Hi there, I’m Fiorella, Juno’s Manager of People Operations! As a people person in every sense of the word, I’m passionate about organizations that put people first — so it’s probably no surprise that I’m excited to work at Juno, where Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are a big focus of everything that we do.
We’re a people-first organization, which means we deeply value the needs of people — both students and employees — and prioritize those needs along with the needs of the business. One of the ways in which we do this for our employees is through our compensation philosophy, which I’m excited to share with you below!
Juno College’s Compensation Principles
People-First
We believe that as a company, we have the responsibility to ensure our employees are heard, supported, and taken care of. Though we’re a small and mostly bootstrapped company, we still strive to invest in our employees through benefits, perks, fair and continuously-reviewed compensation, and continuous learning initiatives. We are a Certified Living Wage Employer, the first school in Ontario to be certified, and pay Toronto’s Living Wage or more for all employees on the Juno team.
Employee-Owned
We believe that success stems from a feeling of ownership, which is why we are working towards a world where we all have a stake in the business. With the launch of our New Vision For 2022 And Beyond, employee ownership is in development on the company's roadmap. When the company wins, we all win, and we share a sense of ownership through Juno’s future employee ownership trust.
Transparent
We believe that transparent compensation decreases bias, confusion, and distraction. Juno’s salary bands are public for the entire team and either the range or an exact salary are always part of our job postings. Salary adjustments are based on company performance and individual growth, and are made once a year with a no-negotiation policy (more on this policy below). In order to ensure performance expectations are effectively communicated, we commit to continually improving our feedback-first culture through weekly 1:1s, quarterly conversations, and an annual review cycle.
Equitable
We believe in offering a total compensation package that is based on fair market value. In order to ensure we're in line with the market, we're committed to an annual market audit to ensure that our salary bands are aligned with companies of a comparable size, in comparable industries and markets, and in comparable cities, including Toronto where our in-person office/campus is located. Juno aims to offer a total compensation package at the 50th percentile (at market rate) for all roles.
We believe in fair market value, and that people should be paid for their work and not for their ability to negotiate for their own benefit. This is why at Juno, we have a no-negotiation policy: we do not negotiate salaries upon hiring or during salary adjustments. Instead, we follow a first-and-best-offer rule: we make the best offer we can, first. We offer a fair compensation package to new hires, and salary adjustments to employees informed by fair and equitable compensation practices.
More About Juno’s No-Negotiation Policy
We know, “no-negotiation policy” may sound a little ominous! But we follow this policy in order to increase pay transparency and develop a higher level of equity within our company, as salary negotiations can risk leading to pay gaps and inequities.
This is because when negotiation skills are allowed to influence salary, it can result in the highest salaries going to the best negotiators, rather than to the folks whose roles most warrant higher compensation. Studies show that men are more likely to negotiate and receive higher salaries. Some studies suggest half of men negotiate salaries, while only one-eighth of women do so. And amongst the women who do negotiate, a study in Argentina showed that women tend to ask for 6% less than men.
It might not seem like much, but over time the gap increases and the individual dollars can add up! Studies also show pay gaps when it comes to marginalized groups. People don’t negotiate for several reasons, and this should not be the reason they are not compensated fairly or paid less than their counterparts.
Closing Thoughts
Our compensation strategy is designed to make recruiting, retaining, and recognizing more aligned with our EDI values.
In a Randstad US report, 72% of women said they’ll leave an employer to get a salary increase elsewhere. That is a large number of people leaving jobs in order to be paid fairly! We don’t ask employees to initiate the salary adjustment or increase conversations — we believe this is our job as a company.
Employees are more likely to stay with an employer who treats them fairly and is not giving preferential treatment to someone based on factors outside of their control. As a people-first company, we care about the well-being of our team, and fair compensation is one of the many ways in which we show our respect and appreciation for them and their knowledge, expertise, and performance.
Our processes and philosophies are always growing as we continue our learning. We know that we won’t get it right 100% of the time and that no company is perfect — but we’re committed to always improving Juno’s culture and adapting to our company and team’s needs, so that we can thrive in and outside of our work.
While every company’s compensation philosophy will look different, we hope that in sharing ours, we can inspire others to create principles of their own that are equitable, transparent, and people-first. Here’s to transforming the future of work together!
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