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"HR pays well" they said... but what constitutes "well"?

Maria

Hello everyone,

I have recently learnt a curious fact, that you can look up anyone's salary freely in Norway to ensure an absolute tax and reward transparency. Whereas in the UK the topic of pay has always had a tinge of controversy, coupled with being mildly squirmish when asked about own pay. 

My angle on this is a little different. I have seen people on this forum say different things, such as "HR pays well" or "Well, we're obviously not in it for the money..." 

... which brings my question. What constitutes "well" for you (in the UK)? I know there will be regional discrepancies, but overall, what would you say is a good salary for an entry, mid and senior level HR professional? Is it £20k, £30k, £100k?

I wish I could make this into bands and put in into anonymous survey mode!

  • Hi Maria,

    Look at GlassDoor, you can find out whatever you want regarding salaries. Really useful resource.

  • in reply to Teresa
    Thanks Teresa - I use Glassdoor like a bible ;)
  • in reply to Maria
    To be honest (and its only my personal view) I treat Glassdoor the same way I treat the bible - the source of interesting stories but not necessarily a work of fact to be relied upon
  • in reply to Maria
    Given Keith's remark, that is probably wise.......
  • in reply to Keith
    Jobs have popped up on our Glassdoor page that we don't have (Research scientist was one. We really don't have any of those) and salaries that are considerably higher than we actually pay. I contacted Glassdoor about this as I thought it would cause upset amongst current employees and they refused to amend it. They said the information came from a reliable source.
  • Surely, as HR professionals, we should be the first to understand that a truly good compensation package is about a great deal more than the number at the bottom right of the payslip.

    HR is well rewarded if:

    1. We get to do a job we enjoy and which gives us satisfaction.
    2. We feel our advice is valued and we contribute meaningfully to the success of our organization.
    3. We have a sense of personal control over our workload.
    4. We have opportunties to learn and develop.
    5. Our work aligns with our personal values and aspirations.
    6. We have enough time not working in which to build relationships and enjoy experiences.
    7. We can pay our bills and plan for the future.

    Only one of those has anything to do with the number on the payslip.
  • in reply to Robey
    Robey, I couldn't agree more and I also value all those things, of course. However, from a practical (cynical) viewpoint, when I am applying for a new HR role, the one thing I can find out for sure before I start is the salary (if I'm lucky). I won't know if the role brings me a sense of satisfaction, control over workload, support from senior management etc until I'm two months in by which point I'm in far, far too deep. The amount of information you can tease out of your interviewers is extremely limited, and is also meant to be all about what I can offer and all about them, and anything you do get to ask will get a rose-tinted answer.
  • in reply to Keith
    Hah, I agree, Keith. I read all that's there when I am researching a company, but I do find people are prone to exaggerating their pay sometimes, and HR people in particular aren't that keen on sharing their info, so often you'll see everyone else's pay data but HR's. Another thing is that whoever left the company and left a review may have been there 25 years and benefitted from long service pay awards, so what the company offers to new recruits could be drastically different (but you wouldn't know because most job ads don't publish salaries).

    From my workplace's Glassdoor things look pretty accurate from those people who reviewed us.
  • in reply to Maria

    So to answer the exam question rather than the wider philosophical debate around intrinsic and extrinsic reward....

    I would say your best bet is to see if you can get one of the detailed salary surveys that look in depth at HR salaries. this will give you your best analysis of real salaries.

    My starter for ten (based on my gut instinct and no science) and perhaps slightly influenced by my South East centric views is that

    A good salary for an

    Entry level £18-22K. Higher in Central London. Higher end/higher if well qualified or part of some program/scheme.

    Mid level - harder as covers all manner of ills. A BP likely to be 45-65K. A smaller HRD (really BP) 50-70K. Specialist roles varied very widely

    Senior level  - Senior BP 55-80K, Small to Mid HRD 75-100K, Bigger HRD 100K+ Biggest HRDs 150K++

    Not claiming these are right just my gut instinct of where much of the market is.

    Certain sectors will traditionally pay at higher ends (Banking always used to) and certain towards lower end (public sector)

    At very senior end of market parts of the public sector are artificially capped at something like 120K where as comparable jobs in the private sector would be 20-30K more. 

  • in reply to Keith
    Thank you, Keith, I much appreciate you sharing your views (I also have a London bias if I'm honest when I think about salaries).