Finance and Accounting Essentials for Reward Specialists
Course Information

Designed by reward practitioners for reward practitioners who are looking to improve their financial literacy and the impact they have on business success.

Date: 28 January 2025; 3 July 2025.
Location: Virtual classroom (Dates for London & Dublin TBC).
Duration: One day, 9am to 5pm (UK).
Fees: £595 + VAT per delegate.
Download brochure: click here

INTRODUCTION

Financial acumen is a key building block for reward specialists looking to boost their financial literacy and enhance their contribution to organisation success. Financial fluency is now a critical requirement for reward professionals in most modern businesses as reward costs like salaries, bonus, benefits, and social insurance can make up as much as 70% of total operating costs of a business.

This course is designed by and for reward professionals looking to advance their financial fluency and boost the impact they have on their organisation’s success.

FORMAT

A one-day interactive class delivered by an experienced reward practitioner either in-person or live-streamed via Zoom with a small number of participants. In-person classes are hosted in London and Dublin.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

How to leverage financial information more effectively, make HR decisions that better support your organisation’s financial health, and equip you with the knowledge to interact more closely with your organisation’s accounting and finance departments.

How to interpret and navigate key financial reporting statements effectively including the statement of financial position and the statement of comprehensive income.
Knowledge of remuneration related accounting standards including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
How to account for various employee rewards and benefits, including salary, bonus, benefits, stock-based compensation, and evaluating associated risks.
Ability to assess a project from a financial point of view and produce a compelling business case in relation to investments and spend.

HOW WILL IT BENEFIT YOU

Provide you with fluency in financial and accounting language.
Enable you to make better reward/HR decisions by gaining essential knowledge about finance and accounting practices and goals.
Enable you to reduce financial and legal risk by learning the regulations/standards that govern employee reward programmes.
Enable you to understand the relationships between the work of reward specialists, and the work of finance/accounting departments.
Enable you to demonstrate business acumen by evaluating business performance contained in the financial statements and by understanding key financial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Interact directly with and learn directly from an experienced reward professional on how to successfully apply finance and accounting knowledge to reward work.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course is designed for reward/HR professionals who want to acquire actionable knowledge in organisational accounting and finance for better decision-making.

ENTRY CRITERIA

Participants should already be working in rewards or planning over the short to medium term.

ASSESMENTS

There is no exam or qualification awarded.

PROGRAMME

Module #1: The intersection of finance and rewards
  • Why finance is the language of business.
  • Why business acumen matters for rewards professionals.
  • What business strategy is, linking rewards to business strategy, organisation culture and employee engagement.
  • Essential finance knowledge for reward practitioners.
Module #2: Accounting and finance reporting standards
  • Key finance/accounting standards governing the reporting of rewards programme costs.
  • Difference between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Module #3: Understanding financial reporting statements
  • The construct and format of the four key financial reporting statements:
  • Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet).
  • Statement of Comprehensive Income (Profit and Loss).
  • Statement of Shareholder Equity.
  • Statement of Cash Flows.
Module #4: Preparing compelling reward proposals
  • Key steps to ensure effective stakeholder engagement.
  • Assessing and articulating risk versus rewards.
  • Performing a cost-benefit analysis.
  • An overview of the time value of money.
  • Analysing reasons for investment in reward programmes.
Module #5: Wrap up, Q&A, and Pointers on how to apply learnings
  • Summary of key takeaways from the course.
  • Pointers on how best to apply the course content.
  • Opportunity to ask questions/discuss any part of the course.
Pat Gurren
Pat Gurren
Founder of Gurren Compensation Ltd

Pat Gurren GRP, CCP, CSCP, FCIPD has over 30 years’ experience working with organisations globally to address their remuneration challenges and complexities. During his corporate career, he worked with Intel Corporation as Asia Region Compensation & Benefits Director, Europe Region C&B Director, and Global Head of C&B Operations.

In 2004, Pat established his own compensation consulting practice, Gurren Compensation Ltd. As a freelance consultant, he has worked with over 200 organisations globally to address their reward challenges. He works across all areas of rewards and has a particular passion for working with clients to link rewards to business strategy, business results and organisation culture. He enables organisations to unleash the potential of rewards via the design of effective short-term and long-term incentive programme including sales incentive programmes.

Pat has been a teaching faculty member at WorldatWork since 2008. He is a certified Global Remuneration Professional (GRP®), a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP®) and a Certified Sales Compensation Professional (CSCP®), and a Fellow of the CIPD (FCIPD).

Your PC via Zoom, live streamed or in-person class training (London & Dublin).

PROGRAMME

Module #1: The intersection of finance and rewards

Why finance is the language of business.

Why business acumen matters for rewards professionals.

What business strategy is, linking rewards to business strategy, organisation culture and employee engagement.

Essential finance knowledge for reward practitioners.

Module #2: Accounting and finance reporting standards

Key finance/accounting standards governing the reporting of rewards programme costs.

Difference between Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) standards and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Module #3: Understanding financial reporting statements

The construct and format of the four key financial reporting statements:

Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet).

Statement of Comprehensive Income (Profit and Loss).

Statement of Shareholder Equity.

Statement of Cash Flows.

Module #4: Preparing compelling reward proposals

Key steps to ensure effective stakeholder engagement.

Assessing and articulating risk versus rewards.

Performing a cost-benefit analysis.

An overview of the time value of money.

Analysing reasons for investment in reward programmes.

Module #5: Wrap up, Q&A, and Pointers on how to apply learnings

Summary of key takeaways from the course.

Pointers on how best to apply the course content.

Opportunity to ask questions/discuss any part of the course.

Virtual classroom 28/01/2025 - 28/01/2025
Virtual classroom 03/07/2025 - 03/07/2025
THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY TO THE DELIVERY OF EDUCATION COURSES BY E-REWARD.CO.UK LTD (INCLUDING MASTERING REWARD COURSES; WORLDATWORK GLOBAL REMUNERATION PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION [GRP] COURSES AND EXAMINATIONS [PROGRAM]; IN-HOUSE AND CUSTOMISED TRAINING COURSES).

These terms and conditions apply between the person, firm, company or other entity specified on your booking form and E-reward.co.uk Ltd (company number: 4281768). Registered in England and Wales. Registered office 33 Denby Lane, Heaton Chapel, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2RA, United Kingdom for delegate registrations for the course (including Mastering Reward courses, GRP courses with exam and in-house training courses) specified on your booking form (‘Course’).

Please read these terms and conditions carefully as they contain important information.

By submitting your registration to attend the Course you agree to be bound by these terms to the exclusion of all other terms. If you do not agree to be bound by these terms E-reward.co.uk Ltd will be unable to accept your registration.

Delegate cancellations

Delegates who advise E-reward.co.uk Ltd of their cancellation in writing via email (to paul@e-reward.co.uk) 30 calendar days before the start of the Course will have their fees refunded – less an administration charge of 20% of the Course fees.

No refund will be made for cancellations received less than 30 calendar days before the start of the Course.

Failure to attend the Course will be subject to the same terms.

  • GRP courses featuring pre-recorded online videos – If your GRP course includes access to pre-recorded video training, once this access has been provided to you (at least four weeks prior to the accompanying virtual classroom day), no refund of delegate fees will be payable.
  • In-house training – You will not have any right to cancel a Contract for the booking of any customised/in-house training courses. For the avoidance of doubt, no refund will be payable

Delegate transfers

Transfers may be made to any other Course in the UK organised by E-reward.co.uk Ltd subject to space availability. All transfer requests must be made in writing via email (to paul@e-reward.co.uk) 30 calendar days or more before the start of the Course.

There will be no fee charged for such transfers. One free transfer can be made for each course booking after which there will be a £100 administration charge for each further request.

Please note: We are unable to accept any transfer requests received less than 30 calendar days before the start of the course and no refunds will be made.

We are unable to accept any transfer requests once you have received access to GRP pre-recorded learning videos.

Substitutions with employees from your organisation are welcome at any time at no extra charge. You must email any substitutions (to paul@e-reward.co.uk) prior to the date of the Course.

Please note: We are unable to accept any ‘substitutions’ once you have received access to GRP pre-recorded learning videos.

Payment

You will pay E-reward.co.uk Ltd any fees specified in your booking form for the Course. Payment to E-reward.co.uk Ltd in GBP British Pounds is by BACS, wire transfer, cheque or credit card. It is a condition of booking that payment must be received by E-reward.co.uk Ltd before the start of the Course or no later than 30 days from the date of invoice, whichever is sooner.

If payment of your fees in full is not received before the Course, E-reward.co.uk Ltd may (at its sole discretion) either require such payment as a condition of your entry to the Course or refuse you entry to the Course.

Prices for each Course, where applicable, are correct at the time of publication. We reserve the right to change the prices at any time but changes will not affect registrations which have already been confirmed by E-reward.co.uk Ltd.

Each ticket covers attendance for one person only for the duration of the Course, and includes coffees, teas and light snacks during the lunch hour, as well as course materials.

All bookings are subject to value added tax (VAT) at 20%. You shall, on receipt of a VAT invoice from E-reward.co.uk Ltd, pay to E-reward.co.uk Ltd such additional amounts in respect of VAT as are chargeable on the supply of the Course.

Late payments

We understand and will exercise our statutory right to interest and compensation for debt recovery costs under the late payment legislation if we are not paid according to agreed credit terms. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts [Interest] Act 1998 – as amended and supplemented by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2002 (to incorporate the features of European Directive 2000/35/EC) – we are entitled to charge:

  • Debt recovery costs – £40 on debt up to £999.99; £70 on debt between £1,000 and £9,999.99.
  • Statutory interest – 8% above the Bank of England reference rate (fixed for the six-month period within which date the invoices became overdue).

Joining instructions

Final Course details will be emailed to delegates at least three weeks before the Course.

Course documentation

You will receive your course materials by email ahead of the Course.

Hotel accommodation

Delegates are responsible for their own accommodation.

Course cancellations and amendments

The Course programme is correct at the time of going to press.

E-reward.co.uk Ltd reserves the right to change the format, tutors, venue location and programme or any other aspect of the Course at any time and for any reason, whether or not due to a Force Majeure event, in each case without liability/refund.

‘Force Majeure Course’ means any event arising that is beyond the reasonable control of E-reward.co.uk Ltd including (without limitation) speaker or participant cancellation or withdrawal, supplier or contractor failure, venue damage or cancellation, health scares, industrial dispute, governmental regulations or action, military action, fire, flood, disaster, civil riot, acts of terrorism or war.

E-reward.co.uk Ltd reserves the right to change the date or cancel a Course at any time and for any reason without notice. Where circumstances force E-reward.co.uk to cancel a Course, E-reward.co.uk Ltd shall offer you the option of attending any rearranged Course that E-reward.co.uk Ltd chooses to organise.

If you do not wish to accept this offer, then you will (as your sole remedy) be entitled, at your discretion, to receive either a credit note or a refund in respect of your fees received by E-reward.co.uk Ltd for that particular Course.

However, where the Course is postponed for reasons due to a Force Majeure event, any of your fees received by E-reward.co.uk Ltd shall be applied to any rearranged or rescheduled Course and all these Terms and Conditions shall apply to any such transferred booking.

To the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, E-reward.co.uk Ltd shall not be liable to you for any loss, delay, damage or other liability incurred resulting from or arising in connection with the cancellation or date change of the Course howsoever arising or any venue change.

For the avoidance of doubt, you acknowledge and agree that should the Course date be changed or cancelled, E-reward.co.uk Ltd is not liable for any travel or accommodation costs you may have incurred.

How we use your registration information

E-reward.co.uk Limited is a registered data controller under number Z7317541.

Your Course registration information will be added to our marketing database but will not be given to third parties without your prior consent.

E-reward.co.uk Ltd uses email addresses for its own purposes of keeping customers informed about Courses and providing product, service and information announcements.

If you supply us with your postal address online, you may receive periodic mailings from E-reward.co.uk Ltd with information on new products and services and upcoming Courses.

If you do not wish to receive information about products and services, please let us know by email (to paul@e-reward.co.uk).

Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by the applicable law, E-reward.co.uk Ltd excludes:

  • all liability for loss, injury or damage to persons or property at the Course;
  • all indemnities, warranties, representations, terms and conditions (whether express or implied); and
  • any actual or alleged indirect loss or consequential loss howsoever arising suffered by you or any loss of profits, anticipated profits, savings, loss of business revenue, loss of business, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, or any other type of economic loss (whether direct or indirect).

If E-reward.co.uk Ltd is liable to you for any reason, its total liability to you in relation to the Courses (whether under these terms or conditions or otherwise) is limited to the amount of your fees received by E-reward.co.uk Ltd.

Views expressed by the Course instructors are their own. All advice provided at this course is for general guidance only. Any course delegates relying on information or advice given in the course of such training do so at their own risk.

E-reward.co.uk reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions from time to time. However, you will be subject to the terms and conditions in force at the time you submit your registration.

Further information

If you have any questions, please email us at paul@e-reward.co.uk