D355 Total Rewards sample papers, task by task

Reviewed by Preston Vandermark, MBA Total Rewards Western Governors University Free custom samples in 24–48h

D355 asks students to choose whether to lead, match or lag the market and to defend the mix of pay and benefits that follows. The sample here builds a total rewards strategy for a composite regional museum struggling to hire IT and marketing staff.

How this shelf works

Send the exact assignment or rubric from your course of study and a custom sample written to it lands in 24 to 48 hours, the first one free. D355 is WGU’s Total Rewards course. It centers on how organizations choose a pay position against the market, set a mix of base, variable pay and benefits, and support their objectives through rewards. Searches like "d355 task 1 assignment example", "D355 sample paper", and "D355 task samples" land on this page.

What D355 is really about

Total Rewards covers strategic compensation, pay types and systems, market pricing, internal consistency, variable pay, legally required and discretionary benefits, and how the total package supports organizational objectives.

Its performance task asks students to explain how compensation supports organizational goals, evaluate pay types and systems for competitiveness and consistency, and evaluate benefits for a total rewards approach, all for a scenario organization. A strong paper states a market position and defends it with the organization's goals and constraints. The museum in the sample is fictional; its research base is not. A museum is a good test of rewards strategy because it cannot match corporate salaries for technical staff, so its strategy must combine targeted pay with the flexibility, mission and development opportunities that nonprofits can offer, and it must explain those trade-offs to a board that watches every dollar.

What D355’s tasks ask for

The D355 task generally has you choose and justify a total rewards strategy of leading, matching or lagging the market, set the mix of base pay, variable pay and benefits, and evaluate legally required and discretionary benefits for the organization.

Why D355 tasks come back for revision

Rewards papers are often returned when the market position is not justified, when the pay mix ignores hard-to-fill roles, or when required and discretionary benefits are confused. Plans also lose credit when they ignore cost. Stating what the chosen position would add to payroll, and how the organization will fund it, shows the strategy is realistic. Another gap is treating every role the same when the scenario clearly identifies which roles are hard to fill and why.

The D355 drawers

Task 1

D355 Task 1 total rewards strategy example

A market position, pay mix and benefits are set and defended. On request, free, 24-48h.

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Your course of study shows something else?

Western Governors University revises courses; task counts and deliverables shift between terms. Send what your classroom shows and the desk matches it exactly.

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Using a D355 sample the right way

Study the D355 sample for how the market position flows from the organization's situation. Send the instructions and rubric aspects for a custom sample in 24-48h, the first one free.

How these samples are written

Method, in one line: aspects first, structure from the aspects, artifacts consistent, format exact. Both C-code and D-code spellings resolve here because students search both. Your free request is drafted against what your degree plan actually shows.

D355 questions, answered

What does leading the market mean in D355?

Paying above the market rate to attract and keep scarce talent.

Can D355 mix strategies?

Yes. Many organizations lead for scarce roles and match for others.

Is the D355 museum real?

It is a composite; the research is real.