Read on Twitter
1/ I spoke with one of the people leading the recruitment process for @TNLComFund
They have chosen not to publish the salary for the Chief Exec post as they believe showing the salary might put some people off applying. https://twitter.com/James_Fitz01/status/1300049676046131200
They have chosen not to publish the salary for the Chief Exec post as they believe showing the salary might put some people off applying. https://twitter.com/James_Fitz01/status/1300049676046131200
2/ Specifically they believe that people who might currently be earning substantially less – but who have the attributes that NLCF is looking for – might not consider applying if the salary was published.
3/ I was told that NLCF has set the salary and this will not change – which I take to mean that it will not change depending on the candidates/appointee, even if the person appointed is earning substantially less in their current role.
4/ I pointed out that requiring registration on the site just to see the Job Description might also be a barrier and that the salary and package for the current postholder is shown in the NLCF accounts available on their website.
5/ I mentioned the work of @ShowTheSalary @NonGradsWelcome and other initiatives aimed at improving the diversity of the charity and grantmaking sectors – some of which are listed here: https://newreciprocity.com/2019/11/27/welcome-aboard/
6/ I also mentioned @ACFoundations ‘Stronger Foundations’ initiative and how its ‘Transparency and Engagement pillar stresses the need to be clear about foundation salaries to promote public trust:
https://www.acf.org.uk/downloads/ACF-Transparency-and-Engagement_finalv2.pdf
https://www.acf.org.uk/downloads/ACF-Transparency-and-Engagement_finalv2.pdf
7/ And that, although @TNLComFund is not a charity or foundation (it’s a non-departmental public body overseen by DCMS), it does have a role in modelling good practice in grantmaking given its profile, size, reach and its need for public support.
8/ I was told that the agency leading the search - @GatenbyS - is committed to diversity in recruitment and that they would welcome feedback about how to improve this in the voluntary/not-for-profit sector.
9/ Personally, I am not convinced by the argument that some people earning substantially less might be put off applying if the salary was published – not least because the job ad says they are looking for someone with:
10/ “a strong leadership background in civil society, public service, government or business…in an organisation of significant scale”. And the agency says it is actively searching for suitable candidates rather than relying on the advert alone.
11/ If I’ve understood the reasoning correctly, it seems this is an issue of apparently competing priorities: greater transparency versus potentially greater diversity/inclusion.
12/ My view remains that all salaries in the public and not-for-profit sectors should be advertised. There are many other ways to achieve inclusivity in recruitment - and to achieve truly equitable appointments.
