.
Explore our resources on strategic, total, international and executive rewards. Discover our reports and fact sheet for important insights into reward management, executive pa and risks.
Factsheets
Regularly-updated factsheets provide overviews and information on a topic
8 Factsheets about Reward
Factsheets
Workplace pensions
Learn about the UK law surrounding workplace pensions and how to choose new schemes or review existing pension arrangements
Factsheets
Reward: an introduction
Introduces the basics of reward, which includes pay and benefits, and outlines the UK legal position
Factsheets
Pay structures and pay progression
Outlines the purpose of pay structures and progression, including the common ways of structuring pay and determining, reviewing and controlling pay progression
Factsheets
Strategic reward and total reward
Outlines the main characteristics of strategic and total reward, and looks at designing and implementing a reward strategy across the organisation
Factsheets
Performance-related pay
Introduces performance-related pay and issues linking employee pay and performance
Factsheets
Bonuses and incentives
Understand the basics of bonuses and incentives, the trends in their application, and how to design and operate schemes effectively and ethically
Factsheets
Pay fairness and pay reporting
Find out what's meant by fair pay, what pay information UK employers must disclose by law and the opportunities pay narratives bring.
Factsheets
Job evaluation and market pricing
Understand the fundamentals of job evaluation and market pricing, as well as how to choose and install the right scheme for your organisation
Employment law
Practical resources to help you address employment law issues at work, and keep up with recent and pending legislation.
1 Employment law about Reward
Employment law
Gender pay gap reporting: UK employment law
Explore our collection of resources around the gender pay gap in UK employment law
Guides
Designed for practitioners, our guides provide recommendations and advice on how to apply good practice in the workplace.
6 Guides about Reward
Guides
Gender pay gap reporting: What is it, do you need to report and why
Learn about the gender pay gap, find out which employers need to report on it and understand why it's important
Guides
Tackling in-work poverty: Guidance for employers
This guide explains in-work poverty, its effects and what employers can do to help
Guides
Ethnicity pay reporting: A guide for UK employers
Guidance on navigating voluntary ethnicity pay reporting
Guides
Employee financial wellbeing
Guidance for HR practitioners and employers to support their employees’ financial wellbeing
Guides
Cost-of-living crisis: How to help your employees
Financial wellbeing resources and guidance that help employers alleviate poverty placed on their employees by the cost-of-living crisis
Reports
Research and analysis by experts from CIPD and partner organisations
12 Reports about Reward
Reports
Pay, performance and transparency 2024
Insight from the CIPD’s survey into factors driving pay decisions in UK workplaces and recommendations for practice
Reports
Working Lives Scotland
Dedicated analysis of job quality and its impact on working lives in Scotland
Reports
CIPD Good Work Index – North of England
A North of England summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2023 survey report
Reports
CIPD Good Work Index
The CIPD Good Work Index provides an annual snapshot of job quality in the UK, giving insight to drive improvement to working lives
Reports
Resourcing and talent planning report
Our trend analysis and benchmarking data on recruitment, workforce planning and retention helps HR and employers recruit and retain effectively
Reports
Working Lives Northern Ireland
Dedicated analysis of job quality and its impact on working lives in Northern Ireland
Reports
Lessons from reporting the gender pay gap
Research shows that the people profession needs more support to fulfill its role in closing the gap
Reports
What employees think of their CEO's pay packet
Explores executive pay and employees' views on executive pay
Reports
Executive reward: a behavioural perspective
An exploration of executive rewards in the UK and beyond, and the extent to which current reward structures encourage the right CEO characteristics
Reports
Employment regulation and the labour market
A comparison of the UK's employment rights framework with that of other OECD countries
Reports
Reward risks survey
Identifies the risks people working in reward management believe are their biggest challenges, and how well their organisations can deal with them
Case studies
Learn from real world examples of how other people professionals and organisations work with the CIPD to approach key challenges and objectives.
5 Case studies about Reward
Case studies
Supporting employee financial wellbeing: Tesco Stores
Case study on actions taken to help employees improve their financial literacy and decision-making
Case studies
A day in the life of a reward analyst
A day in the life of Daniel Bailey, Reward Analyst at Arval BNP Paribas Group
Case studies
A day in the life of a reward officer
A day in the life of Claire Clarke, Pay & Reward HR Officer, Durham University
Case studies
A day in the life of a reward specialist
A day in the life of Holly Coe, Reward and People Operations Lead at Aster Group UK
Case studies
Solving business problems with people analytics: Barnwood
Case study on ensuring fair pay and encouraging staff to take time off
Thought leadership
Insight and foresight from our experts in people and the world of work
36 Thought leadership about Reward
Thought leadership
Lifetime pension provider consultation prompts focus on pension awareness
Employers’ reactions to pension proposal highlight concerns over cost, while the CIPD calls for focus on raising pension awareness among staff, the need for higher contributions and better understanding of value for money
Thought leadership
Private sector firms lag behind on pay transparency
Charles Cotton analyses CIPD data on pay transparency to uncover how many employers have decided to be transparent about pay, and what motivates that decision
Thought leadership
Cost-of-living drives Living Wage accreditation
Charles Cotton and James Cockett discuss the CIPD’s summer 2023 Labour Market Outlook, specifically examining the ‘real’ living wage
Thought leadership
Employers not checking if their defined contribution pensions deliver value for money
Are defined contribution (DC) pensions worth the money? Charles Cotton looks into this question by analysing the CIPD’s most recent Labour Market Outlook results
Thought leadership
Gender pay gap reporting: Where’s the story?
Charles Cotton, the CIPD's Senior Policy Adviser on performance and reward, looks at how the gender pay gap varies by sector and employer size, and asks why more employers aren’t being open about their pay practices
Thought leadership
The compensation revolution: Incentives to motivate and retain future talent
Matt Burney of Indeed outlines three potential drivers to shape how and why people work in future, and what these would mean for work-life balance and employee empowerment
Thought leadership
How private sector employers have been helping their workers cope with the cost-of-living crisis
In his CIPD Voice article, Charles Cotton analyses the CIPD’s Autumn Labour Market Outlook and its findings on the cost-of-living crisis
Thought leadership
Grappling with the cost of living: how will employers respond?
James Cockett analyses the findings from CIPD’s Autumn Labour Market Outlook. Whilst the labour market still remains tight, employers are using wage rises to support existing staff in this cost-of-living crisis, if they can
Thought leadership
The cost of living crisis – what next?
Marek Zemanik’s CIPD Voice article examines the cost of living crisis and the impact it will have on employees
Thought leadership
Collective pensions and the people profession
Charles Cotton looks at defined contribution pensions and why they are important to the people profession
Thought leadership
Westminster event with MPs and Lords: Backing the Bill for Bereavement Leave and Pay
CIPD’s Claire McCartney discusses our recent Parliamentary event, supported by Lucy Herd, Patricia Gibson MP and Lord Knight of Weymouth, looking at the issue of extending bereavement leave and pay
Thought leadership
Why a workplace financial wellbeing policy makes sense
Employers and employees reap the benefits of a workplace financial wellbeing policy. Charles Cotton’s CIPD Voice article discusses this subject by analysing our recent Reward management survey
Thought leadership
Reform SSP to ensure a better financial safety net for workers during illness
Rachel Suff makes the case for reform to the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and outlines the CIPD’s recommendations to government on how the system could be changed
Thought leadership
Making reward more accessible and performance management fairer
How can technology be used to allow better access to pay and a fairer assessment of employee performance and potential?
Thought leadership
Mounting recruitment difficulties point to higher pay inflation in 2022
Gerwyn Davies’ article investigates the official labour market and migration statistics to see how EU migrant and older workers have been affected
Thought leadership
The importance of financial wellbeing in the workplace
Blog by Margaret McCloskey, Northern Ireland Partnership Manager at the Money and Pensions Service
Thought leadership
Policy position on employer salary advance schemes
Charles Cotton looks at the issue of financial wellbeing and assesses the pros and cons of Employer Salary Advance Schemes (ESAS)
Thought leadership
IR35: It's back
Charles Cotton’s article considers the implications of IR35, including the steps employers can take to prepare for the changes and how HR can help enforce it
Thought leadership
CEO pay: complex solutions for complex problems
Charles Cotton's article analyses the latest report from the CIPD and the High Pay Centre, Executive Pay in the FTSE 100, which examines how executive pay has changed within the last year
Thought leadership
Executive pay in the FTSE 100: 2020 review
Our latest CEO pay report highlights the growing need for remuneration reform at the top
Thought leadership
Why should employers be concerned about the financial wellbeing of their staff?
Charles Cotton considers new CIPD survey data on employees’ financial wellbeing and the implications for employers
Thought leadership
Coronavirus and the workforce: low pay does not equal low value
The coronavirus pandemic makes it clearer than ever that the roles we need most as a society are not necessarily the ones we value. This must change.
Thought leadership
Reward in the time of COVID-19
Charles Cotton looks at the impact coronavirus is having, and potentially could have, on the way employees are rewarded by their employers
Thought leadership
Who’s been asking for a pay rise?
Charles Cotton explores why asking for a pay rise can be a difficult topic of conversation
Thought leadership
Good Work Plan – consultation proposals to support families
Claire McCartney sets out the consultation into family friendly policies
Thought leadership
Pay transparency: what is driving the interest and how should people professionals respond?
Charles Cotton goes through the questions people professionals need to be asking that will make them better placed to overcome the many challenges and take advantage of the opportunities from introducing pay transparency
Thought leadership
Top pay in the UK
CEOs are out-earning the average worker by 117 times – Charles Cotton asks if this is justified
Thought leadership
Executive pay in the FTSE 100 – 2019 review
Annual reports reveal what the UK’s top executives earn, but present little evidence to justify their share in success
Thought leadership
Gap year
While more employers than ever are taking action to improve employee mental health, Rachel Suff’s new health and well-being report finds that employers still aren’t addressing financial wellbeing
Thought leadership
Financial wellness is the poor relation of employee wellbeing
While more employers than ever are taking action to improve employee mental health, Rachel Suff’s new health and well-being report finds that employers still aren’t addressing financial well-being
Thought leadership
Does adulthood begin at 25?
Twenty years on from the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, Ffion Meagher discusses the impact of the policy as well as George Osborne’s living wage for over-25s
Thought leadership
Who is feeding the fat cats – and should that change?
Charles Cotton asks why CEO pay continues to grow faster than average wages and offers a solution in his latest Voice article
Thought leadership
The impact of an ageing workforce
Charles Cotton talks through the findings of the CIPD’s Reward management survey
Thought leadership
Ethnicity pay reporting and our consultation response
Claire McCartney discusses the CIPD’s approach to the Government’s consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting
Thought leadership
Pay for the UK’s top bosses nudges higher
With trust in business at an all-time low and wage-growth stagnating, Charles Cotton explores the shocking levels of executive pay in Britain’s biggest businesses
Thought leadership
Executive pay 2018: review of FTSE 100 executive pay packages
Examines how CEO pay in some of the UK’s largest firms has changed between the financial years 2016 and 2017.
Podcasts
Listen to episodes from our podcast series on a range of topical workplace, HR and L&D issues.
2 Podcasts about Reward
Podcasts
Is pay transparency good for business?
Episode 194: Understanding the benefits, pitfalls and challenges of increasing pay transparency and the broader impact on global organisations
Podcasts
Executive pay and the psychology of motivation
Episode 151: The pay gap between senior executives and their employees is high, but does it need to be? In this podcast we explore what motivates top earners, the importance of fairness and the future role of Remuneration Committees.
Webinars
Webinar recordings providing expert guidance
1 Webinars about Reward
Webinars
Gender pay gap reporting: the what, how and when
In this webcast, we discuss the requirements of the regulations, who they cover, the pros and cons of publishing the data, and what it means for organisations.
Evidence review
Evidence reviews enable you to ask the critical questions and use evidence for better decision-making.
3 Evidence reviews about Reward
Evidence review
Incentives and recognition: An evidence review
This evidence review summarises the best available scientific research on what works in financial incentives and non-financial recognition
Evidence review
Show me the money: the behavioural science of reward
An overview of research in behavioural science and its use in making pay and benefit practices more effective
Evidence review
Executive reward: drivers and consequences
A review of academic studies into top pay between 2007 and 2013, highlighting the findings and considering the implications for practice
Bitesize research
Your regular overview of current research, inspiring insights and cutting-edge ideas in bitesize
23 Bitesize research about Reward
Bitesize research
Reward in the time of COVID-19
The impact of COVID-19 on employers and employees has been wide ranging. These authors explored the role of compensation and benefits during pandemics, highlighting how effective reward strategies and measures can protect both workers and organisations.
For Members
Bitesize research
Pay transparency: an employee perspective
What do employees make of pay transparency?
For Members
Bitesize research
Exploring the link between UK productivity and wage growth
Why has productivity and wage growth decoupled?
For Members
Bitesize research
Benefitting from greater pay transparency
Reap the benefits of pay equity
For Members
Bitesize research
The evolving purpose of employer-benefits
Discover how to maximise benefits-packages
For Members
Bitesize research
Can commuting time explain the gender pay gap?
Discover the factors contributing to the gender pay gap
For Members
Bitesize research
Workplace disability discrimination
Explore the disadvantages disabled employees face
For Members
Bitesize research
Finding the balance in your reward package
Explore what works best in reward packages
For Members
Bitesize research
The business benefits of being pay transparent
Read more about the authors' findings here
For Members
Bitesize research
Minding the pay gap
Explore the potential impact of CEO pay ratio reporting
For Members
Bitesize research
The impact of inequality – why fairness pays
Getting the message on reward and recognition
For Members
Bitesize research
Pension scheme pressures: are employers on the right track?
Look at the analysis of this report on pensions
For Members
Bitesize research
How do we reward and recognise good deeds?
Find out how far good deeds are their own reward
For Members
Bitesize research
CEO pay decisions – time to check the fine print
Understand more about compensation decisions
For Members
Bitesize research
Money for nothing – a pay revolution?
Explore what the growing interest in UBI means for the future of work
For Members
Bitesize research
Rewarding top managers – mind the pay gaps
View key findings from this research
For Members
Bitesize research
Changing reward roles for changing times
As the role of reward professionals evolve, explore what benefit practitioners should do to be successful
For Members
Bitesize research
Pension planning – falling on deaf ears?
Employers cannot expect to effectively solve the pension problem without also solving the debt problem
For Members
CIPD Viewpoint
Our collected point of view on the key issues impacting work, from the perspective of employers and policy makers.
2 CIPD Viewpoints about Reward
CIPD Viewpoint
Low pay and financial wellbeing
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on low pay and financial wellbeing, including recommendations for employers and actions for the UK Government
CIPD Viewpoint
Executive pay
Explore the CIPD’s point of view on executive pay packages, including actions for regulators and recommendations for employers
Policy engagement
Our calls for action.
3 Policy engagements about Reward
Policy engagement
'Pot for life’ pensions proposals depend on increased workforce awareness, warns the CIPD
Read our response to the UK’s Department for Work and Pensions’ ‘Looking to the future’ consultation
Policy engagement
Informing the UK’s National Living Wage for 2024
Read the CIPD’s response to the Low Pay Commission’s 2023 consultation
Policy engagement
Assessing the value for money of defined contribution pension schemes
Read our recommendations to the UK’s Department for Work & Pensions, Financial Conduct Authority, and the Pensions Regulator
Learning
We offer a range of evidence-based courses tauilored to suit you and your needs.
Our Essential Insights courses are free as part of the CIPD membership.
Explore the key features of different reward types and their role in supporting organisations to attract, retain and motivate employees
Increase your practical knowledge of pay structure and design. This course will provide you with the skillset you need to lead in discussions on differing pay structures, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the various pay models, and ensure pay fairness.
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