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Good morning, Fearless readers:
We hope you’ve been staying warm during this frigid January!
In this week’s Fearless e-newsletter, you will find:
- A column about salary transparency from Rachel Manuel Bruns.
- An "Iowa Life" story about Debbie Robinson, a leader of a group of artists, stitchers and historians in Appanoose County.
- In the headlines: The Common Sense Institute Iowa (CSI Iowa) board of directors named Lisa Feuerbach as its executive director.
- In case you missed it: Meet Tami Madsen, executive director of Central Iowa Water Works.
- Lots more!
— Macey Shofroth, Fearless editor
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Guest opinion: Iowa employers should show the wage on job postings to boost applicant pool
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Are you looking for a simple and no-cost solution to increase both the quantity and quality of applications you receive for job openings at your organization? With Iowa’s unemployment rate at 3.1% and more than 50,000 job openings, employers need to leverage every tool available to improve their applicant pool.
Unfortunately, I continue to see many organizations fail to implement this simple yet effective solution — listing the wage or salary range on the job posting. I’m calling attention to an issue that has been reported on extensively in recent years, and if your organization has yet to adopt this practice, you are now in the minority.
As reported by Hiring Lab, 57.8% of all U.S. job postings in September 2024 on Indeed contained some salary information, up from 52.2% in September 2023. Additionally, compared with a year ago, the share of salary-transparent listings grew significantly in 43 of 46 sectors analyzed. The raise in salary transparency is largely credited to new state laws in places like New York and Colorado. However, there is also recognition by some employers that they must disclose salary to keep pace with job applicant expectations, with 80% of professionals saying they would not apply for a job if the business is not transparent with salary details, per Employ.
A 2023 Indeed survey reported by Wired found 75% of U.S. job seekers are more likely to apply for a job if it includes salary data, and postings that included pay rates attracted 30% more applicants. The same report summarized, "In addition to attracting more applicants, research shows that salary disclosure improves candidate quality, boosts retention in some cases, and can help narrow the gender and racial wage gaps."
In a study reported by SHRM examining the salaries of 100,000 academics over 10 years, greater transparency led to a 20% decline in gender pay inequity. Per a study reported by Forbes, women in the United States make 14% less than their male counterparts doing the same work for the same company. Salary transparency on job postings can make a dent at improving these wage disparities, which improves the economic well-being for women and their families.
As someone who works for a national nonprofit and serves on the board for another, my personal attention has focused on improving hiring practices in the nonprofit sector both nationally and in Iowa. New initiatives like the Home for Wingless Unicorns calls out nonprofits that fail to post the salary or range in their job postings. I have yet to submit an offending nonprofit to the site, but it is tempting after several years of sharing the research with organizations that know better yet continue not doing better.
Organizations that do not post salary ranges may be providing job candidates with helpful insights into their organizational cultures — a culture folks may want to avoid. As stated by Imagine Consulting, a national executive search firm, "If an organization hesitates or refuses to disclose a salary range, it might be a signal. Imagine this as a litmus test for their commitment to transparency throughout your hiring journey with them."
The top reasons I hear from organizations on why they won’t disclose salary include 1) if people contact us, we will provide it to them; and 2) we don’t want to limit our pool of candidates based on a salary range. The first answer tells me they would rather work ineffectively, wasting their own time and the applicants’ time by replying to individual inquiries rather than providing basic transparency about their jobs. In the case of nonprofits, this results in wasting precious donor and grant resources.
On the second, research reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy has shown "there is no detrimental effect from advertising salary, and there is a positive effect." If the organization is willing to go outside the range for a candidate with exceptional experience, then they can still state that on the posting.
Nothing stops job candidates from inquiring if a salary can be higher than the range and, while rare, I have experienced this. On the one hand, it can be frustrating as the employer to get these inquiries because the range is there for a reason and based on what we have deemed possible within the budget. These types of inquiries can help you assess if the range is in alignment with the industry for the skills and experience level you’ve established.
The unspoken reason from organizational leaders for not disclosing a wage/range on job postings is organizations do not want employees to know what others are making. While not everyone is comfortable with disclosing their salary, younger generations of workers (Gen Z and millennials) are more comfortable in doing so, and it is important to remember that it is illegal to keep employees from discussing their wage/salary with each other.
To be clear, posting the wage or salary range on a job posting is not the same as broader pay transparency initiatives your organization may want to put in place to improve your overarching compensation structure. Your organization may need to do some work to make sure employees with similar roles are within the stated salary range of a job posting. Having a transparent compensation structure for bonuses and merit pay raises can still incentivize employees to do exceptional work.
The good news is many national executive search firms are starting to adopt pay transparency in job postings as a requirement and we have local organizations like the Iowa Council of Foundations, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) Des Moines, and the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance all requiring the wage or salary range on their job boards.
If you're an employee, volunteer or board member of an organization, I encourage you to advocate for salary transparency in job postings and other improvements to your hiring practices that bring your organization into the 21st century. In addition to listing the wage/salary on the job posting, some other low-barrier changes can include assessing the need for educational preferences in job listings and to stop asking applicants to disclose their current pay.
When the next job opening at your organization comes up, talk to your organization about how you are uncomfortable sharing the job with your network without the wage or salary range included. It is unfair to expect you to invite people to spend time applying for a position without knowing whether the job is something they can actually afford to pursue. Anymore, Iowa organizations also can’t afford to post jobs without showing salary.
Rachel Manuel Bruns is chief engagement officer for America’s Service Commissions, board chair for the Catholic Volunteer Network and a maternal-child health advocate. She lives in Des Moines with her partner and two children. Rachel can be contacted at rachel.m.bruns@gmail.com.
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One stitch at a time: How a group of women told the story of their community – in fabric form
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FROM "IOWA LIFE" ON IOWA PBS
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Debbie Robinson. Photo courtesy of Iowa PBS's "Iowa Life."
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Every town in Iowa has a story — and most have rich histories. A group of artists, stitchers and historians in Appanoose County recently collaborated to tell the story of Centerville in the form of a 96-foot embroidered tapestry.
"I hope you walk in the door and go, ‘Oh my gosh, can you believe this?’ The people in this town made this, the beautiful stitching. … 'What is all this?’ And start reading about it and learn the history and grow to appreciate artwork and needlework and their community and get involved," Debbie Robinson, a leader of the group said.
Learn more about the Centerville Tapestry on "Iowa Life."
"Iowa Life" is an Iowa PBS production that seeks to uncover the diverse tapestry of Iowa's people, cultures and stories. Through compelling interviews, scenic visuals, and authentic storytelling, each episode explores the extraordinary lives of individuals who call Iowa home. Watch episodes Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. or anytime on the Iowa PBS website or PBS app.
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"NO PESSIMIST EVER DISCOVERED THE SECRET OF THE STARS OR SAILED TO AN UNCHARTED LAND."
— HELEN KELLER
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Feuerbach joins Common Sense Institute as executive director: The Common Sense Institute Iowa (CSI Iowa) board of directors has named Lisa Feuerbach as its executive director. Feuerbach started her new role in November 2024. CSI Iowa is a nonpartisan policy research organization. Feuerbach has 20 years of management and executive-level experience, including serving as the chief United States probation officer in the Northern District of Iowa. In the role, she oversaw 50 employees, four units and all administrative, operational and functional areas within the federal probation office, according to CSI Iowa’s website.
St. Ambrose University announces Courtney Berg as CFO: St. Ambrose University of Davenport announced Courtney A. Berg as its new chief financial officer, effective Feb. 18. She has more than 20 years of higher education experience and previously managed a multimillion-dollar budget at Buena Vista University. She has also participated in programs like the NACUBO Fellows Program and EAB Rising Higher Education Leaders fellowship, according to a news release from the college.
Inside an Iowa City state senator’s journey to Senate minority leader: Iowa Sen. Janice Weiner was appointed as the Senate minority leader this month. Weiner is a Democrat from Iowa City, having won the seat in 2022. She previously worked as a political officer for the Foreign Service in the Iowa State Department, served on the Iowa City City Council and worked as a Democratic Party organizer. Some of her 2025 policy goals include expanding pre-K and dispersing the $345 million from the Iowa Attorney General office’s 2022 settlement with pharmaceutical distributors, according to a profile by the Daily Iowan.
A cold case arrest brings awareness to the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women: A suspect was arrested in the cold case murder of Terri McCauley, 40 years after her death. McCauley disappeared in Sioux City in 1983 and her body was found days later. Woodbury County District Court indicted Thomas Duane Popp for first-degree murder. He was arrested in Washington state. According to a story by Iowa Public Radio, advocacy around the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) kept attention on McCauley’s case.
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There’s a $32 trillion reason to bet big on women entrepreneurs as your 2025 investment resolution (Fortune). Women firefighters with reproductive cancers are now eligible for federal help (The 19th). In Congress, a push for proxy voting for new parents draws bipartisan support (New York Times). NCAA votes to make women's wrestling an official championship sport for 2025-26 season (Des Moines Register). Cancer’s new face: younger and female (New York Times). A woman invented the rape kit. So why was a man given credit for it? (NPR).
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Meet Tami Madsen, executive director of Central Iowa Water Works
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BY MICHAEL CRUMB, BUSINESS RECORD SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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Tami Madsen joined Central Iowa Water Works as the regional water utility’s first executive director in November, helping the organization take its final steps toward becoming operational on Jan. 1. She had previously worked in human resources in the oil and gas industry before becoming executive director of the Western Area Water Supply Authority, a comparable regional wholesale water utility in Williston, N.D., where she served for five years before moving to Iowa.
In her previous role, Madsen, the daughter of a Navy veteran and stay-at-home mom, said she did a lot of work politically with unifying member agencies and on funding. She believes she can bring those experiences to help move Central Iowa Water Works forward and be successful.
"When I learned about this role, it was exciting to get to start at the ground floor and be involved at the beginning," she said. "It’s just so exciting to get to do it all over again with a new entity. And regionalization is such a new concept for the United States that it was just very exciting to get to be a part of something so big for Central Iowa."
The Business Record sat down with Madsen recently to learn more about her and her vision for Central Iowa Water Works. Her responses have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
Read more
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At its core, Fearless exists to help empower Iowa women to succeed in work and life. We believe that everyone has a story to share and that we cannot progress as a society unless we know about one another. We share stories through featuring women in our reporting, featuring guest contributions and speakers at our events.
We are always looking for new stories to share and people to feature. Get in touch with us!
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