How do we show the salary? A Q&A with Charlotte Williams of Good Energy

As a founding partner of the We Show the Salary campaign, Good Energy shows salary info on every job ad, and is encouraging other employers to do the same. We spoke to Charlotte Williams, Talent Acquisition Manager at Good Energy, to find out more about why they’re committed to always showing the salary.

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

At Good Energy, our values are fair, straightforward, focused, and inclusive. These values guide everything we do, and sharing salaries on our job ads reflects those values in action.

Being transparent about pay isn’t just about attracting great talent; it’s about fairness and respect. It ensures that every candidate, regardless of background or experience, has equal access to the same information.

For us, it’s a simple but powerful way to show what we stand for. Ultimately, we share salaries because it’s the right thing to do, for our candidates, our employees, and our values.

How does it fit into the broader work you do to create social impact as a B Corp?

Being a B Corp means using business as a force for good, balancing profit, purpose, and positive impact. At Good Energy, that commitment goes beyond our products and services. By showing salaries on our job ads, we’re putting those principles into action, promoting transparency, fairness, and trust. It’s one of the ways we ensure our impact on our community is open, positive, and genuinely inclusive.

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

When we share salaries on our roles, we do so transparently by providing clear salary bandings. These bandings are carefully benchmarked both externally and internally to ensure fairness and alignment with the market.

Before advertising a role, hiring managers are encouraged to share salary details with their teams. This helps us maintain an inclusive, fair, and straightforward culture where everyone understands how pay decisions are made. We also make sure our salary bands are meaningful, not too wide, so they genuinely reflect the level of the role and provide useful information to candidates.

Everywhere our roles are advertised whether that’s on social media, LinkedIn, or job boards, we include salary details along with benefits such as bonuses and commission. Transparency doesn’t stop there, once a candidate applies, our TA team discusses salary expectations before their applications are even shared with the hiring team. This helps ensure we’re aligned from the start, saving time for both the candidate and the hiring team.

We’ve found this approach really works. Our job ads receive strong engagement, and candidates frequently tell us they appreciate seeing salaries upfront, it reflects the open and honest culture at Good Energy. It also helps us as a business; if applications suggest a role’s salary might be off-market, we can quickly review and adjust the banding to attract the right talent.

In short, sharing salaries isn’t just about pay, it’s about trust, fairness, and creating a positive experience for everyone involved.

How does showing salary info on job ads help widen access to careers in energy, and support diversity across the sector?

Showing the salary on our job ads has so many benefits, one that’s often overlooked is how it helps candidates understand the level of the role. Job titles can sometimes be technical or specific to our industry, which can make it tricky for people who are new to the sector to gauge whether a position is right for them.

Including a clear salary band alongside the essential requirements helps candidates assess whether the role matches their experience and transferable skills. It also encourages a more diverse range of applicants, giving everyone the information they need to confidently decide if the opportunity is suitable for them.

Beyond helping candidates, salary transparency also supports fairness in our hiring process. By having agreed salary bandings upfront, we reduce the risk of unconscious bias influencing pay decisions and ensure consistency across all offers.

In short, showing salaries empowers candidates, promotes diversity, and reinforces fairness, values that sit at the heart of how we work at Good Energy.

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

Our culture is a huge part of who we are at Good Energy, it’s something we’re incredibly proud of. Showing salaries on our job ads strengthens that culture by reinforcing what we truly believe, our people matter.

Being open about pay demonstrates our commitment to fairness and consistency across roles. It shows that we value every individual equally and that we don’t reward the same work differently. To make sure this holds true, we review salaries twice a year and make ad hoc adjustments when needed. We also check internal pay levels before advertising any role externally, ensuring alignment and fairness across the business.

We’re equally passionate about supporting our people’s growth. Opportunities are always advertised internally and externally (sometimes internally only), and we actively encourage internal applications, helping our teams progress and thrive within Good Energy.

In essence, pay transparency isn’t just a process, it’s a reflection of our culture of fairness, respect, and trust.

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

We receive an incredible number of applications for our roles and behind the scenes our Talent Acquisition team puts in a huge amount of work to carefully review each one and assess every candidate’s suitability. The team is genuinely passionate about finding the right people who not only have the right skills but are also a great cultural fit for Good Energy.

Having fair and transparent salaries makes this process even more effective. It empowers us to attract top talent who share our values and are motivated by what we stand for.

From a candidate perspective, the feedback we receive is consistently positive. People tell us they appreciate our openness, they mention our B Corp certification, our recognition as a Top 25 employer, and most of all, the fact that we show salaries upfront. It’s a simple but powerful way to prove that we live our values and do what we say.

What advice would you give to employers in the energy sector and beyond who aren’t yet showing salary info on their job ads?

Introducing salary transparency can feel like a big step for many businesses and that’s completely understandable. My advice would be to start small and work from the inside out. There no difference advertising salary with regards to your industry, it is all based on your culture, values and ways of working.

Begin by making sure your current employees’ salaries are aligned and that every role has a clear, well-defined banding. This builds internal equity and lays the foundation for a culture of fairness.

When advertising new roles, ensure you have a clear job description and a salary banding that’s been benchmarked both internally and externally. Open conversations with your teams about these roles are key, it helps everyone feel informed and included before the roles go live.

From there, it’s about following through. Publish those bandings and make sure they’re fair, accurate, and specific. Starting with small, thoughtful steps rather than diving straight in helps create a smoother transition and ensures your people feel supported throughout the process.

Salary transparency works best when it begins with trust, fairness, and open communication values that start within.mething you're doing together, not something you're imposing. And remember, if your current pay structure can't withstand transparency, that's probably a sign it needs changing anyway.