One of our core values at Agni is “trust is greater than fear.” We believe that our ability to bring our mission to life depends on many different kinds of trust: our trust in modern science and ancient wisdom; our customers’ trust in us; and our teammates’ trust in each other. Fear, conversely, depletes energy and limits our ability to act on our vision and deepen our impact.
So we’re working to foster trust and decrease fear wherever we can, starting with our internal team policies and processes; since information is a foundational element of trust, transparency is central to our efforts.
Last month we implemented a transparent pay policy in service of this endeavor. At its core, adopting pay transparency means that all team members understand the foundational elements of the company’s compensation philosophy, including:
- Company context: how is the company doing financially?
- Compensation values: how does the company calculate compensation for each role (including benefits, bonuses, and equity)?
- Career path: what is my potential for growth here?
Explaining the what, why, and how of a compensation philosophy is the first step. The second (and more radical!) step to implementing transparent pay is sharing the results of these elements (each individual’s compensation package) with the full team. So that’s what we did! We shared the formula that we use to determine each person’s pay, as well as a complete breakdown of each teammate’s salary and equity ownership. To learn more about our pay formula, check out our blog post about it here.
While “pulling back the curtain” on what is often seen as incredibly private personal information and embracing full transparency was (in some moments) challenging, it’s also been liberating for both Agni and our team members. The impact of this policy has already been far reaching:
- We’ve challenged ourselves to create compensation packages up front that are as competitive as Agni can possibly offer, while being fair to people who may be less comfortable or experienced with negotiation or who don't have competitive offers in hand.
- We’ve helped to remove the mystery that can often surround raises and promotions, so that employees understand how they can grow at Agni from the start of their tenure.
- Our pay structure demonstrates that when Agni succeeds financially, employees do too, creating a healthy incentive for teammates to contribute to the company’s broader goals.
Pay transparency is one tactic we’re using to choose trust over fear at Agni, and we’re always seeking out new ways to do so. We love learning from our community, so if you have ideas for trust-building practices that you’d like to share, reach out to us at support@agniforall.com or @agniforall on Instagram. We’re excited to hear from you.
