If you’re in any doubt that Reward & Benefits can transform culture, or how, and looking for creative inspiration to replicate BA’s success at your organisation, then our latest MAD Leaders Podcast is a must-listen.
Josephina Smith is Reward and Recognition Director at British Airways and her enthusiasm for this topic is tangible over the airwaves as she talks about how to move the function from transactional to a strategic, culture-transforming asset.
You can find the episode here, on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
A former CPO, she sees herself as not a “reward professional” but as a “reward change professional”. This distinction informs the way she operates and, particularly, her drive to communicate the discipline’s strategic advantage across the company, from function to function.
Not only that, it informs her drive to constantly innovate with communication, whether it be face to face through town halls with the senior management or through personalised videos to every employee on the payroll.
‘Don’t get sucked in’
She urges others in the industry to approach the role with creativity and not get “sucked into the day to day”. In this podcast, she explains how.
She also calls on others in her position to also elevate the standing of the Reward & Benefits function in their organisations internally:
“People don’t understand reward; they underestimate the impact of it on an organisation and its people.”
Investment, not a cost
The conversation is wide ranging and covers topics like key skills she thinks professionals need today, perception of the discipline as a cost vs an investment and how to link it to business outcomes and risk management.
She argues professionals require courage, resilience and determination, and the discipline should be managed as an investment – cost conscious but not simply cost-cutting.
Inclusion & accessibility
Josephina also shares how she improved accessibility through “anytime benefits,” built inclusion across global jurisdictions via face-to-face engagement and honest delivery, and overcame jargon by prioritising clarity and audience needs.
Digitally, she talks about introducing personalised total reward statement videos (92% engagement), using competitions to drive attention, and partnering with suppliers aligned to the organisation’s vision.
She also predicts the important trends going forward.
Time stamp of conversation:
00:00 Welcome to Leaders Podcast
00:44 This Week’s Challenge
01:06 Meet Josephina Smith
03:18 Reward as Culture Change
04:50 Cost Conscious Not Cutting
06:57 Trends Shaping Benefits
09:21 BA Global Benefits Overhaul
11:11 Trust Through Face Time
12:16 Reward Psychology and Creativity
13:18 Cross Functional Influence
14:54 Comms Clarity and Personalization
18:11 Personalized Total Reward Video
22:04 Digital Buzz and Suppliers
24:27 AI Powered Benefits Future
26:42 Advice for Reward Pros
28:04 The Alien Budget Question
29:28 Wrap Up and Subscribe
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