Is Your Colleague Earning More Than $200,000 a Year? Now You Can Find Out
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Is Your Colleague Earning More Than $200,000 a Year? Now You Can Find Out

As a salary transparency law takes effect in New York City, postings show pay ranges for jobs at companies from Amazon to PwC

By CHIP CUTTER
Wed, Nov 2, 2022 8:59amGrey Clock 3 min

Want to make more than $200,000 a year in New York? The options may be more plentiful than you think.

From content director at Colgate-Palmolive Co. to the diversity, equity and inclusion business manager at Macy’s Inc., the list of jobs offering the chance to make over $200,000 includes careers in a wide a range of industries, one of the early revelations from New York City’s new salary transparency law.

The measure, which takes effect Tuesday, requires nearly all New York employers to list pay on job postings, along with internal transfer or promotion opportunities. Companies hiring for remote positions that could conceivably be done from New York must also comply with the law and list minimum and maximum salary ranges, city officials have said.

The result is a trove of updated job listings at some of the nation’s most prominent employers, providing job seekers, existing employees and the merely curious with a rare glimpse at the pay practices of major companies.

Some employers, like Amazon.com Inc., have dozens of jobs with maximum pay of more than $200,000, according to listings. An opening for principal product manager in the company’s Amazon Music division lists a base salary of $197,900 to $267,800 a year in New York. A head of leadership and organisational development can make a salary of as much as $321,700.

An Amazon spokesman, August Aldebot-Green, said the company is committed to pay equity and lists the pay for some roles even when not required.

The listed ranges, which companies had to post as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, can help shed light on how companies set pay, a process that has long baffled both job seekers and employees. The salary data also are likely to raise questions among workers about why some jobs pay so much more than others, compensation specialists say.

Pay “is going to be all over the map,” said Susan Schroeder, a partner at Compensation Advisory Partners LLC and a longtime compensation consultant. “All of this has been done behind the scenes for years.”

How pay is determined has also become more complex, executives and advisers say. Many large companies have roughly 15 salary grades, or broad pay bands internally; human-resources staffers then try to match similar roles across departments to each of those levels, Ms. Schroeder said. Companies often then buy data sets listing salaries at rivals or in an industry as a whole in an attempt to benchmark pay to others.

New York’s law doesn’t require companies to include information on benefits, bonuses or additional stock-based compensation. Many employers note on listings that base pay can vary by location, skills and other factors. Though the law requires employers to post “good-faith” ranges, what that means in reality is up to some interpretation, executives say.

Among the listings posted so far, lower-level jobs tend to have fairly narrow ranges. By contrast, some companies list salaries for senior positions that vary by more than $200,000. An assistant vice president position involving machine learning platforms at CVS Health Corp., for example, has a posted range of $189,400 to $416,700. A CVS Health spokeswoman declined to comment.

Some ranges can be so broad they are essentially meaningless for workers, some employment attorneys say. Employers posting wide ranges may be aiming to reflect that a broad array of candidates could potentially fill the role, including those who are very senior, said Nancy Boston, director of compensation at payroll processor Automatic Data Processing Inc.

“You want to ensure if a company needs to recruit somebody who’s really highly an expert in that area, they’re able to attract that level of talent,” she said.

The position of global content director at Colgate, which seeks 10 years of experience, includes a range of $172,000 to $253,050. The position focuses on content “through the entire marketing funnel,” a posting notes. A research and innovation director position in skin health and personal care comes with a top salary of $225,750.

Some companies are also spelling out the differences in pay between locations on job listings. A position for a tax director at accounting and consulting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP says that the base pay ranges between $144,000 and $368,000 in Colorado; in New York, that salary is listed at between $158,400 and $434,000. A PwC spokeswoman didn’t immediately comment.

Cost-of-living differences can account for variations in pay between states, compensation specialists say. Colorado’s salary transparency law took effect last year, while salary ranges will be required in states such as California and Washington beginning in January. Companies that fail to comply with New York City’s law could face fines or other penalties.

Pay matters have become so complex that those who advise on it typically earn six-figure salaries, too, postings show. A position for a job architecture manager, advising clients on compensation strategies, at Deloitte has a posted salary range of $145,000 to $268,000. The posting notes that at Deloitte, “it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range.” A compensation consultant at Warner Bros. Discovery, owner of CNN and HBO, can earn as much as $187,460.

Other workplace-related roles also come with salaries topping $100,000. At Macy’s, the diversity and inclusion role, supporting the company’s chief diversity officer, lists a base salary of $142,080 to $237,000.

ADP’s Ms. Boston advised workers browsing career sites to remember that total compensation may be different than the base salary, and said she encouraged employers to be prepared to clearly articulate how pay decisions are made.

“I can assume that there will be a lot of confusion,” she said.



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High-voltage outlets, smart chargers, money-saving utility programs: what to know about charging EVs at home

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Thu, Mar 28, 2024 4 min

Things I miss about my local gas station:

That’s it. That’s the list. OK, fine, I did enjoy the communal squeegees.

This week marks six months since the grand opening of my home electric-vehicle charging station. Congrats to the whole team! (Me and my electrician.) Located between my garage door and recycling bin, it’s hard to beat for the convenience. And also the price.

If you’ve followed my ad-EV-ntures, you’re aware of my feelings about the hell that is public EV charging , at least before Tesla started sharing its Superchargers with its rivals. Truth is, I rarely go to those public spots. The vast majority of EV owners—83%—regularly charge at home, according to data-analytics company J.D. Power.

I already discovered many EV virtues , but I didn’t quite grasp the cost savings until I tallied up half a year of home-charging data. In that time, I spent roughly $125 on electricity to drive just under 2,500 miles. In my old car, that would have cost me more than twice as much—assuming gas held steady at around $3.25 a gallon . And I was charging through the winter, when electricity doesn’t stretch as far in an EV.

Rebates and programs from my state and utility company sweeten the deal. So I will be able to take advantage of discounted electricity, and offset the cost of my charger. The same may be available to you.

But first, there are technical things to figure out. A 240-volt plug? Kilowatt-hours? Peak and off-peak charging? While other people are in their garages founding world-altering tech companies or hit rock bands, I’m in there finding answers to your home-charging questions.

How to get set up

Sure, you can plug your car into a regular 120-volt wall outlet. (Some cars come with a cable.) And sure, you can also simultaneously watch all of Netflix while it charges. It would take more than two days to fill my Ford Mustang Mach-E’s 290-mile battery via standard plug, known as Level 1 charging.

That’s why you want Level 2, which can charge you up overnight. It requires two components:

• A 240-volt electric outlet. Good news: You might already have one of these higher-powered outlets in your house. Some laundry dryers and other appliances require them. Bad news: It might not be in your garage—assuming you even have a garage. I realise not everybody does.

Since my suburban New Jersey home has an attached garage, the install process wasn’t horrible—or at least that’s what my electrician said. He ran a wire from the breaker panel in the basement to the garage and installed a new box with a NEMA 14-50 outlet. People with older homes or detached garages might face trickier wiring issues—more of a “Finding NEMA” adventure. (I apologise to everyone for that joke.)

My installation cost about $1,000 but the pricing can vary widely.

• A smart charger. Choosing a wall charger for your car is not like choosing one for your phone. These mini computers help you control when to start and stop charging, calculate pricing and more.

“This is not something where you just go to Amazon and sort for lowest to highest price,” said Tom Moloughney, the biggest EV-charging nerd I know. On his website and “State of Charge” YouTube channel , Moloughney has reviewed over 100 home chargers. In addition to technical measurements, he does things like freezing the cords, to see if they can withstand wintry conditions.

“Imagine you are fighting with this frozen garden hose every time you want to charge,” he said.

One of his top picks, the ChargePoint Home Flex , was the same one my dad had bought. So I shelled out about $550 for it.

Just remember, if you want to make use of a charger’s advanced features—remote controls, charging updates, etc.—you’ll also need strong Wi-Fi in your garage.

How to save money

I hear all you money-minded WSJ readers: That’s at least $1,600 after getting the car. How the heck is this saving money? I assumed I’d recoup the charging-equipment investment over time, but then I found ways to get cash back even sooner.

My utility provider, PSE&G, says it will cover up to $1,500 on eligible home-charger installation costs . I just need to submit some paperwork for the rebate. In addition, New Jersey offers a $250 rebate on eligible charger purchases. (Phew! My ChargePoint is on the list.) If all is approved, I’d get back around $1,250. Fingers crossed!

I didn’t know about these programs until I started reporting on this. Nearly half of home-charging EV owners say they, too, are unaware of the programs offered by their electric utility, according to a 2024 study released by J.D. Power . So yes, it’s good to check with your provider. Kelley Blue Book also offers a handy state-by-state breakdown.

How to charge

Now I just plug in, right? Kinda. Even if you have a Level 2 charger, factors affect how many hours a fill-up will take, from the amperage in the wall to the current charge of your battery. Take Lionel Richie’s advice and plan on charging all night long .

It can also save you money to charge during off-peak hours.

Electricity costs are measured in kilowatt-hours. On my basic residential plan, PSE&G charges 18 cents per kWh—just 2 cents above the 2023 national average . My Mustang Mach-E’s 290-mile extended-range battery holds 91 kilowatt-hours.

Translation: A “full tank” costs $16. For most gas-powered cars, that wouldn’t cover half a tank.

And If I’m approved for PSE&G’s residential smart-charging plan, my off-peak charging (10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and weekends) will be discounted by up to 10.5 cents/kWh that I’ll get as a credit the following month. I can set specific charging times in the ChargePoint app.

Electricity prices fluctuate state to state but every expert I spoke to said no matter where in the country you live, home charging should cost less than half what gas would for the same mileage. (See chart above for a cost comparison of electric versus gas.) And as I’ve previously explained , fast charging at public stations will cost much more.

One big question: Am I actually doing anything for the environment if I’m just taxing the grid? Eventually, I’d like to offset the grid dependence—and cost—by powering my fancy little station with solar panels. Then, I’ll just be missing the squeegee.

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