How do we show the salary? A Q&A with José Rubio of Spacemade

José Rubio is Head of People at flexible workspace operator Spacemade. We asked José to tell us more about why showing the salary is an important part of their approach to recruitment.

Why is being transparent about salaries on job ads important to Spacemade?

For us, it comes down to two simple things: respect and trust. Hiding salary information creates an unnecessary guessing game that wastes everyone’s time – both for the candidate and for our hiring teams.

If you want to build a high-trust, open workplace culture, that transparency has to start at the very front door. Being upfront about pay from day one signals to candidates that we value their time, respect their worth, and operate with integrity – integrity is one of our core 3 values – before they’ve even had their first interview.

Hiding salary information creates an unnecessary guessing game that wastes everyone’s time – both for the candidate and for our hiring teams.

What approach do you take to showing salary info, and why does this approach work well for you?

We include either the exact salary or a clear salary band on every single job advert we publish.

More importantly, we cover it during the very first interview stage. We explicitly ask candidates: "Did you see the salary advertised?" If they didn't catch it, we tell them the figure or banding right then and there. We follow up with: "Does this fit with your salary expectations?" It removes the ‘elephant in the room’ immediately, ensures total alignment early on, and sets an open tone for the rest of the hiring process.

How does including salary information on job ads help advance diversity, equity and inclusion across your business?

Research consistently shows that women and under-represented groups are far more likely to be underpaid or taken advantage of when salary expectations are left to aggressive negotiation.

We pay for the value of the role and the skills required, not based on who is the most aggressive negotiator or what someone earned in their previous company.

At Spacemade, we are proud to have a predominantly female workforce. Ensuring fair, equitable pay is fundamental to who we are. By publishing clear salary bands, we do our part to level the playing field. We pay for the value of the role and the skills required, not based on who is the most aggressive negotiator or what someone earned in their previous company.

Has showing salaries on job ads had an impact on the organisational culture at Spacemade?

I firmly believe so. Culture isn't something we dictate or something that begins on your first day of work – I believe it should apply to the whole journey including the hiring process. When people join Spacemade knowing exactly what the role pays and seeing that everyone enters on a fair, transparent playing field, it builds psychological safety from the start. It reinforces our core value of integrity through openness.

And how about the recruitment process – what impact does it have on your recruitment team and on people who apply for a role at Spacemade?

It’s made our hiring process smoother and pretty much eradicated late-stage, protracted offer negotiations. It has also reduced the volume of dropouts as candidates can self-eliminate early-on. For candidates, it gives them the confidence to apply knowing they won't be lowballed, respects their time, and creates a far more positive and human candidate experience from start to finish.

If you’re worried that showing salaries will expose internal pay inequities across your current team, use that as an opportunity to audit your existing pay structures and fix them.

What advice would you give to employers who aren’t yet showing salary info on their job ads?

Do it! If you’re worried that showing salaries will expose internal pay inequities across your current team, use that as an opportunity to audit your existing pay structures and fix them. Candidates eye-roll at the phrase 'competitive salary' and it only hurts your employer brand and slows down your hiring. Being open about pay forces you to be a better, fairer employer and candidates will respect you for respecting them, and their time.