Navigating Pay Transparency

Equal Pay Day moved BACKWARD in 2025 to March 25th, revealing a harsh truth: transparency without enforcement doesn't create equality. 60% of job postings now include salary information—up from just 18% in 2020—yet women still earn just 85 cents to a man's dollar. Even more disturbing? The gap is widening. Of 98 countries with equal pay laws, only 35 have implemented any accountability mechanisms. We're seeing the illusion of progress without the substance. True salary transparency requires action at every level: For individuals: - Share your salary information with "trusted" colleagues - Explicitly ask for pay ranges before interviews - Document salary discussions and decisions - Normalize compensation conversations in your workplace - Research industry standards using sites like Glassdoor and Payscale For managers: - Conduct regular pay equity audits in your teams - Establish clear compensation criteria based on skills and responsibilities - Remove salary history questions from your hiring process - Advocate for transparent promotion pathways For organizations: - Implement formal pay bands with clear progression criteria - Regularly publish company-wide gender and racial pay gap data - Create accountability mechanisms for addressing inequities - Train managers on recognizing and addressing unconscious bias in compensation decisions The data is clear: companies with meaningful transparency see pay gaps narrow significantly in the first year alone. But posting a salary range isn't enough if there's no accountability behind it. Let's move beyond performative transparency toward meaningful equity. Please share this post if you think salary transparency should come with real action. Joshua Miller #SalaryTransparency #PayEquity #Workplace

Does greater transparency in salaries between coworkers within a firm reduce the gender wage gap? Yes. Is this achieved through higher salaries of women or lower salaries of men? Research suggests mainly the latter. In a review of empirical evidence from five different countries (US, Canada, UK, Austria, and Denmark), Zoë Cullen concludes that: "In the cases where transparency achieved greater pay equalization between men and women—those in the lower left quadrant of the graph—the reduction in pay gap was accompanied by an overall reduction in wages. Economic theory offers an explanation. Horizontal pay transparency between coworkers within a firm created spillovers between negotiations; specifically, a $1 raise for one worker became more costly due to renegotiations with other workers who have the expectation of equal pay, causing employers to bargain more aggressively with each worker." Read the full article here: Zoë Cullen (2024), "Is Pay Transparency Good?" Journal of Economic Perspectives, 38 (1): 153-80. https://lnkd.in/e9pH8T-t (open access) In addition to horizontal pay transparency policies, the article discusses the effects of two other pay transparency policies: "Vertical pay transparency policies reveal to workers pay differences across different levels of seniority. Empirical evidence suggests these policies can lead to more accurate and more optimistic beliefs about earnings potential, increasing employee motivation and productivity. Cross-firm pay transparency policies reveal wage differences across employers. These policies have encouraged workers to seek jobs at higher paying firms, negotiate higher pay, and sharpened wage competition between employers."

𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 ! 🏢 Companies increasingly recognise that greater pay transparency is no longer optional — it’s becoming a new reality that can strengthen employer brand and boost competitive advantage in the talent market. 🇺🇸 In the US, more organisations are embracing transparency, even as 2025 Executive Orders and 🇪🇺 EU Pay Transparency directives introduce new regulatory complexities. 🛠 Proactive steps are on the rise — leaders are navigating both domestic and global directives to provide clarity around pay equity, demonstrating a commitment to fairness and trust. 🚀 The most‑used metrics are: 1️⃣ Changes in the gender pay gap 2️⃣ Gender pay gap relative to peers 3️⃣ Impact on employee engagement In a competitive talent landscape, transparency isn’t just compliance — it’s a strategic lever to attract, engage, and retain top talent while building a culture of trust,🤖 according to a new interesting research published by WTW using data 📊 from a survey of 1,915 respondents globally. ☝️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬: I find it truly amazing that the once‑taboo subject of employee pay and compensation is finally stepping into the light. With the momentum of new regulatory rules, we are witnessing a wave of change pushing not only EU companies but also their US counterparts to embrace pay transparency. This shift is more than a compliance exercise — it is a profound step toward fairness, trust, and open dialogue in the workplace. By confronting the topic head‑on, organizations are laying the groundwork for genuine pay equity. The ripple effects of this movement will, without a doubt, help close the Gender Pay Gap on a global scale. It’s a powerful reminder that when transparency meets courage, progress follows — and that is a future worth building. My recommendation 🌟 For organizations: ➡️ Embed transparency into culture — make open pay conversations a norm, not an exception. ➡️ Equip managers with training and resources so they can confidently and consistently explain compensation programs. ➡️ Audit and act ➡️ Communicate with empathy 🌟 For recruiters: ➡️ Lead with transparency in job postings by including salary ranges up front. ➡️ Champion equity ➡️ Educate candidates on how your organization approaches compensation and career progression. ➡️ Be a bridge — share candidate feedback with leadership to continuously improve pay practices. 🙏Thank you WTW researchers team for sharing these insightful findings: Eva Jesmiatka Lindsay Wiggins Gaby Joyner Kristy Banas 🔑 How do you see pay transparency transforming workplace culture in the next 5 years? #PayTransparency #PayEquity #EqualPay #GenderPayGap

So from yesterday, women are working for free up until the end of the year 🥴🥴🥴 Yesterday marked “Equal Pay Day”—the symbolic date when women, on average, stop earning relative to men for the rest of the year due to the pay gap. People often get ‘Equal pay’ and ‘Gender pay gap’ confused! It's an easy mistake to make as they both relate to pay, but they are quite different by definition! 💰Equal pay means ensuring men and women receive the same salary for performing the same or equivalent work, as mandated by the UK’s Equal Pay Act of 1970. 💰The gender pay gap, however, measures the average difference in earnings between men and women across an organisation or sector, regardless of their roles or seniority. It reflects structural inequalities like underrepresentation in leadership or overrepresentation in lower-paid roles. There are many reasons why any company would have a gender pay gap, but the most common factor is gender representation at senior levels of the organisation 🤷🏾♀️ The gender pay gap significantly impacts women and costs businesses through reduced employee engagement and turnover. For the UK economy, closing the gender pay gap could add £150 billion to GDP by 2025. The gender pay gap reflects deep-rooted barriers, from biases in promotion practices to limited support for flexible working and caregiving. If we want to achieve gender parity, we need to focus on our systemic processes that remove biases and drive equity. Addressing the pay gap as part of your talent and remuneration strategy benefits everyone because it creates a more inclusive workplace! How do you do this, you ask 😆😆 💰 By being transparent! Conduct regular pay audits, share the results, and outline clear, actionable steps to address disparities. Transparency fosters accountability. 💰 By promoting Women into Leadership Invest in mentorship programs, sponsorships, and leadership pipelines for women, ensuring their representation at every level. 💰By meaningfully supporting Parents and carers Offer flexible working options and better parental leave policies to balance caregiving responsibilities, disproportionately affecting women. By closing the gender pay gap, we empower women and strengthen our workforce, its families, and its future. This isn’t just a women’s issue; it’s a collective opportunity to build a fairer society for all. #inclusion #eqaulpay #diversity #culture #eqaulpayday

Salary secrecy doesn't protect your company. It perpetuates inequality. After analyzing compensation data across hundreds of tech companies, one thing became crystal clear: Pay opacity doesn't prevent salary inflation. It enables discrimination. 👉 Women in tech earn 84 cents on the dollar 👉 Black technologists earn 78 cents on the dollar 👉 Salary transparency narrows these gaps by 45% Companies hiding behind competitive compensation without publishing ranges aren't protecting their bottom line. They're protecting their ability to pay people differently for the same work. The most progressive organizations have embraced transparency not just as an ethical stance, but as a competitive advantage in recruiting. Your salary bands shouldn't be classified information. They should be a reflection of your values. Has your company embraced salary transparency? The talent market is increasingly demanding it. #SalaryTransparency #PayEquity #TechCompensation #WorkplaceEquality #TalentAcquisition

On #EqualPayDay, it’s not enough to just acknowledge the #PayGap — we need to take concrete steps to make sure every woman gets paid fairly. Women who work full-time year-round earn just 84 cents for every $1 earned by men. When you include part-time workers, the gap widens to 78 cents for all earners. And it’s even larger for women with historically marginalized identities: for Black women, Native American women, and Latinas. These numbers are more than just statistics. They have a real-life impact. It means women have less money for groceries, rent, childcare, tuition and so much more. Here are 5 actions companies can take to make a difference: ✅Conduct a pay audit by analyzing compensation by gender and race to address pay gaps. ✅Put clear, consistent criteria in place for performance reviews and regularly audit promotions to ensure men aren’t advancing more quickly than equally-qualified women. ✅Train managers to recognize and reduce gender bias in staffing decisions, pay negotiations, and performance reviews. (Check out Lean In’s free 50 Ways to Fight Bias training!) ✅Guarantee women have equal access to mentors, sponsors, and opportunities to accelerate their careers. ✅Ensure that women can negotiate without facing backlash by training managers to encourage negotiations from all employees.  #LeanInOrg

Perhaps half of the women that I work with, are not looking for a redirection of their career. What they want is a straight-up promotion. Often times, a promotion would simply mean aligning practice with theory, ie they are already doing all the work and carry the responsibilities of the higher position. That just hasn’t been recognised in their title and salary yet. Other times, these women aren’t given the change to perform at a higher level. They have everything it takes to succeed in a more senior role but the relevant stakeholders don’t see that or chose not to support them for a promotion. Regardless of the background, what my clients need in order to move up, is to have the career conversations that show that they have got what it takes for the higher title and pay and / or that they are already operating at that level. And that inevitably involves speaking about themselves and their accomplishments. After all, the research is clear that women are promoted based on past performance, not on potential. *** That’s where fear and discomfort kicks in. Because speaking about ourselves and our accomplishments, can feel like bragging or showing off to us, which is highly uncomfortable - especially for women. What is okay or even encouraged behaviour for boys and men, is uncouth for girls and women. “Look how confident he is!” we say about a man who talks about his success. “Ugh, what an arrogant show-off” - about the woman who discusses the exact same thing. No wonder we don’t want to participate in that behaviour, even if that means forgoing the chance of a promotion. No wonder we suck at it, if we do step up and try to discuss our accomplishments – we have little training and it’s a very tricky balancing act as a woman. So we stay silent, and stagnant. And Bob-down-the-corridor gets the promotion. *** So what are you supposed to do? How can you overcome this mental hurdle to talk about yourself in a way that gets results? My advice is for you to focus on the intention of your message. If you reframe the process from “showing off” to simply “informing” or “sharing”, it takes some of the pressure off, doesn’t it? What I mean is, you don’t focus on you, you focus instead on THEM: by sharing what you are great at doing, you allow them the chance to make an informed decision. Without the information you are sharing with them about you, they cannot make that informed decision. So really, by discussing yourself and your accomplishments, you are helping the other side. Making this one small shift in your thinking lowers the bar to have these conversations in the right way, so that you get the promotion and salary raise that you deserve. If you want or need more help, please get in touch to see if my career and salary coaching program may be for you. I promise you that after working with me, you will actually enjoy these conversations!

GENDER PAY GAP | Closing the gender pay gap requires a strategic, data-informed, and collaborative approach tailored to each organisation’s unique challenges and opportunities. At Culture Plus, we combine expertise in workforce analysis with workforce engagement techniques, such as focus groups and ideation sessions, to ensure practical and meaningful solutions. These sessions bring together key stakeholders across all levels of the organisation to uncover barriers, generate ideas, and co-create strategies that resonate with your company culture and goals. Our approach also includes implementing best practice strategies, such as conducting regular pay audits, enhancing transparency in remuneration policies, and aligning recruitment and promotion practices with equity goals. By tailoring solutions to your organisation's specific needs, we enable you to address systemic inequities effectively, fostering a culture of fairness and driving measurable progress toward gender pay equity.

You don't leave a job because of one thing. You leave because of the last thing, but there are so many others. There was one moment a few months earlier where I realized that we would never be on the same page, and it was pivotal in getting the wheels turning for me to eventually leave. While working through projections and budgeting, I realized that an established team member was making substantially less than a recently hired one. I was kind of shocked as I was the one who had made all of the offers to each of the team members. These were not the numbers that I put on offer letters. I immediately brought it up with the powers that were. I didn't know how it happened, but we had a responsibility to fix it. The answer that I got? “We can’t claw back funds that were already paid.” …What? I was so flabbergasted by the response. You thought I wanted you to ask somebody to return money that you gave willingly them rather than paying someone else what they were clearly worth? “Are you serious? No one is suggesting that. You need to give the other person a raise for parity. This is neither fair nor transparent.” Silence. “I don’t think we can do that.” I didn't realize it, but the glass was broken. It continued to splinter from there. THIS is why everyone, women especially, should talk openly about salary. The idea that we shouldn’t discuss what we earn is designed to help the people who have the money to keep more of the money. It doesn’t protect you from anything. Talk about money. It’s not impolite. It’s a form of self-care, self-preservation and equity prioritization. We still have Just To Talk sessions this week and groups through Wednesday. We can also put together some "found family" groups for anyone who could use some family this week. Just shout with what you need, and we will meet you there with it.

Pay transparency: unintended consequences A recent academic paper (link in comments) examined the consequences of pay transparency, focusing on less well understood and unintended effects. Using LinkedIn data from 2018 to 2023, they found that firms hire fewer women after implementing pay transparency policies, than before. • This gap is thought to result from employers’ continued undervaluation of women’s labour combined with women’s increased salary expectations. • The negative effect is strongest in highly competitive industries. • And less pronounced in firms offering more stereotypically female roles. Additionally: • The effect is increased for women in high-seniority positions, where greater bargaining power may widen the gap between expectations and offers - or where pressure to increase female participation at senior levels strengthens women’s negotiating power. • Conversely, women working in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) roles experience weaker bargaining power. Maybe this is due to persistent gender biases, underrepresentation, or structural barriers which limit their ability to negotiate as well as women in other sectors. What can your organisation do to avoid these issues?