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:

Strategic Compensation Planning & Management:

Equitably, competitively and appropriately managing rewards is a critical pre-requisite for attracting, retaining and motivating the right workforce. Each agency must have the talent pool required to fulfill its mission and achieve its current objectives. The resources available to an organization must be efficiently and effectively invested in what will contribute to success. Since legislatures and federal funding sources can be erratic and can result in budgets that do not allow all needs of the agency to be fully met, their allocation must be optimal. In addition to being a good fit to the current environment, strategies must be agile, so they remain viable in the future.

HR must evaluate the current context and ensure workforce management strategies and programs are a good fit to the agency’s realities. How performance is defined, measured and rewarded will influence employee motivation to extend maximum effort and to focus that effort on what will provide what the organization needs the most. Because of the volatility of the environment and the rapid evolution of technology talent requirements are changing. Sustaining the viability of a workforce demands continuous evaluation and adaptation to align capabilities with needs. 

Learning Objectives:

This course will address the principles underlying sound compensation planning and management. It will then identify alternative strategies, programs and evaluate their effectiveness in different environments. 

Course Format:

• Three Live Virtual Sessions over three 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

Before Session 1:

  Attendees to submit (rewardsystems@sbcglobal.net) their most critical issues related to compensation management

  Readings for Session 1

Session 1 — 

Topic: Evaluating the agency's context and formulating its value proposition

Compensation Philosophy

Compensation Strategy

Before Session 2:

   Participants draft and submit (rewardsystems@sbcglobal.net) their compensation philosophy

   Readings for Session 2

Session 2 — 

Instructor will review submitted compensation philosophies

Topic: Compensation planning

Compensation program design

Before Session 3:

  Attendees submit (rewardsystems@sbcglobal.net) questions and more information on Module 2 material

  Submit related insights or questions

  Readings for Sessions 3

Session 3 — 

Topic: Administrating compensation programs

Evaluating compensation programs

Recommended Readings

Session 1

Rewarding Performance in Public Sector Organizations

Compensation Philosophy

Session 2

Effectively Managing Pay Budgets, Pay Structure and Pay Rates

Sessions 3 

Recognition as Rewards

Base Pay Management

Public Eye Article: Pay Equity

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
• An Intermediate Level Course

Course Design:

The course will be delivered over three-weeks with three 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: 10/24/2025
• Completion Date: 11/7/2025
• Course Meeting 1:  10/24/2025 - 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
• Course Meeting 2:  10/31/2025 - 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
• Course Meeting 3:  11/07/2025 - 3:00 - 4:00 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®.

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.