As pay transparency laws continue to spread across the U.S., organizations are responding quickly: posting salary ranges, updating job listings, and signaling their compliance with new regulations. On the surface, the movement looks like progress.
But according to Scott Trumpolt, Founder of Trumpolt Compensation Design Solutions (TCDS), something important is missing from the conversation. Transparency has become increasingly visible — yet not necessarily more meaningful.
A recent feature in TechBullion highlights Trumpolt’s perspective on what he calls the transparency mirage: the belief that publishing salary bands automatically creates fairness, trust, or clarity.
You can read that article here:
https://techbullion.com/the-transparency-mirage-scott-trumpolt-and-the-illusion-of-progress/
This blog builds on those ideas, offering a deeper look at what true transparency requires — and why experienced compensation consultants play such a crucial role in getting it right.
The Mirage: When Transparency Is Only Surface-Level
The push for transparency is well-intended. Legislators want equity. Employees want fairness. Candidates want clarity. And companies want to demonstrate accountability.
But in many organizations, transparency is limited to a posted range — often something like $70,000–$105,000. These ranges may satisfy legislative requirements, but they rarely answer the questions that matter:
- Why is the range so broad?
- What determines where someone is placed within it?
- How does experience or performance influence progression?
- How is internal equity maintained across similar roles?
- What does advancement look like over time?
Without answers, transparency becomes an illusion. Employees see the number, but not the meaning. Candidates see the range, but not the logic. Managers see the requirement, but not the structure behind it.
As Trumpolt emphasizes:
Visibility is not the same as clarity.
Transparency without infrastructure creates confusion — and confusion weakens trust.
Why Transparency Fails Without System and Structure
Modern pay transparency laws were designed to reduce inequity. But when companies respond with optics rather than substance, they unintentionally create the opposite effect.
Common issues include:
1. Overly broad salary ranges
Wide ranges look generous but communicate very little about expectations or standards.
2. Inconsistent application
Employees in similar roles may fall into the same published band but earn markedly different incomes — without understanding why.
3. Unanswered questions
A posted number tells nothing about contribution, growth, or how compensation evolves.
4. Erosion of trust
Employees begin to fill in the blanks themselves, often assuming unfairness even when none exists.
This is where experienced compensation consultants bring essential clarity. Consulting ensures transparency is not symbolic — but strategic.
Career Architecture: The Framework That Makes Transparency Real
Trumpolt’s preferred solution is a structure he frequently builds for clients: Career Architecture.
Rather than starting with a salary range, Career Architecture begins with trajectory — the bigger picture of how roles evolve over time.
This approach creates a framework that is:
- future-focused
- performance-aligned
- consistent across functions
- clear for both candidates and employees
Career Architecture helps employees understand:
- where the role begins
- how it grows
- what skills and experiences matter
- what advancement looks like
- how compensation ties to contribution
- how their work aligns with organizational goals
Instead of guessing whether they fit at the bottom or the top of a salary band, employees see a map of their own potential.
As Trumpolt often explains:
“Pay is not a moment — it’s a process.”
Career Architecture gives shape to that process.
Career Infrastructure: The Backbone Behind Every Fair Pay System
In addition to Career Architecture, Trumpolt often supports organizations in building Career Infrastructure — the deeper systems that guide growth and maintain internal equity.
A strong infrastructure includes:
- capability mapping
- succession planning
- internal role alignment
- position evaluation
- performance expectations
- advancement milestones
- transparent decision-making criteria
Where Career Architecture provides direction, Career Infrastructure provides stability.
Together, they replace guesswork with clarity — and transform transparency from a compliance task into a cultural advantage.
Why Companies Need Expertise in the Transparency Era
Transparency isn’t simply an HR initiative — it’s a strategic shift that touches recruiting, retention, culture, engagement, and brand.
Experienced compensation consultants help organizations:
- design salary bands based on real market data
- define how employees move through those bands
- set consistent placement guidelines
- train managers on transparent communication
- prepare for legal compliance
- build long-term, scalable compensation frameworks
- connect compensation to performance and impact
Handled well, transparency becomes a competitive strength — not a liability.
Transparency as an Ethical Commitment
One of the most compelling parts of Trumpolt’s message is the ethical dimension of transparency.
When companies publicize salary ranges without context, they unintentionally:
- create false expectations
- encourage inaccurate comparisons
- undermine employee confidence
- weaken internal trust
On the other hand, transparency grounded in structure:
- respects employees’ intelligence
- empowers candidates to make informed decisions
- reduces conflict within teams
- strengthens engagement and accountability
- aligns compensation with contribution and performance
As Trumpolt states:
“Compensation isn’t an act of generosity — it’s a function of impact.”
When organizations communicate that impact clearly, transparency becomes not just a requirement, but a sign of respect.
Beyond Optics: What Meaningful Transparency Really Looks Like
Meaningful transparency doesn’t start with compliance. It starts with clarity.
It requires companies to show:
- how roles are defined
- what advancement requires
- how internal equity is measured
- how pay decisions are made
- how performance shapes progression
- how compensation evolves over time
In other words…
Transparency isn’t the number. It’s the system behind the number.
When that system is visible — when the logic is communicated — trust grows.
And trust is the foundation of engagement, retention, and long-term organizational health.
The Path Forward
Trumpolt doesn’t reject transparency.
He expands it.
He reframes it.
He restores its original purpose.
True transparency doesn’t stop at disclosure laws.
It requires structure, clarity, and meaningful communication.
Organizations willing to build that structure earn something far more valuable than compliance:
- credibility
- consistency
- confidence
- loyalty
Transparency without infrastructure misleads.
But transparency grounded in purpose — that kind endures.