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Do you discuss your salary with your coworkers?

Do you discuss your salary with your co-workers

  • Yes

    Votes: 42 33.6%
  • No

    Votes: 83 66.4%

  • Total voters
    125

ODESSA92

Neo Member
I am of the opinion that discussing salary with your co-workers can be to the detriment of yourself in pay negotiations. During pay reviews its often to the employer's advantage to falsely compare your current salary with others as an excuse to not raise your pay. Pay rises should be determined by the individual's merit and contributions to a company, and not denied simply because others are not on the same current salary as you.
 

BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
Not anymore. I did once at an old job and it turned into a big thing. I have a CS degree and a litany of certs. The other guy had like a Network+ and a MCSE, and was angry I got paid about $15k more than him. Or was it $20k? I forget.

So I just never mention it now.
 

Lasha

Member
I am of the opinion that discussing salary with your co-workers can be to the detriment of yourself in pay negotiations. During pay reviews its often to the employer's advantage to falsely compare your current salary with others as an excuse to not raise your pay. Pay rises should be determined by the individual's merit and contributions to a company, and not denied simply because others are not on the same current salary as you.

Knowing what others are paid and being paid your value are not mutually exclusive. An employer paying everybody the same regardless of contribution should be a sign for you to explore the market. Leave for a new employer if you can make more money.
 

Shifty1897

Member
In some jobs, we would all get together and have "the talk" where people would volunteer their salaries during lunch. It opened our eyes to the range of pay and how some people were clearly underpaid. It helped during negotiations in knowing what you could ask for.

I haven't done "the talk" with anyone in my current job, mostly because I'm pretty sure I make more than everyone else in my position and I won't be seeing anything more than a cost of living increase unless I get promoted to a senior position, which is something I've been trying to avoid.
 

AmuroChan

Member
Absolutely not. I work in a highly competitive environment where people have no issues backstabbing each other to get ahead. If salary info is shared, that will only make the environment even more toxic.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
Nope. Maybe I would if we all had similar jobs, but in my company each person has completely different responsibilities.
 

cash_longfellow

Gold Member
This is a real good way to make enemies at work….aside from any union positions with step pay and contracts, getting caught even discussing salary with co-workers could get me fired in most of my past positions.
 

Amory

Member
I don't really talk about anything with my coworkers other than work tasks.

But hypothetically if they asked would I tell them? Mm. Probably not. It's really not any of their business and even people with the same job title have wildly different responsibilities and paths they took to get there.
 

mxbison

Member
No, nobody here wants to discuss it so I won't either. You absolutely should though.

Corporate culture did a great job of turning this into a taboo to screw employees.
 
Yes. In my experience it can be very educational. If capable workers aren´t being paid what they´re worth its safe to expect your employer will try to bend you over the same barrel.
 

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
Someone at work told me how much she was getting paid, it was less than me and I told her, she realised she was being under paid, significantly. She's happier now she's not so stretched financially and the business can easily afford to pay her properly.

I'm not sure people realise that companies will pay you the absolute minimum they can get away with if you let them. If you have no idea what people around you are getting paid then you'll probably end up getting paid less because you won't know where to pitch your value at. If I didn't know what other people were getting, I wouldn't have known what to say my expected salary was and probably would have pitched based on how much I wanted to do the job, rather than what it was worth. I'd have been getting less than I do if I'd had to come up with a number in ignorance.

Knowing what the industry you work in pays someone doing your job has no downside to you.
 
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