What it’s like to work here.
(a quick look at our culture)
-
We're Informal
We prefer to simply be human and don’t hide who we are behind “professionalism”. If you need a very corporate, formal work environment, we’re probably not the right place for you.
-
We Don't Stand Still
The world is constantly changing. And because the organizations we work with tend to serve the public and environment, they must also change in order to effectively respond to the needs of their constituents. This means that we are also constantly adapting and making adjustments to keep up with the world changing around us.
-
Innovation & Creativity
We welcome creativity and experimentation. Not only is it more fun (in our opinion), but it also has the potential to yield better processes and structures. New ideas are exciting, so we are always open to suggestions, feedback, and brainstorms. If you can think of a way to do something better, we want to hear it!
-
We Care for Our Clients
Many of the organizations we work with are small, or just starting out, or going through changes. The world of finance and HR can be a scary thing — it can be difficult to understand and carries a lot of risk. So we do our best to make this work less frightening and more accessible. We don’t often speak in jargon (unless they want us to), and we try to explain the ‘why’ behind each request or policy.
Some clients are relatively comfortable with this work, while others ask us to hold their hand a bit. And because we want them to succeed, we try to give them what they need.
-
Independence & Autonomy
We are a remote organization (and will stay that way). This type of workspace requires regular and frequent asynchronous communication. Because we have so many projects happening at the same time, it can be a lot to keep track of, and it just doesn’t work without good communication amongst the team.
Apart from the frequent communication, we spend a lot of time working on our own. We do of course have regular check in meetings and training opportunities, and we will always try to make sure each person has all of the information they need to do their work. But working here means being able to self-motivate and keep yourself on track.
Pay Rates at Green Owl
We take employee pay very seriously. We are not perfect, but we strive to limit bias as much as possible when determining pay rates.
Because we believe in paying well, the lowest-paid position at Green Owl is paid at or above a living wage (usually above). We’ve also developed a very structured pay policy in an effort to pay staff for the job they’re performing rather than for their ability to negotiate. This means that we do not negotiate when making job offers or considering pay raises.
And the reason why we put all of this information here is because we believe transparency helps promote equity. All job announcements include pay rates, and employees have access to the specifics of our current pay ranges and position tiers. (Check out the menu in this section to view some of those details.)
Again, we’re not perfect so we’ll likely continue to refine and adjust as we continue to learn. We welcome feedback if you have it!
-
All positions at Green Owl fall neatly into our tier structure which determines decision making authority, level of responsibility, and amount of experience / education, among other things.
For example, a Specialist has at least two years of experience and/or education, has the authority to make decisions with supervisor approval, and doesn’t manage other staff. All Specialists match this.
We have eight tiers in our structure ranging from Intern to Chief, and each is clearly defined.
-
We try to keep salary ranges between tiers relatively flat. Typically, the pay rate at the highest tier (Chief) is about 2x the pay rate at the lowest tier (Intern). And the variance between each tier is the same amount. This means that the Manager tier may make $7,000 more than the Specialist tier, which makes $7,000 more than the Coordinator tier, and so on.
-
In addition to salary ranges between tiers, each tier has a set salary range within it as well. For example, a particular tier may have a range of $71,000 - $78,000 per year. The next tier up would then have a $78,000 - $85,000 salary range.
Pay rates are assigned to staff based on their experience and skill at that particular level. For example, an employee starting out as a first-time Manager will receive a rate near the lower end of the range, whereas a very experienced Manager (who is probably ready to be promoted up to Director) will receive a rate towards the higher end. As employees gain experience, their pay rate can increase within their tier.
-
In addition to pay increases as described above or due to job changes, we typically offer annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) to all staff. Our rate is based on federal inflation rates and similar indices, so COLA rates will vary year to year (and some years may not occur at all, though that is not common).
Employee Benefits
-
Healthcare
As a small company, our access to decent healthcare plans is limited. So instead of insurance, we provide all staff with a monthly stipend that is intended to help pay for their healthcare costs.
-
Retirement
Employees have the option to contribute a percentage of their wages to a 401(k) plan if they choose, and we match their contributions up to 5%.
-
Flexible Schedules
We all have different routines, energies, responsibilities, health needs, and schedules. So employees can generally work whenever they want with the understanding that they will attend required meetings and work their regular number of hours.
-
Professional Development
We want to support each individual’s goals and development. All eligible staff have access to funds to pursue learning opportunities. Also, it isn’t uncommon for us to adjust someone’s job description to better match their interests and strengths.
-
Paid Time Off
In lieu of Vacation and Sick Pay, we provide Paid Time Off (PTO). Employees earn 1 hour of PTO for every 12 hours they work. This means that full-time employees earn about 17 PTO days per year.
-
Paid Holidays
We are closed on twelve major holidays each year (the federal ones plus a couple extra). We will also make reasonable efforts to accommodate alternative holiday calendars if you have them.
-
Paid Winter Break
We are closed for the first three weeks of winter (exact dates fluctuate year to year) because it’s important that our team has a long (paid!) break where they can be sure no one else is working.
-
Part-Time Benefits
Typically, staff who work part-time are still eligible for our benefits. Things like paid time off are usually just proportioned accordingly.
Terms
Green Owl Consulting is an employment at-will company. No employment information on our website should be considered an employment contract and it is subject to change without notice. Full details and limitations of our compensation and benefits structure, in addition to anything else on this site, are found in our internal policy documents.