How to Compensate Your Employees in 2026: Building a Competitive Total Rewards Program

​Money matters. But if salary were the whole story, hiring and retention would be easy (and we all know it’s not).

​As the talent market continues to evolve, employers are realizing that compensation isn’t just about pay anymore. Benefits, incentives, and overall employee experience now play a major role in how people evaluate where they work.. and most importantly, whether they stay.

​In this webinar, we’ll break down what total compensation actually means in 2026, and how organizations can use pay, benefits, and benchmarking more strategically to compete for talent without blindly following the market.

​We’ll cover how total rewards influence hiring, retention, and engagement, how to assess where your organization really sits in the market, and why benefits often carry more weight than employers expect. We’ll also unpack common benchmarking mistakes and how to align compensation decisions with broader business & growth goals.

​This session is designed for business leaders and HR teams who want a clearer, more intentional approach to compensation. Learn how to supports growth while staying competitive in a crowded talent market.

​By the end of this session, you’ll understand:

• ​What total compensation really includes today (and what most employers overlook)

• ​Why pay alone no longer drives attraction or retention

• ​How benefits influence employee perception, loyalty, and decision-making

• ​How to benchmark compensation intelligently (not blindly)

• ​How to position your organization strategically within the market
  

​This webinar is accredited with SHRM and HRCI® as eligible Continued Education credits.

​Ethos Benefits is recognized by SHRM to offer professional development credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

Ethos Benefits is approved to offer HRCI® recertification credits for this program. This program has been approved for 0.5 - 1 HR (General) recertification credit(s) toward aPHR®, PHR®, SPHR®, and GPHR® certification.