Total Rewards Has an Execution Problem: 6 Tips From a CHRO

Executing a total rewards strategy well requires more than strong program design — it demands disciplined delivery, cross-functional partnership, and communication that employees and managers can actually understand and use. Cynthia Kenny, CHRO at Sunland Asphalt & ConstructionLLC, learned this firsthand. When Kenny joined the company, employee sentiment toward benefits was in rough shape. 

An engagement survey confirmed it: Benefits scores bottomed out. Kenny could’ve sprung into action immediately, overhauling benefits and increasing costs. Instead, she kept digging. 

Kenny worked with Sunland’s broker to benchmark benefits and found that they were around the market median. She then overlaid engagement data with turnover data to see whether they were actually losing people over benefits. Not one person left because of it. 

That meant the problem wasn’t program design. It was program delivery, and that shifted Kenny’s approach to solving it. 

What Complexities Are Reshaping Total Rewards Today?

Total rewards has increasingly become a strategic driver of retention, engagement, and overall business performance. It has also become more complicated to execute. 

Kenny, who has worked in compensation for three decades, has seen the shift in real time. Her advice used to be simple: focus on the bullseye. “Now it's not just one bullseye; it's multiple, and you have to hit them all,” said Kenny.

She attributed the complexity to numerous factors, including a multi-generational workforce, regulatory influences, pay transparency, and cost pressures. Fellow CHROs agree, citing wage inflation, demanding candidate expectations, and rising operational costs as top challenges in SHRM’s 2026 CHRO Priorities and Perspectives report.

Today, total rewards strategy isn’t what it used to be, and executing it requires new ways of thinking. 

How Can HR Leaders Execute a Total Rewards Strategy Successfully?

“Execution is the difference between a total rewards program that exists on a company brochure and one that drives the results you’re intending,” said Kenny. 

The following six tactics can help HR leaders drive the results they want. 

Align rewards with reality 

Organizations must understand what drives their organization and their talent to align rewards that move the needle, said Kenny. This begins with understanding the reality of the business. 

Kenny said she started by asking, Where are we today on our maturity curve? Where are we going, and what's it going to take for us to get there? From there, she drills down into the profile of the talent that will help them get there and into what that talent values. 

“That's where the real work starts,” said Kenny.

Integrate the rewards experience

Total rewards now stretch beyond compensation and benefits, including everything from recognition and career development to flexibility and the overall employee experience, which is a top priority for nearly a third of CHROs.

That expansion poses a risk for fragmented rewards strategies. “If you’re going to execute a total reward strategy well, you need to integrate all the HR functions,” said Kenny. “You have to be a conductor and bring it all together.”

Build rewarding partnerships 

Given that potential changes to total rewards would face fiscal constraints, Kenny said part of her strategy is to work with finance to develop a unified approach. 

These partnerships have improved not only Kenny’s total rewards strategy but also the broader perception of HR. “Partnering with other leaders has shifted the way HR is thought of,” said Kenny. “We’re not sitting on the sidelines; we’re running beside them.”

Her advice to fellow HR leaders: develop financial acumen and understand what matters most to the leaders you partner with.

Lead with data

According to Kenny, the best place to start is benchmarking. “You need reliable data points to help position your total rewards,” she said. From there, use a variety of signals to determine what’s working and what’s not. Think: turnover calculations, engagement scores, manager feedback, etc. 

The trick, however, is overlaying your data. Referring to her benefits conundrum, Kenny noted how, without overlaying data, she could have gone in a different direction and been fiscally ill-prepared. “Sentiment matters, but data will keep you honest,” she added. 

Having this data can also be useful in meetings with fellow leaders and board members. Kenny uses data to underscore her points, creating confidence and showing she’s aligned with their goals as well. 

Prepare your managers

The single tactic that’s made the biggest difference for Kenny is training managers on the mechanics of total reward programs and communicating them clearly. If managers can't articulate the rewards, employees can't understand or appreciate them. 

“If a manager is prepared for those conversations, it serves the employee, the manager, and the organization,” said Kenny. 

Give managers the information and talking points they need to explain options — andthey’ll rise to the occasion respond to difficult questions. “Never underestimate what your leaders can do to help move that message,” she added.

Simplify your communication

Complexity in total rewards shouldn’t mean complexity in communication. The more you offer, the more important it is to make it simple for employees to understand what’s available, why it matters, and how to access it.

At Sunland, that looked like holding a Saturday open enrollment for employees and their families. Kenny’s team used visuals to add clarity, compared how different plans would work in realistic healthcare scenarios, and answered real questions in real time.

But communication can’t end with one event. HR leaders can benefit from using multiple communication channels, tailoring information to different employee groups, and keeping the line of communication open.

Keep Evolving, Keep Improving

A year and a half after joining Sunland, Kenny flipped employee sentiment on benefits. She did so not only by considering program design but also by considering program execution. She and her team clarified business needs, doubled down on communication, and poured themselves into educating people — all during a cost-containment year. 

“At the end of the day, people drive our success, so you have to treat your people right and bring them what they value,” said Kenny. “But you have to remember that what people value has evolved, and for an organization to be successful, total rewards have to evolve, too.”