fbpx

Marketers speak out on comms compensation

by | Jun 7, 2017 | Marketing, Public Relations

Should professionals’ pay be public knowledge? Employers in the advertising and marketing fields don’t think so, according to new research from staffing firm The Creative Group.

More than eight in 10 creative executives interviewed (82 percent) said their organization refrains from publicizing employees’ compensation. Of those respondents, 61 percent feel pay transparency would decrease staff morale.

Is there an upside to embracing an open salary policy? According to the survey, the top benefits of sharing compensation information openly are increasing productivity (18 percent) and boosting recruitment and retention (17 percent). However, more than one-quarter of executives (27 percent) believe the potential risks outweigh any rewards.

The research suggests open salary policies could do more harm than good.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Does your agency or firm have an open salary policy?” Their responses:

Yes 11%
No 82%
Don’t know/no answer 8%
101%*
*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

Advertising and marketing executives were also asked, “What is the greatest benefit of instituting an open salary policy?” Their responses:

Increases productivity 18%
Boosts recruitment and retention 17%
Helps close the wage gap 16%
Creates an atmosphere of trust 15%
None — the potential consequences outweigh any benefits 27%
Don’t know/no answer 7%
100%

“No matter what your company’s salary policy is, benchmarking compensation and paying competitively are crucial in today’s candidate-driven market,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group, in a news release. “Talented professionals are always exploring their options, and managers need to stay on top of salary trends to ensure their employees are being paid fairly.”

Additional findings:

  • Open salary policies are most common at midsize companies (500 to 999 employees) and least common at large advertising agencies (100 or more employees).
  • More than half of marketing executives at midsize companies that don’t have open salary policies (51 percent) think pay transparency would increase staff morale. In contrast, more than seven in 10 advertising execs at large agencies (72 percent) feel it would have an adverse effect.
  • Advertising executives said the biggest benefit of an open salary policy is creating an atmosphere of trust, while marketing executives believe the greatest advantage is increasing employee productivity.

Marketing compensation

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on more than 400 telephone interviews—with approximately 200 marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees, and 200 advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

Richard Carufel
Richard Carufel is editor of Bulldog Reporter and the Daily ’Dog, one of the web’s leading sources of PR and marketing communications news and opinions. He has been reporting on the PR and communications industry for over 17 years, and has interviewed hundreds of journalists and PR industry leaders. Reach him at richard.carufel@bulldogreporter.com; @BulldogReporter

RECENT ARTICLES

Why PR professionals need SEO: Enhancing visibility and credibility

Why PR professionals need SEO: Enhancing visibility and credibility

The world of public relations is changing fast. The internet has become the main source of information for most people. This shift means PR pros must now use search engine optimization (SEO) in their work. SEO helps your content show up when people search online. It's...