Here is a social media post I read:

“I had a candidate, female, who we wanted to hire. Her salary ask was significantly lower than her worth – especially considering location.

The hiring manager came to me. He said he was uncomfortable with her salary ask, and wanted her to get paid the same as the other people (basically men) in this position. We sent her the offer she deserved.

I didn’t need to champion equity. I didn’t have to advocate or advise, though I would have stepped in if he hadn’t first. The right thing to do is second nature with good leadership.

She took the offer.

Candidates don’t always know what’s going on in the background. But when you find a company that leads with integrity, they have your back before you walk through the door.

Cheers to the men in leadership who are true allies for the women in their industry. I can’t say this enough.”

Are you also cheering for great men in leadership who are true allies for women?

You might want to rethink that.

Given my experience, my immediate response to this post was:

Why would the hiring manager need to ask to pay her more?  That doesn’t make sense. 

He’s the hiring manager – the person with the authority to determine who gets hired and how much they get paid…unless…he was considering taking her offer…even though he knew it was unfair. 

So, his so-called discomfort was really him wondering: Should I do it?  Can I get away with it?

Faced with a controversial decision, he decided to follow the male-dominated workplace rule: Get a buddy.

He relayed the story as a way to bounce the idea off someone else. It probably took less than a minute for him to figure out that he didn’t have a buddy in this and he needed to pay her fairly. 

And so, this manager wasn’t a great example of a true ally of women.  He is an example of a cheapskate manager who probably suffers from bouts of questionable integrity.  (I know these guys well.)

On the other hand, a man who is a great ally of women and a true leader would have handled this differently.

First, he would have already determined a salary range for the position that was fair and equitable to other employees. 

Secondly, he wouldn’t have been silent after her unfair salary request (as he quietly pondered it.) Instead, he would have replied, “Good news, this position pays more than that so if we offer you this position, I suspect you will be very happy with our offer.” 

Remember, if your offer isn’t countered, it is probably well below what they are willing to pay.  So, when you are asked what salary you want, don’t give a number.  Instead ask for the pay range or the “banding” for the position.  Once you know this, you can negotiate based on your experience and skills.

 

Empowered Women Get Paid Their Worth