More than a salary survey...

This year we are marking the 100^th anniversary of the Pay and Reward report, which was originally conducted by the Royal Institute of Chemistry to report on the pay of chemists following the First World War. 

By Sarah Salter, Careers Executive

The initial report was simple – showing pay by age and place of work (industry, government, municipal service or teaching). Today, the report covers much more, including subsectors within the chemical sciences and insights into other aspects of employment – including flexible working and skills development to support and inform your career decisions.

In 2019, we are celebrating the centenary of the first Pay and Reward report, formerly known as Trends in Remuneration.

In order to better understand how you use the report and how it could be improved we asked you for feedback. The comments were very positive and many of you confirmed that you use the report to help plan your career.

You also told us that the report is highly valued as a trusted and authoritative source, and there is no comparable alternative. Some of you have a sense of responsibility to share your pay and benefits information to support and contribute to the wider membership community. You also expect the Royal Society of Chemistry to collect and publish the salaries and benefits data of members, and for us to use pay and reward information to help you understand the job market and advocate for the chemical sciences.

The report has evolved over the last 100 years and continues to run every two or three years. The 2017 survey was incredibly popular, attracting nearly 7,000 responses to create a robust dataset by the community for the community. In 2017, we changed the format of the published report to include additional commentary around the survey findings, to establish two-year pay and satisfaction trends and looked at how our industry compared in terms of career satisfaction.

Serving the community

Today, we use this data in line with best practice to inform the development of our expert career management services, and to support our interest groups and local sections – identifying skills needs in their region or sector.

The anonymous data also helps us respond to current political topics such as advising the UK government on immigration changes and teacher retention. This data also highlighted the gender pay gap, which was reported in the Diversity landscape of the chemical sciences report (2018). It also informed our investigations into the different factors that lead to the low representation of women at a leadership level – resulting in a piece of original research and a high-profile advocacy campaign. It is also used by SMEs who facing recruitment issues, and supported a proposal for the introduction of breathing space grants for student members through the Chemist’s Community Fund.

The report may have evolved from its roots to serve a larger and more diverse community but the fundamental reasons why we collect and publish the salary data of members has not changed in the 100 years since it started. By taking part in the pay and reward survey, our members showcase the chemical sciences and the many and varied possible career pathways, allow their peers to make evidence-based decisions about their career, and support our work in furthering our profession. It is much more than a salary survey.

As part of these centenary celebrations we are making the historical pay and reward reports available digitally to you for the first time. Details will be released via the member newsletter later this year – keep an eye out.