Live from World at Work Total Rewards 2026 with Special Guests Chelsea Hamilton & Sam Thomeier

In this special episode, Pete and Julie are joined by Chelsea Hamilton and Sam Thomeier, live from the annual World at Work Total Rewards event in San Antonio, TX! Chelsea and Sam unpack why pay transparency remains one of the biggest issues facing total rewards leaders, and why the shift is being driven by more than legislation. From generational expectations and candidate behavior to the long-standing culture of secrecy around pay, the conversation explores why employers can no longer afford to treat compensation as a closed-door topic. The discussion also gets practical, covering why compensation structure is never truly “done,” how organizations should approach change management before communicating pay philosophy, and why salary ranges only work when managers understand how to explain them. Chelsea and Sam also dig into the risks and opportunities of AI in compensation, including job-matching tools, salary benchmarking, employee use of AI, and the danger of relying on noisy or biased data. Plus, why getting compensation “right” is not just about market data or compliance. Connect with Sam & Chelsea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-thomeier-2898537/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-hamilton-shrm-cp/ https://herronpalmer.com/ Connect with the show: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 X: @HRPayroll2_0 X: @PeteTiliakos X: @JulieFer_HR BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0 WRKDefined Podcast Network: https://wrkdefined.com/podcast/hr-payroll-20 Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward! G-P ‘Globalization Partners’: https://www.globalization-partners.com/ OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90 Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain’ and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/