Salary review: Moving from an awkward topic to a trust-building process

Talking about salaries is often considered an awkward and uncomfortable topic for many organisations. Salaries are seen as the elephant in the room in many cultural contexts. Everyone thinks about their wage, it affects all employees, and yet, we are often not used to discussing it, or at least not openly. 

At the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), we believe that in line with our organisational culture and values, we need to be able to raise simple questions such as: are you happy with your salary? Does it make you feel secure? What would your aspirational salary be? Only by reflecting and sharing our thoughts on this topic, can we cultivate an atmosphere of trust and transparency within our organisation. 

WEAll at a glance

The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) is a collaboration of organisations, alliances, movements and individuals working to transform the economic system and move towards a Wellbeing Economy, delivering human and ecological wellbeing.

A Wellbeing Economy is not simply a different economic system, it involves a shift in how we seek to live together in a flourishing world. It is therefore fundamental that the Wellbeing Economy movement and the staff of WEAll model this shift in how we act.

WEAll’s staff is a supportive team of ‘Amplifiers’, who aim to meet the need for alignment, coordination, and amplification. The ‘Amp team’ operates as a horizontal, non-hierarchical organisation, with each Amp team member leading on different, yet complementary areas of work. Our team comprises 13 people who are based across the world from Europe, the US and Canada to Latin America and Africa. 

Our values 

The Amp team has five core values that guide us in everything we do, and we hold ourselves and each other accountable to them on an ongoing basis. 

1. Trust: We trust people to act in line with their values and empower them to take responsibility for their work.
2. Passion: We believe in the need for economic system change and in WEAll’s mission.
3. Care: We strive to see one another’s and our own humanity, and act with care to meet our universal needs.
4. Togetherness: We value ‘togetherness above agreement’ and focus on common vision, values, needs and principles, rather than on our differences. 
5. Equality: we place the ecosystem above the individuals’ ego. We practise humility, respect and recognise the value of diverse contributions from the movement.

Examples of habit: 

• When inducting a new member of the team, we ask how people like to work and communicate and adapt to work with them in those ways e.g. some people feel more comfortable and express themselves better in one-to-one conversations whereas others prefer written communication as it gives them more time to reflect and gather their thoughts.
• In our weekly calls, we take time to stay informed about the team’s work so that everyone is aware of people’s workload, exciting moments, and challenges, and at the same time be able to ask for the team’s support
• We check in on each other – offering a helping hand, creating strong relationships with each other. For example, if we notice that a team member feels overwhelmed, we offer to help, acknowledging that not everyone feels comfortable seeking support
• We communicate with positivity, warmth and an assumption of trust in each other 
• We give colleagues our full attention when they are speaking in a meeting (avoiding using private chats or checking emails) in order for people to feel heard and respected
• We respond with care when people express their needs 
• We find gentle spaces to provide feedback, being conscious of how to get the best response from someone e.g. some people prefer longer conversations whereas others prefer multiple shorter discussions that offer them the time to reflect on what has been expressed
• We prioritise time for team togetherness. Building relationships with colleagues is as important (if not more important) than any other element of our work

The salary review process

WEAll’s mission is to transform the economic system recognising that the rules, social norms and stories that underpin the current economic model were designed by people, and can, therefore, be changed by people. As such, we like to challenge the norms of how an organisation operates, the processes and practices that are in place, and the ways we interact with each other. And this includes how we talk about and review salaries. 

With this in mind, towards the end of 2022, we considered it vital to review our salaries and openly discuss how the current salaries had been set.

As the team met for our in-person annual retreat, one of the sessions was dedicated to talking about salaries aiming to bring transparency to the process that has been used to set salary starting points in the past and to present the criteria that have historically been used to determine salaries. These included the level of responsibility and accountability, the competence and skills developed through education and/or experience, and the market rates and cost of living (partly based on the supply of skills in the market and partly on the location of the team members). 

While discussing the topic, the question of whether people feel secure with their salaries arose, especially taking into consideration the rising cost of living in many countries. Always keeping in mind our values, speaking about our team’s circumstances and ensuring that everyone feels safe was fundamental. For this reason, we decided that the conversation around financial security needed to be continued and that all team members would have the chance to indicate the salary they would need to feel secure as well as an aspirational salary that could be taken into account in future funding applications. 

During that discussion, it became apparent that:

1. Having these conversations in person is helpful as it allows the required space and time for honest discussions and team bonding. Having the time to sit together, be upfront that we wanted to talk about a topic that might be uncomfortable but we all wanted to dedicate sufficient time to hear everyone was vital in the process. Being together in person also offers the chance for the team to observe and reflect on how each team member is different in terms of how they communicate or express themselves (yes, body language and non-verbal communication can be proven to be an effective way of communication).
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2. As expected, financial security is defined differently by each of us depending on our background, the country we live in and our aspirations. Whether someone wants to have children, increase their savings or choose to live in a country or city with a high living cost, these are all factors that affect one’s need for financial security and should all be equally respected. 

Reflecting back on that first conversation, team members expressed their appreciation for opening up that space for discussion and sharing thoughts or concerns around salaries. Following the session and as collectively agreed, at the beginning of 2023, a form was sent out to all team members asking them to answer the questions: 

• What salary do you require in order to feel secure?
• Please explain your rationale for providing the figure above. 
• In an ideal scenario (dependent on future funding), what would your aspirational salary be? 

The aim of the form was to gather details on what the team’s needs were in terms of salaries and benefits, as well as longer-term aspirations. Based on our colleagues’ responses, we could then review the information collated and bring it back to the team with a proposal given our financial context. 

Looking back at the team’s answers, it was felt that the team approached the process genuinely and transparently. It is worth mentioning that the team had already agreed to receive a 7% uplift as an inflation adjustment and any requests would be in addition to this pay rise. Most team members replied that they would be happy with the 7% cost of living pay rise, and only two of our colleagues initially asked for an additional salary increase. In both cases, it was justified due to the high or increasing cost of living in the countries of residence.  

As agreed, the next step after collating the team’s answers was to bring the results back to the team for consideration and a collective decision. Interestingly, from the conversation that took place, it was understood that not everyone completed the form in the same way, and further discussion was needed. 

When sharing the results of the salary review process at a team meeting, we noticed that some team members were hesitant and it seemed likely that they might not wish to share or respond to the points raised immediately. So we allowed more time for everyone to reflect and get back to us if they wanted to review the form or discuss the results further. Indeed, those who were hesitant approached us and advised they would like to reconsider their responses. In one case, our colleague was reluctant to ask for a pay rise in case it was unfair to other colleagues. Needless to say, that colleague was female. 

Finally, after all the requests had been reviewed, it was decided that the requested salary increases with small adjustments were possible, and therefore, we could revise the salaries. At the same time, our commitment to a low pay ratio (close to 1.5 and definitely below 2) was maintained. 

As it was the first time our team had gone through this process, we acknowledge that there is plenty of room for improvement. For example, in future, we could add a longer and clearer explanation of how people should complete the salary review form i.e. options to include factors such as currency risk, health and income protection. 

Always keeping in mind our values, our team is determined to ensure that everyone feels satisfied and secure with their salary and within the organisation. 

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