How to Use Our Rewards Framework as a Current-State Assessment Tool

Rewards professionals are asked to do more and more these days. Change is occurring at lightning speed. And, the organizational and departmental goals are moving. All of this raises an important question: What does it take to be good at your job (as well as future jobs)?

Most HR and Rewards frameworks answer that question by describing what practitioners and leaders in the profession do — in terms of the tasks, processes and deliverables. WorldatWork took a different approach with its Total Rewards Competency Framework (TRCF), a model that instead asks: What capabilities does a Rewards professional need to perform successfully in an increasingly strategic, technology-enabled function? It describes the aspirations of the job.

Access a related Workspan Daily article on this subject:

• A Primer on WorldatWork’s Total Rewards Competency Framework

Definition and Adaptation

The TRCF is designed around five principles — business aligned, future ready, role based, globally applicable and learning centric — that are meant to function as a continuous development tool rather than a one-time assessment.

Rewards teams, and individuals within those teams, can use the framework to define competency expectations, build role-specific learning journeys, support career development and succession planning, align employee development with business priorities, and guide certification and continuous learning.

Organizations are expected to adapt the domains, proficiency expectations and learning pathways to their own strategy, operating model, industry and maturity.

From Analyst to Chief Rewards Officer

One of the more useful elements of the TRCF is its ability to map competency emphasis to career stage. For instance:

• An analyst leans into technical execution, analytics, process discipline and systems proficiency.
• A senior analyst or specialist moves into independent design, data interpretation and project delivery.
• At the manager or lead level, the emphasis shifts to strategic design, consulting and cross-functional leadership.
• Rewards directors and heads operate at the level of enterprise strategy, executive advisory and transformation.
• And, chief rewards officers and chief HR officers are mapped to business strategy, board governance, workforce investment and thought leadership.

The result is a common language for what growth in the profession looks like.

The TRCF clearly signals direction — a move within the profession toward defining Rewards capability in terms of what the role now requires, not just what it has traditionally involved.

Competency Distribution by Career Stage

In utilizing the framework, note that the competencies remain relevant across careers, but the depth and strategic application increase as professionals progress (see table below).

Suggested Competency Assessment Approach

Rewards professionals may use the framework’s components to help assess their current capability level across the domains and related competencies. A comprehensive assessment may include multiple perspectives to provide a well-rounded view of capability (see table below).

For one or more of these assessment methods, you can utilize a five-point competency rating scale to gauge current state.

At the individual and/or team level, compare current capability levels with desired proficiency expectations to identify development priorities and align learning investments.

Editor’s Note: Additional Content

For more information and resources related to this article, see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:

• Career Growth
• Organizational Performance
• Total Rewards