There’s like this weird culture around it where some may even consider it rude or too personal like it’s equivalent to asking someone their social security number or something
I’ve heard a rumor it’s because companies/bosses don’t want people to talk about their pay between employees because they may find discrepancies compared to their coworkers, but I’m not 100% sure that’s actually why since even their employees consider it taboo.
In: Economics
It really does nothing but cause disharmony.
You want a harmonious workplace.
Truth is, some people are better than others. And some people deserve more pay than others. And when you find you aren’t being paid as much as someone you think you’re better than, even though you aren’t as good as you think you are, it causes problems.
Things simply change and non management employees can’t understand it a lot of times. They only see the me vs the us.
I know I’m gonna get dragged, but I think an honest answer is deserved.
I’m curious to know what people’s salary is. But I also dont want to know because I don’t want to have to find another job. I’m okay with what I make now. Sure, I could be happier with more. But I’m okay. But if I discover the moron who I have to pull slack for is making more than me I’m gonna be pissed. And that doesn’t do good for anyone.
I’ll start with saying that I don’t feel jealousy towards anyone who comes in at a higher rate than me. Good for them they negotiated more!
I do feel a tinge of guilt that my pay might make someone feel badly about theirs, rather than want to know how to better negotiate, or portray value. I won’t initiate pay discussions but when asked I will answer candidly.
It is definitely a cultural thing and not uniform across countries, too – I moved to Norway several years ago and my Norwegian partner inadvertently offended another recently immigrated American by casually asking him how much he made at his job over lunch. Not a coworker or anything, just someone we were meeting with. It’s apparently not considered a weird thing to ask here, and in fact you can generally just look up what someone made last year publicly… but also, being part of a union is so common that even PhD students are in them.
Because the employer does not want everyone knowing how hard they are getting fucked or how they had to offer more to the new person that is half trained is getting more than the 20 year vet.
Bc i live in a third world country where the majority of people don’t make more than 400 monthly, i landed a job remote with a really good salary and if my friends knew the amount i would get harassed and begged for money, also inside the company people from different countries get pay differently and i really need this job so it’s not worth for me to create an argument
A big reason is that people think that pay should be tied to seniority instead of merits. If a new employee comes in and shines and is compensated then the employees who have been there longer would be upset. It creates friction in the workplace.
It’s not, people are just weird. It only informs your own place, or the place of others, by asking. Just know that maybe the person who just got hired may make more than you and don’t take it out on them.
Because if there’s not a transparent wage grid senior employees often get underpaid to their newer colleagues. The workplace doesn’t keep up with pay raises so when it comes to hire someone new and they have to meet current market rate, sometimes it’s as much or more than what they’re paying the senior employee.
If they talk about it senior employee finds out they’re getting really underpaid and wants an immediate raise. The workplace usually has some stupid raise policy and says they’re handcuffed or they’ll try and drag it on to the next “performance evaluation” or some BS.
Anyways it usually either ends up with workplace being angry because they have to pay senior employee what they’re actually worth or senior employee leaves where they get paid what their worth.
At least where I come from, discussing finances is taboo, period. Not just in the workplace.
There is an “ignorance is bliss” aspect too. Had this conversation with a group. Turned out one was making way less and it prompted him to look for a new job. It was good in the long run but not a choice people want made for them by indisputable fact.
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