In this episode of the Vantage HR Influencers Podcast, we explore how Total Rewards strategies are evolving to support the realities of hybrid and remote work, while continuing to drive engagement, performance, and retention.
Host Riha is joined by Kriti Mehrotra, Senior Lead – Total Rewards at Synamedia, to discuss how organizations are rethinking compensation, benefits, wellbeing, recognition, and flexibility in a distributed workforce. Together, they examine what today’s employees truly value, how leaders can balance personalization with equity, and what it takes to design Total Rewards programs that remain relevant, inclusive, and future-ready in a changing world of work.
About the Speaker
Kriti Mehrotra is a seasoned Total Rewards professional with over six years of HR experience across two organizations and currently serves as Senior Lead – Total Rewards at Synamedia. With expertise across compensation, benefits, and recognition programs, she specializes in designing fair, transparent, and business-aligned reward solutions that balance organizational goals with employee needs. Kriti is driven by the intersection of strategy and human impact, and is passionate about using data-driven insights to create meaningful employee experiences that enhance performance and engagement.
Timestamps
(3:07) When you talk to employees today, what’s the first thing you notice about how their expectations for rewards have changed compared to pre-pandemic times?
(9:03) How are organizations rethinking pay structures when location is no longer the primary anchor? Should remote work mean location-based pay or role-based pay?
(14:06) Which benefits have become non-negotiable in a hybrid workforce, and which traditional benefits are becoming irrelevant?
(21:28) In remote and hybrid setups, visibility drops. How can Total Rewards help ensure recognition isn’t limited to the loudest or most visible people?
(30:55) What metrics should leaders track today to understand whether their Total Rewards program is working for hybrid teams?
(38:30) Hybrid work risks creating a two-tier culture, “those in office” and “those remote.” Can Total Rewards bridge this cultural divide?
(44:33) If you could give one piece of advice to organizations redesigning their Total Rewards strategy for 2025 and beyond, what would it be?
