Show The Salary 2022

Across the charitable and not for profit sector, we strive for transparency as part of our normal practice for good governance. It’s mandatory for us to work efficiently every day and to achieve our objectives.

We also value our staff. Without them none of it happens! No one charity is better than the team that drives it every day. This is shown time and time again by people working in the charitable and not for profit sector who go above and beyond, to reach the organisation’s goals.

CCI Executive Search supports Show the Salary

At CCI, we see this in practice. We work with brilliant people and amazing charitable organisations to recruit and retain great people.

In 2015, CCI Executive Search was one of the first organisations to take a stand on Show The Salary, a movement to increase transparency in recruiting for the sector. Show the Salary was first championed by ethical recruiters, Bruce Tait Associates in Scotland and supported by CCI Executive Search in Ireland, Peridot in the UK, Crawford in Canada and the NNSC in the United States.

In 2020, it became a strong movement amongst UK Fundraisers, hundreds of charities and dozens of recruitment agencies signing a pledge to always Show the Salary.

By doing this, we not only make salary ranges in the sector visible but we also demonstrate our ongoing commitment to recruitment in a fair and inclusive way

Showing the Salary as part of your DEI Policy

Often when salaries are hidden, the salary offered is based on the successful applicant's current salary. This means that groups that are currently underpaid, stay that way. It then feeds into the cycle of pay discrimination, especially for women and for people from minority and or ethnic backgrounds.

For example, when the discussion at interview begins with your current salary or matching it, it is unfair for people who are already underpaid to have to stay that way. When an appointment is made at a hidden salary level, it allows employers to pay people different rates for doing the same job and this has traditionally led to the gender pay gap.

Show the Salary strives towards better pay and more balanced pay.

In contrast, research has shown that pay levels for women are 8% higher when organisations operate a Show The Salary policy. Further research shows that salaries are also adversely affected for people of different races - white male and middle class being the strongest voice at the salary negotiating table. UK research showed that black male candidates had a 13% median salary increase when Show the Salary was applied.

Surveys show that if you display the salary on your role, it can provide valuable momentum, sometimes doubling applications. CCI has experienced this first hand.

Not showing the salary has lots of negative connotations. It can suggest that the job was not “benchmarked” correctly by the Board and that it doesn’t have a “considered” value. Equally, “Depending on Experience” is a term that is disingenuous; it usually has less to do with actual experience and more to do with salary legacy.

And who hasn’t had the awkward introduction of the “salary negotiation” at second round interview, when you have to wade through the question of what is the salary and is there room for negotiation. Negotiating through that quagmire can often leave you with a negative impression of the employer before you even start the role!

Written by Bruce Tait
Co Director, Executive Search

At CCI we work directly with the Irish not for profit sector as well as people in leadership positions. If you would like to discuss any recruitment queries or opportunities you might have, please contact us on 01-5242807.

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