Global Reward Consultant

I help businesses by designing and implementing commercial reward strategies that support organisational goals. With over 20 years experience, I've built reward functions from scratch, optimised existing approaches, driven DD and integration in the M&A space and designed numerous incentive programmes. I build practical, scalable reward models with a collaborative approach that boost engagement and retention.

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How I can help

Whether you have a general business challenge needing a general reward solution or a specific project you need help with, here are the areas that I can deliver effectively for and with you:

Business Challenges

  • Green-field Reward - Strategy & Implementation

  • M&A - Due Diligence, Harmonisation & Integration

  • Purpose-driven Reward

  • Scaling Reward for Growth

  • Operational & Organisational Reward Change Projects

  • Commercial Incentive Programmes

Project Specialisms

  • Reward Strategy - Global / Domestic

  • Executive Compensation

  • Incentive / Equity Plan Design

  • Job Evaluation & Pay Benchmarking

  • Branding & Communication Programmes

  • Benefits & Retirement Planning

  • Year End Process Optimisation / Automation

  • Transparency & Equality Reporting

  • Global Mobility

Client Feedback

"Ruth is an asset to any team. Her comprehensive understanding of reward strategy and impact is underpinned by excellent technical knowledge and an unflappable approach to managing and communicating change."

Client
Rebecca Pashley-Robinson

Global Head of People
Anthesis Group

"Ruth adopts a common sense approach to post acquisition harmonisation. Her consultative approach ensures she fully understands the issues and the desired outcomes as well as including all the relevant stakeholders. She works quickly and collaboratively to deliver exactly what the business needs in the reward space."

Client
Lucy Knight

Chief People Officer
Brambles

"A pragmatic and commercial partner who gets things done - exactly what's needed in a PE-backed or privately owned SME. A great reward expert and trusted advisor to executive teams and CPOs alike."

Client
Tanya Lightbody

Group CHRO
Moneycorp

Previous Company Experience

Anthesis
Quotient
Equiom
Quartz
Christies

Client Case Studies

Data Driven Pay Decisions

Challenge

Client A was experiencing significant dissatisfaction from the colleague base about base pay levels compared to the market. Attrition was increasing and engagement scores for reward were very low. No formal benchmarking exercise had been undertaken before, although a job framework was in place (aligned to Aon's job architecture). The hypothesis was that all locations were under the market median, some more than others.

Activity

Despite having employees in 24 locations, nearly 90% of people were condensed in seven major locations where pay data was readily available. Job matching was tricky given major acquisitions with minimal integration resulting in zero alignment in job title or levels. Using job profiles, local knowledge and leadership sign off, 100% of roles were matched (350 unique jobs / levels) and base pay data was returned for 87%.

Impact

We established that three major locations were paying below market (one by less than expected and two by a lot more), and four that paid on or above market. This insight allowed managers to have more confident and robust pay conversations as well as allowing leadership to focus pay investment to the locations and roles where it was needed the most.

This was a significant project in terms of time and effort but worth the investment given the informed allocation of tight pay review budgets.

Fixed - Flexible - Free

Challenge

Client B had six sites across the UK and the US, four of them acquired, and was scaling for growth and maturing its people management approach. The employee experience was varied and disparate across the locations; Reward being no exception. Variances in approach and reward philosophy were causing unhappiness and strong feelings of unfairness between employees in the different sites, particularly around pay and bonus, in some cases driving resignations. This was true for both geographies given the cultural approach to pay and bonus differ; the same issues resonated across both employee populations.

Activity

Given the huge array of sustainable specialisms present in the client, the sustainable impact that business development folk could influence varied wildly, as did the ability to attach a fair and meaningful metric to it. Carbon Credits was the easiest to determine as there was a clear CO2 impact attached to the sale. At the other end of the scale is the brand business where you simply cannot put a quantitative metric against the sustainable performance impact.

Impact

Pay philosophy (base and variable), the new job framework and pay benchmarking, recognition philosophy and annual compensation processes were Fixed; supported and driven by the global people function. Benefits, time off and family leave and pay policies were now consistently offered by country and enhanced for the below market sites. Hybrid working policy and flexi time remained driven by site.

Engagement scores increased and the ability to easily relocate employees between sites increased. Some costs did increase, particularly around aligning paid time off policies, but the project included budget consultation and commercial absorption of the incremental cost.

Purpose-driven Reward

Challenge

Client C, a successful sustainability consultancy had the mission of helping all clients achieve sustainable performance at its very core. It ran through every decision it made and was concerned that introducing commission plans for the new direct sales individuals might corrode that purpose and drive the wrong behaviours. They needed their first commission schemes to drive revenue growth and hold true to their primary purpose.

In addition to the usual investigations that precede incentive design - types of business development, commercial strategy, pipeline, margins, desired behaviours, measurable metrics, targets etc. - in this case the purpose needed to be researched and suitable metrics found to support its inclusion if possible. Schemes must be considered fair and achievable by their members to be engaging and successful.

Activity

Despite having employees 24 locations, nearly 90% of people were condensed in seven major locations where pay data is readily available. Job matching was tricky given major acquisitions with minimal integration resulting in zero alignment in job title or levels. Using job profiles, local knowledge and leadership sign off, 100% of roles were matched (350 unique jobs / levels) and had base pay data returned for 87%.

Impact

We established that three major locations were paying below market (one by less than expected and two by a lot more), and four that paid on or above market. This insight allowed managers to have more confident and robust pay conversations as well as allowing leadership to focus pay investment to the locations and roles where it was needed the most.

This was a significant project in terms of time and effort but worth the investment given the informed allocation of tight pay review budgets.

Ruth Haslam

Bio

Having lived and worked in London for most of my career, I moved to the Staffordshire countryside in 2020. I have always worked in the People space but early on found a particular passion for Reward. It demands a specific cultural and commercial focus but exists as an important part of the ever more complex people management landscape. I get huge enjoyment from helping companies get Reward right for them as a business and for their people.

When I'm not supporting clients, I like walking with my dog Alma, singing, reading (anything with dragons in it), swimming, cycling and having adventures in my VW van.

Contact

+44 7505 186 066

Click to send an email

Working Hours

Weekdays - UK time

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