2025 Smart Compensation: Effectively Recognizing and Rewarding Employee Contributions
- Registration Closed
Welcome!
We are excited to announce the launching of the Power Learning Series - Smart Compensation: Recognizing and Rewarding Employee Contributions!
Thank you for your course registration. We are so excited you have looked to PSHRA® to help you grow in your career.
Power Learning Series, launching in June 2025, is a new way to grow your skills without the time commitment of a full course.
These short, high-impact virtual courses are designed specifically for public sector HR professionals like you. These short, high-impact virtual courses are designed specifically for public sector HR professionals like you. Spread across 2–3 weeks and totaling just 3–4 hours, each Power Learning Series offers:
✅ Focused, relevant topics
✅ Flexible virtual sessions
✅ Real-world application for the public sector
✅ Expert PSHRA instructors
Whether you need a refresher or want to explore a new topic, these sessions are the perfect fit for your busy schedule.
Don’t hesitate to contact us:
PSHRA – Debbie Tankersely-Snook, Associate Director, Member Programs, Membership - meetings@pshra.org
Making public sector work better®.
Course Syllabus
Course Overview:
Effectively managing performance and rewards is vital for attracting, retaining, and motivating the workforce your agency needs to fulfill its mission. In today’s constrained and unpredictable funding environments, strategic compensation planning is essential. This course examines the foundational principles and strategic approaches to performance management and compensation. Participants will explore practical tools and case studies tailored to the public sector, evaluate their own agency’s practices, and leave with actionable strategies to create equitable, competitive, and fiscally responsible reward systems.
Learning Objectives:
- By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Evaluate their agency’s internal and external context to inform reward strategy
- Design or refine performance management systems aligned with agency goals
- Apply compensation principles to build equitable, transparent, and competitive pay systems
- Implement recognition strategies that enhance engagement without overspending
- Assess their agency’s readiness for pay-for-performance or alternative reward models
Course Format:
- Four Live Virtual Sessions over two weeks
- Pre-Session Readings & Assignments
- Instructor-Led Discussions
- Peer Sharing and Case-Based Application
- Certificate of Completion awarded to participants who attend all sessions and complete evaluations
Course Syllabus & Schedule
Session 1 — July 29, 2025
Topic: Understanding Agency Context & Strategic Alignment
Internal & external drivers shaping your compensation strategy
Workforce planning and constraints in the public sector
Aligning HR, performance, and reward strategies with agency goals
Before Session 2:
Submit questions or topics needing clarification
Readings for Session 2
Session 2 — August 1, 2025
Topic: Defining, Measuring & Managing Performance
What constitutes performance in the public sector
Balancing accountability, development, and equity
Tools and techniques for fair and meaningful evaluation
Managing underperformance and developing top performers
Before Session 3:
Evaluate your agency’s current performance management system
Submit related insights or questions
Readings for Sessions 3 & 4
Session 3 — August 5, 2025
Topic: Performance in Practice & Introduction to Rewards
Peer discussion: Lessons from evaluating agency systems
Introduction to total rewards
Non-monetary recognition strategies that work
Equity considerations in recognition
Session 4 — August 7, 2025
Topic: Strategic Compensation and Total Rewards
Building or refining your agency’s compensation philosophy
Pay structures, ranges, and competitive benchmarking
Pay equity and budgeting considerations
Implementing or adapting pay-for-performance
Summary and wrap-up discussion
Recommended Readings
Session 1
Branding Public Sector Organizations
Rewarding Performance in Public Sector Organizations
Diverse, Equitably Treated and Included Employees
Effectively Utilizing Employee Capabilities
Session 2
Principles of Performance Management
Evidence-Based Performance Management
Carson City Article
ICMA Article
Performance Feedback Study
Sessions 3 & 4
Compensation Philosophy
Recognition as Rewards
Base Pay Management
Public Eye Article: Pay Equity
Managing Pay Budgets, Structures, and Rates
Assessing Readiness for Pay-for-Performance
Target Audience:
- Mid-level HR professionals in the public sector
- Compensation and classification specialists
- HR leaders seeking to modernize rewards strategies
- Agency managers responsible for performance management
Course Design:
The course will be delivered over two-weeks with two one-hour sessions per week. You will receive details about the dates, times, and locations of cohort sessions.
Time Commitment:
Plan for 1 hours for each online lesson to read, complete activities, and prepare for course meetings. Individuals have varying learning paces, so it might take more or less time for each person. We recommend completing lessons a day or two before the cohort sessions to allow time for reflection on what you've learned and the development of your plans. All course materials are included on your course dashboard (no textbook is required).
Course Meeting Schedule (subject to change):
- Start Date: 7/29/2025
- Completion Date: 8/7/2025
- Course Meeting 1: 7/29/2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
- Course Meeting 2: 8/01/2025 - 2:30 - 3:30 PM ET
- Course Meeting 3: 8/05/2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
- Course Meeting 4: 8/07/2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET
Certificate of Attendance:
You will earn a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the course.
Cancellation Policy:
Professional Development Cancelation Policy
Making public sector work better®.
Key:





Dr. Robert Greene, Consulting Principal, Pontifex Consulting
Bob is a Consulting Principal with Pontifex Consulting and faculty for DePaul U. in their MSHR and MBA programs. He has four decades of experience, has published four books and authored over 300 articles. He was a principal designer for the SPHR and PHR certifications for SHRM and the CCP and GRP certifications for World at Work. He was the first recipient of the Keystone Award for attaining the highest level of excellence. He holds the CCP, CBP, GRP, SHRM-SCP, SPHR and GPHR certifications.