Why Do You Keep Your Salary Secret?

privacy issues

Many employers like to keep salaries a secret because they don't want their employess to think that they are less valuable than their counterparts that might have more experience or come from other companies that exposed them to more.

Instead of complaining behind an employers back, if a person feels underpaid, they should comfront their employers and ask what they need to do within a company to get from point A to Z. If still not satiesfied it is time to move.

As Humans we need to be valued! If at any point we are not satisfied our work will reflect that and would never get to poinr Z. The best thing is to move on to were we are valued:)

NY-FL of FL @ Aug 18, 2008 10:36:49 AM

To Sum it all up;

This is an unfortunate by-product of a Capitalistic Society. The only possible fix is Government regulation of ALL Social Security Number holders......And we all know what that kind of Government is called.

Steve of AL @ Aug 18, 2008 10:03:41 AM

Why Privacy

Companies benefit from the secrecy surrounding middle management/professional salaries. The common axiom that “Knowledge is Power” applies to any negotiation. By fostering a climate of pay secrecy (when I started my career with a Fortune 500 company I was told that discussing pay was a firing offense) the company assures itself the upper hand when it comes to the awarding/negotiation of annual pay increases. The employee does not know how his pay compares to those of his closest peers. He may have an appreciation of his performance and his worth, but can only guess as to whether he is under or over paid in relation to those around him.

I agree that where pay is secret the assumptions employees make regarding the salaries of others are probably incorrect. But, it puts the employee in a weak position when discussing pay with his supervisor. The supervisor KNOWS what others are making and KNOWS that the employee has been kept ignorant of the pay of others. The supervisor can use the employee’s relative pay in making decisions, but the employee cannot.

Pay secrecy gives the company the upper hand and is apparently worth any problems caused by incorrect assumptions regarding the pay of others.

BSJ of NC @ Aug 15, 2008 11:24:17 AM

Company Values?

I work for a large food company that stresses core values and a good work ethic. Core values center on openess,trust, and integrity. However the facts parallel this article as the majority of our plants are unionized something most corporations don't want. However in looking at pay practices the union plants in geographical areas with a lower cost of living than my area(California) are paid substanially more (up to 25%). The company attempts to exalt the virtues of being non-union but does so by pay secrecy, paying non-union locations less, and hiring workers with such diverse backgrounds and abilities they would probably be afraid to unionize. Unfortunately I find this very disheartening but this is not something a corporation tells you before they hire you. Make no qualms the company will take every advantage of you at every turn when allowed. Working hard may get you a raise but to know it's 25% less than someone else under similar circumstances in a different locale with a cheaper cost of living index doesn't resonate well.

California Dreaming of CA @ Jul 27, 2008 21:05:29 PM

Bill Zollars in Kansas City

Bill Zollars is one of those slightly overpaid CEO's for a company in the Kansas City (actually Overland Park) area. He is president of a nationally known company on the Nasdaq (a fortune 500 company). He make more per year then most people make in a lifetime. No wonder he does not like the article.

Here is a clip from an article about his company:

Zollars' actual compensation earned for 2007 was $3.09 million, down 40.4 percent from $5.19 million in 2006, according to a Tuesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

- end of clip-

You would need to work 40 years at 75,000/year to match what he gets for one year.

Kansas City area resident of KS @ Jul 26, 2008 23:10:01 PM

You are all Idiots

There isn't a single reason here that makes sense. You're all nuts.

Bill

Bill Zollars of KS @ Jul 26, 2008 21:21:30 PM

Inefficient economics

People are discouraged to share their salary info so that HR types and the company keep wages down. Its econ 101. Companies share data via salary surveys and employees are discouraged from doing the same. So you have a market where the buyers (Companies) have more complete information then the sellers (workers). Advantage buyers. As mentioned in the article, there is a wide variety of industries where salaries are readily known, and they seem to function ok. Us poor white collar schmucks can look after ourselves by sharing the information we have.

Justin of WA @ Jul 26, 2008 20:16:47 PM

Companies Doesn't care about there employees .....

you're so right ........>>OF<<<

It's none of anyone's business. That's the problem with people they want to know everyone business , there's no privacy anymore .

You've CEO's who makes millions in pay and millions in bonuses , and guess what they don't deserve that amount

they're overpaid / overrate.

I know men / women who worked very hard from the time they walked into that plant until they came home . There bodies showed it , many of them had carpal tunnel sydrome , neck problems , back , etccc . They took there job serious , another thing they done was , they were NEVER late to work , mostly all of them were early. They were devoted and took pride in there job and saved the company millions of dollars . These are the ones who deserves the high pay rate but guess what , they didnt get a pay raise in the last 9 yrs , they stayed open . The plant closed because the company , had other plants built for millions of dollars , instead of keeping the ones they had .

The company should of given them something instead of closing , I never in my life seen people like this. The name of Company was called "TOWER AUTOMOTIVE " AND THEY HAVE NO APPRECIATION FOR THOSE WHO WORKED THERE ASSES OFF .

Top if all off , Another friend who was a supervisor ,was suppose to stay at the plant , and then he can recieve his servant pay , well he did everything was told , come to found out the Company said they wasnt going to give him it . They were trying to rip him off , he did his deal , but they didnt.

Companies you can't trust , they will take anything away from you , they can careless about you or your family. Its all about them . While CEO's recieve there pay ( millions ) employees only recieve Pink Slips .

I really feel this Company Tower had it plant to only stay open for 9 yrs and move on to something else . Sad part too , all the employees all scattered to other states to found work. It remind me of letting all the bugs out of a box and they run every direction . Because of no jobs to be found. And all those hard workers , just idling . How sad is that .

Disappointed citizen of @ Jul 26, 2008 16:38:54 PM