Knowing what people you work with earn

[girasol]

What I have learnt is that there isn't a great deal of point in me busting a gut to get promoted this year because the people at the next level up aren't on a great deal more money than me

There you go!

 

[beeboo]

There you go!

*makes another cup of tea*

*puts feet up*

 

[J77]

gen. qu.

Is it only an English thing to be secretive about how much you earn?

 

[Chairman Meow]

Is it only an English thing to be secretive about how much you earn?

No, its an Irish thing too. Probably Scottish and Welsh also.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Is it only an English thing to be secretive about how much you earn?

In China people are really open, they don't see any problem with asking a colleague or a friend/acquaintance or even some random they've just got talking to in a bar what they earn. Different culture, innit? *shrugs*

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

In my experience (in other workplaces) lack of knowledge about what other people earn have been used to let management get away with woefully underpaying some members of staff, because they can get away with it.

Too true. I was one of those mugs who later found out that I was being very much underpaid. I wouldn't have minded so much, except I worked so much overtime for a workaholic boss, did stupid amounts of work really, and I was eventually replaced by two people, who I found out *each* were paid *more* than I earned.

It's going back some years but I was a legal secretary and was paid £12k (in part I guess the low pay was because I had come from a low-paid public sector arts administrator position). After I left, I was told by former colleagues that I was replaced by two women, who each earned £15k.

I'm obviously not very good at salary negotiations.

 

[J77]

In China people are really open, they don't see any problem with asking a colleague or a friend/acquaintance or even some random they've just got talking to in a bar what they earn. Different culture, innit? *shrugs*

Same in the Netherlands, ime.

 

[quimcunx]

It may be company policy that salaries are confidential but where I work (a charity) we have a transparent pay schedule. However, net salaries are confidential by law.

I found out at my old place what people were earning from their pension contribs. I kept it to myself and enjoyed the secret. I saw peoples bonuses too one year. fery interesting...

 

[Orang Utan]

I would be livid if I found out that a colleague (doing the same job) who'd been there longer than me was getting paid more than me. That'd be so unfair. Luckily, we all get paid the same, though you get a couple of hundred extra if you've got a kid I think. I would love to know how much everyone else in the company gets. I wonder if I could find out. No one talks about it much though.

 

[t0bytoo]

I used to work on databases in big banks. I got to see loads of personal info - and the salaries, bonuses, etc.

(I hope not to work in that kind of place again)

Transparency is the way forward. Everyone should know who's getting what. Unfortunately, most businesses don't think this way.

 

[Poi E]

I think that everyone should know what everyone else is earning. Fuck secrecy. It breeds inequitable treatment of employees. Trouble is, people would wise up to the fact that the vast "management" classes that actually produce little of value are paid out of all proportion to their worth.

 

[Dowie]

Basic pay ought to be consistent and any bonus/commission structure or pay increases for X years of experience ought to be applied in the same way.

I don't think there is anything wrong with people knowing what pay band their colleagues fall into - though what their colleagues actually received in terms of bonus/commission or overtime (as long as the incentives were applied equally) has got nothing to do with them.

What I don't like is when people doing exactly the same job get differing pay simply because one of them was better at negotiating at interview - or in other cases - one of them had a better recruitment consultant.

 

[Orang Utan]

Why should more experienced employees get more money for doing the same job?

 

[quimcunx]

because they're more experienced.

 

[Orang Utan]

So? They're doing the same job, so should get the same as everyone else.

 

[Yossarian]

Is it the kind of job where you get more productive over time?

 

[Orang Utan]

Is it the kind of job where you get more productive over time?

Not in my job. If anything, the people with less experience are perhaps more productive cos they cope better with change and my business is all about change

 

[Yossarian]

OK – if experience in the job actually makes you less valuable as an employee then fair enough. For something like fixing ceilings or whatever, I’d expect someone who’d been doing it for a long time and was able to do it a lot faster to a better standard with less supervision than someone with less experience to be able to negotiate a better pay rate for themselves.


In a lot of jobs more experienced people end up acting as unofficial trainers/troubleshooters a lot of the time, and are more attractive to other employers willing to pay more, so I don’t think it’s too unfair that their pay sometimes reflects this.

 

[Orang Utan]

I guess so but I wouldn't sanction it just for putting the years in - no one would ever move on