Building Total Rewards Statements That Actually Change Retention

The Benefit Almost Nobody Uses, and Why It Pays Off

Summary On this episode of Beyond the Paycheck, Kelsey Willock sits down with Ken Wechsler, VP of Total Rewards at Akamai Technologies, to dig into why the most measurable parts of a pay package are often the least differentiating. Ken makes the case that comp is the "sexier side" of rewards but benefits are what build loyalty, that financial stress quietly destroys engagement, and that the best benefits are sometimes the ones almost nobody uses. Along the way he covers pay transparency, AI in compensation, and two financial-wellness experiments anyone can try. It's a practical listen for total rewards leaders, benefits practitioners, and anyone rethinking what actually keeps people. Chapters 00:00 Meet Ken Wechsler, VP Total Rewards at Akamai 01:30 The coin-collecting kid and his earliest money memory 03:45 First job, first car, and saving with intention 05:10 A $1,212 paycheck and what younger workers need now 07:15 Comp is the sexier side, but benefits build loyalty 10:30 Maslow, remote work, and financial wellness 12:45 When the story beats the dollar 15:00 Pay transparency: the why over the where 18:30 AI in total rewards and the human touch 21:00 The reverse pyramid and the 48-hour rule Takeaways The most visible part of a pay package, cash, is the part competitors can most easily match. Financial stress destroys engagement, so financial security is a precondition for it, not a perk beside it. A benefit can be worth keeping for the story it tells even when almost no one uses it. On pay transparency, employees care more about understanding the why than seeing the where. Use AI to do the math in comp work, but keep humans to interpret the data and make the call. Connect with the Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-wechsler-sphr-ccp-a452734/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-wechsler-sphr-ccp-a452734/] Website: https://www.akamai.com/ [https://www.akamai.com/] Sponsor Aura Finance helps you simplify compensation and benefits planning by bringing everything into one streamlined platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, or manual calculations—Aura gives you a single place to design, compare, and communicate total rewards packages with confidence. With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track. See a demo at https://www.aurafinance.com/ [https://www.aurafinance.com/]

The Missing Conversation in Every Open Enrollment

Summary Beyond the Paycheck sits down with Tia Larsen, Director of Benefits at FJ Management, to trace the compensation comprehension gap back to its source: a financial literacy system that never taught employees how to read a pay package. Tia draws on 16 years managing benefits, a portfolio of 16,500 employees across six industries, and her own experience of living paycheck to paycheck to make the case that total rewards statements and open enrollment education are solving for the wrong moment. The episode covers workplace clinics, the pay-yourself-first habit, and why the missing ingredient in every benefits strategy isn't better data — it's the right conversation at the right time. Chapters 00:00 Tia Larsen and the FJ Management portfolio 04:30 Earliest memories of money and earning 08:30 The pay-yourself-first habit 12:00 Where employees get total compensation wrong 15:00 Why total rewards statements fail 17:30 The open enrollment timing problem 19:00 On-site clinics that changed employees' lives 22:30 The ROI case for workplace clinics 24:30 Pay transparency and flexibility as coming expectations Takeaways 1. Employees who chase base salary without factoring in benefits cost, 401(k) match, and flexibility frequently end up with less take-home pay after switching jobs. 2. Total rewards statements fail not because of their design, but because they land months before employees need the information they contain. 3. On-site workplace clinics create predictable costs for employers while eliminating the impossible choice some employees face between medication and groceries. 4. Benefits comprehension is built through repeated, plain-language conversations across the year, not through a single annual enrollment presentation. 5. Pay transparency is already happening whether employers lead it or not — employees are comparing salaries, and legislation is coming regardless. Connect with the Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-larsen-mshr-ccp-cpsp-shrm-scp-5125602a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tia-larsen-mshr-ccp-cpsp-shrm-scp-5125602a/] Website: https://fjmgt.com/ [https://fjmgt.com/] Sponsor Aura Finance helps you simplify compensation and benefits planning by bringing everything into one streamlined platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, or manual calculations—Aura gives you a single place to design, compare, and communicate total rewards packages with confidence. With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track. See a demo at https://www.aurafinance.com/ [https://www.aurafinance.com/] * (00:00) - Tia Larsen and the FJ Management portfolio * (04:30) - Earliest memories of money and earning * (08:30) - The pay-yourself-first habit * (12:00) - Where employees get total compensation wrong * (15:00) - Why total rewards statements fail * (17:30) - The open enrollment timing problem * (19:00) - On-site clinics that changed employees' lives * (22:30) - The ROI case for workplace clinics * (24:30) - Pay transparency and flexibility as coming expectations

What Do Your Employees Know About Their Retirement?

Summary In this episode of Beyond the Paycheck, Kelsey sits down with Tim Goodchild, Director of International Benefits at Take-Two Interactive (parent company of Rockstar Games, 2K, and Zynga), to dig into what's actually broken in employee benefits. Tim's argument: the packages are often strong, but most employees don't understand what they have. With nearly 20 years in HR across AOL, the BBC, The Telegraph, and Anaplan, Tim lays out why financial wellbeing is the load-bearing pillar of any wellness program, why AI is about to flip benefits from reactive to proactive, and what it means for employers who aren't building toward that now. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Tim's background at Take-Two Interactive 02:15 Earliest money memory: saving pocket money for a motor racing helmet TV 04:00 First job: games tester at EA, a rival of Take-Two 05:30 Benefits strategy by life stage: young workforce vs. older workforce 07:30 Where benefits break down: the comprehension crisis 09:30 Gamification in benefits: interesting in theory, dangerous in practice 10:30 Financial wellbeing as the most important pillar 12:00 Elder care and the sandwich generation 14:00 Cost of living, global inflation, and financial wellbeing at work 15:30 AI and the shift from reactive to proactive benefits 17:30 Flexible and voluntary benefits: the dream of year-round personalization 19:30 How to connect with Tim Takeaways 1. Most employees don't understand their benefits package — and measuring comprehension, not just coverage, is the metric most organizations are missing. 2. Financial wellbeing is the load-bearing pillar: when finances are stable, mental health generally follows. 3. AI in benefits is shifting from reactive (employees ask) to proactive (AI tells) faster than most HR teams are preparing for. 4. Benefits strategy must map to life stage — a 25-year-old and a 55-year-old need fundamentally different things from the same employer. 5. Elder care — power of attorney, will writing, family financial planning — is becoming one of the most meaningful benefits an employer can offer. Connect with Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tgoodchild/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tgoodchild/] Website: https://www.take2games.com/ [https://www.take2games.com/] Sponsor Aura Finance helps you simplify compensation and benefits planning by bringing everything into one streamlined platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, or manual calculations—Aura gives you a single place to design, compare, and communicate total rewards packages with confidence. With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track. See a demo at https://www.aurafinance.com/ [https://www.aurafinance.com/] * (00:00) - Welcome and Tim's background at Take-Two Interactive * (02:15) - Earliest money memory: saving pocket money for a motor racing helmet TV * (04:00) - First job: games tester at EA, a rival of Take-Two * (05:30) - Benefits strategy by life stage: young workforce vs. older workforce * (07:30) - Where benefits break down: the comprehension crisis * (09:30) - Gamification in benefits: interesting in theory, dangerous in practice * (10:30) - Financial wellbeing as the most important pillar * (12:00) - Elder care and the sandwich generation * (14:00) - Cost of living, global inflation, and financial wellbeing at work * (15:30) - AI and the shift from reactive to proactive benefits * (17:30) - Flexible and voluntary benefits: the dream of year-round personalization * (19:30) - How to connect with Tim

Financial Wellness Is the Frontier of Wellbeing

Summary On Beyond the Paycheck, Kelsey Willock talks with Preet Michelson, Chief People Officer at Morgan Street Holdings and its operating company TMS, about why benefits programs break down at the communication line, not the budget line. Preet makes the case that financial wellbeing is the next frontier of workplace wellness, as overdue for normalization as physical and mental health once were. She shares concrete plays, from student loan repayment paired with mandatory coaching to a midyear, personalized total compensation statement that ends with a single number. The throughline: when people can see that a company is invested in their lives and not just their output, retention and engagement follow. Built for HR, total rewards, and financial wellness leaders. Chapters 00:00 Welcome to Beyond the Paycheck 00:50 From KPMG accountant to Chief People Officer 02:30 Inside Morgan Street Holdings, TMS, and Stanley 04:30 Her earliest memory of money: independence 07:15 Where compensation and benefits break down 09:30 Why the once-a-year rewards statement fails 11:00 Marketing benefits like a consumer brand 12:45 Student loans plus mandatory coaching 14:00 Financial wellness as the next frontier 16:50 The midyear statement nobody sends Takeaways 1. The benefits problem is usually communication, not budget; employees can't value what they never see. 2. Financial wellbeing is the missing piece of workplace wellness, and financial stress shows up as distraction and disengagement. 3. A midyear, personalized total compensation statement ending in one number can change how employees see the company. 4. Treat benefits communication like consumer marketing: personalized, year-round, and specific to the individual. 5. When people feel the company is invested in their lives and not just their output, retention and engagement follow. Meet the Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preet-hansra-michelson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/preet-hansra-michelson/] Website: https://www.tmsw.com/ [https://www.tmsw.com/] Sponsor Aura Finance helps you simplify compensation and benefits planning by bringing everything into one streamlined platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, or manual calculations—Aura gives you a single place to design, compare, and communicate total rewards packages with confidence. With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track. See a demo at https://www.aurafinance.com/ [https://www.aurafinance.com/]

How BambooHR Moved Comp Understanding From 50% to 90% With One Training

Summary One in two employees at BambooHR said they didn't understand how their compensation was determined. After a single mandatory compensation 101 training, that number flipped—nearly 90% said they now understood.  Engagement scores went up year over year. No new spend. No new vendor. Just education. In this episode, Kelsey Willock sits down with Alex Bertin, Head of Total Rewards at BambooHR, for a practical conversation about what it looks like to close the understanding gap between what a company offers and what employees actually know they have. Alex brings a finance background from FP&A at Delta Air lines and Qualtrics before finding his way into compensation—what he calls the Cinderella glass slipper moment—and he carries a grounded empathy for frontline employees into every benefits decision he makes.  He and Kelsey get into why the biggest breakdown in comp and benefits isn't the package itself but the disconnect between what exists and what employees know about it, how BambooHR's paid vacation bonus (yes, they pay you to take your vacation) has become their most beloved benefit, a student loan repayment benefit that an employee forgot about twice despite it being $100/month in free money, and why the next wave of AI in benefits will be agentic tools that connect all your benefits in one place so employees stop losing track of what they have. If you run total rewards and are looking for low-cost, high-impact ways to drive engagement, Alex's perspective on education over addition will resonate. Timestamps 01:42 Alex's earliest money memory: $2 bills and selling Costco candy at swim lessons 04:33 How empathy for frontline workers keeps comp decisions grounded 07:50 Where compensation and benefits break down most: the understanding gap 10:30 The comp 101 training that moved understanding from 50% to 90% 13:44 The paid paid vacation bonus and milestone increases at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years 17:50 AI-driven benefits navigation: one place, one overlay, better utilization 20:01 Financial wellness as a founding principle, not an afterthought 21:08 The 30-day experiment: run a "use it" campaign on your most underutilized benefit Takeaways * The biggest breakdown in total rewards isn't the package—it's the understanding gap; one comp training can shift employee trust dramatically * Don't just offer benefits—actively market them to your employees the way you'd market a product to customers; it takes seven touches for a message to land * A paid paid vacation bonus that actually gives employees money to take their trip is more powerful than unlimited PTO because it changes behavior * Check which benefits employees are forgetting about; free money that goes unused is worse than not offering it at all * Run a 30-day "use it" campaign on one underutilized benefit with weekly emails, real stories, and clear how-tos—the results are binary and the cost is nearly zero Connect with the Guest Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbertin/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbertin/] Company website: https://www.bamboohr.com [https://www.bamboohr.com] Sponsor Aura Finance helps you simplify compensation and benefits planning by bringing everything into one streamlined platform. No more juggling spreadsheets, disconnected tools, or manual calculations—Aura gives you a single place to design, compare, and communicate total rewards packages with confidence. With AI-powered insights, it takes the guesswork and busywork out of comp decisions, helps you spot pay equity gaps early, and makes it easy to model scenarios that keep your teams engaged and your budgets on track. See a demo at https://www.aurafinance.com/ [https://www.aurafinance.com/] * (01:42) - Alex's earliest money memory: $2 bills and selling Costco candy at swim lessons * (04:33) - How empathy for frontline workers keeps comp decisions grounded * (07:50) - Where compensation and benefits break down most: the understanding gap * (10:30) - The comp 101 training that moved understanding from 50% to 90% * (13:44) - The paid paid vacation bonus and milestone increases at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years * (17:50) - AI-driven benefits navigation: one place, one overlay, better utilization * (20:01) - Financial wellness as a founding principle, not an afterthought * (21:08) - The 30-day experiment: run a "use it" campaign on your most underutilized benefit