Understanding Pay Transparency in the Workplace

Is Pay Equity Holding Back Your Talent Strategy? Pay equity feels like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. Ignore it and you risk talent loss and reputational damage. 77% of organizations have concerns about tackling pay equity issues, according to a study by Mercer. Many companies find pay equity to be a significant and complex challenge, often due to factors such as internal bias, legal complexities, and difficulties in accessing accurate data. So, how do you navigate these waters without getting lost in the waves? 7 practical tips to help you tackle pay equity issues head-on: 1. Start with Data Data is your best friend when it comes to pay equity. Conduct regular pay audits to identify discrepancies and understand where adjustments are needed. Think of it as your GPS - it helps you find where you are and where you need to go. 2. Benchmark Against the Market Compare your pay practices against industry standards and regional benchmarks. This helps ensure that your compensation packages are competitive and fair. Remember, if you’re paying below market rates, you might be losing top talent to competitors. 3. Focus on Transparent Processes Transparency builds trust. Clearly communicate how pay decisions are made and the criteria used for salary increases and promotions. It’s not about airing all your laundry, but rather showing that your processes are fair and unbiased. 4. Address Pay Gaps Proactively Once you identify pay gaps - act on them. Create a plan to address disparities and adjust pay accordingly. It’s like fixing a leaky faucet; if you don’t address it, the problem just keeps getting worse. 5. Educate and Train Ensure that your managers and HR teams are trained on pay equity principles and best practices. Educated leaders are more likely to make fair decisions to do right by the employee and the company. 6. Regularly Review and Adjust Pay equity isn’t a one-time fix; it’s an ongoing commitment. Regularly review your compensation practices and make adjustments as needed to stay aligned with equity goals and evolving market conditions. 7. Foster Open Dialogue Create a culture where employees feel comfortable discussing compensation concerns. An open dialogue can help address issues before they escalate and ensure that everyone feels heard and valued. Remember: Navigating pay equity issues requires diligence and commitment, but it’s worth the effort to build a fair and inclusive workplace. With the right approach, you can turn pay equity from a challenge into a strength. How do you handle pay equity in your organization? Share your strategies and experiences below! #PayEquity #CompensationStrategy #HRLeadership #FairPay #TalentManagement #Inclusivity

Why companies resist pay transparency and how to address it. Posting compensation ranges can help attract talent if you pay well.  So, why doesn't everyone do it?  Because when you post a pay range: ↳ If it's high, your current employees are going to find out… and ask for a raise. ↳ If it's low, great people may lose interest and it can hurt your firm's reputation. Pay transparency is a mirror that exposes a business's underbelly: the good, the bad and the ugly,  But the era of employers taking advantage of pay opaqueness in the USA is likely over: ↳ In July 2025 pay transparency will be the law of the land in 13 of the 50 United States. ↳ Indeed, the largest employment site in the US, shows a salary estimate on your jobs when you *don't* provide a pay range… whether you like it or not. The cat can’t be put back in the bag. → The question isn't IF your firm will post pay ranges, it's WHEN.   → Job seekers know their worth (unless they don't bother to check). If your company isn't fully transparent, you'll be doing your leadership a favor by sharing the facts with them and asking when that policy will change. It's better to get your house in order and post pay ranges on your own terms than have transparency forced upon you… and risk the associated fallout. Please share your stories about moving forward with (or not moving forward with) pay transparency if you got ‘em. #PayTransparency #SalaryTransparency #Compensation

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

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

This past week alone I came across over 15 exciting museum jobs on LinkedIn I couldn’t share because they didn’t list a salary. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: “No salary, no application.” “Not worth my time to apply, even if I can check tax documents… chances are if they aren’t willing to post it, it isn’t competitive.” “I look for the salary before I read anything else. Why waste my own time?” “My first impression if they do not list a salary is that the position must not pay very well. This usually deters me from applying.” 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯. “My first impression? The position must not pay very well.” “I refuse to share the job announcement within my networks (virtual or otherwise). It says to me that the employer is out of touch.” “I’ve gotten less picky after 6 months of job searching...but the sites that post salary tend to be more responsive. The others? They ghost.” “I applied once for a role I was excited about—then turned down the offer because the pay was insultingly low.” 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲: “I, generally, see this as a potential red flag. If they are not transparent in the job description, will they be transparent when you're working for them?” “It’s a red flag. Museums that don’t post salaries are wasting people’s time—or trying to chisel applicants.” "In the end, I do not apply to positions that don’t post a salary. That tells me you’re not transparent as an organization, whether it be compensation or elsewhere” “If it's on LinkedIn I will sometimes comment on the post and ask what the salary is. Their response (or lack thereof) often tells me a lot about how they operate as an organization and whether I would consider working for/with them.” “If I come across organizations where they are selectively choosing which roles have public information, I will avoid any applications there.” And in many places, it’s not just a bad look, it’s illegal. States with salary transparency laws include: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OR, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, WA, WI. Cities too: Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and beyond. So my question is: Why is your organization still doing this? It’s actively harming your reputation, limiting your applicant pool, and contributing to long-standing inequities in the field. It’s 2025. Be better.

To be transparent or not to be transparent? That is the question. To me, compensation transparency means empowering employees to answer two questions: Why am I paid what I am paid?  And, how can I earn more over time (if I want to do so)? Answering the "why" part of "Why am I paid what I am paid?" often comes in the form of a compensation philosophy and pay practices (e.g., job levels, competitive rate benchmark, etc.) [See 🔗 link in comments for a template compensation philosophy.] Answering the "what" part of "Why am I paid what I am paid?" often means deciding where you want to be on the compensation transparency spectrum — it's not just ON or OFF! — and taking the steps to share more total rewards information (e.g., base salary range for the role an employee is in) in conjunction with an education campaign. I like to use responses from a Total Rewards Survey to plot where our employee base wants us to be in regards to transparency. I'll also ask executives where they want us to be in regards to transparency.  Then, I'll overlay employee and executive answers on an image like the one below (h/t to Lattice for the great image and article, link in comments). That visual is a great starting point for a conversation to answer the question: "How transparent do we want to be?" Next, work with leadership to pick a point to move to on the transparency spectrum within a defined point in time (e.g., we want to move 2 notches to the right in the next 6 months). If you already feel like you're in a strong position with regards to salary transparency, I'd challenge you to repeat the exercise with variable compensation and stock options. You'll likely choose to land on different levels of transparency for different types of total rewards (e.g., more for base salary and less for equity). __ 👋 I'm Melissa Theiss, 4x Head of People and Business Operations and advisor for bootstrapped and VC-backed SaaS companies. 🗞️ In my newsletter, “The Business of People,” I share tips and tricks that help People leaders think like business leaders.  

I've never understood companies that hide pay ranges in their job postings. This practice is changing, as more states pass laws requiring salary disclosure. Overall, the share of postings with pay transparency has nearly tripled from its February 2020 level of 18% and is likely to continue growing in the coming months.  I get that companies want people who are committed to the work and not just the salary, but none of us are volunteers. We should find our job rewarding, but we work for pay. And we all deserve to earn what we're worth. That means companies should want to embrace salary transparency, in my opinion, and not simply wait until states force them to do so. Imagine visiting a grocery store and finding all the prices hidden until after you arrived at the checkout with a cartful of items. Or, getting an RFP response that tells you can't get the cost estimate until after you meet with the vendor. We don't do business like that in our personal or work lives, so why do so many job postings demand you invest time and energy to apply for jobs without knowing the compensation? I don't believe anyone should have to dedicate time and energy to applying for a job only to find out after committing 30 minutes (or three hours) of effort that the pay is not competitive, desirable, or interesting. Put the shoe on the other foot. Imagine applying for a job with nothing but your desired salary and telling a potential employer that you'll share your qualifications only after it agrees to the pay. That isn't much different than what many companies do today, in reverse. Increasingly, as states and companies embrace salary transparency, it will send a message if your company omits the salary from job postings. It's hard to see that as a positive message for an employer brand. A company that offers competitive pay and has a culture of equity, autonomy, and respect shouldn't fear revealing salaries in job postings. So, what does that say for a company still committed to the old, outdated approach?

Companies that hide salaries aren't really hiding salaries. They're hiding from the truth. When you obscure compensation in job listings, you're telling two stories at once: one to the market, and another to your team. The market story is about flexibility and negotiation. But the internal story? It's about maintaining the comfortable fiction that everyone is paid fairly. The reality is that the market has shifted. Talent knows its worth. And in an age where transparency builds trust, opacity breeds suspicion. The real cost isn't in posting the number – it's in pretending that keeping it secret somehow serves anyone except those who benefit from information asymmetry. Smart organizations understand that salary transparency isn't just about recruitment – it's about respect. For their current team. For potential candidates. For the future they want to build. The question isn't whether to share salary information. The question is: what story are you choosing to tell about who you are and what you value?

Transparency Builds Trust: The Case for Pay Scale in Job Posts Job seekers deserve clarity when making one of the most significant decisions of their careers—choosing where to work. Listing pay scales in job postings is crucial to fostering fairness, efficiency, and trust in the hiring process. When companies openly share salary ranges, candidates can make informed choices, ensuring alignment between expectations and reality. This transparency also empowers historically underpaid professionals to advocate for equitable compensation, reducing disparities in the workforce. For businesses, salary transparency streamlines recruitment. It prevents mismatched expectations and wasted time on interviews, which can lead to misalignment due to undisclosed compensation. Employers with clear salary brackets signal their commitment to integrity, making them more attractive to top talent. Moreover, transparent pay discussions cultivate internal fairness, encouraging existing employees to feel valued and reducing turnover rates. Beyond individual benefits, public salary disclosures push industries toward standardized and equitable pay structures. When organizations openly share salary ranges, they contribute to a culture where compensation is based on merit, market trends, and fairness, rather than secrecy or negotiation tactics that disadvantage certain groups. In a future where talent acquisition is more competitive than ever, companies embracing salary transparency will attract the best candidates and foster a culture of inclusion and respect. It’s time for job postings to reflect the values of a modern, ethical workplace. Whether you’re a job seeker, hiring manager, or business leader, advocating for pay transparency isn’t just a choice—it’s a necessity in creating an equitable future. Do you think transparent salaries should become the standard? Let’s start the conversation in the comments below. #humanresources #business

85% of Gen Z job seekers will not apply to a job if the pay range hasn't been listed. Even if your company has a policy of not listing salary in the job posting, you can build transparency as a hiring manager by bringing up compensation in the first hiring call. Say something like, "We have a budget of X to X dollars for this role. Based on your experience, where do you fall within that range?" Once you've hired that person to your team, bring up salary often—more than once a year in the performance review. At least once a quarter, ask in your one-on-ones, "Are you satisfied with your job? Do you feel fairly compensated?" Setting a culture of compensation transparency from the first interaction with a prospective employee can make a huge difference in closing the pay gap and attracting top talent. What do you do—either as a leader or an employee—to make sure there's salary transparency in your organization?