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Salary Transparency: Why It Matters and How to Do It Right

Salary transparency has moved from a fringe idea to a mainstream expectation in a remarkably short time. Several jurisdictions now require it by law. But even where it isn't legally mandated, the data makes a compelling case for it.

The numbers

Job listings that include a salary band receive around 40% more qualified applications than those that don't. They also result in faster time-to-hire, fewer offer rejections, and lower early attrition — because candidates know what they're getting into before they invest weeks in an interview process.

The common objections, addressed

"It will cause internal pay equity issues." If it does, that's the real problem — and transparency will surface it faster than anything else. Salary bands give you the framework to address inequity proactively rather than reactively.

"Competitors will use it against us." Your top candidates are already benchmarking compensation across sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn. You're not hiding anything — you're just making them do extra work to find information they'll get anyway.

"We need flexibility to pay for the right person." Salary bands accommodate this. A range of £60,000–£80,000 signals flexibility without committing to a number.

How to write the range

Keep the band to a maximum of 25–30% spread. A range of £50k–£90k doesn't give candidates useful information — it just means "we haven't decided." Be honest about what drives placement within the band: years of experience, specific skills, location. Candidates appreciate the transparency even if they end up at the lower end.