D355: Total Rewards

Total Rewards teaches how organizations combine pay, benefits and intangible rewards to attract, motivate and keep employees fairly and affordably.

It is a 3 competency unit course in term 4 of WGU's B.S. Human Resource Management standard path, following Talent Acquisition.

Students often find the numbers and the legal side harder than expected. Building a fair pay structure means balancing market data, internal equity, budget and the law.

What D355 Covers

WGU describes the total rewards perspective as combining tangible rewards (salary, bonuses), benefits (health insurance, retirement plans) and intangible rewards (location, work environment). The three competencies are:

• Explain how strategic compensation practices support the organization's objectives.
• Evaluate pay types and systems for market competitiveness and internal consistency.
• Evaluate discretionary and legally required benefits for a total rewards approach.

Key Concepts Explained

External Competitiveness and Internal Equity

External competitiveness compares pay with the market using salary surveys. Internal equity makes sure jobs of similar value inside the organization are paid consistently, usually through job evaluation and pay grades.

Pay Ranges and Compa-Ratio

A pay range has a minimum, midpoint and maximum. Compa-ratio compares an employee's pay with the midpoint.

Legally Required Versus Discretionary Benefits

In the US, legally required benefits include Social Security and Medicare contributions, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation and, for eligible employees, unpaid job-protected leave under the FMLA. Discretionary benefits include health plans (subject to Affordable Care Act rules for larger employers), retirement plans and paid time off.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Types of Pay and When They Fit

Remember the FLSA distinction between exempt and non-exempt employees: non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay for hours over 40 in a workweek.

Building a Simple Pay Structure

Evaluating pay systems, the second competency, is easier once you know how a structure is built. The usual steps are:

1. Analyze and describe jobs accurately.
2. Evaluate jobs to rank their internal value, for example with a point-factor method.
3. Price benchmark jobs against salary survey data.
4. Decide the pay policy: lead, match or lag the market.
5. Group jobs into grades and set range minimums, midpoints and maximums.
6. Place employees in ranges and plan how to handle anyone below the minimum or above the maximum.

Each decision should connect to strategy. A firm competing for scarce skills may lead the market for those roles while matching it for others.

Where Students Get Stuck

• Forgetting intangibles. Total rewards includes environment, flexibility and recognition.
• Market data only. Internal equity is a separate test.
• Mixing up required and discretionary benefits. Make a clear table.
• No link to strategy. Explain why a pay choice suits this organization.

Study Tips for D355

• Practice compa-ratio and range calculations until they are quick.
• Build a benefits table split into required and discretionary.
• Use one organization as an example for all three competencies.
• Review D351 notes on rewards before starting.

How We Help with D355

Send the task, any data files, the rubric and feedback. An HR writer prepares a model total rewards analysis, explains calculations step by step, or reviews your draft. Our human resources assignment help guide describes our wider HR support.

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