Joe Pope
VP of Total Rewards & HR Operations
Link Logistics
Episode 128
Future-Proofing Talent: Holistic Total Rewards Win in Volatile Economies
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJune 26, 2025 · 11:52
Thesis
“Modern HR leaders must transcend traditional compensation models by adopting a holistic, strategic approach to total rewards that is deeply informed by business needs and employee motivation, ensuring effective talent retention and fiscal responsibility amidst market uncertainty.”
Show notes
Creative HR Strategies and Total Rewards with Joe on Built by People PodcastIn this episode of the Built by People Podcast, the host welcomes Joe, an HR professional with over 20 years of experience. Joe shares his career journey and his interest in compliance, employee benefits, and HR systems. He discusses the unique challenges of retaining top talent during today's uncertain market and how he approaches compensation and holistic rewards strategies at his current company, Link. Joe also elaborates on his previous experience at a law firm where he leveraged remote work policies to gain a competitive edge. Throughout the conversation, Joe emphasizes the importance of understanding business needs, creative thinking in compensation, and the evolving nature of total rewards. His parting advice encourages HR professionals to think outside the box and adopt a strategic approach aligned with business goals.00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:48 Joe's Career Journey in HR02:07 Navigating the Great Resignation04:27 Creative Reward Strategies at Link05:59 Remote Work Policies at Previous Law Firm08:07 Educating Leaders on Total Rewards10:54 Parting Advice for Total Rewards Professionals11:46 Conclusion and Farewell
What you'll take away
- 1Prioritize a holistic total rewards approach, recognizing that flexibility and other benefits are as crucial as compensation for employee motivation and retention.
- 2Adopt a 'surgical' and intentional strategy for compensation and benefits during periods of market uncertainty or 'optimization mode,' focusing on immediate business needs.
- 3Leverage flexible remote work policies as a significant competitive advantage to attract and retain top talent, especially when industry norms lean towards mandatory return-to-office.
- 4Educate leaders to think beyond immediate pay decisions, connecting compensation, internal equity, and pay transparency to broader talent strategy to prevent unintended negative consequences.
- 5Embrace an evolving mindset in total rewards, challenging classical training to be more relevant, creative, and business-focused in solving current market challenges.
What most organizations get wrong
- •His previous law firm deliberately 'went against the grain' by offering flexible remote work, attracting talent while top AMLAW 100 firms mandated 4-5 days in-office.
- •Challenges the 'classically trained' approach to Total Rewards, stating that 'the rules of yesterday just don't work anymore' and advocating for a mind shift to stay relevant and helpful to the business.
In Joe's words
“I originally was going to school to become a lawyer, and what I found early on is that I really liked compliance, starting out with— I think about where the HR profession was back then. It was more rooted in all the emerging laws.”
Reveals the guest's foundational interest in HR, linking it to compliance and the profession's historical roots.
“What I'm finding, especially in my role here, is that taking a holistic total rewards approach when, when talking about employee motivation and retention is key.”
Highlights the core philosophy of the guest's approach to total rewards, emphasizing its comprehensive nature for engagement and retention.
“My last firm went against the grain quite a bit. If you look at the top AMLAW 100 firms, they're requiring their employees to come in 4 or 5 days a week. No, no questions asked. Right. Earlier in the pandemic, too, the firm I worked for saw an opportunity to attract talent from those firms by being more flexible.”
Illustrates a successful contrarian strategy in attracting talent by offering flexibility when competitors were not.
“I'm helping leaders just connect those dots. So that we're not putting a Band-Aid on one thing and then ripping the Band-Aid off somewhere else, that we're really being thoughtful and holistic.”
Emphasizes the guest's role in guiding leaders towards a more integrated and far-sighted approach to HR decisions.
“The rules of yesterday just don't work anymore, and I don't mean any disrespect to World at Work or any of those great organizations that do a lot of great thought-provoking work. But I, I think that the way we've been classically trained, we have to undo some of that thinking to really be relevant to the business, be helpful to the business, and also do all of this creative thinking and planning while keeping things together.”
A strong statement on the need for evolution and adaptability in the Total Rewards profession, challenging traditional methodologies.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Difficulty for companies to navigate employee expectations for compensation increases while managing budget constraints in a market where people are 'staying put' but wanting more (2:19).
- •Leaders often lack a deep, holistic understanding of total rewards beyond just pay, struggling to connect compensation with overall employee motivation and retention (3:55, 8:08).
- •Companies in 'optimization mode' need creative and surgical reward strategies to balance talent retention with fiscal responsibility, as broad initiatives are costly and complex (4:27).
- •Traditional industries (e.g., law firms) face competitive disadvantages in talent acquisition when rigid return-to-office policies deter top talent seeking flexibility (6:00).
- •Hiring new talent at market rates can create internal equity issues and complications with pay transparency, requiring careful planning to avoid alienating existing employees (8:19).
- •Ineffective communication of the full value of total rewards packages means employees often don't fully appreciate the investment their employers are making beyond salary (9:55).
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
You've been in HR in general for about 20 years
What's Your Career Journey?
How do you approach retaining top talent while maintaining fiscal responsibility in uncertain market
Employee Compensation: The Uncertain Market
Link has developed creative reward strategies to help employees feel purpose in work optimization
How to Enhance Employee Engagement in an Optimization Era
You leveraged remote work policies and compensation strategies at your previous law firm
How Remote Work Advanced Law Firm Compensation
Link is educating leaders to think beyond just pay on total rewards
Total Rewards: Thinking Beyond Pay
Total rewards is evolving, and what we need to do is think outside the box
Total Rewards: Thinking Outside the Box
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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