James Selig
Director of Total Rewards
Crunch Fitness
Episode 277
5-Star Total Rewards: Why Getting the Basics Right is Everything
Current chapter: Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built By PeopleMarch 13, 2025 · 10:23
Thesis
“The fundamental delivery of accurate and timely benefits and compensation (the "basics") is the most critical component of Total Rewards, as it establishes trust and enables all other strategic initiatives, akin to a five-star hospitality experience.”
Show notes
The biggest misconception about innovation in total rewards, according to James Selig, is that it should come before getting the basics right. Fail to deliver benefits accurately and on time — and no amount of strategic programming will recover the trust you've lost.
As Director of Total Rewards at Crunch Fitness, James has built his entire professional philosophy around an insight most practitioners underestimate: compensation and benefits sit at the base of Maslow's hierarchy. They address foundational security needs. When they're delivered correctly, employees barely notice — but when they're wrong, the psychological breach goes deep. His response to that reality is to treat benefits administration with the rigor and service orientation of a five-star hotel concierge — anticipating what employees will need next, not just responding after things go wrong. He'll personally get on a call with the insurance company, the doctor, and the pharmacy at the same time to resolve a claims issue. That's not above and beyond. That's the standard.
The fitness industry backdrop — purpose, community, growth as cultural pillars — amplifies his approach. And his service model framework, borrowed from Disney's LAST methodology (Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank), is as applicable to a benefits dispute as it is to a theme park complaint. The point: excellent service is a discipline, not a personality trait. It can be systematized. His parting advice to total rewards practitioners is blunt: master what you already have before chasing the next innovation. Your employees' trust is built on that, first.
What you'll learn:
- Why flawlessly delivering the basics — not innovation — is the highest-value activity in total rewards
- The "concierge model" for benefits administration: anticipating employee needs before they surface
- How James personally intervenes in complex insurance claims — and why that's a model, not an exception
- Why benefits and compensation sit at the base of Maslow's hierarchy and what that demands of practitioners
- The fitness industry's three cultural pillars — purpose, community, growth — and how they shape a total rewards approach
- Disney's LAST model (Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank) applied to total rewards service delivery
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What you'll take away
- 1Master the Fundamentals: Companies must flawlessly execute basic benefits and compensation delivery before pursuing complex innovations, as this builds foundational employee trust.
- 2Adopt a Proactive "Concierge" Approach: Total Rewards professionals should anticipate employee needs, similar to a 5-star hotel concierge, to proactively resolve benefits issues and enhance satisfaction.
- 3Integrate External Service Models: Lessons from industries like hospitality (e.g., Disney's LAST model) and insights into purpose, community, and growth from the fitness industry can significantly elevate HR service delivery.
- 4Personalize Support for Complex Issues: Going the "extra mile" by personally intervening in complicated scenarios like insurance disputes drastically improves the employee experience and trust.
- 5Recognize Benefits as Foundational Needs: Understand that compensation and benefits address employees' basic needs (Maslow's hierarchy), directly impacting their sense of security and the overall employment relationship.
What most organizations get wrong
- •The biggest misconception about innovation in total rewards is that it should be prioritized over flawlessly delivering the basics; neglecting fundamental benefit and compensation accuracy leads to a drastic breach of trust.
In James's words
“That difference between those three parental figures in my life truly got me interested in this field of total rewards. I think intuitively when I was younger, I knew there must be a field out there where you sort of manage the psychology behind work and what motivates people to perform at their best at work.”
Explains his early motivation for entering HR, highlighting the psychological aspect of work and motivation.
“I think total rewards can be very strategic, but at least from my perspective, seeing the payroll side of it as well, it's really important for practitioners to understand the importance and just kind of get it right when it comes to actually delivering benefits on time correctly.”
Emphasizes the critical importance of accurate foundational delivery over purely strategic thinking.
“I take a lot of elements, I think, from the hospitality field and apply it to the total rewards field. I think every day when I go to work, I try to envision myself as almost like this concierge at a 5-star hotel.”
Illustrates his unique approach to benefits administration by directly linking it to high-level customer service.
“So if you think about the fitness industry, you know, that's just such a massive and important purpose. You're helping people get healthy... And then when you think about community... And then when it comes to growth, I think in general, the fitness industry is— there's such room for growth.”
Connects the three pillars of culture (purpose, community, growth) to the unique environment of the fitness industry.
“I did take it upon myself to call the insurance company. We got on a call with the insurance company, the doctor, the pharmacy conference call. And I think it's just so important to go the extra mile and make sure that the employees actually get what they need from you.”
Provides a concrete example of proactive problem-solving that significantly impacts employee well-being and trust.
“If you think about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, benefits compensation, they all kind of tie into that base level of need. And if you're not delivering that, the person is going to feel this breach of trust between them and the organization.”
Explains the profound psychological impact of benefits and compensation on employee trust, linking it to a well-known psychological theory.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Employees' number one concern in 2024 is covering monthly expenses, highlighting a need for financial well-being support.
- •The inherent complexity and 'huge puzzle' behind accurately delivering benefits on time, involving numerous backend steps and system integrations (payroll, insurance, HR).
- •Employees frequently face issues with benefits details not being correctly reflected on medical insurance websites or other platforms.
- •The convoluted nature of the insurance world often turns simple tasks, like filling a prescription, into multi-day ordeals involving multiple parties (insurance, doctor, pharmacy).
- •Organizations risk a 'breach of trust' with employees when fundamental needs, such as accurate and timely benefits and compensation, are not consistently met.
In this episode
Covering monthly expenses is the number one concern for employees in 2024
Built by People
My journey in my career started back when I was a child
What Motivates People to Work?
Getting back to the basics in total rewards is crucial, James says
Getting Back to the Basics in Total Rewards
How do you approach customer service in Total Rewards
James, how do you approach customer service in Total Rewards?
James worked in the fitness industry with both Orangetheory and Crunch Fitness
The Fitness Industry's Unique Culture
Taking that extra mile approach in benefits administration has made a significant impact
Employee Benefits Administrator: Going the Extra Mile
James: What's the biggest misconception about innovation in total rewards
What's the Biggest Controversy About Total Rewards Compensation?
James, what parting advice would you like to share with our community
Customer Service: Built by People
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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