WORTH Takes A Stand On Salary Transparency
Did you catch WORTH’s viral moment a few weeks back? Our talented communications team posted a statement in an Instagram story that got a LOT of attention. In simple white writing, the post said “Put the salary in the job description” … 13 times in a row for effect.
This resonated with thousands of people, and not just women of WORTH. This post had reach, with attention from Campbell River to the Caribbean and while Industry Associations applauded it, it is evident from the reactions by some there is still a lot of conversation (and internal barriers to overcome) to have salary transparency in these industries.
Our next post outlined some fantastic companies hiring for recreation, tourism and hospitality. We profiled companies with pay transparency and those without. This post was also popular, but not well received by all. Some organizations shared their feedback and felt we went too far without providing enough time to take action. To be clear, we had no intention to shame organizations with our “hiring now” post. Like everything we do at WORTH, we hoped this would create some much-needed dialogue and spark change. We didn’t realize at the time of posting that we would be making our own changes at WORTH. In an effort to promote pay equity, moving forward we will only advertise and promote roles that have a clear salary band in the posting.
All these reactions made me think, who should hold organizations accountable for salary transparency in job posts? BC has the largest wage gap in the country, and no pay equity legislation exists. I presented wage gap research to the industry in 2018, when I discovered that female managers in the Accommodation Sector make .77 cents for every dollar a man earns. While encouraged by many, my research was also met with denial and excuses by a few leaders. Why is this topic so controversial? As the tourism industry faces the toughest labour crisis in history, surely posting the wage band is a small ask. How can we re-introduce women to the industry if we won’t attempt to level the playing field?
This month, I met with exceptionally smart DE&I consultants, keen on helping us push our initiatives forward with government stakeholders. With the help of volunteers on our Advocacy Committee, issues like pay equity are top of mind, especially as the wage gap disproportionately impacts women of colour. We are looking for volunteers to help us make an impact. Email info@worthassociation.com to learn more.
You may have noticed that we play Beyonce at all our events and have the Queen’s songs on our WORTH Spotify playlists. I like to think she would appreciate our efforts this week.
You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation
Always stay gracious, the best revenge is your paper (...or paycheques)
Now it’s over to you, Woman of WORTH. Talk to your leaders about putting the salary in the job posting. Tell them 13 times if you need to. Together we can spark some much-needed change in an industry overdue for a little disruption.
Joanna