We all recognize that the dedicated professionals who teach and guide our students play a vital role in shaping the future but increasing demands from parents, limited budget, and societal pressure on educators make it challenging to create thriving educational environments. If schools want to keep and attract talented and experienced staff, it is crucial to prioritize equitable talent management strategies, which include the development of competitive and fair salary structures. While addressing salary needs can be complicated, we’ve pulled together some helpful steps to consider when starting this journey.
There are a few ways to start the process of engaging equitable talent management strategies, of which an equitable salary structure is a crucial component. We suggest organizations start by asking their staff how they’re experiencing the organization and what kind of support would be helpful to them with an anonymous survey. For example, Edgility’s Talent Equity Assessment (or TEA for short), enables organizations to get a clear picture of where opportunity gaps exist and where things are going well. After all, if you don’t know where the leak is coming from you won’t be able to fix the pipeline.
After you’ve administered a survey and reviewed the data, it’s time to start looking at your talent management strategies holistically and make plans to improve. Find out where your staff indicates you have room for improvement, and, if you collected demographic data (which we always recommend), look for variances in how people are experiencing your organization based on their race, gender, sexuality, etc… For schools, one of the areas that will most likely need the biggest adjustment may be salary and compensation but don’t forget to evaluate your strategies to attract, develop, engage, and assess staff too. It’s important to note that this can be a long process. It won’t happen overnight, and that is OK! Making progress towards bettering your talent management systems through quick wins and long-term goals will build trust and benefit both your organization and your staff.
An equitable salary ensures fair compensation based on factors such as experience, qualifications, and job responsibilities, while also considering the diversity and demographics of the staff. It aims to eliminate pay gaps that may exist between different teams, job levels, and demographic groups, fostering a more inclusive and supportive work environment.
Creating an equitable salary structure requires a systematic approach that involves collaboration among stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, and relevant community members. Here are some key steps to initiate this process:
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Developing equitable talent management and compensation programs is increasingly important to maintaining the well-being of your talented staff. You know they do exceptional work, you want to support their growth, and you know they should be paid better. So it’s time to put your values to work.
As a firm focused on equitable talent management and finding great leaders for social impact organizations, we know that doing the work matters, but it can also be challenging to start. Let us be your partner on this journey. Reach out to our team to speak to one of our experts and learn how we can help your school through this process.