Using our heads to solve your Reward challenges.
Ask a CEO what their culture is, and you'll often get a polished answer: “We're innovative, collaborative, high-performing, customer-first.”
Ask employees the same question, and you might hear something different: “We're the place where you get a £50 voucher at Christmas and a pizza party if sales go up.”
The truth is simple: Reward Strategy is Culture Strategy. You can't separate how you pay and recognise people from what your organisation stands for. Every payslip, bonus letter, benefit offering, recognition scheme and opportunity for development is a cultural signal. And employees notice.
Why Reward and culture are inseparable
Culture is often described as “how things get done around here.” Reward is the reinforcement mechanism. If your company says it values teamwork but rewards only individual heroics, the message is clear. If you say you prioritise wellbeing but tie big bonuses to punishing hours, employees quickly join the dots.
In other words: what you reward is what you actually value, regardless of what's written on the office walls.
1. The most powerful signal in the business
People pay attention to many things at work - leadership speeches, corporate values statements, the quality of the coffee machine. But the clearest signal of what the organisation truly values is where the money goes.
If promotions consistently go to those who bring in revenue at any cost, that says more about culture than a dozen glossy posters about “doing the right thing.”
Tip: treat your reward framework as a cultural broadcast channel. It's louder than any comms campaign you'll ever run.
2. When Reward Strategy and Culture Strategy are out of sync
When Reward and culture don't align, you get friction. Imagine:
On paper, the culture says one thing. In practice, the reward system says another. Employees always believe the payslip over the PowerPoint.
3. Culture shaping, not just reflecting
Reward isn't just a mirror of culture - it can actively shape it. For instance:
The right design choices nudge behaviours in the direction you want the culture to grow. Think of Reward as the steering wheel, not just the rear-view mirror.
4. Beyond money: recognition matters too
Reward Strategy is often equated with pay and bonus. But recognition, formal and informal, carries just as much cultural weight.
A manager who takes time to genuinely thank someone for living the company values can have more impact on culture than a 3% pay rise ever will. Conversely, when recognition feels tokenistic (“It's Employee of the Month, and you win… a mug!”), it undermines the message you're trying to send.
Lesson: Recognition doesn't have to be grand, but it does need to be authentic.
5. The culture = reward test
Here's a simple diagnostic. Next time you're reviewing a Reward framework, ask:
If the answers don't line up, it's time to recalibrate.
So what?
Organisations often treat Culture and Reward as separate projects. Culture sits in one strategy deck, Reward in another. But in reality, they're intertwined. Reward is culture in action.
And if you don't believe it, ask your employees. They'll tell you what the culture really is - and nine times out of ten, they'll reference how people are paid, recognised, developed or promoted.
Final thought
If culture is “what we value,” then Reward is the proof. And while free fruit and branded hoodies are nice, the real signals come from how you structure pay, benefits, recognition, development and progression.
So next time you're thinking about culture strategy, don't forget the Reward. Because at the end of the day, your Reward Strategy is your Culture Strategy. The rest is just window dressing (albeit sometimes with very nice curtains).
If you would like support ensuring that your Reward Strategy, frameworks and schemes are communicating the culture you intend, then please reach out to us at rewardsolutions@rewardheads.co.uk to arrange a chat about how we can help.