4 ms·

"And there’s really no upside for individuals to upload and share their own private salary information, other than contributing to a grander vision of pay equal

"And there’s really no upside for individuals to upload and share their own private salary information, other than contributing to a grander vision of pay equality." What a weird way for the author to end the article. Does there need to be a reason beyond pay equality? I benefit by having an understanding of the bands at a company. That only works if many people see value in this data and share theirs.

Clubber 7y ago
Yes, leverage is one of the most important parts of salary negotiation. If you know what a target is (i.e. what other people make), you are in a much stronger position. For example, let's say you are just starting out, or are a couple of years in. You don't really understand how the business and hiring side works, you just want a programming job at a well known company. You might settle for 80%, 75%, 50% of what the market truly values you, because you don't really know what you can get. That's the important piece. It's hard to know your market value when you are a single data point while the hiring companies have entire teams analyzing the market for them. This also compounds. All your raises over your entire tenure at a company are based on your existing salary. They typically won't think, "wow, we're only paying him $50k, we'd better bring it up to market rates." Managers don't get bonuses for thinking that way; they'll just give you a set percentage based on your current salary. You can start to see how important initial salary negotiation is; it affects your compensation for your entire tenure at that company. When hiring companies ask how much you make at your current company, they're trying to extend that discount to their company. All based on what you agreed to because you didn't have the pertinent data. That visibility is so important, it's enshrined into US labor law (back when politicians gave a hoot about labor): >Under the National Labor Relations Act, enacted in 1935, private-sector employees have the right to engage in "concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." https://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policies-at-work-often-illegal-and-misunderstood https://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policie...
- Pfhreak 7y ago
  I think you and I are in agreement. Sharing this data gives others power in their negotiations, and you benefit from others sharing. That seems like enough of a reason to me...

Clubber 7y ago

Yes, leverage is one of the most important parts of salary negotiation. If you know what a target is (i.e. what other people make), you are in a much stronger position. For example, let's say you are just starting out, or are a couple of years in. You don't really understand how the business and hiring side works, you just want a programming job at a well known company. You might settle for 80%, 75%, 50% of what the market truly values you, because you don't really know what you can get. That's the important piece. It's hard to know your market value when you are a single data point while the hiring companies have entire teams analyzing the market for them. This also compounds. All your raises over your entire tenure at a company are based on your existing salary. They typically won't think, "wow, we're only paying him $50k, we'd better bring it up to market rates." Managers don't get bonuses for thinking that way; they'll just give you a set percentage based on your current salary. You can start to see how important initial salary negotiation is; it affects your compensation for your entire tenure at that company. When hiring companies ask how much you make at your current company, they're trying to extend that discount to their company. All based on what you agreed to because you didn't have the pertinent data. That visibility is so important, it's enshrined into US labor law (back when politicians gave a hoot about labor): >Under the National Labor Relations Act, enacted in 1935, private-sector employees have the right to engage in "concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection." https://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policies-at-work-often-illegal-and-misunderstood https://www.npr.org/2014/04/13/301989789/pay-secrecy-policie...

Pfhreak 7y ago
I think you and I are in agreement. Sharing this data gives others power in their negotiations, and you benefit from others sharing. That seems like enough of a reason to me...