Pay transparency is good for employers and employees, says HR pro Katie Sanders

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Katie Sanders was working for her father’s manufacturing company when she realized that with nearly 50 employees, the business needed an HR function. Sanders took it upon herself to spearhead people policies and best practices and build out an HR department and safety function for the family business before moving onto other challenges. That was nearly 13 years ago. Now, Sanders is an HR director at merchandising company Winston Retail in New York, after years consulting with payroll services firm Paychex for companies of all sizes and capacities and wearing some of the many HR hats.

Sanders is a self-taught HR pro who trained in childhood education, and now she has taken her knack for lessons from the chalkboard to the boardroom. “Every situation that comes up with a manager and employee can be a learning opportunity, whether you’re dealing with the C-suite or you’re dealing with frontline managers in the field,” she said of her role teaching and coaching colleagues on how to support their employees at work.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked?

I created an HR department for my family’s manufacturing business (it’s where I got my start in HR), and I developed and implemented a performance review system where there had never been one before. The employees were so grateful to have structured feedback on a regular basis.

What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?

That HR is only involved in the negative stuff like terminations and disciplinary action. But really HR can be the best thing about a company. HR is a support system for managers who need to strengthen their core skills, a regulatory and compliance consultant to the C-suite, and a culture champion for the employees (among like eight million other things!).

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?

Implementing a new process that actually makes it easier for people to do their job efficiently and feel supported while they do it.

What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?

Pay transparency. I think a lot of employers are skeptical and wary, but I hope that it will open up conversations about compensation and make those conversations easier, rather than the cloak and dagger that has surrounded compensation for so long.

We’ve done salary banding for all of our positions, and then from a hiring perspective, we have discussions going on internally of what our low end and high end are and how those negotiations are happening. So, it’s definitely changed our approach. Whereas it used to be like, “Okay, we know we’ll pay this much for this position based on the candidate,” now we’re having much more detailed conversations.

What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?

Paid leave. Although a lot of states are implementing some form of paid leave, we really need it at the federal level for it to be impactful to the masses. I just don’t see that happening in our current political climate. We absolutely need it, and I think that different states coming out with their own regulations and their own policies and requirements is great, but I think the only way we’re going to make real progress with paid leave is to have it…nationwide.

Tell us one new or old HR tech product or platform that’s made your life easier, and why.

Mineral has been a great resource. I was able to easily create a handbook for all 50 states. They also provide a ton of templates and guides and just quick tidbits of information.—AD