Certified Total Rewards Specialist™ (CTRS) Workshop
Provides early-career compensation and benefits practitioners an opportunity to achieve certification in a convenient three-day format, based on an assessment of basic competencies related to job evaluation, benchmarking, pay structures, core benefits and the total rewards approach.
Course Introduction
This workshop provides early-career compensation and benefits practitioners an opportunity to achieve certification in a convenient three-day format, based on an assessment of basic competencies related to job evaluation, benchmarking, pay structures, core benefits and the total rewards approach.
The focus is on ensuring practitioners are equipped with the essential knowledge, terminology, theory, methods, and attitudes for performing their jobs with excellence.
Class discussions are used to develop attitudes and insights into the nature of tangible and intangible rewards. This is not intended as a skill-building course, but provides formal training in the essential knowledge needed for compensation and benefits.
An assessment exam is included, requiring a 70% passing score for certification, along with evidence (resume or LinkedIn profile) of one year experience performing compensation and benefits duties within an organization.
Learning Objectives
Apply the total rewards approach
Perform job analysis and job evaluation to grade jobs
Source and analyze benchmark compensation data
Prepare market analysis to determine competitive position
Develop a salary range structure, with or without regression
Support core employee benefits programs
Work effectively with HR and managers to support sound pay decisions
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is intended for compensation and benefits practitioners with at least one year of hands on experience in an organizational setting. Those with 1-3 years of compensation and benefits experience will be best prepared to learn and to take the assessment exam.
This is a certification workshop for those with experience; it is not intended for those wishing to explore a move into compensation and benefits, who are strictly doing payroll or who have never done actual C&B work such as job evaluation, market pricing or benefits administration. Such persons should attend the standalone courses, which include more class discussions, skill-building exercises and networking opportunities.
Detailed Agenda
Total Rewards Overview
- Understand and apply the Total Rewards Approach
- Understand and apply key motivation theories to predict impact of rewards
- Describe the process for developing compensation programs
- Describe the process for developing benefits programs
- Explain the role of the compensation & benefits function
- Support managers in making and communicating pay decisions
- Consider ASEAN regional influences on rewards
- Understand and explain job evaluation
- Use job descriptions and organization charts to determine job content
- Distinguish job evaluation methods and how to apply them
- Evaluate jobs using ranking, classification and scored approaches
- Cross-validate job evaluation results for internal equity
- Market validate job evaluation results
- Recommend implementation approaches for job evaluation
- Communicate job evaluation results effectively
Rewards Toolkit – What’s in it?
- Listing of 75+ specific reward practices
- Common job description embellishments
- Grade correlation table, showing equivalence of popular job levelling systems
- Sample Internal Level Guide for Sales & Marketing
Benchmarking and Salary Structures
- Explain the uses of benchmark data
- Evaluate potential sources of survey data in the ASEAN context
- Match jobs and submit survey data
- Conduct market analysis of base pay and other aggregates
- Describe common types of salary range structures
- Develop regressed and non-regressed salary structures
- Maintain pay structures
Additional Handouts
- Excel Case Study template to calculate market-ratios, salary ranges, compa-ratios
and salary range graphs using fictitious data - Market slotting tool with formulas
- Salary Proposal worksheet
Core Benefits
- Explain the role and objectives of employee benefits
- Consider all stakeholders when approaching benefits issues
- Apply legal and ethical principles to benefits administration
- Understand the spectrum of healthcare needs and how to determine the core benefits
- Understand retirement and common approaches taken in ASEAN countries
- Understand time off benefits and their purpose in organizations
- Advise employees and managers appropriately regarding benefits issues
Rewards Specialist Competencies
- Conduct basic research on laws and regulations governing reward practices in ASEAN
- Understand and work with employee information skillfully and appropriately
- Apply spreadsheet skills for compensation and benefits
- Understand other HR functions and how to support them through rewards practices
- Apply essential soft skills when handling rewards issues
Additional Materials
- ASEAN quick reference with links to Social Security/Provident Fund and minimum wage/OT requirements
Assessment and Certification
To ensure learners have sufficiently acquired the competencies taught in this course, an assessment may be taken for certification. Certification as a Certified Total Rewards Specialist™ (CTRS) will be valid for as long as the certificate holder remains active in the HR profession, with career breaks lasting no longer than 1 year.
If you are not intended to attend all 3-days course, you may choose to attend any course module at your convenience time. Those not wishing to take the assessment may receive a Certificate of Attendance.
There are two components of the assessment: 1) achievement of a passing score (28 out of 40 items, or 70%) on a written exam; and 2) relevant work experience in human resources, including experience or direct exposure/involvement in rewards issues, such as developing salary offers, managing promotions, etc.
Upon successfully attend all 3-days course followed by the assessment, you will receive the Certification as a Certified Total Rewards Specialist™ (CTRS) which be endorsed by the ASEAN Total Rewards Institute (ATRI).
Written Exam
The written exam will be conducted online. Each certification candidate will provide an email address. An email will be sent to the candidate from the ASEAN Total Rewards Institute (ATRI) with a URL link to the exam. The exam can be taken once each 30 days until passed. All those taking the certification exam will receive a letter confirming their overall score plus indication of pass/fail status.
Certification also requires confirmation by the instructor that the learner has significant and relevant work experience. This is to prevent “selling paper”, i.e. certifying good test takers who lack relevant work experience. Competence is more than knowledge, but includes skill and attitudes as well, which are gained through experience within an organization. The ATRI-designated instructor will conduct both parts of the assessment and make the final decision whether to certify the individual, based on both test completion and recognition of prior experience.
About ASEAN Total Rewards Institute™
The ASEAN Total Rewards Institute™, or ATRI, is a collaboration of leading human resources and total rewards practitioners to provide professionals the opportunity to be trained and certified in the field of compensation and benefits in the ASEAN regional context.
ATRI is owned by Freelance Total Rewards Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based total rewards management consulting and training firm, led by Thomas A. Farmer, CCP, SPHR, ACTA. The firm has advised dozens of clients in Southeast Asia and beyond, and was established in 2013. Tom is a former Principal with Mercer and a former Vice President, Compensation & Benefits for InterContinental Hotels Group. He has trained over 2,000 HR professionals and over 600 line managers on pay-related topics. You can find more information from ATRI official website about the certification.
