Salary won't be enough: DataArt's case for total rewards

SummaryAt VXI Global Solutions, paying employees accurately and on time is more than an administrative task—it is the foundation of trust. Albert Galarza, Chief People Officer at VXI Global Solutions, joins Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to explain how a global frontline workforce of approximately 40,000 employees across eight countries shapes the way his team approaches payroll, career growth, leadership development and total rewards. Albert traces his path from earning $3.35 an hour as a restaurant cashier to leading people and culture, and describes why an employee's first paycheck can determine whether a company's promise of career opportunity feels credible.Albert shares VXI's commitment to address payroll errors within three days rather than wait until the next pay cycle, and explains how frontline agents can advance through defined levels and increase their earnings through incentives. He also discusses making the business case for better compensation with profitability data, what a 32-hour summer experiment taught him about clear expectations, how to approach AI by first defining the problem, and why a four-generation workforce requires more flexible thinking about rewards.Chapters00:00 Meet Albert Galarza and VXI Global Solutions01:12 Albert's first job and first paycheck02:53 From operations to strategic HR leadership04:23 Supporting a global frontline workforce05:13 Why accurate and timely payroll builds trust06:35 Career paths and earning potential for agents09:47 Making a data-driven pay-for-performance case11:34 The lessons of a 32-hour summer workweek14:51 Innovation, AI and solving the real problem17:42 Total rewards across four generationsTakeaways- Payroll reliability is part of employee wellbeing: VXI tracks timeliness and accuracy and aims to correct shortfalls within three days rather than another payroll cycle.- A credible frontline employee value proposition connects accurate pay with visible career progression and opportunities to earn incentives.- Use business metrics—profitability, margins and performance—to make a stronger case for reinvesting in hiring, retention and performance-linked rewards.- A shorter workweek requires eliminating or resetting deliverables, not simply compressing the same workload.- Start HR technology choices with the recruitment, retention or career-growth problem to solve, and adapt total rewards to different generations' preferences.Connect with the GuestAlbert Galarza LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertgalarzahrVXI Global Solutions: https://vxi.com/SponsorBeyond the Paycheck is sponsored by Aura Finance, a financial wellness platform designed to help employees feel more confident and in control of their money.Learn more: https://aurafinance.io

SummaryWhat happens when the future of work is no longer measured in hours, but in skills? In this episode of Beyond the Paycheck, host Kelsey sits down with Heather Rae Oxley, Chief Human Resources Officer at Perficient, to explore how AI, workforce transformation, employee development, and financial wellbeing are reshaping the relationship between employers and employees. Heather shares how her first job at McDonald's taught her the value of work, accountability, and earning her first paycheck, and how those lessons evolved into a leadership philosophy centered on responsibility for thousands of employees.The conversation explores why reskilling is becoming a business necessity, how Perficient is investing in AI certifications, and why organizations must rethink traditional approaches to employee benefits. Heather discusses reference-based healthcare, financial transparency following Perficient's transition from public to private ownership, and the possibility of compensation moving from time-based employment toward skills-based work. She also considers how AI could accelerate career progression, expand flexible employment, and fundamentally reshape how organizations value human contributions.Chapters00:02 Meet Heather Rae Oxley, CHRO at Perficient01:24 Heather's first job and first paycheck04:40 The responsibility of leading people's livelihoods06:40 Preparing employees for AI-driven workforce change09:57 Why investing in reskilling cannot wait12:27 Rethinking healthcare through reference-based care15:44 Benefits experiments and lessons from COVID17:37 Financial wellbeing and the public-to-private transition19:43 The future of skills-based compensation20:57 Flexible employment and the expanding gig economy22:43 AI, career progression, and new opportunitiesTakeaways-Leaders are responsible for more than financial performance. Their decisions directly affect the livelihoods, career stability, and financial wellbeing of employees.-Preparing employees for AI-driven transformation requires sustained investment in certifications, reskilling, and continuous learning.Organizations that delay risk falling behind.-Reference-based healthcare offers an alternative approach to traditional provider networks, with the potential to improve pricing transparency and manage healthcare expenses.-Financial wellness strategies must evolve alongside organizational changes, including shifts in ownership models, variable compensation, and employee access to wealth-building opportunities.-Skills-based compensation and flexible employment arrangements could eventually challenge traditional time-based pay models, giving employees greater freedom over how and when they work.Connect with the GuestHeather Rae Oxley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatheroxleyCompany Website: https://www.perficient.comSponsorAura 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/

SummarySupporting the whole employee doesn't always require a large budget. Sarah Roth, Chief Human Resources Officer at Ohmium, joins Kelsey on Beyond the Paycheck to discuss how people leaders can support working parents, advocate for employee wellbeing in a cash-conscious startup, and rethink rewards for a changing workforce.Sarah traces her leadership journey from coaching youth soccer to Disney, software, and green hydrogen. She explains why helping parents return from leave matters beyond the leave policy itself, how employee pulse surveys and roundtables inform investment decisions, and why early-career employees may expect faster feedback and recognition.Chapters00:00 Meet Sarah Roth, CHRO at Ohmium02:20 Sarah's first job and first paycheck03:21 Early lessons in leadership05:44 Supporting the whole employee07:14 Rethinking support for working parents10:21 Building employee programs on a budget13:22 Financial wellbeing and compensation17:00 AI, innovation, and HR efficiency20:51 Changing expectations around rewards23:47 Balancing employee expectations and company cultureTakeaways-From a first paycheck and a homecoming dress to people leadership-Supporting mothers, fathers and caregivers returning to work-Making a case for employee programs with limited resources-Financial wellbeing and the employee experience-AI as an efficiency and innovation tool for lean teams-Rethinking compensation cycles and performance feedback for younger employeesConnect with the GuestLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-roth1/?isSelfProfile=falseOhmium: https://www.ohmium.com/SponsorBeyond the Paycheck is sponsored by Aura Finance, a financial wellness platform designed to help employees feel more confident and in control of their money.Learn more: https://aurafinance.io

SummaryEmployee retention gets easier to discuss when the numbers change. Ken Moses, Chief People Officer at Cascade Environmental, joins Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to explain how an employee-centered approach helped reduce voluntary turnover among field employees from 44% to 24%. With roughly 850 employees across 35 U.S. locations, Cascade has built a first-year progression program, an internal drilling academy, and a nine-month leadership development experience whose alumni have seen about a 30% promotion rate.Ken also shares how his team supported furloughed employees during the pandemic, why quarterly career and stay conversations can be more useful than one annual review, and how employee feedback shaped a higher 401(k) match. He discusses financial counseling, incentives for quality healthcare, the challenge of proving benefits savings to a CFO, and a practical approach to AI in HR: embrace the tool without ignoring ethics or the business.Chapters00:42 Ken Moses and Cascade Environmental02:46 From aspiring lawyer to HR—and the first paycheck04:58 Supporting the whole employee through uncertainty06:41 Leadership development and a roughly 30% promotion rate08:49 Moving from annual reviews to quarterly conversations09:50 Reducing voluntary field turnover from 44% to 24%11:38 Financial wellness, counseling, and retirement readiness12:52 Measuring benefits and following employee feedback15:02 AI in benefits and the compensation outlook16:20 Compliance, ethical AI, and understanding the businessTakeaways- Employee-focused retention is measurable: Ken reports voluntary field turnover falling from 44% to 24%, alongside first-year milestones and an internal talent pipeline.- Leadership development needs a path to real opportunity. Cascade's nine-month program blends in-person and virtual learning with executive capstones; roughly 30% of participants have since been promoted.- Replace one annual performance event with deliberate conversations about goals, career direction, and the reasons employees stay.- Listen before redesigning benefits. After about 66% of surveyed employees preferred a higher 401(k) match, Cascade later made the increase.- Benefits ROI requires follow-through: compare expected savings with year-end claims and behavior, and keep AI use both practical and ethical.Connect with the GuestKen Moses LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenmoses/Cascade Environmental: https://www.cascade-env.com/SponsorBeyond the Paycheck is sponsored by Aura Finance, a financial wellness platform designed to help employees feel more confident and in control of their money.Learn more: https://aurafinance.io

SummaryStacey Porter, Chief People Officer at Procept BioRobotics, joins host Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to talk about the psychology behind supporting people at work. Stacey started in orthopedic sales while training as a clinical social worker, and the high-performing team she found there sent her into a doctorate in habit formation and performance psychology. Today she leads people at a company of almost 1,000 in San Jose that builds a surgical robotic platform for men's health.She explains money's role in motivation, why frictionless benefits give people the cognitive space to do hard jobs, and why great managers are an obsession "with a capital O." Stacey shares how she makes the case for people when the spreadsheet doesn't: jobs to be done, collective work and growth, because loyalty now goes to careers, not companies. Her mantra is to design an organization with the highest performers and the fewest of them. She also covers 401(k)s and employee stock purchase plans, how she stays current, and the compensation shift she sees coming: paying for short-term contributions across the organization. Built for CHROs, total rewards and benefits leaders who want to connect people investments to performance.Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Meet Stacey Porter, Chief People Officer at Procept BioRobotics01:01 From orthopedic sales to performance psychology02:32 A surgical robot for men's health03:21 A drive-thru video pagoda and a navy leather jacket06:08 Money's role in motivation07:29 Frictionless benefits and the cognitive space to do hard work09:30 Why great managers are an obsession11:08 Clarity: don't underwork or overwork the work13:18 Making the case for people when the spreadsheet doesn't15:19 Loyalty is to careers now, not companies16:23 The highest performers and the fewest of them18:31 401(k)s, stock purchase plans and planning for life21:11 Staying current: books, peer networks and pilots22:24 The comp shift HR isn't ready for: paying for contributionTakeaways- Benefits that just work give employees the cognitive space to do hard, multifactorial jobs well.- Good humans can still fail as managers without key skills; manager training is the layer that shapes culture.- Uber clarity about what is expected keeps people from underworking or overworking their work.- Make the case for people through jobs to be done, collective work and growth, because loyalty now goes to careers, not companies.- Short-term, paid opportunities across the organization could reward contribution, not just skill.Connect with the GuestStacey Porter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slaporterCompany Website: https://www.procept-biorobotics.comSponsorAura 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/

SummaryJulia Zavileyskaya, Chief People Officer and partner at DataArt, joins host Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to explain why salary alone will not be enough. Julia has spent more than 20 years at DataArt, an international technology company with more than 6,000 professionals, and has had several careers inside it, starting from a first IT job as a support manager at an internet provider in the late '90s. She describes how the war in Ukraine reshaped what supporting the whole employee means, from relocation to new processes, and why no company can solve every problem in a person's life but it can be a true partner. Julia covers the shift from a benefits catalogue to a wider contract between company and employee, how certifications help demonstrate expertise to clients and support employees’ professional development. Internal mobility gives colleagues new opportunities while reducing recruitment and onboarding costs and the risk of hiring the wrong candidate.Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Meet Julia Zavileyskaya02:15 First IT job and first paycheck03:25 What being an HR leader means04:36 Supporting people through the war in Ukraine06:45 Moving beyond a benefits catalogue07:45 Measuring people support and client value10:10 Certifications and internal mobility12:32 Lessons from benefits and mentoring programs13:54 Staying current with Coursera and UNLEASH15:32 Financial well-being across countries17:38 Supporting employees who relocate18:35 Why salary alone won't be enough19:32 Closing thoughtsTakeaways- No company can solve every problem in a person's life, but it can be a true partner; setting the right level of expectations is part of total rewards.- Total rewards is more than compensation and benefits: learning, internal mobility, reskilling and relocation belong in the same conversation.- In a services business, employee experience shapes the service clients receive, so people investment ties directly to client value.- Certifications and internal mobility make the internal case easier: they prove expertise to clients and cut recruiting, onboarding and mis-hire risk.- A global company can't assume one size fits everyone; financial support has to be tuned to each country, from currency swings to new tax systems.Connect with the GuestJulia Zavileyskaya LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliazavileyskaya/Company Website: https://www.dataart.comSponsorAura 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/

SummaryAmber Little, CHRO at Nation's Best, joins host Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to talk about leading the whole human in a fast-growing hardware, home center and lumber business. She traces her people philosophy to a first job at 15 as a dietary aide in a nursing home, where she learned that every role matters and that the value of someone's work is not determined by their title. Amber lays out the five pillars behind her benefits strategy, from physical and financial well-being to the one most companies skip, connection and belonging, and the women's leadership retreat that brings 60 women to a Texas ranch every year. She explains why supporting people enables performance instead of lowering the bar, how she wins C-suite investment when the spreadsheet can't show immediate ROI, a variable co-pay plan that has been harder to land than expected, and what financial health means for an hourly retail workforce aged 18 to 80. Her warning for HR leaders: companies are getting priced out of benefits, and stipends, risk and co-ops may be what comes next. Built for CHROs, total rewards and benefits leaders who want benefits people actually use.Chapters00:00 Intro00:44 Meet Amber Little, CHRO at Nation's Best02:07 A first job at 15 in a nursing home03:23 Every role matters, no matter the title04:42 The five pillars of whole human benefits07:54 Where organizations fall short: connecting the dots08:50 Supporting people enables performance09:51 Making the case when the spreadsheet can't11:10 The variable co-pay experiment12:56 How she stays current: SHRM, roundtables and old bosses15:08 Financial health for an hourly retail workforce18:52 Companies are getting priced out of benefits22:12 Whole human leadership and a 52-week journalTakeaways- Adding benefits is not the same as supporting people: if employees don't know what a benefit is, how to access it or what it's worth, it's worthless to them.- Whole human benefits rest on five pillars, and the one most organizations skip is connection and belonging.- Supporting people doesn't mean lowering the bar; high expectations and human-centered leadership can coexist when people get what they need to reach the bar.- Win investment by connecting the chain: people experience drives engagement, engagement drives performance and retention, and that drives customer experience and financial results.- With 15 to 50% benefit increases, more companies will get priced out of traditional plans and turn to stipends, more risk or co-ops to keep coverage valuable.Connect with the GuestAmber Little LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberrosslittleCompany Website: https://nationsbest.netWhole Human Leadership journal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1NV85PBSponsorAura 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/

SummaryTanya Moore, Chief People Officer at West Monroe, joins host Kelsey Willock on Beyond the Paycheck to make the business case for supporting the whole person at work. She starts with a first job at Litton Industries full of people who hated it, the survey she ran to fix it, and the client in Columbus, Ohio, who told her young consultants to work to live. At West Monroe, a 2,000-person business and technology consulting firm, 85% of employees say they can bring their genuine self to work, and Tanya explains why she keeps that priority while fellow CHROs are walking away from it: client satisfaction scores so high she thought they were being calculated wrong. She covers how the firm teaches AI by role rather than by mandate, why her job is to make people employable and not just employed, the mental health claims that are finally coming down, the EAP she scrapped for a platform 25% of employees rave about, and the shift she says most HR leaders are not ready for: paying for skills. Built for CHROs, total rewards and benefits leaders who want a human-centric culture that also shows up in the numbers.Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Meet Tanya Moore, Chief People Officer at West Monroe01:38 A first job full of people who hated it02:48 Work to live, don't live to work04:18 Can you bring your genuine self to work? An 85% score07:35 Human-centric work and client satisfaction scores09:10 Balancing AI with the human in the loop11:46 Scrapping the EAP and the 25% who rave about its replacement15:40 Financial stress doesn't announce itself17:41 The comp shift HR isn't ready for: paying for skillsTakeaways- Supporting the whole person is a client strategy, not a perk: supported, growing employees are the ones who put in the extra effort that shows up in client satisfaction scores.- Human-centric does not mean everyone likes every decision. Hard calls still get made, but with empathy and transparency, and people know they can go to a manager or HR and actually get help.- Teach AI by role, not by mandate. The goal is to make people employable, with skills that let them land on their feet whether they stay or go.- Build the case with the data you have (mental health claims coming down) and skate to where the puck is on the rest, testing and adjusting as you go.- Paying for skills requires two things most companies lack: skills data and managers who can explain the market value of skills and why pay differs.Connect with the GuestTanya Moore LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyaemoore/Company Website: https://www.westmonroe.comSponsorAura 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/

SummaryKelsey Willock sits down with Khadijah "Kay" New, Chief Human Resources Officer at H2O America, the water and wastewater utility serving Connecticut, Maine, Texas and California. Kay traces two decades of people leadership from recruiting at SGS to HR at Avangrid to a utility that grows through acquisition, and explains why supporting the whole employee means diverse benefits, real flexibility and leaders who coach rather than dictate. She names the industry's blind spot (expecting humans to be frictionless), shows how financial stress reaches every level of the org chart, shares the tuition payback experiment that paid down employees' student loans, and describes the shift most leaders aren't ready for: employees counting what it costs them to work for you. For CHROs, total rewards and benefits leaders, and anyone building a people strategy for a four-generation workforce.  Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Meet Kay New, CHRO at H2O America04:51 A first job at McDonald's and a first paycheck at the movies06:49 The leader her grandmother and mother would have wanted08:20 Supporting the whole employee across 4 generations10:15 Expecting humans to be frictionless12:41 Take care of the people, and the vibe check15:03 Tuition payback and financial stress at every level19:09 The comp shift most leaders aren't ready for21:55 Leading What's Next and AI that restores people  Takeaways- Supporting the whole employee means diverse benefits, diverse support and the flexibility to meet 4 generations where they are, not a checklist that worked 15 years ago.- The industry falls short when it expects humans to be frictionless; lived experiences don't stay at the door, so leaders have to coach people to work at a sustainable level.- Take care of the people and the people take care of everything else, and you'll see it in the room before you see it in the survey.- Financial stress shows up at every level, from childcare costs to college tuition, so a compensation strategy can never be set and forgotten.- Employees are counting what it costs them to work for you, and AI should give people their time back rather than replace them.  Connect with the GuestKhadijah New LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kay-newCompany Website: https://www.h2o-america.comNewsletter: Leading What’s Next: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/leading-what-s-next-7496791425804754944Book: AI in HR: How Copilot Agents Power Enablement and Human-Centered Change: https://a.co/d/0h8bXju0  SponsorAura 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/

SummaryJim O'Gorman, Chief People Officer at Included Health, joins host Kelsey Willock Jones on Beyond the Paycheck to argue that healthcare has become the benefit that decides who stays. He starts with a phone call from a fellow CHRO facing a 52% premium increase, most of which will land on employees, and explains why switching insurance carriers every renewal disrupts care without fixing cost. The alternative he makes the case for is alternative plan design, led by employers rather than insurers. At Included Health he tested the idea on his own people: employees and their dependents get free access to everything the company sells, connecting mind, body and wallet in one benefit, with no double digit benefits increases, high engagement and low attrition to show for it. He also explains why the CHRO has to be the best long-term planner in the business, how he builds a three-year plan in lockstep with the CFO, and why equity is losing its power to retain people in health tech. Built for CHROs, total rewards leaders and finance partners who are tired of renewals that just pass the bill along.Chapters00:00 Intro00:42 Meet Jim O'Gorman and Included Health01:28 The paper boy mafia and a first paycheck02:47 How his family's healthcare costs shaped his work04:26 Why employer healthcare needs disruption06:43 Mind, body and wallet08:30 Collapsing point solutions into one benefit11:27 The CHRO as the best long-term planner14:57 The equity bet that stopped paying off15:59 Alternative plan design and a final messageTakeaways- Premium increases rarely stay with the employer. A 52% renewal usually becomes a paycheck problem for employees whose salaries are not rising as fast.- Switching carriers every renewal disrupts care and delays treatment, so it is a cost of its own rather than a strategy.- Mind, body and wallet are connected, and one integrated benefit serves employees better than a stack of separate point solutions.- Testing a benefit on your own people first gives you real evidence on cost of care, engagement and attrition.- A three-year people plan built with the CFO and shared by the leadership team earns more investment than requests with 12 months of runway.Connect with the GuestJim O'Gorman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-o-gorman-0b32278/Company Website: https://includedhealth.comSponsorAura 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/