In 2005, professional services firm KPMG appointed between 350 and 400 employees working in internal and client-facing parts of the business as people management leaders, who could deliver the employer’s reward policies.
The leaders, who typically manage teams of between 10 and 50 employees, have the autonomy to award pay rises and bonuses. It is also their responsibility to communicate and answer queries about the changes they make to an employee’s reward package.
Ingrid Waterfield, head of performance and reward at KPMG, says: “On the reward side, we have said they are empowered to make and communicate reward decisions. One of the things we notice with reward is the easy option for managers to say ‘I was not involved in the decision about your pay so I cannot comment’.
“The idea is that people get a better quality of conversation and understanding of why we are giving the pay and bonus awards that we do.”
KPMG’s people management leaders are in close contact with the organisation’s HR team and base their reward decisions on a central framework. In addition, they are given regular updates on changes in reward policy and have access to an online portal, which provides further information on how to carry out their duties.
Read more case studies
