1. What does a typical working day look like?
The day starts with a coffee after the (mostly) successful job of ensuring my two daughters get to school on time with the correct bag/book/water bottle etc… A massive benefit of Innecto’s hybrid model is the flexibility to be around for my kids each day.
The day will usually involve a mixture of working on our projects and supporting our regular clients. One of the reasons I chose to be a consultant was the variety of clients and projects to be involved in. Each day is different, and I get to support clients, big and small, with their current reward challenges.
2. What initially drew you to a career within Reward, and why did you choose this field?
My initial plan was to go straight from school to work. I didn’t find any apprenticeship opportunities and instead went to university to study business. After my first year, I decided I really enjoyed the HR modules and therefore specialised in Human Resource Management. I started working in HR whilst studying for my CIPD accredited Master in HR. After a few generalist HR roles, I chose to specialise further and focus on reward. I found as a Head of HR that getting reward right was the cornerstone to building trust and engagement across the workforce.
3. What excites you about potential advancements or changes in Reward?
I think the rise of pay transparency and moving away from pay being this mysterious opaque system which no one really understands is a good (and necessary) step. There is so much more to do and reporting, such as the gender pay gap, is only scratching the surface. Transparency is not necessarily about posting everyone’s salaries on the intranet, whilst that may work for some, it is more about helping people understand how their pay is set and how they can progress.
4. What sort of company is Innecto to work for?
I would sum it up with three Fs
Fun – fun is integral to what we do, and I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t having fun!
Flexible – from the places we work to the projects we deliver; flexibility is a key part of our DNA. We are constantly adapting our services to ensure that client needs are met and can shift when changes to plans occur. We are flexible in how we carry out our work, whether hybrid or in-person, local or global, SME or multinational, we can enhance the reward proposition.
Future focused – a constant challenge I found in HR was moving from a ‘reactive’ to a ‘proactive’ approach. Our work is constantly on that cutting edge of thinking differently for our clients. How can you improve this? What organisational structure do you need in the future to succeed? What will future candidates be looking for you to offer?
5. Which is your favourite/most used employee benefit?
I love that we get a budget every month to reward colleagues. The same budget is given to everyone, regardless of grade, from day 1. You can thank colleagues from across the organisation and these rewards can be cashed in for vouchers to spend on everyday purchases or put towards a special gift.
6. What's your favourite moment at Innecto so far?
I’ve had a few moments with clients when we present our findings back and you see the ‘eureka’ moment. When all the data, conversations and analysis come together, they can see the way forward. So often pay and reward is seen as too difficult to tackle by organisations, but the moment the path is cleared, and they can see the way forward, it is always pretty special to be part of.
7. What advice do you have for aspiring Reward professionals?
Having gone from ‘business’ to ‘HR’ and then to ‘reward’ I thought I was in a pretty narrow field. How wrong I am! There are so many strands to reward and how they intersect with other aspects of the organisation. I will encourage anyone interested to
8. Which series/book are you hooked on?
I love a docu-series where the cameras go behind the scenes on how companies are run. Essentially the role we play as consultants for many of our clients is to look at the mechanics. A recent favourite has been the BBC series The Warship: Tour of Duty following the 1,600 crew on board. I particularly enjoy the clear ranking system of the Royal Navy with everyone starting as an ‘able mate’ before looking to progress up the ranks.
Simon has over 10 years of experience working in HR and Reward roles in a range of fast-paced and growing organisations. His background has included management of HR departments covering recruitment, learning & development, HRIS systems, employee relations and performance management. Read more here.
