A few years ago I applied for a job as Executive Director of a small, but financially healthy charity. We went through the interview process and everything went really well. It went so well, they offered me the job. Imagine my surprise when this charity thought an appropriate salary was literally half what I was expecting. Imagine how different that process would have been if the charity had posted the salary range.
Recently, there has been a movement in England called "Show the Salary." This campaign highlights the importance of advertising salary ranges along with job postings. Research has shown that publishing the salary range helps ensure that racialized people, women, and people with disabilities are more likely to receive equitable salaries. This is one part of shrinking the persistent gap in wages between white men and other workers. This creates a more fair workplace for all.
Thanks to social media, the Share the Salary movement quickly arrived in Canada and the US. Already several leading organizations have shown leadership in this area including three of the major Canadian sector professional associations and a leading job website. This kind of important leadership by sector champions means that this movement is well on its way to broad acceptance for charity job postings.
The Canadian organizations that have adopted this practice include:
Other sector leaders are encouraging all employers to include salary ranges as part of job postings. This soft approach may be a bridge to tighter restrictions down the road.
In addition to the professional associations, at least one well-known charity career website is showing salaries for all their job listings
This is an important leadership move for the sector.
Including salary range is about equity. It is also about efficiency. Job seekers can quit wasting time applying for work where the salary is out of alignment with their expectations. Employers can be sure that anyone who applies is willing to work within the range the charity is willing to pay. Best of all, showing the salary means that your charity is paying people in a way that is equitable. That is both good for equity and good for business.
Information for this article was provided by Liz LeClair, Jim Martin, and Liz Rejman. Any errors are the fault of Hilborn Editor, Ann Rosenfield who consolidated their helpful information.
