1. What does a typical working day look like?
Days are always varied. It’s unusual that I will spend a whole day on one project. A typical day can involve client meetings, workshops and writing reports. There is also usually an element of business development whether it’s having initial calls with potential clients to understand their needs, writing proposals or presenting our approach as part of a tender process. The variety can be challenging and hard work but it makes for a much more varied and interesting role.
2. What initially drew you to a career within Reward, and why did you choose this field?
I started my career in HR rather than Reward specifically but managing a Talent Acquisition Team meant that pay and benefits were always a central part of our work. Over time I found myself gravitating towards reward, partly because of the technical nature that tapped into my love of data but also because of the emotive element of reward. Handled well reward can be a real motivator but when handled badly it can do huge amounts of damage to morale and productivity. A role where I could support companies with defining reward strategies and setting effective reward structures appealed.
3. What excites you about potential advancements or changes in Reward?
The increasing calls for transparency; and changes to legislation around the world but more importantly from employees within organisations is an exciting development. Equal pay legislation and gender pay gap reporting have only managed to do so much for equality in pay and career advancement. I hope that as companies come under greater pressure to be more transparent this will help drive equal pay and better career opportunities for women who aspire to those senior positions.
4. What sort of company is Innecto to work for?
Our teamwork is at the centre of what we do and who we are. Our matrix set-up means we work with different colleagues on different projects which builds close bonds and means we support each other. It can have its challenges, especially when workloads are high and project deadlines converge, but we need each other to be successful and it makes for a strong team and a real sense of us all being in it together.
5. Which is your favourite/most used employee benefit?
Probably not an original answer but it has to be a holiday. That’s why our Long Service Awards also incorporate extra holidays. In the 12 months following each 5th anniversary, you can take two weeks extra leave (or take the money if you prefer). So next year I will get additional leave and I’m off to Brazil and Argentina. It’s still a year away and I already can’t wait!
6. What's your favourite moment at Innecto so far?
The Christmas Party is always good fun after working hard all year! Other than that, I think it’s positive feedback from clients. We are lucky to work with a very varied set of businesses, most of whom we’ve worked with long term and it always feels good when projects land well and make a difference to their organisation and employees.
7. What advice do you have for aspiring Reward professionals?
Working in an in-house reward role is valuable; gaining direct experience of how employees respond to reward decisions and changes and how emotive those reactions can be cannot be underestimated. However, working as a consultant will accelerate your knowledge and learning differently. The variety and regularity of the different projects is so much greater when working as a consultant and you get to experience what works in different companies giving a wider
range of experience. Working in-house, a total reward review won’t take place often, reviewing bonus schemes may happen every few years, perhaps even less frequently. When working as a consultant you get to experience these projects multiple times a year, each with different requirements and different challenges.
8. Which series/book are you hooked on?
I’ve just started the 4th series of Sex Education and I’m already sad it’s the final series! Surely they all need to do re-sits and there can be a 5th series! The writing is brilliant and so funny.
Cathryn joined Innecto in early 2020 following a 10-year career as part of the HR team at our parent company, Personal Group. She has more than 15 years’ experience across HR consultancy and, more recently, in-house HR roles. Read more here.
