Pay nondisclosure and poor communication frustrate job seekers

Dive Brief:

Undisclosed information about pay and canceled interviews are the biggest frustrations for half of all job seekers in a new Harris poll for Glassdoor. The third biggest irritation for 41% of the 1,100 working and nonworking adults surveyed was slow or no callbacks from potential employers.
A lack of transparency and poor communication stood out as problems for respondents. When asked what employers could do to give them a positive candidate experience, 58% of respondents said communicating clearly and regularly; setting clear expectations (53%); giving feedback (51%); and revealing how many interviews might be necessary and with whom (45%).
Among gender differences in the report, 57% of women said that not getting enough information about an employer's total compensation package is one of their biggest frustrations, compared to only 44% of men who felt the same way.

Dive Insight:

The lack of transparency about pay has been a longstanding problem for employers, many of whom still discourage talk about compensation among employees. A shift towards more openness about pay is taking place, however, largely driven by the fight against gender- and race-based pay inequities and, to some extent, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements to end sexual harassment. In the move towards more transparency, employers should review their pay practices and flag disparities that could prove discriminatory. They can also be transparent about compensation with both employees and job candidates as a good business practice.

Julie Coucoules, Glassdoor's global head of talent acquisition, described the importance of pay transparency and open communication in the recruiting process in a statement:

"Job seekers clearly feel that understanding the total compensation package, including pay and benefits, is absolutely essential to fully evaluate a job opportunity. The good news is that this and the top frustrations that job seekers have with the recruitment process can all be improved by any employer of any size."

A push toward transparency, generally, reflects also an increased focus on branding and communicating the employee experience to people outside the company, as well.