This podcast aims to cover topics within the field of Rewards / Compensation & Benefits. We'll deep-dive into the nerdy nitty-gritties of working with Rewards, discuss relevant topics, such as the EU Pay Transparency directive, HR Tech, and best practices, and hopefully inspire you in your own work within the field of Rewards and the broader field of HR.
RewardNerds is primarily hosted by Jon Sannes, the founder of Nordic Reward Partners, and was created in response to specific requests from the Rewards community to create a forum in our unique niche for nerdy conversations and knowledge sharing.
The people you will meet on this podcast are practioners within the C&B field, drawing on their experiences and expertize from years of working with Rewards in a Nordic and global setting.
If you'd like to take part in this podcast or have questions or ideas, please get in touch via hello@nordicrewardpartners.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/nordic-reward-partners/
Host: Jon Sannes, Nordic Reward Partners
Music: New Funk by Vlad Gluschenko
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Transitioning HR from Admin to Strategic Business Value
Season 2, Episode 2: In this episode we will explore the relationship between Rewards and the CHRO function. Jon is joined by Jette Singleton, who is known throughout the Danish Rewards environment as being an engaged CHRO and HR influencer. Jette’s career is built around HR with a unique background in French Literature and open-minded, proactive approach to business and people.
Spoiler alert: In their conversation they touch upon the role of Rewards within HR and its interaction with the c-suite, they discuss the effects of STI and LTI programs, pay transparency legislation and its potentials, the focus on and costs of failure within Rewards, and whether the Rewards function is native to HR or could be placed in Finance. They even touch upon the scarcity of women in top management, what hides behind the glass ceiling, and the lurking prejudices when presenting HR initiatives to a mostly male executive populace incl. the need for building business cases to get the necessary resources to HR initiatives even when they are founded on legal requirements. Then the conversation turns toward the future role of the HR function and how to become successful.
Glossary:
Jette references the Dave Ulrich model, which defines four key roles for HR as being Strategic Partner, Change Agent, Administrative Expert, and Employee Champion, and how to ensure efficient teams by working actively and strategically with HR disciplines. This is often applied as a three-pillar model for structure and implementation in larger or more complex organizations through the use of HRBPs, Centers of Excellence, and Shared Service functions for routine admin.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
7 Jun 2026
Gauging the Current State of the EU Pay Transparency Directive
Season 2, Episode 1: In this season’s premiere of Reward Nerds we’re back with MEP Kira Marie Peter-Hansen gauging the state of the Pay Transparency implementation process. Kira was one of two chief negotiators on the Directive, and she will take us on a tour behind the scenes of the political dialogue leading up to the adoption of the Directive and we will deep-dive into the likely near future of pay transparency across Europe.
Spoiler Alert
The episode begins with a brief recap of Kira’s personal journey, from being the youngest elected MEP ever to becoming chief negotiator for the EU Pay Transparency Directive. Then, in classical Jon style, we’ll dive headfirst into the heart of the matter: What happens now?
In their conversation, Kira and Jon will touch upon the status of the transposition across the member states and the announced and expected delays, as well as recent changes in the political climate and the consequences for Europe and gender equality; and then of course the process going forward.
They review the future of attraction and retention in Europe, the (potential) role of collective agreements, and the possible gains for companies who are at the forefront of implementation and equality.
Finally, Kira shares her recommendations to European companies - and without revealing too much, we can say that Kira is optimistic.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
18 Oct 2025
The role of DE&I vs. Rewards - their interplay now and in the future
Jon interviews Tina Albrechtsen, an expert in Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion, about the interplay between rewards programs and DE&I, revealing how unconscious biases impact decision-making and organizational culture.
1 Sept 2025
Preparing the leadership team for Pay Transparency
Leadership & Talent founder Stephen Parker guides host Jon through navigating pay transparency's change management challenges and engaging C-levels in reward projects.
28 May 2025
Working with Rewards in a low profit margin business
Bjørn Kjerulf, a seasoned rewards professional at ISS, discusses the challenges and strategies of managing rewards programs within a low-profit margin business, emphasizing company culture and respect in budget allocation in this interview with Jon.
23 May 2025
Differences in Rewards between Europe and the United States
Global Reward Director Søren Mieritz Anderson discusses with Jon the differences in reward systems between European and US companies, including pay transparency and the role of healthcare, in this interview.
25 Apr 2025
Becoming transparent - Novo Nordisk's journey toward the launch of their internal Pay Transparency program
In this episode Jon is interviewing Keld Nielsen, who is Sr. Director, Total Rewards at Novo Nordisk and who's been instrumental in their journey toward internal Pay Transparency. On April 1, 2025, Novo Nordisk announced that they are launching their internal Pay Transparency program, which they have been working on even before the EU announced the Pay Transparency Directive, thus becoming a world's first within Pay Transparency. Keld is one of the Grand Old Men of the Rewards business in the Nordics and he shares his experience and expertise generously. He has been part of the impressive growth journey of Novo Nordisk for the past 18 years, increasing its number of employees from ca. 25.000 to more than 70.000 world-wide and during his time they have successfully concluded many exciting Reward projects.
Spoiler alert: In the episode, Keld talks about their Change Management process, their culture and the practical steps Novo Nordisk has taken through the years to make this possible. He touches upon how they handle "skills" in their pay setting processes, how they handle "expats" and "local plus", and what their plans for external transparency are. He also reveals the use of AI tools to support Reward work and philosophizes about how a smaller company, with less resources, should approach the road to Pay Transparency.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Apr 2025
Becoming a Fair Paying Employer - The Road to Fair Pay Certification
In this episode Jon is interviewing Henrike von Platen, who is the founder of Fair Pay Innovation Lab (FPI). The interview is centered on Henrike's mission to ensure it will not take 200 years before we have pay equity - in Europe and the World. She tells the story of her journey from the years leading up to her founding the FPI in 2017 until today, where FPI is a renovned non-profit well on the way to achieve its goals.
Spoiler alert: On the way Henrike deep-dives into how companies can ensure their long-term goal of being fair paying employers rather than just quick fixing a current pay gap, she discusses the barriers and limitations of politics and why the real future of fair pay lies in the hands of the companies, and of course how companies can achieve the fair pay stamp of approval world-wide.
You can find Henrike and the Fair Pay Certification at https://www.fpi-lab.org/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
11 Apr 2025
Tech and AI in Rewards
In this episode Jon is interviewing Alexander Gram Jensen from PayGap on the topic of tech and AI in Rewards and how software can make our work-lives easier and how it may potentially change the nature of our work as Rewards professionals. Naturally the topic of the upcoming Pay Transparency legislation and reporting requirements is also discussed, as is how to use AI and what to be aware of when using AI.
Alexander is the co-founder of PayGap, a brand-new pay equity software designed by Reward specialists, and he's a seasoned entrepreneur within IT and software that helps people solve real-life challenges.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
3 Apr 2025
Understanding the Pay Transparency Directive
We were curious about some of the details of the EU Pay Transparency Directive and who better to ask than the chief nogotiator herself? Kira Marie Peter-Hansen was one of two chief negotiators bringing the Pay Transparency Directive to life and we had the pleasure of speaking with her directly on this topic, when she attended a roundtable we hosted in January 2024 with Rewards specialists from across the largest Nordic companies. Prior to the meeting, we had asked our LinkedIn followers what they were wondering after reading the Directive; these questions as well as key questions from the roundtable were recorded in this interview. It was first published on another channel in January 2024; however, as we are about to host a follow-up session on April 11, 2025, we thought it would be relevant to republish this first interview here on Reward Nerds. If you have any questions that you think we should ask Kira, when she visits us in a fortnight, please send us an email at hello@nordicrewardpartners.com.
Please note that Kira's advice does not constitute legal advice. Also, there were two corrections that we'd like to clarify: at timestamp 11:54 the correct number of years is eight for when evaluation of a directive begins and at timestamp 15:53 Kira meant to say "it's up for the judges to judge".
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
28 Feb 2025
Pay Transparency in a historical perspective
We take a look at the timeline leading up to the EU Pay Transparency Directive, talk about women's suffrage across Europe and important international events within the area of pay equity. We also touch upon some of the things companies can do to prepare for the upcoming pay transparency legislation and why it is important to be ready when the implementation deadline of June 7, 2026, rolls around.
In this episode, our host, Jon Sannes, is once again joined by his colleague and co-partner, Marie, who in addition to being an in-house resource person in the field of pay transparency at Nordic Reward Partners is also somewhat of a history nerd. She has researched the timeline leading up to the EU Parliament's adoption of the Pay Transparency Directive.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
28 Feb 2025
The Basics of the EU Pay Transparency Directive
We deep-dive into the main themes of the EU pay transparency directive and discuss the implications it has on companies operating within the EU, especially the departments of Finance and HR including Rewards / Compensation & Benefits. We discuss the requirements as they are known now, pre-implementation, and how best to safeguard against a negative effect on the business.
This episode is hosted by Jon Sannes, and he is joined by Marie, who is also a partner at Nordic Reward Partners and an in-house resource person in the field of pay transparency.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
28 Feb 2025
Welcome to Reward Nerds
In this prequal we will briefly introduce ourselves and the Reward Nerds podcast. Jon Sannes is hosting the podcast and in this prequel he's joined by Marie, who is also a partner of Nordic Reward Partners.
The music used in this podcast is a piece called "New Funk" by the Ukrainian composer Vlad Gluschenko.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on RewardNerds
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Tina Albrechtsen
Stephen Parker
Bjørn Kjerulf
Søren Mieritz Anderson
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Spotify
4.4 / 5
7 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 30 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
60
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
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Questions about RewardNerds
Who hosts RewardNerds?
Jon host the show. Published by Nordic Reward Partners.
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The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
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